By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

FORMER World 400 metres hurdles champion Samuel Matete has told the Lusaka High Court that he and four others were disqualified from contesting the Zambia Amateur Athletics Association (ZAAA) elections in 2014 because they did not qualify.
Matete, 49, of Parklands residential area in Kitwe, said this when he opened his case in which he and four others have dragged ZAAA to court challenging its decision to block them from contesting positions at the elective annual general meeting (AGM).
The other four are Christopher Manda, Jonathan Chipalo, Judith Chaongopa and Carol Mokola, who have sued ZAAA general secretary Phil Kubombela seeking an injunction to restrain the association from disqualifying them from standing for positions.
They want the court to order that the reasons given by Kubombela for disqualifying them are illegal and ultra vires to the ZAAA constitution.
Additionally, the five want the court to order Kubombela to pay costs for the court proceedings as well as any other relief the court may deem fit.
Chipalo told the court that he and four others were disqualified from participating in the ZAAA elections on December 27, 2014.
He told Judge Chalwe Mchenga that the term for the ZAAA executive which was elected in 2010 came to an end and as such, there was need to hold elections.
Chipalo, 53, of Lusaka, said he and other contestants filed their nominations after they were elected by their respective clubs for the positions but were disqualified by the ZAAA select committee and various reasons were given.
He said among the reasons given was that they were not in good standing and as such, they did not qualify to contest the positions.
Chipalo said they engaged the Sports Council of Zambia on the matter, but were advised to get back to their clubs and consult.
The five, who later decided to seek the intervention of the court by suing Kubombela on behalf of ZAAA, have since closed their case and ZAAA is expected to open its defence on March 2, this year.