Mzimba, May 30, Mana: Construction of the 12,500 seater M’mbelwa Stadium in Mzimba is expected to be completed by end of September,2023 contractor for the project has said.

In an interview on Tuesday, Manobec Construction Company Project Manager, Victor Msowoya said the stadium would have been completed by 2022 but the devaluation of the local currency delayed the completion time.

‘‘We are hoping that all things being equal, we should be completing construction works on the stadium September this year’’, he said.

According to Msowoya, although the work remaining could be completed by September, it largely depends on addendum submitted to the Public Procurements and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA).

‘‘We encountered some challenges when erecting the roof of the VIP covered section hence we had to redesign the roof of the VIP section. And redesigning took our time. We also suffered the consequences of the devaluation. It meant reworking the whole budget to factor in the devaluation.  All these factors have worked to delay the completion of the stadium,” he said.

Malawi News Agency visited the project site on Wednesday and observed that construction of terraces was completed and what remained unfinished were VIP rooms as well as the turf.  

‘‘We completed all the terraces. We are now doing finishing touches to the VIP section where several rooms remain to be completed such as what would be bars, dressing rooms and others. The main work remaining is plastering,’’ Site Supervisor and Foreman, Justin Magalasi said.

A Football fan, Mayeso Banda from Chanthomba location at Mzimba Boma said he wished the stadium was completed quickly to start hosting games.

Mana/jp/ys/tha