The Tonga Wealth Culture Continues

By Bill Hamapundu

The Tonga Wealth Culture Continues

Being Tonga in Zambia’s political space can sometimes be challenging, especially for people with Tonga names like mine. Before you even speak, some people have already decided what your political position must be. But that is beside the point.

Tonight, I want to look at Hakainde Hichilema differently, not just as President, but as a man who understood the principles of wealth creation long before he entered State House.

One thing I have learned from prominent Tonga families is that wealth is not a one-off event; it is a culture. It is built over time, protected, multiplied and passed from one generation to another.

HH appears to have understood this principle very early. Coming from a culture where cattle, land and productive assets have traditionally represented wealth, he combined that foundation with education, business knowledge and exposure and turned it into something much bigger

That is why I have never been bothered by the jokes about his shoes. HH has repeatedly shown that he is not obsessed with looking wealthy. He seems more interested in owning productive assets than displaying wealthy

In 2015 Mwebantu report, put his cattle holdings at more than 90,000 head. Whether every figure reported is accurate or not, the broader story is clear: he invested heavily in productive assets.

And that is the part I admire.

A luxury vehicle depreciates. A productive herd can reproduce. Land can appreciate. Businesses can generate income. Investments can compound.

That is the difference between consuming wealth and building wealth.

I have watched HH in numerous local and international interviews, and one thing that stands out is that he rarely spends his time boasting about his personal wealth. He talks about business, investment, farming, the economy and development.

That tells me something about his mindset.

You don’t have to convince everyone that you are wealthy. Your assets should speak for themselves.

Whether one supports HH politically or not, I believe his personal journey in wealth creation deserves recognition. He took values rooted in his upbringing, combined them with education and discipline, and built a remarkable economic foundation.

For me, supporting HH is not only about politics. It is also about recognising a man who understood early that real wealth is not about looking rich; it is about building something productive, sustainable and capable of supporting generations.

Politics will come and go. Presidents will come and go.

But the principles that build lasting wealth remain.

Don’t spend your life trying to look wealthy. Build wealth. Protect it. Multiply it. And leave something behind.

That is one lesson I believe Zambian can learn from HH.