KAMANGA SUES SPORTS MINISTER

FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga has sued Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu and the association’s former general secretary Adrian Kashala for defamation of character.

In the lawsuit, Mr Kamanga wants the court to order the minister and Mr Kashala to pay damages for injuring his reputation by accusing him of being corrupt and disrespectful to the same minister.

He also complains that Mr Nkandu has harboured and exhibited a pronounced bias against him stemming from the plaintiff’s electoral victories over his preferred candidate, former FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya.

Mr Kamanga submits that the minister’s bias has not been hidden from the public domain and it was rightly pointed out in the newspaper article dated Saturday 13, 2024.

He submits that Mr Nkandu maliciously made several unsubstantiated public allegations against him, including a statement made in a recorded video on April 18, 2024.

“Mr Nkandu accused the claimant [Mr Kamanga] of corrupt practices, specifically alleging that the plaintiff had ‘corrupted ” FAZ councillors with suits from Kamwala and cash payments of K5, 000”.

On the other hand, it is alleged that Mr Kashala made false representations to various media outlets, alleging that the plaintiff was complicit in the mismanagement of FIFA- funded stadia rehabilitation projects.

“These statements were made with reckless disregard for the truth and with the intent to deflect responsibility from Kashala’s own misconduct”.

Mr Kamanga complains that the defendants’ malicious campaign has disrupted the smooth functioning of FAZ, impairing its ability to fulfill its mandate and negatively impacting football administration in Zambia.

“The plaintiff [Mr Kamanga] has endured public ridicule, loss of personal and professional esteem, and has suffered from anxiety and stress directly attributable to the defendants’ conduct”.

In the court documents before the High Court, Mr Kamanga submits that prior to his ministerial appointment, Nkandu was actively involved in FAZ.

Mr Nkandu actively participated in the 2016 FAZ presidential elections as campaign manager for Mr Bwalya, the plaintiff’s major opponent in that election.

He also adds that Mr Kashala, during his tenure as general secretary, was responsible for the execution and management of FIFA funded stadia rehabilitation projects.

“Despite his fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of FAZ, Kashala awarded contracts to entities with dubious credentials, without conducting the requisite due diligence or ensuring adherence to best practices in procurement and project management”.

Mr Kashala’s gross dereliction of duty led to significant project delays and financial mismanagement, tarnishing the reputation of FAZ.

Upon Mr Kashala’s voluntary resignation in March 2024, he made an unfounded demand for a terminal package from FAZ, which was lawfully denied based on lawyers and FAZ policy that deemed him unentitled to get the money.

Unhappy with the development, Mr Kashala, has unjustifiably attributed his grievances to the Mr Kamanga, despite knowing that the decision was a collective one based on lawful and procedural grounds.

(Mwebantu, Thursday, September 5th, 2024)