Tag Archives: Minister of Labour Youth Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila

Sports

Warmly welcome to Malawi Queens back from Australia’s Fast5

Maravi Post Reporter

Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development, Francis Kasaila, Member of Parliament Jessie Kabwila—in her capacity as Chairperson of Women’s Caucus in Parliament—and a handful of netball lovers  on Tuesday welcomed Malawi national netball team.

Kasaila said he was pleased with the team’s performance and asked the private sector to complement the government’s efforts in developing netball.

The sports minister made the remarks at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe after jetting in from Melbourne, Australia, where the Queens finished on fourth position out of six teams which competed in the Fast5 Netball World Series over the weekend.

“As the government, we will continue to support the Queens so that they prepare well for competitions. But we need the support of companies to assist the team so that they continue doing us proud,” he said.

Kabwila also offered words of encouragement to the players, saying: “The Queens have performed beyond our expectations. If we invest more in the team, they can do better.”

The Queens Coach, Griffin Saenda Senior however called for early camp training ahead of next year’s World Netball Championship in England.

“We need more days to prepare for such tournaments. I am sure that we could have done better if we had stayed in camp for one month. It was also good beating England and South Africa; a sign that we are recovering,” he said.

At the Fast5, the Queens beat England and South Africa but lost to Jamaica, New Zealand and Australia (twice). The Queens finished on sixth place at last year’s competition.

The Queens trained for 10 days ahead of the tournament in Australia. The team is without a sponsor after Rach Family Trust’s failed deal.

Malawi, Sports, Top News

Kamuzu Stadium renovations time-frame extended to March

Maravi Post Reporter

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila this week said the time-frame for Kamuzu Stadium renovations in Blantyre, has been extended to March.

The minister said this when he inspected the ailing facility. Initially, he had projected that the stadium would be ready for use next month.

Kasaila also conceded that there is still more work to be done than it was earlier anticipated.
“We are making progress, but we still have a lot of work to be done to ensure that the facility is back to life.

“Nevertheless, we are determined that the stadium is ready by March [this year] so that when the season starts in April, it should be ready for use,” he said.

The sports minister observed that there were other aspects that were overlooked like the impact of vandalised areas.

“For instance the impact of the roofs that were vandalised by fans who jump the wall to watch games for free is big and we need to seal these spaces, otherwise it could turn into a recurring problem.
“The level of vandalism in our country has reached worrisome levels.

“Then it has also been agreed with the contractor [Pabe Construction] to paint even the upper parts of the stands that were cordoned-off just to ensure that it looks good,” the said the minister, himself a civil engineer by profession.

Kasaila further conceded that the development would translate to more costs.

“But the solace is that the contractor has assured me that by March, the major works would have been completed to pave the way for the use of the stadium while others will follow.

He said the major areas of renovations cover the toilets, drainage system, dressing rooms, tunnels from the dressing rooms, VIP and Covered Stands.

“In the long-term, it was also suggested that we could demolish the condemned stands and replace them one at a time. These are some of the plans that can be pursued,” said Kasaila.

The minister said the works were estimated to cost K292 million, “but the figure could rise”.

Pabe Construction managing director Paul Madula expressed optimism that everything being equal, they would finish the major works by march.

Human Rights, Politics

Malawi Govt warns private employment agencies against disregarding LEG

Malawi News Agency (MANA)

The Malawi Government has warned private employment agencies it will take drastic action against those deviating from the Labour Export Guidelines (LEG).

The warning comes amid reports that two young Malawian women alleged to be working in Iraq as domestic workers are subjected to harsh working conditions.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development, Francis Kasaila, noted that some unscrupulous local private employment agencies and individuals continue to facilitate the migration of young Malawian women to the Middle East for employment as cheap domestic workers.

“This is done in total disregard of the labour export guidelines issued by the Ministry of Labour in August and government’s suspension of the recruitment of domestic workers from Malawi for employment in the Middle East,” said the minister in a statement.

Kasaila acknowledged that the ministry has information that there are two young Malawian women in Iraq as domestic workers who are working in inhumane conditions.

“Apparently, the local private recruitment agencies and individuals who facilitated the employment of these young women by-passed the requirement for clearance with the ministry [of Labour] and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security,” he observed.

The minister added that such actions were tantamount to human trafficking which is punishable under the Trafficking in Persons Act Prospective of 2015 of the laws of Malawi.

Kasaila has, therefore, urged private employment agencies and labour migrants to familiarize themselves with labour export guidelines to avoid such incidences.

“Prospective labour migrants are also advised to report any private employment agencies that flout the guidelines to my ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security or the Office of the Inspector General of Police,” he appealed.

Meanwhile, government has said it has instituted investigations to establish how the alleged young women managed to leave the country and whoever facilitated their trip will be brought to book.

“Government wishes to assure the nation that it is doing all it can to bring the young [Malawian] women back to the country within the shortest time possible,” added Kasaila.