Racheal Kundananji has voiced her full support for the recent statement by Muzala Samukonga, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, regarding the ongoing issue of unpaid allowances to Zambian sportsmen and women. Kundananji echoed Samukonga’s concerns, highlighting broader issues within the management of sports in Zambia.
In a detailed statement, Kundananji pointed out discrepancies in the Ministry of Sports’ recent announcement that all sportsmen and women had received their allowances, with only the winning bonuses still pending. She refuted these claims, stating that, contrary to the ministry’s assertions, she and many of her fellow athletes have not received any payments. These allowances, she stressed, are critical for covering training expenses, transport costs, and daily living expenses.
“This situation is deeply concerning,” Kundananji said. “Many athletes have families to support, and the lack of financial support from the Ministry significantly hinders our ability to train effectively and represent Zambia with the dedication and honor it deserves on the global stage.”
Kundananji also expressed frustration with the Ministry of Sports for misleading the public with false information. She emphasized that no allowances have been paid to the athletes who participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, despite the ministry’s claims on August 23, 2024. “If the Ministry maintains that payments have been made, then we would not need to raise these issues on social media. The promises without action are not enough to feed our families,” she said.
Kundananji further highlighted that the Women’s National Football Team has also not been paid for their participation in various international competitions, including those in Angola, Ghana, Morocco, and the Olympics.
Addressing the broader issues within sports management in Zambia, Kundananji called for urgent reforms, including the appointment of individuals with a strong background in sports to lead the country’s sports administration. She argued that the current lack of expertise has led to inefficient resource allocation, inadequate support for athletes, and a lack of strategic vision for the future of sports in Zambia.
“Effective sports management should be led by individuals who possess firsthand experience and a profound understanding of the unique challenges faced by athletes,” she said. “Regrettably, the current administration seems to lack this crucial expertise, resulting in decisions that fail to meet the needs of athletes or contribute to the growth and development of sports in Zambia.”
Kundananji concluded by urging the Ministry of Sports to address these issues urgently and to ensure that athletes are adequately supported. “We challenge the Ministry to involve professionals with genuine sports knowledge and to pay what is due to all sportsmen and women. By doing so, we can ensure that Zambia achieves greater success in sports,” she said.
Echoing Samukonga’s sentiments, Kundananji reaffirmed her commitment to representing Zambia to the best of her abilities and expressed hope that the necessary steps will be taken to improve the management and support of sports in the country.
Below Is The Full Statement
CLARIFICATION FOLLOW UP WITH THE STATEMENT BY MUZALA SAMUKONGA
I am writing to express my full support for the statement made by Muzala Samukonga the 2024 400m Olympics Bronze medalist regarding the unpaid allowances to the Zambian sports men and women and the broader issues facing the management of sports in our country.
As Muzala Samukonga rightly pointed out, the Ministry of Sports recently announced that all sports men and women have received their allowances, with only the winning bonuses still pending. This announcement has also been echoed by some self proclaimed social media influencers and bloggers. However, contrary to these claims, I must clarify that, like many of my fellow athletes, I have not received any such payment from the Ministry of Sports to be specific as they said that they’ve paid us. This situation is deeply concerning as these allowances are vital for covering most of these sports men and women training expenses, transport costs, and day-to-day living expenses. Many athletes have families to support and the lack of financial support from the Ministry significantly hinders the ability to train effectively and represent Zambia with the dedication and honor it deserves on the global stage but with such behavior from the leaders is disheartening,it is unfortunate that athletes will stop accepting national duties as they do not get treated as they are supposed to be treated and on top of it they are not paid allowance and winning bonuses the Sports Minister Mr Elvis claims to give them.
The statement from the Ministry of Sports is, therefore, misleading the general public and giving them false information.
