MASERU — The Lesotho Athletics Amateur Association (LAAA) will hold its presidential elections next Saturday in Maseru.
Outgoing president Justice Maketela is seeking re-election but he will have to contend with challenger Godfrey Kakande.
The deadline for registration of candidates is tomorrow.
Ahead of the elections Kakande said there was lack of adequate administration in LAAA.
“I have seen a loophole in LAAA,” Kakande said.
“It is the lack of adequate administration.”
LAAA presidential elections are constitutionally held after every four years.
Maketela has been at the helm of the LAAA since 1995 when he took over from Lipholo Makhetha.
Perhaps this is one factor that Kakande must bear in mind going into the elections.
Kakande, who is president of Chaplin and Berea Athletics Clubs and an Olympic course director, said if he won the election he would change the association from “amateur association” to “professional federation”.
“Lesotho is no longer at amateur level in terms of our local athletes, they are professionals,” he said.
“So we must change the name from amateur association to professional federation.”
Kakande claimed that he will run the association smoothly because he is neutral as a Ghanaian living in Lesotho. Kakande holds a Lesotho passport.
“I am a neutral person here, I gain nothing and lose nothing,” he claimed.
He said among other things he would make sure that district club presidents are paid monthly to make their work easier.
“I will introduce president (districts) payments every month-end to make the job easier,” he said.
He said he would use the money given by the government to pay the presidents.
The government, through the Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission, gives each association less than M200 000 per year.
The money is used for the day-today running of business.
LAAA public relations officer Sejanamane Maphathe told the Lesotho Times on Tuesday that Kakande was “dreaming”.
“Where will he get the money to pay the presidents?” Maphathe asked.
“I told him yesterday (Monday) that he was dreaming like a school boy.”
He said Kakande’s claims were all nonsense and was saying this because of elections.
“Ke mepoto feela ntho tseo a ntseng a li buoa (All his claims are rubbish),” he said.
“He is telling you all this rubbish just because he is going for elections.”
