Affiliates dared on sports funding
Malawi National Council of Sports says time has come for sports associations to be creative in resource mobilisation and stop banking on taxpayers for all their programmes.
Sports Council board chairperson Sunduzwayo Madise said this in an interview yesterday following complaints from associations on the reduced budget funding for the council.
He said sports associations must rise and stand to be counted as worthwhile by being financially independent, accountable and transparent in their transactions.
Madise said: “I think we have a problem. It is not Sports Council’s job to bankroll associations. It doesn’t make sense to have associations that perpetually rely on government funding. They need to be independent.
“Associations must be able to demonstrate that they are serious by sourcing funds elsewhere and not relying on government for all their programmes, including expenses at their secretariat.”
He also said some associations refuse to account for the funds they get from other sources such as their federations.
Madise said: “Associations must be accountable and transparent. But when we ask them to provide us with the audited accounts on all the funds they get, they tell us that it is none of our business.
“Some associations are fond of double-dipping. They ask for funds from us for their programmes and also go elsewhere to get funds for the same.”
In the K2.8 trillion 2022/23 National Budget, Sports Council has been allocated K2.5 billion with sports infrastructure development getting K400 million and K1.5 billion for sports events management.
The funding is a reduction from last year’s K2.6 billion and sports associations have expressed concern over how their various programmes will be funded.
The council chairperson’s sentiments have not gone down well with the affiliates.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) general secretary Isaac Chimwala said the association needs not less than K1.3 billion for the national netball team, the Queens programmes such as the Commonwealth Games.
He said: “I see some serious budget deficit.”
Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) accused Sports Council of failing to fund the association with K4 million for National Championships to take place in Mzuzu from April 14 to 18.
On her part, Chessam chairperson Susan Namangale said: “It is becoming a norm on the part of the council to labour us with producing a budget but they fail to honour its package.
“It is becoming tough to run sport associations in Malawi when support in such dire need is hard to get, especially when such a small budget for a national national team selection cannot be supported.”
Football Association of Malawi submitted a K1.5 billion budget and fears that if it does not get full funding, some of its programmes will suffer.
