Kamuzu Stadium management can breathe a sigh of relief as the facility has running water after supply was restored on Tuesday.
The facility had been operating without running water after Blantyre Water Board (BWB) cut supply due to a K39 million bill.
This comes after Times Sport exposed the mess after the facility hosted the high-profile TNM Super League match between Mighty Wanderers and Blue Eagles last Saturday.
But the Ministry of Youth and Sports moved quickly and reached an agreement with BWB to settle the arrears by instalment.
“We have running water at Kamuzu Stadium now. We have agreed with of the bill,” the ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale said. BWB on the payment [mode]
Mwale said going forward, the ministry would be thinking about migrating from post-paid to prepaid meter system.
“We are working on long-term solutions so that we will be able to manage the bills,” Mwale said.
When the stadium hosted the match, stakeholders, including players and spectators, lamented the water supply situation.
As a makeshift plan, stadium management provided water through buckets and water drums.
BWB Public Relations Officer Evelyn Khonje was not readily available for a comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Club Licencing and Compliance Department, led by Clement Kafwafwa, Wednesday declared the facility fit to continue hosting elite matches.
“The inspection confirmed that water was reconnected on Tuesday and the stadium now has a functional water supply [system]. As a result, Kamuzu Stadium will continue to host elite competitions,” a Fam statement reads.
This means the 2025 Airtel Top 8 opener between holders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets and Creck Sporting Club will go ahead this Saturday.
A Ndirande-based football fan Ivan Kachitsa hailed the Ministry of Youth and Sports for moving in quickly to sort out the mess. “I urge management to ensure that Kamuzu Stadium has running water all the time. It is sad that it had no water, yet management gets gate revenue share as ground levy,” Kachitsa said.
The stadium, whose capacity is estimated at 20,000, has been a major health concern for a long time.
Apart from Kamuzu Stadium, Bingu National Stadium struggles with water and electricity bills.
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