20.12.2024 | Football DNA
The Secretary General of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Rueben Kamanga, narrowly escaped a one-month jail term after promptly paying a K400 fine imposed by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court. The court ruling followed FAZ's failure to remit employee contributions to the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) over a ten-year period, resulting in significant arrears and penalties.
According to court proceedings presided over by Magistrate Constance Kansankala, FAZ has been ordered to pay K7,222,894.98 in outstanding contributions and penalties to NAPSA. The payments must be made in three installments, with an immediate payment of K437,806.98 due before January 31, 2025.
Court documents revealed that FAZ failed to remit contributions and penalties between January 2014 and December 2024. The lapses include:
Count One: Unpaid contributions of K280,710.25 and penalties totaling K4,804,273.14 for the period between January 2014 and December 2017.
Count Two: Unpaid contributions of K150,080.24 and penalties amounting to K1,966,273.34 for the period between February 2018 and November 2020.
Count Three: Unpaid contributions of K7,015.74 and penalties of K14,526.09 for the period between March 2022 and December 2023.
Representing FAZ, Kamanga appeared calm in court, admitted the charges, and explained that he had engaged with NAPSA before the case was brought forward. He pleaded for leniency, stating he was a first-time offender.
Magistrate Kansankala, while acknowledging Kamanga’s cooperation, stressed that failure to remit employee contributions was a serious offense. She fined Kamanga K400 for each count, to be paid immediately to avoid a one-month custodial sentence.
FAZ now faces the daunting task of clearing its K7.2 million debt to NAPSA, with magistrate Kansankala underscoring the importance of compliance in her ruling.
Kamanga’s admission of guilt and the court’s leniency may have spared him jail time, but the situation has raised questions about governance and financial management within the nation’s football governing body.
(Source: Kalemba)
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