By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
SPORTS Council of Zambia (SCZ) board chairperson, Mwamba Kalenga has dragged  Zambia Sports Fans Association (ZSFA) chairperson, Peter Makembo to court for alleged defamation of character.
Kalenga is demanding compensation arising from Makembo’s alleged damaging words in which he accused him of issuing threats to him after he called for his resignation from SCZ.
He wants the Lusaka high court to order Makembo to pay him exemplary damages for the malicious falsehood, defamatory and slanderous words he uttered against him.
Kalenga also wants the court to issue a permanent order of injunction restraining Makembo from further uttering or causing to be uttered, authored, printed and published the same slander and defamatory words in future upon him.
In his statement of claim filed in the Lusaka high court principal registry, Kalenga said he was a veteran sports administrator for more than 40 years who has served under various SCZ chairpersons and sports ministers and has held several leadership positions in various sporting organisations from 1980 to date.
The SCZ chief said he was also a prominent Lusaka-based business executive.
He stated that Makembo on January 16, caused to be published in the Daily Nation a slanderous and malicious story about him where he alleged among, other things that he should resign because he had failed to run the council and that all the decisions he made had been reversed.
Kalenga said the ZSFA chairperson’s words against him meant and were understood to mean that he was not competent and suitable to hold the position of chairperson for SCZ.
He claimed the statement also meant he was not fit and  a proper person to hold the SCZ chairperson position and later alone be a board member.
Kalenga said the words were also understood to mean that he had no leadership qualities or capabilities whatsoever to lead SCZ and that he was unprofessional in the manner he administered and operated the national sports authority.
He further said the statement was further understood to mean that he was a criminal and violent man who resorted to threatening other people.