Politics of stadia, Sports projects

Government’s 2024/2025 National Budget has pledged to resume six major sports projects which stalled for the past 12 months due to lack of funds.

The projects, namely the construction of stadium for Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and FCB Nyasa Bullets, Mzuzu Youth Centre (K1.5 billion), Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex, National Aquatic Complex  (K1.8 billion) as well as renovation of Bingu National Stadium (K464 million) and Kamuzu Stadium (K80 million) are once again  listed as Ministry of Youth and Sports’ priorities in the 2024/2025 financial year, according to the Budget Statement which Minister of finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda presented in Parliament on Friday.

“Madam Speaker, government is committed to continue providing policy direction and guidance on matters pertaining to the development and empowerment of Malawian youths and the management of all sporting activities.

“In 2024/2025 Financial Year, resources allocated to this sector will cater for the following construction projects:  Construction of Mzuzu Youth Centre, completion of the Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex, completion of the National Aquatic Complex, completion of the Zingwangwa and Soche stadia and rehabilitation of Bingu National and Kamuzu stadia,” the minister said.

However, this is not the first time for government to make such a commitment.

Bullets stadium project, earmarked for Zingwangwa near Moneymen along Chikwawa Road, was estimated to cost about K3.8 billion and was awarded to China Civil Engineering.

On the other hand, Wanderers project, located near Blantyre Teachers Training College, was pegged at K3.6 billion and was awarded to Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company.

The projects, which former president Peter Mutharika promised the two clubs in 2020, were allocated K1.6 billion in the 2019/20 National Budget.

But the change of government in 2020 affected the projects as the MCP regime did not allocate funding for the projects after scrapping off the DPP budget.

It was also the same in the 2021/2022 and the then minister of Youth and Sports Richard Chimwendo Banda said the future of the projects would be reviewed in due course.

There was a glimmer of hope after government allocated K800 million in 2021/2022 for each of the two projects and K1 billion in the 2023/2024 budget.

However, the funding never materialised into resumption of the projects as it was used to offset arrears for two contractors.

Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire last month reiterated government’s commitment to complete the stadiums, saying funds would be made available in the 2024/2025 National Budget.

“Contractors are owed about K3 billion on those two projects and, this ending fiscal year, we were allocated K800 million.

“At budget review point, additional funds were allocated and these funds have been used to offset the arrears,” he said.

Both Bingu National Stadium and Kamuzu Stadium have also been allocated funds before, but they are still yet to be fully renovated.

Bingu National Stadium still has a provisional approval from Confederation of African Football to host the Flames matches while dilapidated Kamuzu Stadium remains blacklisted.

Mzuzu Youth Centre project awarded to Dec Construction started 10 years ago at an estimated K19 million budget under the then DPP government.

It has been allocated funding in the past budgets, but there is no progress at the site.

In 2020/21 budget, it got K1 billion while in the 2021/2022 budget, government allocated it K800 million.

 In 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 it was allocated K2 billion each.

But Sports analyst Julius Mithi doubted if the MCP government can complete the projects within the 2024/25 financial year.

He said: “I doubt it if the MCP government can compete these sports projects after failing to do so in three years they have been in power.

“Mind you, money has been allocated to these projects before, but actual funding was never made available.

“The budget statement is just a mere paper but making the actual funds available for the projects is another thing.”

Bullets chief administration officer Albert Chigoga said they are hopeful that government will deliver on its promise.

He said: “The budget allocation to the projects gives us hope that something will be done. We are excited that funds have been allocated and hope work will resume at the site.”

Construction of Wanderers’ stadium in Soche is at about 70 percent while Zingwangwa site for Bullets stadium is at about 50 percent.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation constructed the Aquatic Centre, but after hosting the Region Five Games, architectural errors were discovered, which led to the closure of the facility.

The indoor court, on the other hand, was constructed for netball but after the Region Five Games, it was proposed that it should also accommodate other codes such as basketball, squash and tennis.