TZ clears air on Mary Waya

Tanzania netball governing body has cleared the air of uncertainty surrounding Malawi’s netball icon Mary ‘Atcheya’ Waya.

In a telephone interview from Dar es Salaam on Saturday, newly elected Tanzania Amateur Netball Association (Chaneta) chairperson Anna Kibira said Waya’s contract with the Taifa Queens expired late last year.

The development puts to rest speculation that Waya had been appointed Malawi Queens assistant coach when she was still contracted to Chaneta as coach for the Tanzania national netball team.

Kibira also said there is no record showing that Waya was on a running contract with the Taifa Queens whom she guided to their first netball championship glory in Singapore last November.

She said it will be her committee’s prerogative to appoint the new coach to train the team ahead of local and international assignments.

“We have no records from the previous [Chaneta] committee that she [Waya] is the head coach of the team,” she said.

On whether they would be interested to extend Waya’s contract, Kibira said the Chaneta executive committee, which meets at the end of the month in Dar es Salaam, will discuss the possibility of hiring another coach or retaining Waya.

The netball desk officer at TNSC (Tanzania National Sports Council), John Chalukulu, said in an interview that Waya was employed by the previous Chaneta leadership on a contract for a year.

He said Waya was being paid by the outgoing leadership and not the government of Tanzania.

“To us, what the outgoing leadership of Chaneta did was good and must be commended,” Chalukulu was quoted as saying by Tanzania online publication IPP Media.

Outgoing Chaneta chairperson, Anna Bayi, confirmed that her committee employed Waya on a one-year contract.

She said they could not renew the contract as it was the responsibility of the current leadership.

Bayi said in the event that Waya is not hired by Chaneta, she will remain head coach of Filbert Bayi Netball Team.

However, Waya said she will explain her position involving Malawi and Tanzania national teams as well as Filbert Bayi netball side, at an appropriate time.

Reports from the East African domain indicate that despite being appointed caretaker coach for the Queens by NAM, the new committee is contemplating extending her contract as coach for Taifa Queens.

She could not be drawn to state her allegiance to either country, insisting that she would comment when time is ripe.

“At the moment, I am sorting out one or two things, thereafter, I will come out to state my position,” said Waya.

A well-placed source said Waya is taking her time as she is waiting to hear from the new Chaneta leadership on whether they will extend her contract.

“In the event that Chaneta decides to keep her, she wants to weigh the offers and then come up with a decision,” said the source.

However, Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Rosy Chinunda said they raised the issue with Waya before her appointment and the netball icon said there would be no problem.

“She has since accepted the offer as one of the assistant coaches and got down to work on Monday last week,” said Chinunda.

Waya led the Taifa Queens to win for the first time, the Six Nations Netball Championship which was held in Singapore.

Taifa Queens’ Singapore glory helped them to improve on the International Netball Federation (INF) ranking.

Waya replaced veteran coach Marry Protas, and prior to her appointment as head coach of the team, the Malawian worked under the Tanzanian tactician.

As Filbert Bayi Netball Team head coach, she guided the team to clinch the Netball Club Championship which was held in Mbeya late last year.