Sports fraternity mourns netball umpire Wankhama
The Malawi netball fraternity is in deep shock following the death of renowned umpire, tutor and physical trainer Titus Wankhama yesterday morning in Mzuzu.
The Malawi Defence Force’s (MDF) warrant officer class one, who has left behind a wife and two sons, passed on after a short illness and his body will be laid to rest today at his home village in Enukweni, Mzimba, according to his nephew Alex Wankhama.
“This is a great loss not only to netball but the nation. Wankhama was an umpire and a tutor, who has trained a lot of people in the country,” said Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) general secretary Isaac Chimwala.
“We will greatly miss his services because his departure has left a big gap that will be difficult to fill. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
On her part, Queens coach Peace Chawinga-Kaluwa said she has lost a good friend, an advisor and a trainer, who was always jovial, humble and hardworking.
She said: “Titus the umpire, the tutor the trainer we had. We have lost a cheerful, joking, hardworking and supportive person.
“Titus was a complete person. An advisor, a netball mentor to many, will never find. Very hardworking, humble and always jovial. You will never have a dull moment with Titus. He knew how to encourage some of us when our spirits were down. He was just born a leader.”
Writing on her Facebook Page, Australia-based netballer Mwawi Kumwenda paid tribute, saying: “We have lost one of the best netball umpires in Malawi. You will be dearly missed Titus Wankhama.”
Former athlete Francis Munthali said he was saddened after competing with him during his era.
“Titus Wankhama was a good athlete and later an administrator. He was the general secretary when I was chairperson for Southern Region Athletics Committee,” he said.
The deceased began netball umpiring in his secondary school days before he became an umpiring tutor and a physical trainer, who was part of the Malawi Queens technical panel at the Pent Series in Namibia last October.
He was also a former short distance runner, who competed in 100 metres (m) 200m races.
