AUSC keeps pace with evolving agenda
Mqondisi Dube | Monday June 23, 2025 06:00
MmegiSport: Where is AUSC Region V in terms of sport development?
Mutoya: Our business is to drive the sport development agenda, in line with the African Union blueprint agenda 2063, which talks about the Africa we want. There are issues around integration, so that we leave no one behind, people with disability, women and other vulnerable communities. But also there is an issue of prosperity where we need to drive the economy through sport, in other words industrialising and monetising sport. Then of course there is general development which is infrastructural, performance, and capacitating our coaches and other personnel in sport. Our mandate is broad. When we talk about sport for development, it speaks about getting people physically active. If we create an active citizenry they become a productive citizenry, which feeds into the prosperity of Africa. This body (then Supreme Council for Sports in Africa), at the time was formed to use sport to drive the emancipation agenda at a time when most of Africa was under colonialism. In 2001, we then saw a shift from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), our governments realised that we had attained our political freedom and it was time to address the economic freedom of Africa. We then saw the formation of the African Union, moving away from the OAU. Our governments, meeting in Libya felt that sport needs to revitalise and harmonise into the AU structures. In the same year, the SADC Heads of State meeting in Blantyre came up with a protocol where they wanted the harmonisation of sport polices and organising tournaments periodically, which is why you now see the Region V Games. They talked about establishing academies, centres of excellence, and industries to manufacture sport goods and services. That was like a marching order for what Region V stands for today. With the marching orders that we received, we then saw the birth of the Region V Games, at the time they were called the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa Zone VI Games. The inaugural games were held in Maputo in 2004. The games have seen the participation of the likes of Christian Mboma, Collins Mbesuma, Patson Daka, Naomi Ruele, and Nijel Amos.
MmegiSport: Tell us more about the AUSC Region V Games?
Mutoya: The Region V Games started with five sport codes, but today we have 12 sport codes, including one of the most outstanding things where we are seeing special Olympics being part of the mainline sport. This is something we have been commended for globally. It is in line with inclusion. We are trying to integrate Africa by making it an inclusive Africa. Much as we plan to have plans to have regional disability games in future, now we are saying we want to have them integrated in the system that is why we are running the ‘Making Noise Campaign’ where we are driving inclusion.
We now have sport policies for our members, including incentive policies, national team selection policies, gender mainstreaming policies, and inclusive policies. We have shifted so much from 24 years ago when our Heads of State established this protocol. What we are doing now is to modernise the policies to capture the emerging issues, like now we have integrity issues on anti-doping, match-fixing, and manipulation of competitions.
The other thing that we were told to do at the time was to organise games, in addition to that we have e-sports that address the needs of our young people today who are techno-savvy who want to see innovative, transformative sport included. We also spoke about centres of excellence, and we have seen the establishing of such in each of our countries. We also have the podium performance programme, a homegrown programme where we identify athletes prepared for podium finish. We have two categories, one that we call the excellence level that is for the long-term and the elite, that is immediate.
MmegiSport: How do you harmonise programmes at AUSC Region V with those at local level within individual member states?
Mutoya: We are a coordinating body and we develop frameworks from which countries are aligned. The countries adopt regional frameworks and we assess compliance and progress. When we have regional sports awards, it’s a framework, it then forces countries to have their own sport awards which feed into the regional awards. Now we are pushing countries to have their own national youth games, which will become a qualifier for the AUSC Region V Games. We will soon introduce qualifying standards. That will improve the quality and standard of competition.
MmegiSport: Are you not considering introducing awards for athletes under the development category?
Mutoya: What happens with the regional sport awards, is like I said, your respective countries choose winners. It all depends on the countries, to have development awards so that we don’t overshadow development awards with the elites. We also receive feedback from our engagement with the market where that suggestion has come through. We will be introducing the development award in 2026, so that the upcoming talent feel motivated as well.
MmegiSport: There is a challenge with the retention of the girl-child talent?
Mutoya: One of the reasons that affects retention in sport is the environment. There is a lot of stigmatisation, harassment, and abuse in whatever form, whether its sexual or verbal. The girl-child has tended to withdraw. And also, cultural barriers, religious barriers, and the environment itself. We have introduced what we call safeguarding. This is an initiative to create a safe playing environment, and also create more awareness to the community to address mindset shift. We conducted a survey in 2013 on women participation in sport, it was at 15% and we had a follow-up survey in 2017 and the participation had marginally increased to 17 %. We have a target to increase it to 40% by 2028 but you can imagine it was only two percent increase in 10 years. That two percent we believe is also attributable to the efforts we have made to educate people. Cultural belief systems, when they are embedded in people, are difficult to change. We are meeting for our midterm review of our strategic plan in Mozambique in September, given the two percent increase maybe the 40% target might be reviewed, given 2028 is not too far off. The reality is telling us what is happening. We might say let us intensify our awareness efforts. We have women leadership programmes running in all our 10 countries.
MmegiSport: There has been a lot of concern around the issue of doping in the region, what is your office doing about this?
Mutoya: We are investing a lot in anti-doping. First of all, we have a Memorandum of Understanding with the regional anti-doping organisation. At our games, we conduct 100 tests to ensure that our games are credible and clean, so that we drive the clean sport agenda. It is a huge number looking at the athletes we have, around 2,000. With anti-doping you sample. We also do anti-doping awareness; we run campaigns during our games. We are also pushing for legislation at country level. At the moment without legislation, it’s difficult to convict perpetrators. Out of 10 countries we are happy that at least six are at different stages of promulgating legislation. We are also influencing curriculum in the teaching of physical education for clean sport to be part of the curriculum. We believe it’s a complex area. For instance, the pharmaceuticals industry has to be involved as well. Some of the athletes that have failed anti-doping took over-the-counter medication.
MmegiSport: What are the main constraints your organisation is facing?
Mutoya: The challenges are humongous, there is quiet a lot. The usual constraints will be the finances that’s what people will rush to. But I can tell you that our biggest constraint is not financing, not that we have a lot of money. Our biggest challenge is the mindset. There is a lot of belief that programmes from the West are superior than our own. I just came back from Switzerland and Region V is highly regarded, but right here we do not regard ourselves like that. Right now the International Olympic Committee is investing in Region V to establish a safeguarding hub. We are only one of two regions that have been identified by IOC, they have seen what we do and they are very impressed. But the mindset here, is that the Region V Games are not good enough, the policies are not good enough, they would rather get a policy from Australia or Canada and start referencing them. Mindset is also what stops the funding. If we think Region V Games are not good enough, corporates are not going to invest in that and broadcasters are not going to buy the content. The other challenges are microcosms of our mindset, the thinking that our solutions will come from somewhere.
MmegiSport: Your last words?
Mutoya? It is to appreciate the support from governments. It’s not easy our region was struck by a devastating drought, to still see governments investing in sport is a serious goodwill. The new governments that have come in, they have sustained their support towards sports. In Namibia, sport has the second highest budget, something that has not happened. We have been pushing to get sport in the top 10 of the national priorities and in Namibia its second. In Botswana its in the top 10. We want to appeal to our broadcasters not to wait to harvest when there is success, let us invest in the development of our people. Our athletes complain that they get the welcome when they win medals, but when they wanted money to train, no body was there. My appeal is our doors are open, let’s have conversations. Region V is a home, even for corporates and broadcasters.