KALUBA KANGWA SUSPENDED, INQUIRY STARTS OVER SEXUAL ABUSE OF YOUNG GIRLS AT BUSA AND SHEPOLOPOLO
COMMON GOAL STATEMENT
Statement on accusations against Kaluba Kangwa, Head of Bauleni United Sports Academy
On September 27, 2022, Common Goal was made aware of accusations of serious criminal offences, including sexual exploitation and abuse of children by Kaluba Kangwa, the founder and head of the Bauleni United Sports Association (BUSA) in Zambia. BUSA is a member of the Common Goal Community.
In addition to his role at BUSA, Mr. Kangwa is the head coach of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) U17 women’s team. He is accused of sexually exploiting and abusing underaged participants of FAZ and BUSA’s programs. In a statement sent to Common Goal Busa have denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
Common Goal takes all accusations of wrongdoing seriously and has a zero tolerance policy towards exploitative and abusive practices and crimes. We firmly condemn sexual exploitation and abuse of children, women and vulnerable adults in all its forms and in particular within sports and sports for development. Common Goal is committed to the safety of everyone and ensuring that safeguarding standards, processes, and education are implemented and strengthened, including due process for those accused.
In response to the accusations, Common Goal immediately suspended Kaluba Kangwa and Bauleni United Sports Academy from the Common Goal Community and has initiated an independent investigation to determine the veracity of the allegations. The investigation is being carried out in coordination with the Common Goal Safeguarding Committee and further action will be shared following the results of the investigation.
Common Goal is committed to supporting survivors of abuse. We encourage all victims to come forward and we ask anyone with knowledge of misconduct involving BUSA or other Common Goal Community member organisations to report it by writing to Common Goal’s safeguarding email: sat@common-goal.org All correspondence will be treated confidentially. The safety of all participants in the Common Goal Community is our highest priority and we commit to help victims find local counselling and support through this time.