Netball Association of Malawi (Nam) has come under fire from some of its affiliates who have ganged up in calling for an annual general meeting (AGM) within the next two weeks.
The concerned grouping, which comprises regional and district committee members mainly from the Central Region, has threatened to seek Malawi National Council of Sports’ intervention if Nam fails to call for the AGM.
Among others, the members are demanding a financial report, the plan for Malawi National Netball Team’s preparations for the Netball World Cup and the alleged suspension of General Secretary Isaac Chimwala.
“We elected your committee on August 7, 2021 amidst full expectation that we had assembled a vibrant leadership that would work to develop the game of netball in the country and help bring Malawi National Netball Team back to its winning ways through the management of the game. involvement of all stakeholders in
“We had full hope that you would uphold the rule of law that governs netball in Malawi with the constitution being the tool to guide your leadership. However, we are now almost midway into the second year of your leadership and there has been no call for an annual general meeting to update the general assembly on the performance of the association as demanded by the constitution,” reads part of the letter dated January 24 2023.
The letter also highlighted that in-fighting among Nam members had taken centre stage with no clue of an end amid delays to submit financial reports.
“We have noted unconstitutional suspension of the General Secretary [Isaac Chimwala] and assigning duties of secretariat to the vice president without seeking the mandate from the general assembly as should be the case. All this is in total breach of corporate governance.
“We waited for an opportunity that we get updated on this and many more issues including a financial report on funding from the government, Moc [Malawi Olympic Committee], Massa [Malawi Schools Sports Association] and FDH Bank certainly during the AGM but sadly, the year is clocking to an end with no sign of a call for an AGM,” the letter reads.
It adds that should the association fail to hold the AGM within two weeks, members would seek Sports Council’s intervention.
A source within the committee that refused to be named said they were mobilising their Northern Region counterparts to join the cause.
“Our counterparts in the South seem to be weak but the Northern Region committee has shown interest to support our cause,” the source said.
Chimwala declined to comment on his reported suspension, saying Nam vice president (VP) Chimwemwe Bakali was the right official to shed light on the matter.
“I can’t comment on the matter. Get the facts from Nam’s VP. He is the contact person,” he said.
Bakali said they were aware of the concerns.
“We have seen the document and we will discuss it. That is the time we will be in a position to comment on the matter. We missed the AGM in our first year due to the Queens’ activities and financial challenges.
“We are also looking forward to the AGM as this is a constitution requirement. The AGM will also help us to sort out issues to develop our game,” he said.
However, Bakali could neither confirm nor deny Chimwala’s suspension.
