K292 million for stadium works
A top official in the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development has said the renovation exercise underway at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre will cost the government in excess of K292 million.
Director of Sports, Jameson Ndalama, on Thursday said they agreed with the contractor, Pabe Construction, to work on the stands, toilets, dressing rooms and the tunnel to the dressing rooms.
“The amount may, however, increase because we are getting reports from the contractor that there are some issues which were not included in the assessment.
“For instance, painting of the toilets has delayed because, as they were doing that, they discovered that the roof is damaged and needs replacement. This means that they have to renovate the roof first before they proceed with the painting,” Ndalama said.
Pabe Managing Director, Paul Madula, also confirmed the budget for the renovations.
He, however, assured that they would finish the renovation works within the deadline.
“It all goes together with the cooperation between us and the government. All we need is full support from the ministry, especially on the challenges that we are encountering,” Madula said.
Last week, Minister of Sports, Francis Kasaila, toured the facility to appreciate progress of the renovation works.
As a long term solution to the challenge of venues in the Southern Region, the government wants to construct a stadium at Njamba Park in Blantyre.
Kasaila said he is aware of the cost of the renovations at Kamuzu Stadium.
“The contractor’s concerns are genuine. I also noted that work stopped in some areas because they had to work on some things which came along the way,” he said.
Kamuzu Stadium was closed last year to pave way for renovations.
Meanwhile, the government has brought a new artificial turf to be installed at Kamuzu Stadium.
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