Government wants councils to learn from Balaka, Dedza stadia
Government has called on councils that are undertaking stadium construction projects to visit Balaka and Dedza as they strategise on how to manage their facilities upon completion.
The two districts have stadia that have been hosting Super League games for several years now.
Head of Development Communication Unit of the Local Development Fund (LDF), Booker Matemvu, said the councils need to appreciate what is involved in the running of stadia by learning from living examples.
“Running the stadia without knowing exactly what is involving may not bring out the desired results. We do not want to have the stadia as white elephants. They should generate income for the councils’ operations,” explained Matemvu.
He said Dedza and Balaka district councils have had their own experiences that all councils currently constructing their stadia can learn from.
Matemvu pointed out that learning from where others had succeeded or failed was very crucial for those that intend to do well in their endeavours.
“It will be sad to see the stadia turning into useless projects. The councils must find ways of maintaining and sustaining these facilities. A lot of money has been spent on such projects and we need to see returns,” Matemvu said.
Director of Planning and Development for Mulanje District Council, Humphrey Gondwe, expressed satisfaction with the progress being made by the contractor on Mulanje Stadium.
He said the new structure was changing the face of Mulanje District for the better, and will contribute to the council’s income generation initiatives.
Mangochi District Football League Chairman Darwin Nhlane, also said he was satisfied with construction work on the new Mangochi Stadium.
“The project may not have taken on board everything that we wanted but, generally, we are happy with what is happening on the ground,” concluded Nhlane.
Other stadia are also being constructed in Karonga, Kasungu and Rumphi. Nthalire and Neno have had theirs completed and are in use.
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