As athletes we are rightfully claiming that which is ours, NO allowances have been paid to the athletes who participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as claimed on August 23, 2024. If the Ministry maintains that payments have been made,if dues were compensated in our accounts,we won’t have time to come on social media and talk about this but since the Ministry is giving the general public false news we are left with no option but to clarify the issue, going forward the habit of making statements to the general public from the Ministry of sports that they give athletes winning bonuses amounting from $2500-$5000 winning bonuses should come to an end,as it has never happened and families together with friends think that we do pocket the money to ourselves, the Ministry should be taking action and not only saying things. We have been listening to the same stories for a long time and it all ends in promises without action. Are we going to be feeding our families the promises from the ministry? The Women’s National team players haven’t been paid from the Angola,Ghana, Morocco and Olympics competitions respectively.
If the people in the offices are not getting paid, to be specific everyone under the Ministry of Sports, will they continue to work? The ministry of Sports is there because of us sports Men and Women which means they have to meet our needs and give us what is rightfully ours and we will also do our job.
Furthermore, I want to echo the concerns raised about the current state of sports management in Zambia. It has become increasingly apparent that there is a significant lack of individuals with a strong background in sports within the country’s sports administration. This deficiency has led to numerous challenges, including inefficient resource allocation, inadequate support for sportsmen and women, and a lack of strategic vision for the future of sports in our nation.
Effective sports management should be led by individuals who possess firsthand experience and a profound understanding of the unique challenges faced by athletes. Regrettably, the current administration seems to lack this crucial expertise, resulting in decisions that fail to meet the needs of athletes or contribute to the growth and development of sports in Zambia. Such mismanagement is not only detrimental to the athletes but also undermines the country’s potential to excel in international competitions and achieve the results that our citizens rightfully expect as the country has a lot of individual of the potential to stand out at the glabol stage. A strong sport administration should have individuals who have a strong background in sports as this will help the country to grow because those individuals with a strong background of sport do know the challenges faced by sportsmen and women.
We challenge the Ministry to address these issues urgently. It is imperative to involve professionals with genuine sports knowledge. Pay due to all sportsmen and women and put experienced individuals who are committed to creating an environment that supports and enhances the performance of athletes. By doing so, we can ensure that athletes are adequately supported and that Zambia can achieve greater success in sports. If these concerns are ignored, we risk stifling the dreams of young aspiring athletes who wish to make their mark on the world stage.
Just as Samukonga said “As athletes, we remain steadfast in our commitment to representing Zambia to the best of our abilities and hope that the necessary steps will be taken to improve the management and support of sports in our country”.
Thank you.
Racheal Kundananji
We all know that both FAZ and the sports ministry are incompetent. But because we live in a corrupt country nothing is ever done to stop the pathetic plundering of citizens’ had earned cash.
Muzala and the girls should be given their allowances otherwise UPND should resign! This exploitation of those who earn straight money by Hijacker Hyenas should be immediately stopped if our government is a serious one. ZAAA and FAZ why keep losers such as Kamanga and Mpondela in office? Are you happy with losing losing and losing? Kaunda did not leave us a losing nation! We have turned Zambia into losers!
UPND has not stolen the money of anyone. Ask Elian Mpondela, one of your relatives, what he has done with the allowances of the players. Ask Andrew Kamanga, another one of your relatives, what happened to the money FIFA gave Zambia for qualifying to the World Cup in Australia.
Not FAZ this time please.
ELVIS should ask for transfer from those Sports stuff, best just resign all together and live in peace like that girl Chushi Kasanda did.
Elias Mpondela is the chairman of Zambia Athletics. The name Mpondela is more common in DRC than it is in Zambia
This primitive tribalist Ingombe Ilede even missed his History and Geography lessons at primary school. In his haste to identify things tribally he exposes his ignorance of Africa’s demographics.
As a bantu you will have ties with the DRC because it had big bantu kingdoms. Add to that you didnt make DRC or Zambia’s borders. Thats why DRC enters deep into Zambia.The border is artificial!!
Plenty of Tonga names can be found in DRC like Ngaandu, Mwiitwa Mweetwa Nkombo Mwimbu Mwemba Kabamba.
