.Mwanza

By FELIX MALUNGA, SHAMAOMA MUSONDA and GRACE CHAILE –

THE local sports fraternity has continued paying tribute to the late Republican President Michael Sata with the Zambia Golf Union (ZGU) saying Zambian sports has seen some positive developments during the three years of his leadership.
ZGU president, Charles Mwanza said some significant developments had been recorded in various sports disciplines in the country since President Sata’s Government came in office in 2011.
Mwanza said in an interview in Ndola yesterday that Government’s involvement in several golf programmes showed that somebody at the top was supportive to the growth of the sport.
ZGU honorary secretary, Kelly Munsaka said Zambia had been robbed of a development-oriented leader whose vision was to change the socio-economic landscape within a reasonable period.
National Olympic Committee (NOC) vice-president, Gabriel Muyinda said the late President supported sport a lot as evidenced by Zambia’s staging of the 2012 Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) Zone Six Under-20 Games in Lusaka.
Muyinda said Zambian sport was getting support from Government because President Sata was receptive with a forceful Sports Minister, Chishimba Kambwili.
The Zambia Cricket Union president Reuben Chama said the death of President Sata had taken away a leader who was interested in sports development.
Chama said that it was in late President Sata’s reign that Zambia hosted a number of international sporting competitions where Zambia enjoyed considerable success.
He said the Zambian cricket graduated to Division Two and also picked up a number of accolades including the best performing union in developing the game.
Zambia Basketball Association general secretary, Mwembe Kaona said that basketball was a great beneficiary to Government’s developmental agenda.
Kaona said it was in sports infrastructure where ZBA mostly benefited as basketball courts were refurbished before the hosting of the SCSA Zone Six Under-20 Games.
As a way of honouring the late President, the Zambia Volleyball Association general secretary, Charles Haambote said the association had postponed the Independence Cup tournament which was scheduled to start today up to November 2.
Netball Association of Zambia president, Gertrude Mukumi said it was during President Sata’s leadership that minor sports started received Government sponsorship, enabling the varioues disciplines to score positive results on the international scene.
Mukumi said President Sata through the Sports Council of Zambia helped minor sports such as scrabble, handball, swimming and hockey who for the first time managed to host major international championships.
“We owe the national netball team’s 2015 World Cup qualification to him. The support we received during the qualifiers encouraged us to work hard. We were even planning to engage the First Lady in raising funds for the World Cup,” she said.
Scrabble Association of Zambia (SAZ) president, Sydney Kalema said sports associations managed to receive support from the corporate organisations because of a conducive environment that Government created for them to do business.
He said it was during Sata’s tenure that SAZ found it easier to get corporate assistance to host the East, Central and Southern Africa which was rated as the best ever organised.