One of Malawi’s accomplished and hallowed business gurus, Dr. Mathews Mtumbuka, has implored the corporate world to support netball in the country as a way of empowering the girlchild as well as putting the nation on the international map.
“I would like to call upon the corporate world to consider investing money into netball in the country. As a country, we have made great strides and we’ve achieved a lot with netball on the international front.
“Let us support these girls to achieve their dreams through netball while at the same time creating international sports personalities who will help put the country on the world map,” said Dr. Mtumbuka.
Dr Mtumbuka, who is a revered Oxford University trained engineer, made the plea during the launch of the K5 million Katoto Supermarket Netball tournament, which will see teams from Mzuzu and surrounding areas competing.
The Katoto Supermarket founder and executive director, Dr. Mtumbuka highlighted that Netball has been the only sporting activity that has been putting Malawi on the map.
Katoto Supermarket is a subsidiary of the Weagle Holdings company, a Malawian home-grown company which is owned by Dr. Mathews Mtumbuka.
“As we all know, over the years, netball has been our strongest sports and we have achieved a lot but of late it has been dwindling due to lack of sponsorship and organised national competitions so as to keep the sport alive so that Malawi netball can be great again,” said Dr. Mtumbuka.
Legendary former Malawi National Netball team decorated player and coach, Mary Waya, popularly known as Atcheya agrees with Dr. Mtumbuka’s remarks, saying during her playing days, they used to have close to four or five national tournaments that acted as the best platforms for netball players to showcase and develop their talents.
Waya said: “National tournaments give players a platform to showcase their talents and it is from such competitiona that the girls are identified for both clubs and the national team.
“It is disheartening that despite being the most successful sport Malawi has ever exported on the global stage, netball remains underfunded and less supported by the business and corporate world. It is time the sport gets more support,” Waya added.
Twelve teams are expected to participate in the Katoto Supermarket Netball league and the winner will get K1million.
Netball Association of Malawi Technical Director, Sam Kanyenda, said tournaments like the one Dr Mtumbuka is sponsoring in Mzuzu help unearth hidden talent for the national team.
Malawi netball to the world
Malawi have played in six World Netball Championships, famously finishing fifth in 2007.
In 2012 they competed in the Fast5 tournament in Auckland, Ustralia, where they have had several historic results including wins over Australia and England, and finished in 5th place, just narrowly missing out on the finals.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Malawi defeated the second-ranked team in the world, New Zealand, for the first time in history.
In 2023, Malawi took part in the Netball World Cup in Cape Town.
Malawi finished second in Group B, winning matches against Scotland and Barbados to qualify for the second round.
In the second round in Group F, Malawi won further matches against Tonga and Fiji and finished third in the group behind England and Australia, thus failing to proceed to the knockout section of the tournament.
It is Dr. Mtumbuka’s wish to see Malawi netball continue the supremacy and domineering on the international stage hence his unwavering commitment to help netball grow at grassroots level so as to maintain the status quo as one of the world’s netball greats and netball leading nation in Africa.
“I would like to call upon the corporate world to consider investing money into netball in the country.”
Dr. Matthews Mtumbuka
Business Captain
Weagle Holdings & Katoto Supermarket Executive Director
