Malawi under-17 national football team Coach, De Klerk Msakakuona, has added 10 faces to the team that goes into camp today.
The side regroups in preparation for the 2019 Cosafa Under-17 Youth Championship which the country hosts from October 11 to 20.
According to a press release which Football Association of Malawi issued Thursday, Msakakuona has called 30 players for the full-time residential camp training at Mpira Village in Blantyre.
Msakakuona has added 10 more players to the 20- man squad that went to Tanzania for the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Associations games last month.
“It was important to add some players after we noticed areas that needed beefing up. Of course, all players will have to fight to be in the squad,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fam Technical Director, John Kaputa, has said they had put in place a programme that has incorporated academic activities for the players who are school-goers.
“We have done this in conjunction with the Malawi Schools Sports Association. All the players are now registered with Massa and have been provided with text and note books as per their classes. We will now work on allocating teachers for academic sessions in between training sessions,” he said.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president, Lazarus Chakwera, Thursday told the Constitutional Court sitting in Lilongwe that his petition against May 21 tripartite elections results is not out of desperation for the State presidency but quest for justice.
Chakwera said this when Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale, representing Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec), referred Chakwera’s candidature in the elections as his last chance to contest under MCP ticket.
“Being your last opportunity, you understand the temptation maybe there to get the post no matter what,” Kaphale asked.
“I do not succumb to temptations,” Chakwera responded.
Kaphale kept on pressing to the MCP leader on his character but Chakwera insisted that he was at the court to seek justice.
During cross-examination, Kaphale took Chakwera through the roles of monitors and their significance at a polling station.
Kaphale questioned why Chakwera had chosen not to use monitors that were on ground to challenge the validity of results.
“We have witnesses that can represent their cases without necessarily involving them,” Chakwera said.
Kaphale insisted that, without the sworn statements of the monitors on the ground, the evidence of the other witnesses would be secondary.
But Chakwera said, if such were the case, even those working at Mec would speculate the validity of results that were recorded and sent.
Kaphale also asked Chakwera whether the issue of barcodes was provided for in the law.
The AG’s line of questioning on whether Mec was scanning the barcodes at polling centres led to an objection from MCP lawyer Mordecai Msisha, who argued that Chakwera would not know since it was Mec that introduced the features and their significance.
“The witness could not know the significance of the barcodes, it is only Mec that would be in the know [and] not the witness,” he said.
Kaphale argued against overprotection of the witnesses, a development which did not go down well with judges considering that they had given Kaphale just a day out of three days he requested for cross-examination.
Kaphale withdrew the statement.
Chakwera, the second respondent and UTM leader Saulos Chilima, are seeking nullification of the presidential election results, arguing that they were marred by irregularities.
Governance Gender Justice and Development Center (GGJDC), one of the organizations that promote gender issues in the country has urged women who failed in the May 21 tripartite elections not to relent but contest in 2024 elections.
This was revealed during the meeting organized by GGJDC at Sanguya Lodge for Women Councilors in Lilongwe on Tuesday.
Councillors who did not made it pose for a group photo
GGJDC Programmes Officer, Grace Makuti said the event was organized to meet all women councilors who failed during the elections to discuss factors that led to the loss of many women during the past elections.
“Out of 61 Wards in Lilongwe, only nine women made it. This did not impress us as we want more women to be elected into various positions under our program called “Women Empowered for Leadership” which started last year,” she pointed out.
Makuti added that women, during the meeting, have learned the factors that made them loose as well as finding the solutions so as not to repeat the same mistakes and do better in the next elections.
“Over 64 women registered and made it into ballot papers but nine made it hence conducting this meeting to hear direct from them on what they think made them loose and find solutions as well as to encourage them to take part and hold different positions in the community despite failing the last elections,” she said.
One of the councilors who lost the elections,Sabina Ndeketeya thanked the GGJDC for the meeting as this has really encouraged her not to give up despite the challenges faced during the election process and promised find solutions to the problems which led to her failure.
“One of the problems that let me down is that people in my community vote for the party not a person in that they only choose a party despite the developments that one can bring after elections. I promised them more developments but they said that cannot change them since they already have the party which they vote for in every election,” she said.
Ndeketeya said that, “She is not giving up despite the discouragement received from the community. I will continue contesting and doing the good work for them since I have a strong feeling that I can really transform my community.”
The meeting involved 2019’s tripartite elections’ Shadow Councilors from various political parties including independent candidates.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) electoral committee says it is yet to meet ahead of the association’s elective general assembly set for this December.
