Front PageNational Sports

Council gets tough

 

Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) is assessing its 43 affiliates in an exercise that will result in the government’s sports organ maintaining only active associations.

Sports Council board chairperson James Chuma yesterday said it is time for government to work with affiliates that are serious.

He said: “We have about 43 affiliates, but you will appreciate that not even half are active. Once we undertake such a scrutiny, we will come up with a list of the those that are serious. Some of the associations are there for social participation.

Chuma: Not even half are active

“As government, we cannot work with social associations. We need to develop sports and compete at international level.”

The council is assessing associations’ business plans, composition of executive committees, operating premises, banking details and youth development programmes, according to Chuma.

“It’s actually a process that started last year to appreciate why government should continue giving them subventions for their operations. It’s an audit exercise which will end in us making a determination if an association is worth government’s support or not.”

The exercise has coincided with Sports Council’s decision to evict five associations—Netball Association of Malawi (NAM), Athletics Association of Malawi (AAM), Hockey Association of Malawi (HAM), Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi (LTAM) and Special Olympics Malawi (SOM)—which were housed at the council’s administrative block in Blantyre.

Chuma said it is not the council’s responsibility to provide offices for the associations.

“That is what we are saying. If an association is serious, it must be able to find its own office. In the first place, they are not supposed to be housed at Sports Council. It was just a matter of doing them a favour,” he said.

Sports Council already met several associations last year and the exercise will conclude this week with Football Association of Malawi (FAM), Malawi Olympics Committee (MOC), Golf Union of Malawi (GUoM) and Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam).

FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda said they were confident of maintaining their status as Sports Council affiliate.

AAM president Godfrey Phiri applauded Sports Council for the exercise.

He said: “Sports Council’s observation is correct. There are many affiliates, but honestly, some are just dormant despite enjoying subvention from government. At the end of the day, some of us who are active and have a budget of K42 million end up getting just K1.7 million per year.

“We will appreciate if Sports Council indeed gets rid of the inactive associations and maintains us who are active and need adequate funding.”

Related Articles

Back to top button