THE persistent rifts in the Zambia Amateur Athletics Association (ZAAA) have badly hampered the development of the local sport for more than two decades now.
Athletics’ growth in Zambia has been to some extent stunted by the continuous infighting by the administrators.
I decided to do a bit of research on the chronicle of some of these wrangles which have been dogging ZAAA for some time.
I restricted my scope of investigations from 1994 when then ZAAA president, John Mufalali was toppled from his seat for allegedly making the sport almost dormant due to inactivity.
Prior to the ejection of Mufalali from the presidency, ZAAA had suspended then Lusaka Area Board chairperson, Elias Mpondela and his assistant Jonathan Chipalo for calling for the dissolution of the association’s executive committee.
There was another crisis in the ZAAA executive in 1997 which forced the Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ) to dissolve the George Mudenda executive team.
SCZ through its then disciplinary committee chairperson, Justice Lloyd Siame decided to dissolve the ZAAA team following a rift between the Copperbelt-based executive members and those in the midlands.
The Copperbelt warring faction was led by Mudenda while the then ZAAA vice-president, Mpondela was leading the midlands team.
Siame stated that the confusion and enmity within the ZAAA executive had reached irredeemable levels.
The infighting came in the wake of a constitutional crisis following the call for elections by the Copperbelt officials but the midlands members argued that the meeting which had set November 29, 1997 as an election date was illegal.
So, SCZ had no choice but to step in because the rift involved the top three – ZAAA president, his vice-president and general secretary Phil Kubombela.
Barn Lombe was appointed interim ZAAA president by SCZ.
Some years later, SCZ appointed a special committee led by Major General Raphael Chisheta to investigate ZAAA administrative issues.
Among several tasks the Chisheta tribunal was given by the main SCZ board was to inquire into the working relations among and between Mpondela’s ZAAA executive committee members.
After investigations, Chisheta’s team was expected to report back on its findings and make necessary recommendations regarding the future of ZAAA.
Some of the summary findings were that the problems affecting the ZAAA administration then emanated from personal differences between Mpondela and Chipalo.
The team observed that if the problems were not checked, the differences could lead to a total disintegration of the ZAAA administration.
It was also observed that as an individual, Mpondela had contributed a lot financially to the revival and high profiling of ZAAA but pointed out that he allegedly had managerial deficiencies some of which had brought problems to the association.
Another issue raised was the alleged lack of respect for the law in the manner ZAAA went about disparaging with impunity SCZ in the media and at every opportunity and forum.
Apart from a tiff with Chipalo, Mpondela was also accused of having personal differences with then ZAAA treasurer, Josephine Chimbwali and general secretary, Yona Mwale.
On the managerial deficiencies, the Chisheta team alleged that Mpondela alienated his fellow executive committee members from key activities especially the Inter-Company Relay (ICR), an activity that had assumed the role of being the main fundraiser for ZAAA.
Despite those investigations and recommendations made to the SCZ board at that time, the infighting in ZAAA are still going on unabated.
Last year, Mpondela bemoaned the negative response ZAAA was receiving from SCZ regarding funding.
Mpondela wondered what his association should do to attract Government funding through SCZ.
In recent times, we have seen former world 400 metres hurdles champion, Samuel Matete also clashing with Mpondela.
Matete has since announced his intentions to challenge Mpondela for the presidency in December this year.
We have also seen the establishment of a parallel ZAAA team led by Chipalo.
With all these unpleasant events, it is time Mpondela and his colleagues in the ZAAA family take stock of whatever had been happening to the sport and find an amicable solution.
I am sure a cure will soon be found to the ZAAA tiffs. Email: malungaf@gmail.com