DR CLEMENT CHILESHE PENS DOWN EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO RB;
We have lost a true and inspirational sports administrator who contributed to Sport in many ways especially through construction of ultra modern sport infrastructure including the OYDC which he later made personal efforts to harness support for including travelling to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Hq in Switzerland and lobby for increased support to the OYDC and various Olympic sport programs in Zambia. OYDC received significant support from the International sports movement as a result of such high level interventions. At times he made time to host high level sports leaders at State House, some of whom went on to invest significantly in OYDC.
He took time to support events we held even after he left State House.
He would sometimes ask me and my colleagues, “What can I do to help you run this facility better?”. I would text him and he would respond. A rare attribute for such persons of very high influence.
He inspired many of us sport administrators who took up leadership in the 90s. He and his colleagues including Mr Patrick Chamunda, Mr Ernest Mate, Mr Tom Mtine and others set leadership bars very high yet he embraced every level of person in sport even when he assumed the top office of the land.
He taught me humility in high service. He had a way of making people feel special even in the midst of many high level persons. Sometimes he saw you standing behind higher ranks, he would stop talking to the higher ranks and say “How are you sonny?”.
Hope our young people will learn from his life and realise that he was just not blessed to be given high level opportunities in his 20s and 30s but more importantly, he performed highly at each opportunity given.
We thank God for the gift of such a great man.
