21 years ago, Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) honoured a call to help Walter Nyamilandu refresh Malawi’s football

The 21-year-old picture that was taken at an event Walter Nyamilandu organised to honour the efforts of his SKC-led marketing team

* Nyamilandu is now tasked amongst the Parliamentary adhoc committee to conduct a fresh inquiry into the plane crash that claimed SKC’s life eight others game

By Duncan Mlanjira

Dyson Kondeni Musa, the social media football analyst with a perfectionist detail to events, has brought to attention an episode in Malawi’s football that took place some 21 years ago involving two of the country’s great leaders — former Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president, Walter Nyamilandu Manda and former State Vice-President, late Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC).

Writing on his Facebook page, Musa recounts of the events in 2004 when Nyamilandu, now a Member of Parliament, was elected FAM president in Mzuzu — interestingly he succeeded the current Speaker of Parliament, Sameer Suleman.

Presiding over a March 26 seating of the National Assembly, Speaker Sameer Suleman unveiled the adhoc Committee to conduct a fresh inquiry into the Chikangawa plane crash that occurred on June 10, 2024, which claimed the lives of SKC and eight others.

The list of the 12-member adhoc Committee includes the independent MP for Nsanje South West Constituency, Walter Nyamilandu Manda.

Musa recalls that in 2004, Malawi football lost all the official sponsors due to increasing cases of violence, saying: “Pockets of violence were an ever-present incident in stadiums — the football brand was not appealing [and] it took the then sitting President Dr Bakili Muluzi to bankroll the league (Bakili Muluzi Super League).”

Muluzi took the mantle after Nyamilandu’s FAM administration conceived an initiative in 2005 to rebrand the game when he constituted a special committee to woo back the confidence of sponsors.

Nyamilandu took on board a team of brilliant marketers on the land, who were in the corporate world and were already involved in football sponsorship that included SKC, along with Ralph Chirwa, Wilkins Mijiga, Khwesi Msusa, Darlingtone Ndasauka, late Henry Chibowa, Gaston Mwenelupembe, Wanangwa Thindwa, late Mike Kambakame and lawyer Edgar Kachere and current High Court Judge, Justice Jabbar Alide.

Justice Alide went on to become FAM vice-president during Nyamilandu’s administration.

A fundraising Big Walk was held and the FAM Cup was unveiled which was sponsored by Press Trust and Musa acknowledges that Nyamilandu’s special sub-committee “ably delivered” the inauraugal FAM Cup that also attracted sponsorship from Dulux Paints, NBS Bank, Standard Bank along with other fund-raising initiatives that included a big walk from Zomba to Blantyre as a highlight.

“Mighty Wanderers won the inaugural FAM Cup 5-4 on post match penalties after playing to a one-all draw with Tigers through Rumbani Munthali for Tigers and Joel Chipofya for the Nomads. [Goalkeeper] Vales Kamzere saved Andrew Chikhosi’s penalty before captain James Sangala won it for the Nomads.

“When everything was done and dusted, Walter organised a ‘Thank You Dinner’ for the organising committee at Ryalls Hotel in Blantyre [where] he gifted each member a neck tie [as a memento]. At the event, Standard Bank was officially announced as the sponsor of the trophy,” recalls Musa.

He further says: “21 years ago, SKC honoured a call to help Walter refresh the game. Fate has it, Walter is now trusted with the responsibility of leading an investigation into the plane crash that killed SKC and 8 others.”

Nyamilandu is in the Parliament adhoc Committee along with two other independents, Savel Kafwafwa and Dyless Mbengo; four from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Gilbert Khonyongwa, Chipalamoto Nkhwazi, Dr. James Mpunga & Dumisani Lindani; three from Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Joshua Malango, Jiverson Kadzipatike, & Mphatso Boti Phiri; Felix Njawala (UTM); Beatrice Mwale (PP) and Ishmael Rizziq Mkumba (UDF).

The Committee is expected to complete its work within 90 days from the date of their first meeting and report back to the August House during its next meeting in August this year.