“Erick Mwanza: An Enemy Of His Profession – He Must Go!”
By Augustine Mukoka
If a new era has dawned at Football House, the presence of Erick Mwanza does not give a true reflection of such an occurrence. Newly elected FAZ president Andrew Kamanga is understandably still settling in. His nine-member executive is relatively new to being at the centre of national football administration in the country. Only vice-president Richard Kazala and committee member Lee Kawanu have tested Football House administration having been committee members under Kalusha Bwalya the last four years. Kalusha was defeated by Kamanga to bring an end to what would have been a potential “wamuyaya” (for life) syndrome in Zambian football.
It’s understandably too early to make certain decisions, but no one needs reminder that the FAZ secretariat needs a total overhaul. It was not surprising to see former general secretary George Kasengele jump ship hours into Kalusha’s defeat. Former communications officer Nkweto Tembwe followed suit. Kasengele and Nkweto knew why they made such haste decisions. Together with Erick Mwanza, they turned the secretariat into a partisan vehicle; one that specialized in sloganeering than administering the game. Football House became an appendix of an individual, not the association.
Finance officer Sam Phiri, registrar Joel Kabika and our old man Julio Chiluba (acting general secretary) all threw away their professionalism to patronize an individual. This is what our football should never ever go through again. When journalists highlighted these anomalies, they branded all sorts of names among them “gangs working against FAZ” or “hired merchants”.
Erick Mwanza, first as communication manager and later as club licensing manager, using FAZ resources waged a vicious war against fellow scribes. I have known Erick as a cub reporter at the defunct Financial Mail, a publication under the Zambia Daily Mail wing. He later was transferred to the sports desk of the Zambia Daily, worked for an NGO, the defunct Guardian Weekly before he found himself at FAZ. Nothing personal against him, but for a person with such a good media background, expectations were too high to stoop the low levels endured the last eight years. It seems journalists are enemies of their own profession when appointed to corporate or political office. Erick Mwanza embodies everything that was wrong with the FAZ public relations wing.
Claims that Erick Mwanza played a role in tilting the election in Kamanga’s way because he saw a good chance of becoming general secretary. That is what comrade George Mpombo would term as hogwash! It’s not Kamanga who promised Erick the position of general secretary; it is Kalusha. So if Kalusha could not give it to Erick when he was president, no one should. In fact, giving a cadre like Erick the lofty position of secretary general is going 10 steps backward in the re-organisation of the secretariat. He will potentially be worse than Kasengele.
If Erick failed to uphold professionalism in a fringe role of communications manager, what can we expect from him as general secretary? Another cadre? No! Instead of forging warm relations between FAZ and the media, Erick created a hostile environment for sports journalist. Erick and Kasengele wrote anonymous letters to media houses in Zambia targeting journalists they perceived “anti-FAZ.”
If an editor was as compromised as some of those I have come across, they succumbed to the dirty schemes of Erick and Kasengele. Where they didn’t succeed, Erick and Kasengele used accreditation as a weapon to assault journalists. And if this didn’t work, the set thugs on defenseless journalists. Their goal was to turn journalists into paupers. They were determined to send journalists into destitution. In their own country, sports journalists were treated like foreigners.
If you can’t freely cover your national team in your own country, where else would you do it? There are very few of my colleagues who stood up to this hoodlum behavior engineered by Erick and Kasengele. By mere association or relation, colleagues suffered at the hands of these ruthless individuals. There are so many incidents to refer to, but this submission should suffice in keeping Erick away from Football House. He is an enemy of his own noble profession.
Getting Erick out of Football House is not being vengeful; it is a corrective measure. Yes, to err is human and forgive is divine. Erick will be forgiven for his willful assault on the media, but that does not mean he should continue at Football House. He must go! The attack on Muvi TV’s Mike Mubanga at the elective annual general meeting was the lowest blow to our profession. Why and how MISA Zambia can even keep quiet about this is very shocking. Mike was literally treated like a criminal of carrying out his duty. Had things not turned the way they did, no one knows what would have become of Mike and others previously perceived anti FAZ.
In this era, new office bearers must take note:
No sports journalist should suffer the indignity of being denied accreditation for any reason, even if they host some of those ‘Mickey Mouse’ like football programmes on radio.
No editor should be terrorized to fire, demote, transfer a sports journalist based on frivolous self-serving arguments advanced by FAZ.
No sports journalist should be airlifted by ‘thugs’ dressed in FAZ branded jackets purporting to be FAZ security.
No journalist should be ‘tortured’ into apologising for carrying out their duty of providing checks and balances so that they enjoy favorable attention from Football House.
