Sports Council needs K20m to repair buses
National sports teams in the country are digging deeper into their coffers to meet transport costs following the breaking down of Sports Council’s two buses that are hired out at subsidised rates.
Council executive secretary George Jana confirmed on Wednesday that they need K20 million (US$48 543.7) to repair the new 67-seater Higer bus which broke down in Mchinji while transporting members of Parliament, who had hired it, to Zambia.
“It was a new bus and it was being driven by our driver, but apparently it hit a stone. The bus was past the guarantee period. It is now expensive for us as we cannot hire out the buses,” said Jana.
The MPs were not responsible for repairing the bus, now grounded in Lilongwe.
Another bus, a Toyota coaster, is down after being involved in an accident in Dedza while carrying Flames players who had arrived through Lilongwe from Nigeria last September.
Jana said they were trying to salvage the coaster, which was deemed beyond repair, and it could be up and running in weeks.
FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda did not have handy costs of hiring a bus for the Flames on the market, but admitted it was higher.
“Our budgets are affected and we have no option. When developing budgets, we always have an element of how much it would cost if the council buses are not available. We pay for the council buses, but it is on the lower side,” Nyirenda explained.
The Flames have been in camp the whole May and travelled to Tanzania for an international encounter on a hired bus.
Hiring a 26-seater bus on unlimited mileage costs K25 000 on average per day within Blantyre, translating to over K750 000 per month.
On its website, a car renting firm indicates $190 per day charge in 14 days as cost of hiring a 30-seater Toyota coaster.
The netball Queens are also in camp, but the Netball Association of Malawi general secretary Carol Bapu could not comment on the issue yesterday. Clubs also hire the buses.
Former Sports minister Symon Vuwa-Kaunda presented the Higer bus, bought at K30 million from Mike Appel and Gatto, to council in October 2011.
