By ELIAS CHIPEPO – 

THE International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Africa Zone has appointed two Zambian referees to officiate at the Africa Cup preliminaries for Zone Five to be held in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya.

According to a statement released by Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) general secretary Mwembe Kaona, FIBA has appointed Mweshi Munatamba and Suwilanji Siwila as neutral referees for the preliminary games slated for August 25 to 31.

FIBA Africa secretary general Alphonse Bile, in a letter addressed to ZBA, said the two will be among nine referees appointed to officiate at the tournament with others have been drawn from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda ,Somalia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s Joyce Muchenu and Tonton Banza Kalume of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) make up the call of neutral referees while each participating country has its FIBA referees on the call of accompanying referees.

Kaona congratulated Munatamba and Siwila, who are Zambia’s only FIBA referees, on their appointment and wished them well saying such assignments are hard to come by. Zone Five is a sub grouping of countries in the East African region of the continent.

Meanwhile, the Zone Six board has appointed Kaona to head the Press Commission of basketball in the region. FIBA Africa Zone Six president Anibal Manave, who was recently elected vice president of FIBA Africa, made the appointment after the Zone Six general assembly meeting in Swaziland last June.

FIBA Africa has various structures which include competitions, youth and women’s basketball, technical and finance.

 Kaona’s duties will see him publicising activities of the zone and setting up and managing a website covering basketball news in the region.

“I take the appointment with humility and appreciation and I pledge to do the best in creating awareness of the regions basketball activities,” he said.