Any journalist who merits the attention of Football House should be given due consideration irrespective of their opinion.
There should no longer be a dividing line of “them, and our own” to distinguish those who are critical from those who are Football House “goody goodies”.
There should never be another set of the likes of Mike Mubanga, Chishala Musonda, Mabvuto Phiri, Erick Chiko Mukoka, Sydney Mungala, Kalumiana Kalumiana, Kennedy Gondwe and Elias Chipepo, among others all who suffered at the hands of Erick Mwanza and George Kasengele. Let all journalists be treated equal.
True liberation is incomplete with Erick still at Football House. He must go”.
Posted by Editor
on March 29, 2016. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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35 Responses to “Erick Mwanza: An Enemy Of His Profession – He Must Go!”
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Zozo
March 29, 2016 at 9:03 am
Never leave an enemy behind Kamanga that’s timely warning for you. You may fail again like the out going squard. Please accommodate divergence views.
mtenguleni
March 29, 2016 at 9:25 am
Yes Erick must fall…he become a small god thinking kalu wamuyayaaya…FAZ leadership is not chieftain only when you die people can now replace…Erick is bigheaded…AK47 should not be deceived by this good for nothing fool Erick Mwanza…ayende
mwansa
March 29, 2016 at 9:33 am
foolish witting by someone who is seeking atention by the Andrew Kamanga led FAZ executive.
Homo Heidelbergensis Dna - The study of Zemuntu Resurrection
March 29, 2016 at 9:50 am
Stupid writing. Just wait and see if your useless Kamanga Admini will qualify Zambia to the Afcons. You bunch of ungrateful idiots
Mwape
March 29, 2016 at 10:31 am
I bet if Kamanga fails you will be blaming it on Great Kalu.Mpombo wibilima, tekanyeni guys………….
samson mwansa
March 29, 2016 at 10:38 am
Is it Kamanga who will qualify Zambia afcon?Or was it Kalu who got Zambia the afcon?keep quiet if you are a cadre,football administration is a collective responsibility (team work)
Nebo
March 29, 2016 at 11:16 am
And who created that licensing position for Him???? He went to CAF, when He returns He finds there is no space for him and you design something for Him. The Hour Has come, ma rubbish
pink toe
March 29, 2016 at 11:18 am
I do not think reaching the Afcon finals entirely depends on Kamanga being the FAZ boss but the TEAM including himself. Your support is a component if the Zambia team is to achieve. You can also try make a shadow team of 11 players to start with and we shall comment and polish up eventually leading to participation in the affairs of the FAZ. What is great is that we have removed the paradigm of seeing it the Kalusha way.
rud van nistrooy
March 29, 2016 at 11:26 am
Kalijo ba augustine
The Philosopher
March 29, 2016 at 1:59 pm
Kamanga cannot take Zambia to Afcon, simple he is not a player and secondly not coach, his job is to administer. Even Kalusha did not win the 2012 Afcon, it was the players with coach who are on the pitch not President of FA.
Good luck Kamanga as results will come as they come, chapwa.
mtenguleni
March 29, 2016 at 2:42 pm
Philosopher elyo elyashi,not amalyashi wansala ati AK47 will not win us the afcon cup…AK is an administrator not Captain for chipolopolo…
mtenguleni
March 29, 2016 at 2:45 pm
Yansala” correction
zobreego
March 29, 2016 at 2:47 pm
KAMANGA, NJOKA SIBASUNGA, KEEPING ERICK MWANZA IS EQUAL TO KEEPING A SNAKE, THE GUY IS AS BAD AS SECOND WORLD WAR, THE MAN HAS A BEHAVIOUR OF ADOLF HITLER, THE HABIT OF IDI AMIN, THE FACE OF MUSHALA, THE BLOOD OF BIN LADEN, SOUND OF THAT BIRD LOCALLY KNOWN AS FYOLOLO, HE IS A BLOOD SUCKER, HE WILL DERAIL YOUR GOOD PROGRAMS. DO AWAY WITH HIM. HE IS THE MOST BAD THING YOU WILL DO IN YOUR TEN DAYS IN OFFICE. FIRE HIM WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT OR ELSE HE WILL FIRE YOU.
Gringo
March 29, 2016 at 4:25 pm
Kalusha’s head was growing too big for football in Zambia.
unfortunately the people around him were enablers, they too had their small heads too big for the doors at FAZ house.
Change was inevitable……
mtenguleni
March 29, 2016 at 5:19 pm
@Gringo exactly…Erick must fall
Kitwe Boys
March 29, 2016 at 5:46 pm
Never leave an enemy behind ba Kamanga.
