Former 400-meter World champion Samuel Matete has offered advice to Zambians, advocating for the transformation of sports into a viable business industry. Matete emphasized that with proper management, the sports sector holds immense potential to tackle unemployment challenges in the country.
As the first Zambian to achieve a world record in athletics, Matete stressed the importance of nurturing young talents from an early age by promoting sports in schools. He made these remarks during his participation in a fundraising fun run organized by the alumni of Mpongwe’s Ibenga girls secondary school. The event, held at the Raven Country club in Kitwe, aimed to raise funds for the construction of a modern kitchen for the dilapidated school.
Matete highlighted the evolving landscape of sports, noting that it has become a lucrative industry capable of absorbing numerous youths, thereby positively contributing to the nation’s economic growth.
Chairperson of the Ibenga girls’ fun run fundraising initiative, Mwaka Siluonde, expressed gratitude to Matete for his significant support. Siluonde, a former pupil of Ibenga girls, explained that the fundraising drive targets 1.2 million kwacha to revamp the school’s kitchen facilities.
Headteacher of Ibenga girls secondary school, Sister Estella Kasonde, lauded the consistent efforts of the school’s alumni in organizing sporting events. She highlighted the potential impact of the new kitchen, explaining that it would enhance efficiency and hygiene standards for the school.
Corruption corruption corruption……everything in Zambia is corruption and now under UPND its even worse
Sports is a passion not a business. That is why zambia fails in all sport tournaments. This old matete should now be championing human rights for lgbt around world like his fellow retired sportsmen are doing all over world
Illegal mining and corruption is on the rise under UPND….why???
Sports in Zambia, just like in many African countries, have survived through government sponsorship or subsidies from corporate sponsors. Most notable sports personalities in Zambia were a product of the deliberate policies of the defunct ZCCM. Even Zambia’s most popular sport of football can’t be sustained from gate takings. So without a thriving industrial base coupled with government sponsorship, sports will continue in this poor state for a long time. It’s therefore almost impossible to expect it to run as a business
Corruption has been around since before independence. It thrived during the UNIP Govt, increased in MMD and embraced during PF. UPND is now cooling off Zedian corruption, that’s why there’s is njala.