This past Monday, 9 December, Kaizer Chiefs played host to a distinguished visitor, His Excellence, the honourable Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, Minister for Sport for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Accompanied by CEO of the Stadium, Mr. Dadou Ethambe, as well as Mr. Etoti Bala Joseph and Ms. Deborah Rosalie Yondela, the purpose of the visit was to learn more about ways to improve sport in the DRC, and they were taken to see some of our top sporting facilities to get and idea of what is possible.

Commenting on the benefits derived from collaborations such as this, Amakhosi Sporting Director, Kaizer Motaung Jr. told www.kaizerchiefs.com, “It was an honour to receive a visit from the Minister of Sport for the DRC. They came to have a look at our facilities and to explore ways to collaborate, not just from a club or even a sporting perspective but also in terms of a stakeholder relationship viewpoint. Also, the visit served to build broader business relations.

“It was a pleasure to host him and his team,” he continued, “and lead them through a tour of our facilities and giving them a sense of the history and future vision of Kaizer Chiefs; where we came from and where we want to go as a club. The sports ministry has some grand visions they would like to roll out in the DRC and we were one of the touchpoints in their research and information gathering, for example, our relationship with stadium management – who were actually instrumental in arranging this trip - as the managers of the facilities.

“We were also able to learn a lot, and open relations both in sporting and commercial terms from our informal discussions.”

Whilst touring the various locations, the parties had the opportunity to touch on the relationship between Kaizer Chiefs and DRC, whose players, such as Kabamba Musasa, wore the famous Gold & Black with distinction.
“We shared some great memories,” Said Motaung, “and we were also happy to offer them our congratulations for TP Mazembe Women’s Team winning the CAF Women's Champions League. Also, currently having Christian Saile Bosomboli in our ranks, we shared some nice anecdotes.”

As Africa continues its rise to its rightful place in global affairs, intra-African relations take on added importance as we look to help each other ascend together through sharing knowledge and ideas that will see the continent flourish.

“I’d say it was far reaching in terms of building common ground as fellow Africans around how we can develop the game domestically and on the continent as a whole” Motaung concluded, “Africa has immense potential and interactions such as this are important in devising ways to realise that potential.”

.