Sombre mood as Saenda body taken from mortuary

There was a sombre mood at College of Medicine (COM) mortuary on Friday afternoon as the body of former Malawi Queens Queens coach Griffin ‘Zagalo’ Saenda was taken to his residence in Chimwankhunda, Blantyre  for the vigil ahead of burial on Saturday.

Saenda died at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre on Thursday morning after suffering a minor stroke due to diabetes.

The late Saenda first made a name as a reputable netball tactician when he built Diamonds (then Escom Sisters) team in 2006 before steering it to its first elite netball trophy, the Toyota Malawi Championship in 2008.

Since then, Diamonds have been a formidable force under his leadership, winning several trophies.

Saenda, who won all domestic trophies with Diamonds in 2016, was hired by Botswana Netball Association in 2017 to help in the development of players for that country’s national netball team.

In 2017, he won Malawi Broadcasting Corporation’s Sports Personality of the Year and overall winner for the year.

On the international stage, he had on several occasions been assigned as Queens coach, helping the Malawi national netball team become a sixth ranked team globally.

Apart from coaching, the late Saenda was also MNCS Southern Region sports development officer until his retirement last year and was once NAM technical adviser. A family member said Saenda will be laid to rest tomorrow at HHI Cemetery in Blantyre.

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