A WEDDING THAT MAY MEND BROKEN BRIDGES as Mr James Ndambo gives away his daughter and a brand new land rover gift to son in law.
By Miles B. Sampa, MP (23.01.2023)
So the Minister of Community Development Hon Doreen Mwamba was a guest if not the guest of honour at the wedding of Charmaine and Emmanuel Sichembe.
Charmaine being daughter to the My Home Town (MHT) Chairman Mr James Ndambo. The wedding was at the Sandton convention center in Johannesburg South Africa. Classic if not wedding of the year already from what I could pick up from social media.
Renowned names travelled from various countries in Africa to be part of the Ndambo and Sichembe families as they their holy matrimony celebrations. In his usual unique classy of doing things, Chairman Ndambo surprised his son in law with a brand new latest model Land Rover defender as their wedding gift.
Notably missing at the wedding however was my brother the Southern Province Minister Honourable Cornelius Mweetwa that is also MP for Choma central constituency where Mr James Ndambo was born and is also center for his MHT projects. We watched on New Year eve smiles from Hon Mweetwa as he switched on the MHT funded street lights in Choma. It would have therefore made good viewing to notice him aswell at the MHT linked wedding.
Prior to the wedding there was Chilangamulilo (pre wedding traditional function) in Lusaka and it too looked very classy graced by a number of celebrity artists like Macky 2, Chef, IDC and others. Notably missing however was the Father to the bride Mr Ndambo. He could not travel to Lusaka given the state machinery harassment him and his MHT activities received mid last year.
It was therefore gratifying to see my sister the Honourable Minister Doreen Mwamba travel to SA to grace wedding hosted by Mr Ndambo. I have massive experience both at Council and Central government level as former Mayor of Lusaka and former deputy Minister in various portfolios. Within these roles I came to learn how the office of the President at Statehouse and it’s cabinet secretariat operates. No Minister dare leave the Country without a written request submitted to Statehouse and a written signed permission from the President to travel.
It therefore follows that Hon Minister Mwamba wrote to President HH seeking authorization to travel to the Ndambo daughter wedding in SA. We can also safely deduce that President HH signed a letter authorizing the Minister to travel.
In SA at the wedding one could easily notice that the Hon Minister was availed extra VVIP status and I would be surprised if she was actually accommodated at the iconic Michelangelo hotel where only the who is who of the World dare stay there as it is very expensive. That’s how much importance and respect our Minister may have been accorded by the Ndambo family.
It’s President HH that I wish to single out here and commend him for having rose to the occasion and authorize his Minister Hon Doreen Mwamba to grace the wedding in SA. We can deduce therein that either the ‘beef’ (misunderstanding) between the President and the MHT chairman James Ndambo is behind us or it’s just that President HH places family or children links superior to other real or perceived misunderstandings.
Which ever the case may the gesture of sending the Honourable Minister Doreen Mwamba to the Ndambo family wedding be the beginning of a renewed seemingly lost relationship between the President and his brother Chairman James Ndambo. I hereby write because if that happens then we can have hope that sooner than later the much missed My Home Town Ubuntu projects could recommence not only in Choma but also Matero and other parts of Zambia given we have pending application letters submitted.
Well done Mr President and Welldone Minister Doreen Mwamba. Mr James Ndambo is one of us (Zambians) and we should not paint him black but embrace him at every opportunity.
Amen (May it be so).
MBS23.01.2023