In an interview on Wednesday, the committee’s chairperson Justice Sylvester Kalembera said as a committee, they have on several occasions made efforts to have a meeting, but FAM secretariat has not been forthcoming
“I cannot say how far we have gone with the preparations for the elections because we have never met before as a committee.
“It seems there are problems at the FAM secretariat because whenever I ask for a meeting through the FAM general secretary, it does not work,” he said.
Nevertheless, Kalembera said they have collected FAM statutes which detail the association’s electoral code.
”The good thing is that we have the statutes that are critical in managing the elections,” he added.
When contacted, FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda could not provide information, saying he was “busy with meetings”.
Soccer analyst George Kaudza Masina has advised the electoral committee to refrain from relying too much on FAM on its operations if it is to act independently.
“The ideal officers they [electoral committee] should be consulting now are those from Malawi National Council of Sports [MNCS],” he said.
current FAM head: Nyamilandu
The specific date and venue for the elections are yet to be known. The previous elections took place at Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi.
So far, incumbent vice-president James Mwenda, immediate-past vice-president Moses Mkandawire and Karonga United chairperson Alufeyo Chipanga Banda have declared interest to contest for presidency while sitting president Walter Nyamilandu is yet to declare his position.
Current executive members Daud Mtanthiko and Jabbar Alide have shown interest to contest for first vice-presidency while sitting second vice-president Othaniel Hara and Northern Region Football Association chairperson Lameck Khonje want to vie for second veep seat.
Be Forward Wanderers chairperson Gift Mkandawire and Fellistas Dossi are among those that have shown interest to contest for executive membership.
Tongues are wagging about President Peter Mutharika’s eagerness to construct stadia for Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers.
Two weeks ago, it pleased him to affirm his electoral promises to the two football clubs and their supporters.
Politically, it is obvious that Mutharika is targeting the crowds that support the two soccer archrivals.
Chances are high that the President, whose victory in the May 21 presidential elections is being questioned in the Constitutional Court, garnered several votes from the stadia promise.
FAM president Nyamilandu and Mutharika
However, this remains a contentious issue. The debate has risen to a new high since the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha presented the National Budget in Parliament last week.
Some circles have valid reasons for applauding the use of public funds to construct stadia for private teams, but the majority says no to this.
It is no secret that both teams are private entities that successfully finalised their commercialisation process. In simplest terms, the teams are now being headed by professionals in all the fields. They are remunerated to make big decisions, including how to build their home grounds.
In their commercialisation agreements, their Japanese sponsors promised to construct stadia for these clubs.
Therefore, it is a surprise that the President seems determined to build the stadia without regard for the commitments made by the companies that own the two clubs.
What clandestine arrangement is there between the President and the sponsors of these clubs?
Secondly, the two crowdpullers have supporters that are able and willing to contribute funds for the construction of their team’s stadium. I support Bullets and I cannot reject a chance to contribute towards the construction of a stadium for the team that I am proud of.
The only worry supporters have is the gross financial mismanagement. No single supporter will smilingly contribute an amount likely to go into somebody’s pocket.
Save for financial mismanagement, the two teams have the ability to construct their infrastructure, including stadia, without stressing government and taxpayers.
Here is simple arithmetic: If two million supporters contributed K1 000 each, a team will earn up to K2 billion—which is more than the K1.6 billion the government has allocated for the two controversial stadia in the proposed budget being scrutinised by Parliament.
And there are many supporters who may contribute more for the good cause if the clubs took necessary steps to restore its public confidence in the way they handle money. Their top officials should strive to give us a feeling that our money will be in safe hands.
Actually, there are many State-owned clubs without necessary infrastructure, including stadia. The case in point are Malawi Defence Force (MDF) teams—Kamuzu Barracks and Moyale Barracks. Why then are we splashing taxpayers’ money on private infrastructure?
Lest we forget, we live in a country where basic needs are either non-existent or in short supply. This includes shortage of school blocks, health facilities, essential medicines, good roads, food and safe water. Why should we sponsor privately owned clubs using scarce resources that can help plug the hole in public service provision?
I doubt if the heads of the two teams’ supporters committees have any conscience.
The committees, through their chairpersons, have threatened to hold vigils against the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) which has voiced its concerns against the stadia project.
There is no sense for a starving landlord to buy tenants some settees for being a good tenant.
Therefore, the use of taxpayers’ money to sponsor Mutharika’s pledge to construct stadia for the two soccer clubs signify misplaced priorities and selfish interests of people who claim to love our country.
