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Kenneth Kaunda: The sport-loving president
RIP: Kaunda supported sports disciplines in Zambia before he died at 97. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- He regularly invited the national team to State House, his official residence, where he personally dished out dinner plates to the players, usually after a successful outing in major tournaments.
The late Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president will not only be remembered as one of the last of the generation of African leaders who fought colonialism but also for his love of sport.
The 97-year-old passed away last week after being admitted to a military hospital in the capital, Lusaka, on Monday suffering from pneumonia. His aides said he did not have Covid-19.
His support for the national team helped them develop into being a force to be reckoned with on the continent and with that success the side soon became known as the ‘KK11’ in his honour.
Early on in his political career he realised football was a tool that could aid his work toward creating a country devoid of tribal politics and to promote his constant theme of ‘One Zambia. One Nation.’
President turned waiter
He regularly invited the national team to State House, his official residence, where he personally dished out dinner plates to the players, usually after a successful outing in major tournaments.
The players frequently spoke out about the great pride they took in being served with crockery bearing the national coat of arms.
In an era when football had yet to provide the monetary earnings the game does today, these visits to State House were considered a great honour.
Not only football
Other sports, though less popular, also had a role to play. The successes of teams at the Commonwealth or Olympic Games also gave those achievers a place at the state house dinner table.
Medals were pinned on the chests of the biggest names in sport, among them including footballer Godfey Chitalu, boxers Lottie Mwale, and Keith ‘Spinks’ Mwila, as well as Dennis Liwewe for his role in football broadcasting.
Today with Zambian football foundering, the older fans look back with nostalgia to an era when football grounds overflowed, when Zambia could hold its own against the continents best, and Kenneth Kaunda’s pre-kick off routine set the stage for a team that for the most part, hardly lost at home.
The same fans, however, will forever remember that 21 years after Kaunda left office, Zambia lifted the 2012 Africa Cup and despite his advanced age, KK, was in Gabon to come back with the trophy!.
