Vandals hit Bingu Stadium: Parking woes, serious challenges observed

The newly constructed state-of-the-art Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe has been  vandalised as thugs had to steal waters taps and toilet equipment during Monday’s Luso TV Bus Ipite Bonanza in Lilongwe.

Government allowed Luso Television to use the facility in a Luso TV Bus Ipite match between Mighty Be Forward Wanderers and it’s rivals Nyasa Big Bullets as testing match.

Director of Sports, Jameson Ndalama, said confirmed that water taps and toilet materials were stolen, adding that the organising committee was assessing the damage.

Ndalama also said  during the game, they observed serious security concerns  and oyher challenges such as parling which need to be addressed before the official launch month end by President Peter Mutharika when Malawi will host China in an international friendly.

Nyasa Times reporter who watched the first game said  people had no designated place to park their vehicles a thing that forced them to leave their cars along the Area 49 – 25 road from Gateway Mall road and others parked along Area 18 road while some parked their vehicles in  private premises like Mount Meru filling station which is opposite the stadium.

Business came to standstill especially for the filing station business as some vehicles parked right at the pump leaving no space for other vehicles who wannted to refill .

Fuel attendants for the filling station had no kind words for government when speaking to Nyasa Times saying authorities should  have sorted the parking issue.

“This is poor planning, the government is not serious, how can they build this facility without parking area ? Now look our business is being affected with all these vehicles parked right here,”a petrol attendant for the filling station who only identified himself by his first name Joe said.

The stadium which has only one entrance gate made it more worse as after the game all people going out in their cars including teams had to fight over the small gate to go out and it took 56 minutes for both teams to leave the premises and be in the main road with the help of police which were escorting them.

One of the spectators who passed through the traffic jam due to the poor road network from the stadium, Charles Ulaya said there is a  need  for the government and the city assembly to work on the improving road network.

“This stadium is a misplaced investment. Better if we had built a Central Hospital. First we do not have the capacity to maintain it. Secondly  the ticketing system. How can we just enter the stadium without telling us where to seat. And then the roads to the stadium itself cannot accomodate the traffic of this stadium. We need proper feeder roads to this stadium,” Ulaya wrote on his Facebook page.

Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development, has admitted that there is need to renovate some areas at the national stadium.

Some people have argued that roads leading to the stadium were supposed to be dual-carriage. The stadium can also accommodate 400 cars at the parking area.