Nomads double membership fee ahead of polls
Be Forward Wanderers FC board of trustees has doubled membership fee from K1 000 (about $1.4) to K2 000 (about $2.9) ahead of the club’s executive and main supporters committees elections.
The Nomads are set to hold supporters’ committee elections on January 30 while those of the executive committee will be held a week later (on February 6) at their Chichiri club house in Blantyre.
According to the trustees’ secretary Patrick Jumbe, only registered members will be eligible to vote and supporters’ register shall be used as a voter’s roll
“Those who will pay the membership fees will be issued with identity cards, for those that already paid two years ago, their membership is still valid,” he said.
Jumbe said the membership fee is supposed to be annual, but it is the duty of the executive committee to enforce it.
However, one of the aspirants for the supporters committee Yona Malunga described the membership fee as exorbitant.
“The country is going through economic hardships and it is difficult to raise K2 000 membership fee from the blues. If anything, that should have been announced during the meeting which the trustees called a fortnight ago where dates of the elections were announced.
“Ino ndi January, ndalama yavuta mkulu wanga [this is January, money is hard to get my brother]. My appeal to the trustees is to consider reducing the fee to either K500 or at least K1 000 because the timing of the announcement is not right,” said Malunga.
Jumbe also said aspirants for various positions will be required to pay nominations fees ranging from K20 000 to K200 000.
The hot seat of chairperson for the executive committee has been pegged at K200 000 (about $293).
“Nomination forms shall be obtained at Wanderers Club house,” he said.
However, Malunga wondered where the proceeds from the nomination fees will be channelled to.
“During the previous elections, nomination fees was also collected, but where did it go, because it never went into the team’s coffers?” he queried.
However, Jumbe said proceeds from the nomination fees will be used to cater for the elections’ expenses such as security, communication, transport and other necessities.
Jumbe also said Super League of Malawi (Sulom) and Football Association of Malawi (FAM) officials shall be invited to oversee the elections while Malawi Police Service (MPS) officers will be invited to provide security.
Asked on whether the electoral committee which oversaw the previous election would have a role to play this time around, Jumbe said: “That will be determined at the board meeting this evening [yesterday].” n
