MASERU – Officials and athletes who were supposed to travel to Zambia for the Confederation of Southern African School Sports Associations (COSASSA) ball games are crying foul after the
Ministry of Sport cancelled their trip two days before departure date.
The ministry released a statement last Friday saying the team would not be able to travel because the ministry had failed to buy yellow fever antibiotics for the team.
They said the scarcity of the medication coupled with its high cost was a challenge for the ministry.
The COSASSA games were eventually cancelled because Zimbabwe was the only country that confirmed their participation.
This however, has not come as a consolation to the players. Lesotho was supposed to host the games initially. The Lesotho Institutions Sports Association (LISA) say they wrote to the Lesotho Sport and Recreation Commission (LSRC) in February asking to host the athletics and track and field event.
LISA say they were told to draw up a budget for hosting which they did, but then the ministry went radio silent. Zambia jumped in and offered to host the games because Lesotho was dragging its feet and it was not clear if the sports ministry would release the money for hosting. LISA then asked for support to go to Zambia and they were told the ministry is looking for the money to fund the trip.
LISA secretary general Ntainyane Marabe says they were heartbroken when they were told they would not be travelling to Zambia.
“It’s not good news at all for us as management, parents, teachers, school management (and) athletes. It’s a wound that needs to be healed for those players,” he said.
The Minister of Sports, Lesaoana Pitso, apologised on Tuesday on a the national television show “Tšetšetha” saying the team was not able to travel because the team consisted of more than 50 people including the officials.
Pitso said the ministry only had medication available for 28 people. He said this is because LISA had taken a huge group without seeing how much medication was available.
Pitso’s words are a contradiction to the ministry’s statement, it has left the athletes feeling they have been played and they do not know what to believe.
“We would like to apologise to the nation, kids were supposed to leave for Zambia but they did not check the available antibiotics and they had taken a big squad,” Pitso said.
“The (travelling team) was supposed to get injections for yellow fever and pills for malaria. They had a team of over 50 people, the available medication was for 28 people (only).”
Mpolai Makhetha