By NDINAWE SIMPELWE –
THE list of local golfers to represent Zambia at next week’s Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) 2016 Zambia Golf Open is complete after 10 amateurs qualified to the tournament.
The qualifying tournament was held at the Nkana Golf Club where 20 local amateurs competed for 10 slots allocated by the Zambia Golf Union local organizing committee.
The 10 amateurs will join five Zambian professionals and five other professionals that were invited by the LOC. The five invited professionals are from Kenya and Zimbabwe.
According to the list released by ZGU secretary Kelly Munsaka, former junior national team players Peter Munyinya, Aaron
Simfukwe Jr, Gabriel Chibale, Kelvin Chinuye and Patrick Mwendapole Jr all qualified for the tournament.
Other amateurs who qualified include Kelly Tembo, Sidney Wemba, Matengele Kaira, Moses Chewe and Charles Chibale.
The local professionals include Patrick Mwendapole, Akil Yousuf, Geff Banda, Shingi Shumba, and Steve Mbewe while the invited local professionals are Julius Kamalizeni, Anyway Katembeneka (both Zimbabwe), Simon Ngigi, Eric Okoo and Stefan Engell Anderson (All from Kenya).
The ZGU has further invited five of their own golfers to take part and these include Deo Alopecia, Denis An Guys, Phillip Kasozi (all Uganda), Thembelani Vundla and Adam Payne (both Zimbabwe) with Beza Daka and Ebeneza Funga receiving sponsors invitation.
The tournament is scheduled to tee-off on Tuesday with the first of the two Pro-Ams before the tournament proper begins on Tuesday.
LOC chairperson Mathew Nkhuwa disclosed earlier this week that the committee had short fall of US$600,000 dollars but would do with just US$100,000 at this stage.
Meanwhile, YVONNE SAKALA reports that the Zambia South Africa Business Council (ZSABC) golf tournament attracted 35 golfers from both Zambia and South Africa during in a tournament held at the Lusaka Golf Club.
President Edgar Lungu was expected to grace the tournament which was held to sensitize business owners from both countries on business relations between the two countries.
Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba has said golf creates a natural platform for the promotion of business and trade relations.
Mwamba said golf clubs are the places where most business executives meet to exchange ideas and as such the sport plays an important role in bringing the corporate people together.
“We decided to start with the tournament because golf as a sport usually attracts corporate and business people so it was a natural environment to bring the council to because these are the people we are trying to reach out to,” Mwamba said.
ZSABC board chairperson Charles Kalimba said there was need to promote trade equity between Zambia and South Africa.