Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Troika of Ministers has asked the chief executive officer Stanley Mutoya, who had announced his departure from his post at the closing ceremony of the Region 5 Youth Games in Maseru, Lesotho, early this month, to stay on.
Mutoya had been scheduled to relocate to Switzerland and join an international organisation as its chief operations officer with effect from March 1, 2022.
However, the chairperson of the Troika of Ministers of Sport Likeleli Tampane, who is also Lesotho’s Minister of Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation, said the announcement by Mutoya came as a shock to them hence their decision to request him to stay.
“The Troika of Ministers learnt with shock and sadness of the intention by the chief executive officer Mutoya to resign from his position after 10 years of loyal service. As Troika, we do not doubt the commitment by the CEO to the advancement of the Region. We as Troika therefore resolved to request Mutoya to reconsider his position and revert to his position as CEO,” said Tampane.
Mutoya joined the then Supreme Council for Sport in Africa Zone VI in November 2011 as the general manager before being appointed the first AUSC Region 5 chief executive officer in 2016. Before his appointment, he had been serving in the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee in the same capacity.
An astute and energetic sports administrator, Mutoya has transformed Region 5 to its current enviable status as the only vibrant Region in Africa with functional structures and programmes.
The Region has transformed into a hub of sporting excellence and in the process endearing itself as a global opinion leader on matters of sport and sports development as well as athlete excellence.
Mutoya has not been adding value to the Region 5 sports movement only as his influence has been felt in other parts of Africa where he has been influential in driving several missions.
In June 2020, Mutoya was appointed to serve as chairperson of the African Union Technical Committee on the African Games scheduled for Accra, Ghana in 2023.
Prior to that, he was the lead facilitator in the review of the African Union Sports Policy for Sustainable Development which is due to be tabled for consideration by the AU Specialised technical committee of Ministers of Youth, Culture and Sport in February 2022. A gender conscious person, Mutoya works with the Women Sport International as a member of the task team.
Under his leadership, Region 5 was able to introduce the Podium Performance Programme (PPP), Regional Annual Sports Awards (RASA), the Regional Marathon, Women Leadership Programme (WLP), Paralympic Week, Regional Museum project and Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLOT) programmes.
Just recently, Mutoya spearheaded an organisational re-engineering model, which will see Region 5 transforming its strategy, structure, skills and programmes.
The model was approved by the ministers on December 2, 2020, and the new structure will be put into effect following approval of the revised Region 5 constitution next month.
Online Reporter