My classmate at Tyne University was from Mwiimbu in Burundi. We also had kainde Manji from DRC. Just put a “Ha” before that and you will see your origins. Utulo!
Imagine! We are losers and we are happy about it. Because we are focused on theft of players’ allawances
“the Women’s National Football Team has not been paid for their participation in various international competitions, including those in Angola, Ghana, Morocco, and the Olympics” FAZ, who likes hiding behind Fifa, tell us
Who stole their money?
You are making us citizens to pay for a coach whom you hired and fired without our involvement and after that you steal the women’s salaries. How corrupt and incompetent!
The Zambian government cannot do anything to FAZ for money that comes from FIFA. However, the government was taking action against Andrew Kamanga before the Olympics for money he embezzled during the Africa Cup in Ivory Coast because that money came from the Zambian government
I was searching for the meaning of Banana republic… and voila Zambia and Zimbabwe are among the few African countries listed as such.
These two are ungrateful b~stards.After all we have done for them.
Your relatives Michael Sata and Edgar Lungu borrowed US $32 billion and looted it. You approved of this corruption, saying that there is nothing wrong with debt. These are the people who turned Zambia into a banana republic. Our people, Levy Mwanawassa and Ng’andu Magande, cleaned up the mess handed to them by Frederick Chipuba, one of your people, then your people whom I mentioned on top, came back and made the mess much worse than before.
@Deja Vu
What Banana Republic? do not show your ignorance here, do you leave in the bush to fail to see that Zambia has so many problems created by your former masters. In addition to that Zambia received below average rainfall in 2023/24 season or are saying the new party in power must manufacture rainfall to finish the hunger and loadshedding?
that is why I don’t like Bananas…. Peace Maker, The problem is the current govt used to refuse that lack of rain is the cause of load-shading . They used to say its because corruption and incompetence. Now you want people to believe its poor rainfall.kikikiki… The PF govt had loadshading but managed it well and we still had plenty maize…kikikiki
Peace Maker, they will never understand. They think that stealing is good, and when you give them honest people, they try to accuse the of stealing, and even blame them for the stealing their own people have done. This is one of those who were rejoicing about the drought in Southern Province, saying the Tonga people had caused global warming just in that province. Now that he does not have the electricity that is produced in Tonga land, he is crying to UPND.
redo.You lie.In PF there was partial drought.In some parts of Zambia,the rains came late,in others it went early.And yes, load shedding is a result of total drought,even your mother knows it.PF failed to pay cash for the plenty maize a the responsibility was discharged by UPND,even your mother knows it.If it was not for this total drought,2023/24 season would have been a hyper-bumper harvest like never seen before in the history of maize farming in Zambia.Even your mother knows it.
Could be sad revelations if true.
Hey! Don’t divert
The problem is FAZ. Not drought or PF.
FAZ and ZAAA
These liars are corrupt animals and thieves who deserve being whipped in public
Last time also when a contingent went to all Africa games, Jason kabanana stole all the allowances and didn’t pay them. When they complained they were threatened with discipline so that the issue doesn’t become public. Now this time it’s the minister himself. This is what happens when you put a marketeer and a tv actor as minister and PS respectively. Their mentality is still to that of making whatever little they can wherever they can.
Let’s admit that we’re a bunch of thieves in Zambia and this is our biggest downfall. The problem is that we have accepted and adopted this as a norm because nothing serious is done to correct this unfortunate situation. We must criminalize corruption.
Here we go, the greedy top management!!i wonder why all those ppl who are involved are not been investigated or just suspended, this is not a new thing, on the other hand you have head coach of W. nation team who was inplicated into some allegation of misconduct but nothing as been done about it, it seems to me that the all administration is sort of a family affairs jokers that they cannot snitch on each other on wrong doings going on within the administration, its so sad, if what as been said is true, Just then, the all circle of FAZ and other stakeholder involved should just be dissolved pending investigation.Lets keep our sport we love live!!!
I am 45 years old and is like a problem child as far I can remember, ba koswe ba njala