Ottis
March 29, 2016 at 7:00 pm
MUkoka Mukoka Mukoka Mukoka Mukoka! You have nothing to do. writing nonsense on Tumfweko. Focus on getting Zambia to afcon not on witch-hunting
UNIFORM
March 29, 2016 at 9:40 pm
DNT U KNOW THAT ERIC IS KAMANGA’S TRIBAL BROTHER.JUST LET HIM STAY.ERIC REMAIN THERE AND DO YO JOB.
Daniel
March 30, 2016 at 2:15 am
Author is 100 percent right. Mwanza is a serious liability
Ok mulenga
March 30, 2016 at 5:26 am
Actualy all comments are relatively vital but avoid hatred approach nevertheless kalusha did what he could and let kamanga do his own comparison won’t work human nature is uncomparable .For erick he must just do justice for himself by releaving himself .
bartholomwew banda.
March 30, 2016 at 10:20 am
zambians are haters. The same way they have hated kalu is the same way they will hate you ba kamanga.
pov
March 30, 2016 at 12:08 pm
pipo who were saying it was kaulu who was making de team so he made that team which won the afcon 2012.
pov
March 30, 2016 at 12:12 pm
ukulandalanda finshi mwachitapo lets give credit to kalu
Duke
March 30, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Can we co-exist as Zambians Pls! There are obligations to some of these contracts & one can’t just be removed like that. Remember the other Guys their contracts were coming to an end tomorrow 31st March 2016!!! So in terms of losing out it’s not there!!
Kamanga may need the experience of some of the old Guys to get him going!
Hasty
March 30, 2016 at 3:03 pm
Augustine you have it wrong ,just because you had a bone to chew with kalu it does not mean everyone who worked with him is your enemy.FAZ is a public institution it does not belong to nobody,be objective and learn to forgive you are neither perfect,…zambians goooooooosh!
foko moses
March 30, 2016 at 8:03 pm
Leave erick alone iwee mukoka
mwansa
March 30, 2016 at 9:57 pm
This Mukoka guy is the fellow Kalu kicked out of their camp in France. There’s no way he can write anything god about Kalu and his associates. It’s a pity, however, that a qualified journalist can involve himself in gutter journalism
IMIBILOMBYOMBYO
March 31, 2016 at 12:09 am
IAM SHOCKED THAT MUKOKA YOU CAN WRITE SUCH HATEFUL STUFF AGAINST INNOCENT ERICK. YOU HAVE REALLY DESCENDED SO LOW AND YOU ARE TURNING GREEN WITH HATE.
AS FOR KALU…..ZAMBIANS YOU GET EXCITED FOR NOTHING, MUKAMWIBUKISHA GREAT KALU.
peter bwalya
March 31, 2016 at 4:10 am
That’s the word Duke…
CHINVINDINVINDI
March 31, 2016 at 7:08 am
Ati great ķalu!!!! Elton umuntu aleiba isha FAZ imwe muletota!
wait for the forensic audits. You will call him KALUlu NTUMPILE.
Chovix
March 31, 2016 at 7:41 am
Eric,Eric,Eric how many times have I called you!Please follw your friends.
mature student
March 31, 2016 at 8:38 pm
Even us who are not journalists know that Erik was not a professional in his dealings at FAZ. He behaved like a god, and I never saw any regard for others in his interviews. Nkweto was a better personality. Given achance, I would also not work with such a person. He needs to run his own Kantemba to learn to respect others.
Ndanje khakis
April 1, 2016 at 9:06 am
what about Julio Chiluba? I started hearing about him when I was in primary school at Maiteneke Chingola. I grew up and took up soccer admin Julio was still at FAZ. Now am retired Julio is still at FAZ.
danny lumbwe
April 1, 2016 at 6:14 pm
you know very little5 about erick and his profession you chap. leave him alone. us who have been with him since 1p84 from primary school in livingstone are proud of his achievements. just settle your differences instead of eliminating your fellow scribe. that too is unprofessional. viva strass, erick aka ian potterfild, we love you and admire ypur passion fpr football.
danny lumbwe
April 1, 2016 at 6:27 pm
erick never played football like dennis liwewe but contributed greatly in the sport even from secondary school at saint rephaels in livongstone from 1991 to 1995, for him to reach football house from being a bustele boy like peter makembo is testimony of a fulfilled dreams, rubbing shoulders with kalu and kamanga and all you guys in the city and at faz puts a smile on all livingstonians. erick knows no tribalism, he actually grew up in southern province. please stop scandalising our ambassador.