Africa-Press – Zambia. … As For Kamanga; He Had His 9 Years; And Is ‘Gonest’
In the wake of some administrative boobs at the hands of the Keith Mweemba-led FAZ administration, there’s admittedly a sense of regret from a cross section of people that feel removing former FAZ president Andrew Kamanga was a mistake.
This is understandable.
Even when Kamanga took over from Kalusha Bwalya after a grueling campaign that resulted in a slender victory on March 20, 2016, his performance was compared to his predecessor.
By the time Kamanga was leaving after nine years in charge, he still did not match Kalusha’s record which delivered an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012.
But there were still a lot of issues under that administration that councillors expected Kamanga to resolve. He rode on the pledge preserving “integrity” & improving “transparency” & “accountability” of FAZ. Hence the moniker Mr. Integrity.
Alas, no sooner had the mandate been given to him at MOBA Hotel than he went on rampage targeting his predecessor and the supporters even when in his victory speech he promised, “I will not turn our soccer icon Kalusha Bwalya into a villain.”
He did exactly the opposite.
It did not help that Kamanga had an otherwise sour relationship with his then vice-president Richard Kazala who had campaigned alongside Kalusha but was ‘orphaned’ at the eleventh hour owing to the Pivoty Simwanza factor.
Kamanga caught Kazala napping over a State House visit. He did not hesitate & eliminated the former sports deputy minister using information arising from the visit his deputy undertook to Plot One with some other character who was part of that Executive Committee.
As if that was not enough, Kamanga also went for Elijah’Shenko’ Chileshe and ejected the Kitwe domiciled official from the Executive Committee on flimsy grounds.
The pledge for transparency & accountability died a still death. When he was questioned publicly over allowances surrounding the hosting of the Africa Cup U20 tournament in 2017, Kamanga threw tantrums and assigned his losing vice-presidential candidate Kephas Katongo, then as an unqualified Ethics Committee chairperson, to start issuing bans.
Some of us were victims of the Kamanga-Kephas Katongo machinery of injustice.
Barely a year into office, it was clear Kamanga had thrown away his juicy manifesto. The football family began fragmenting and vicious disunity crept in.
For the uninitiated, I worked closely with Kamanga and I was one of the three people who even prepared his victory speech – that victory speech which promised a new and better era in our football.
Yet, it was never to be. I was disappointed with the turn of events. After a few private engagements on the excesses I was observing, I put back my journalistic cap to advocate for the FAZ Kamanga promised to lead. Unfortunately, that put me at odds with him and his hangers-on. I became a pariah in their circles.
Ironically, those who saw me as a pariah when Kalusha was in charge started to clap for me. They began to gravitate towards the side I was on – the same side where I was when Kalusha was in charge – demanding transparency & accountability.
Over the years, these individuals postured as friends. Others who found themselves alienated from FAZ like me also swung closer. They whispered all the ills they picked along the way from the Kamanga administration.
Inwardly, I would laugh, but such is life. There are those who are genuine, but you could tell that there were others who were not. They were merely fitting into the moment and using it as an opportunity for their path to a moment of self-aggrandizement – I knew them all.
As we approached the FAZ elections last year, the FAKE bond became even stronger. Of course, there were attempts to find a way of having Kalusha return to the fore. They were not part of the CORE strategy because they couldn’t be trusted, but they were within reach for the bigger picture. Even when we crafted the MUZA proposal, we kept them at bay because of their loose mouths.
When the Kalusha attempt collapsed, two options emerged. Ultimately, I elected to vouch for the candidature of Keith Mweemba largely because he’s one person I had known over the years. He made personal contributions to football and was disposed to bring a new lease of life away from what had obtained under the Kamanga era.
By the time Kamanga was leaving, he, too, had posted some successes particularly in women’s football and youth structures.
And so, Keith’s performance was always going to be compared to his predecessor.
Like in the Kamanga ride to victory over Kalusha, there were expectations. Similar expectations apply to the Keith administration. I can’t point to anything tangible we have achieved. Of course, the pledge to unite the football family which had fragmented was one thing.
Whether the unity has been achieved or not remains to be seen. Others think it’s a strategy to hoodwink people or sway them from asking pertinent questions: after all, we are now united!
What is however evident and clear is there are challenges within the administration, and privately we have engaged in extensive discussions. And we continue to do so. That’s perhaps the reason, I have rarely and publicly discussed a lot of the goings on.
Yet, there are individuals who are not telling the leadership the truth. Some of these are characters who are seeking cheap attention.
This is why some known Chingola junky and petty gossiper would go to an extent of concocting falsehoods that together with the FAZ Vice-President, I am engaged in manouvers to impeach the FAZ president.
I couldn’t believe my ears when one of the three people who accosted the Vice-President said Mutale Ng’andu had to surrender his phone to them to verify the frequency of our communication to prove his innocence.
How do we get to such petty levels? I have told some people that if I was to be part of an impeachment process, I will openly do it because the process will at some point or another be public. So why would I hide?
I also understand the dynamics of an impeachment process in FAZ. Unlike when Kamanga wanted to pass a vote of no confidence in Kalusha’s ExCo, the current constitution does not provide for any such option or process. Kamanga’s executive removed that provision.
So, to embark on an impeachment of the FAZ president, you must first amend the constitution which means this can’t happen at this year’s AGM.
And secondly I believe it will set a bad precedence. It’s a long and tedious process that could easily attract a FIFA ban because they would not be kind enough with us.
We can’t be the only member out of the 200 plus that are engaged in squabbles year in, and year out. FIFA tolerated us last year because it was an election year.
They expect us to govern ourselves under minimum or no supervision. That’s why we must strive to do the right thing.
When all is said and done, my interaction with Zambian football and its administration both as a journalist and a stakeholder is to be consistent in doing what is right.
This is why some people cast aspersions that I want to fight all the FAZ presidents. The truth is I am consistent with demanding what is right and fundamentally this stems from respecting the FAZ Constitution.
What was wrong under Kalusha or Kamanga’s leadership era is still wrong under the Keith administration. And we all must call it out.
Therefore, rather than waste time on the Kamanga Must Go chorus, it’s time to demand that the current leadership do the right thing – adhere to the constitution to ensure they achieve desired result in the interest of Zambian football.
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