1 week Ago By Peter Fote
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has said Soche Stadium in Blantyre requires an estimated K5 billion to be completed. Spokesperson for the ministry, Macmillan Mwale, disclosed this after members of the Parliamentary Committee on Social and Community Affairs toured both Soche Stadium and BAT Ground Wednesday. Mwale said the project, which stalled in 2020 due to lack of funds, would resume once funds are available.
“We are grateful that members of Parliament toured the project site. It is our hope that they will help to lobby for funds for the completion of the project during pre-budget consultations,’’ Mwale said. Construction of the stadium, meant for Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, started in 2019 but stalled the following year.
Initially, the stadium cost was estimated at K3.6 billion whereas the cost of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Stadium in Zingwangwa was estimated at K3.8 billion.
Chairperson for the committee Savel Kafwafwa urged the government to prioritise the Soche Stadium project as works are at an advanced stage. “We are concerned with the delay of the project, which started in 2019. We plead with government to complete the project,’’ Kafwafwa said.
Kafwafwa said his committee would lobby for funds for completion of the stadium. “The project is at 70 percent; so, we will make sure that we lobby for allocation of funds so that it is completed. It will be better to concentrate on the Soche project instead of other two projects which will require more resources,” he said.
The 20,000 -seater Soche Stadium was being constructed by Anhui Foreign Economic Construction (Group) Company, which also constructed Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe. In the 2023-24 financial year, the Ministry of Finance allocated K2.2 billion to the two projects.
It was used to offset arrears which the government had with the project contractors..
