Nomads clubhouse sealed again

Blantyre City Council yesterday sealed Mighty Wanderers clubhouse over outstanding property rates amounting to about K3.7 million.

This is the second time within six months that the Nomads clubhouse, which is located along Lali Lubani Road in Chichiri, has been sealed by the council.

In an interview yesterday, the club’s board secretary Humphrey Mvula confirmed the closure, saying they have not been remitting the property rates dues for years.

He said: “It is true, we have not been honouring the rates for sometime. The amount is about K3.7 million and we have got to find ways of dealing with the situation.

“This is a debt generated over a long period of time. So, no one has considered it as important as we all should be.”

“We cannot pay the full amount because we have equally pressing issues pertaining to our main asset, the players.

“We have only been there since July 24 up to now. So, we will enter into a dialogue with Blantyre City Council to see how best we can address the matter.”

In an interview, Blantyre City Council director of trade, commerce and industry Dennis Chinseu said: “For the amount, I would advise they confirm for themselves. But in terms of the way forward, we would expect them to pay at least half for us to open and then commit to clear  the balance by end of the year.”

 In April this year,  the club was also sealed for the same reason and the two parties agreed terms of payment through installments.

The club’s supporters committee chairperson Mervin Nkunika attributed the situation to the club’s recent transformation from a community team to a private liability company.

He said: “It is something to do with the transition process as the board has only been there for a few months.”

Since the early 1960s, the clubhouse has been one of the team’s revenue sources.