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| Sports |
| Nomads give up on Muluzi’s bus pledge |
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by
Garry Chirwa, 01 December 2004
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09:07:00
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MTL Wanderers new executive committee has said it will not pursue former president Bakili Muluzi’s pledge to buy the team a bus because there is nothing on record.
The nomads’ newly elected boss Sydney Chikoti said the club has no basis to make a follow-up with the former president regarding the pledge and hence the issue has been consigned to oblivion.
“It was just a verbal pledge which the former president made and nothing has come up so far, we have nothing on record to pursue the matter.
“It was just a promise and promises can either be fulfilled or not. But if the pledge still stands then we will be very grateful,” said Chikoti.
The nomads’ new chair then backed the previous committee to the hilt, dismissing allegations that it was given money by Muluzi to purchase the bus but that the money was misused.
“The previous committee, which I was part of, had difficulties to clarify the issue but the truth is that the club never got the money for the bus. If anything, we only received the K1 million for the T-shirts,” said Chikoti.
Prior to the elections, the previous committee tried to clear the air on the issue by explaining that the bus —a Mitsubish Rosa — was supposed to be bought in Japan at a later convenient date.
Muluzi’s spokesman Sam Mpasu declined to comment on the matter referring this reporter back to the club.
On the issue of supporters T-shirts, Chikoti said this was another issue that had created a lot of controversy, but he assured that the committee would organise a fund-raising venture to raise funds for the cause.
I didn’t commit myself—Issa
Garry Chirwa
MTL Wanderers’ former vice chair Aziz Issa said on Tuesday that he was surprised that his name was proposed to contest the hot seat of chairman at the club’s elections held last Sunday.
Issa, who lost to newly elected chair Sydney Chikoti by 199 votes against only five, said he did not express any intention to vie for the nomads’ top seat.
“If I had wanted to stand, surely I would have gone flat out [to campaign] but I am busy with personal business this time.
“In fact there was a group of supporters that approached me to consider vying for the position of chairman, but I told them that I could not stand because I am very occupied at the moment,” said Issa.
He also expressed disappointment with the supporters committee which he accused of not checking with him.
“The supporters committee know where to get me, some of them have my contact numbers but they did not bother to confirm as to whether I was indeed interested,” said Issa.
He also said at the time the final list was being prepared, he was away in South Africa.
“I was in South Africa for four days and I was shocked to learn from my wife that I was one of the contestants. That is not the style of doing things at Wanderers,” complained Issa.
But supporters committee secretary Slyvester Luka said Issa had expressed his interest to stand through a section of supporters.
“They insisted that Mr Issa was willing to contest for the position of chair and being a democratic country we had to include him. I personally tried to get hold of him for his confirmation but I failed. I only learnt later on that he was away in South Africa,” said Luka.
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