Govt raises doubts over Kamuzu Stadium reopening

In a dramatic twist of events, Malawi’s Minister of Youth and Sports Enoch Chihana has said he is not aware when Kamuzu Stadium will be reopened as government’s priority is on safety of the fans.

Chihana was speaking in Parliament on Thursday in response to a supplementary question from Nsanje Central parliamentarian Francis Kasaira who had queried when the stadium will be re-opened.

“Honestly, I am not aware of when it [Kamuzu Stadium] will be re-opened. What I can tell this house is that our experts are on the ground who are assessing on how best we can help the situation out. However, the safety of our fans should become paramount,” said Chihana.

This is in sharp contrast to what the minister said last month, when he promised to re-open the stadium in two to four weeks’ time.

Last month, Chihana said government would seal the affected stands and allow only Super League games to be played at the venue.

The development in Parliament on Thursday is obviously a big blow to the concerned Blantyre fans who have petitioned President Joyce Banda on the same matter.