THE REAL WITCHCRAFT HOLDING ZAMBIA BACK
There is a form of witchcraft that has held Zambia captive for generations. It is not found in the village at midnight. It is not hidden in forests. It is not carried in charms. It lives in the mind.
It is the witchcraft of pulling down anyone who is trying to rise. It is the witchcraft of distrusting every success. It is the witchcraft of attacking every sign of progress. It is the witchcraft of destroying what we should be building.
Those of us who grew up in villages saw it with our own eyes. A pensioner would retire after decades of hard work. He would return to the village with his savings and begin building a decent house. Instead of being celebrated, he became a suspect. Instead of being admired, he became a target. Instead of being asked how he succeeded, people whispered about him.
In those days progress became a crime. Success became evidence. Achievement became an accusation, and somewhere along the way, we carried that mentality from the village into national politics.
Today, a road is built and some people become angry. Electricity improves and some people become disappointed. Foreign reserves increase and some people become upset. The economy stabilises and some people begin searching for reasons why it should fail.
We move two steps forward, and immediately there are those determined to drag the nation ten steps backward. That is the real witchcraft. Kaponyanomics plus ubuloshi (witchcraft) mentality.
Zambia cannot develop if we spend more time suspecting success than studying it. We cannot prosper if we invest more energy in rumours than in productivity. We cannot become wealthy if we spend more time pulling down builders than becoming builders.
What is most worrying is that even educated people sometimes fall into this trap. Degrees disappear. Reason disappears. Facts disappear. Economic realities disappear.
Suddenly, emotion replaces analysis. Superstition replaces evidence. Fear replaces vision. The conversation shifts from how to grow the economy to how to explain away progress.
My beloved Zambians, all developed nations were built by people who learned to reward success, not punish it. They learned to think beyond election cycles. They learned that national development is a marathon, not a sprint.
They understood that roads, industries, power stations, schools, hospitals, investments, and economic reforms do not mature in five years. They require patience. They require continuity. They require citizens who can see beyond today’s discomfort and understand tomorrow’s possibilities.
This is why great leaders often appear unpopular before they become appreciated.
As I have repeatedly submitted before, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa is a powerful example. Many people did not fully understand what he was doing during his first term. His disciplined leadership and focus nearly cost him an election, but after the 2006 election, the benefits of the reforms became increasingly visible. Economic stability improved. Investor confidence grew. Debt relief created opportunities. The foundations for future growth became clearer.
Our country cannot continuously uproot every seed and then complain that nothing grows. Zambia cannot keep resetting itself every election and expect long term prosperity.
Our people cannot reject continuity and then wonder why development never arrives. The Zambia we seek will not be built by fear. It will not be built by suspicion. It will not be built by division.
It will be built by citizens who can recognise progress, protect gains, reject corruption, demand accountability, and still support what is working.
The greatest battle facing Zambia today is not economic. It is not political. It is mental.
Until we defeat the witchcraft of pulling one another down, we will continue standing in the way of our own national destiny. The future belongs to builders.
Forward with National Progress and Stability.
Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)
UPND Alliance Partners