NamibiaSport

The chairman of the Interim Committee of Athletics Namibia (AN), Dr Donovan Zealand insisted that he is still in charge of athletics in the country and denounced a congress in Otjiwarongo last Saturday, which voted Alpha Kangueehi in as AN president.



The former president of Athletics Namibia, Kangueehi ignored a directive from the IC and the international motherbody, IAAF to put all elections on hold and went ahead with a general assembly in Otjiwarongo last Saturday which was attended by five delegates from regions affiliated to Athletics Namibia. All five delegates voted for Kangueehi, who said he was now the legitimate president of AN.

Dr Zealand however told Namibia Sport that the election was unconstitutional and illegal.

“The election in Otjiwarongo was clearly unconstitutional, while the directives from the IAAF clearly stipulated that both congresses that Kangueehi had planned for February 28 and that the IC had planned for March 14, should be suspended. We are now waiting for the arrival of the delegates from the IAAF to intervene and mediate on this matter so that a permanent solution can be found for the current dilemma that we are facing,” he said.

Dr Zealand questioned the authenticity of the AN delegates at the meeting in Otjiwarongo and said that the IC was considering taking legal action against them.

“I am not so worried about Mr. Kangueehi’s congress because seven of the eight affiliated members of Athletics Namibia indicated to us officially that they will not attend the congress. I have my reservations about the members who attended that meeting. They indicated that there were five members present at this congress but it is debatable in terms of the representation and as I stated previously it is fraudulent of any person to misrepresent any member of Athletics Namibia. We are just waiting for the official communication in terms of the attendance list, and then we will definitely seek legal opinion on the matter because we cannot allow people to misrepresent others, because that is fraudulent,” he said.

The controversy surrounding Athletics Namibia’s proposed elections deepened last Thursday when the IAAF ordered Athletics Namibia to cancel all proposed elections pending a “special visit” to Namibia by one of its delegates.

In a letter to IC member Abner Xoagub on February 25, the general secretary of the IAAF, Pierre Weiss said that they were prepared to conduct a special mission to Namibia and to call and organise a ‘legitimate general assembly’ at Athletics Namibia.

“IAAF president Lamine Diack has given the mandate to Mr Cheikh Tall Bouya Thiarre, director of his cabinet to be of your assistance in this imperative matter and he will contact you regarding the measures to be taken as soon as he returns from his current trip to the IAAF headquarters in Monaco,” Weiss said.

“I would therefore request the president of Athletics Namibia, Alpha Kangueehi to disregard his intention of convening a general assembly for 28 February and neither you calling an election of a new council for 14 March,” he added.

Dr Zealand told Namibia Sport that they were in constant contact with the IAAF and were awaiting their feedback on the matter.

“We are constantly in contact with the IAAF and we are waiting feedback. The representative was in Monaco and this week he will be back in Senegal, so as soon as he is back home he will get in touch with us and we will facilitate the necessary logistics for the visit,” he said.