By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –

THE Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ) has disaffiliated three sports associations for failing to pay affiliation fees.

These are the Zambia Weightlifting Federation (ZWF), Cycling Association of Zambia (CAZ) and the Baseball and Softball Association of Zambia (BSAZ).

This move comes after the SCZ legal and disciplinary committee chaired by Emmanuel Katebe banned the Zambia Volleyball Association (ZAVA) executive members for five years.

The sub-committee had also dissolved the Zambia Amateur Athletics Association (ZAAA), a move it rescinded hours later while the Zambia Amateur Boxing Federation (ZABF) and the Zambia Pool Union (ZPU) were severely reprimanded.

SCZ acting general secretary, Mann Muchimba announced the decision in Lusaka, saying the legal and disciplinary committee made the decision after observing that the three associations had failed to make efforts at clearing the back log of affiliation fees.

“The committee has decided to disaffiliate the following associations from the Sports Council of Zambia for failure to settle their affiliation fees. The Zambia Weightlifting Federation (ZWF) and the Baseball and Softball Association of Zambia,” he said.

The SCZ has in recent weeks issued strong warnings against associations that have not paid up their affiliation fee arrears urging them to pay up or face the SCZ wrath.

SCZ chairperson Mwamba Kalenga further gave sports associations up to March 31, next year to pay their affiliation fees for 2014 or would end up being denounced as members.

The SCZ over the weekend handed out harsh measures for erring associations with the biggest casualty being the ZAVA, whose entire committee was not just dissolved but also got a five-year ban from any sports activity.

ZAAA equally got dissolved but in a dramatic turn of events, the SCZ called the ZAAA executive committee less than 12 hours later to cancel the dissolution because ‘fresh information had emerged’ concerning their case.