By Miles Sampa
Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda aka ABC (1937-2022)
#final part 2.
4 minutes long.
1.0 Preable
Michael Chilufya Sata-MCS (MHSRIEP) won in 2011 and made ABC his Finance Minister. “He sacrificed his retirement to help us run government”. MCS once told me .
2.0 Deputy Minister to ABC
In 2012, I was the provincial Minister for Southern Province enjoying my role there only to hear on news that I had been transferred to be the deputy to ABC at the Ministry of Finance (MOF). I would later learn that Minister ABC requested for my transfer to under study him as he had not wished to stay in government beyond the first term.
Very particular with grammar and pronunciations. Once when I copied him in my letter that had a coma in a wrong place, he walked over to my office to ask me to edit same and never to sign secretary typed letters if had errors as it was my name at stake. He would correct me that it’s not pronounced spaghetti bolognese but spaghetti ‘boronye’ and it’s not croissant but ‘Kwasha’ or so he sounded to say. Lol.
He would on every working day take me and other MOF Directors for lunch. I had always thought red wine was bitter (same as impwa) but these lunches graduated me into acquiring a very sweet taste inside the same ‘bitter’ dry wine. ‘Ndifai’ or ‘utwalekanaleka’.
Every so often he would receive dividends from his various historical shareholding in companies like Apollo farms. When that happens, he would share some petty cash end of the week ‘for your children from my dividing just received from ba Apollo’. His consequent deputy Ministers namely Keith Mukata and Chris Mvunga also attest to a similar treat.
Not only me but all workers around him at MOF would get daily inquiries on how our parents, wives or children were doing. If not well, he would intervene in one way or another. Had huge measure of empathy.
We however differed quiet often not on personal but work related topics.
Once I wrote a letter direct to State House to express concern on some MOF policy related decisions. As I was a ‘Kapyopyo’ (public service inexperience )to them, President Sata redirected the letter to my Minister ABC and whom I was disagreeing with in that letter. How embarrassing it was for me when ABC handed the letter back to me. I wrote another letter to MCS asking him to transfer me out of MOF. Again the following day my Minister ABC walked into my office and gave me back the letter.
Sooner we were out for lunch and all normal like there wasn’t some ‘return to sender’ letter. We were laughing in no time. “Twachilakwamba naba nokolume” ( the President and I were joking about you). He said you voted in Parliament against a government collective stance and has written to you to explain why. “Public service is very different from the private sector or banking world you came from Bwalya. Government works like a goods train”.
I look back and wonder where I was getting all the nerve to disagree with both. Well first both were very easy going people to be alongside and they took by the chin professional work disagreements. Never came inbetween our strong personal bond over years. I would however get moved in 2013 to the Ministry of Commerce,Trade & Industry.
3.0 Sata Dies
Sata would die in 2014 and as the Bembas would say..” chauma umupini..” (things fall apart).
Fortunately ABC would remain the senior guru of PF and would in coming years look out for about all MCCs, MPs, Mayor, Councillors and majority general membership. A day before my wedding in 2020, ABC drove himself to my house for the first time to deliver cases of ‘French Red Wine’ for guests and apologized he would not make it to the event due to his back problem at the time. Very courteous he was.
4.0 Last Encounter with ABC
About 2 months ago, heard from one of his children that he had been asking for my latest phone number as he had failed to reach me. I called him and asked how he was doing.
“I have been waiting for you to come for a while now. You don’t know that some of us are in departure lounge. Come we talk about our party and politics”. I drove instant to his home.
Found him watching TV with Mrs Chikwanda most call baMama. We locked foreheads the KK way which was our usual greeting gesture from the time he was my Minister. In no time he brought out of his renown cella a good bottle French red wine for me and his other guests present.
As usual he would first explain the wine name history, vineyard and class. Unlike his classy peers ABM, DAP and others who were into fine single malt whiskeys, ABC was a seasoned wine connoisseur or sommelier.
Within no time our chat was into politics and the country in general for a good 2 hours or so. He about summarized to me what he thought about most prominent politicians especially within and outside PF. He was generally either pro or against any person leadership qualities and would explain why. He was a good reader of personalities and never sugar coated. No; he said zero about me this last meeting and guess because he could not critic me in my presence.
Two hours later I bid farewell and he kept asking me to stay on. As usual to all his guests, he walked me to the Carpark and waited at the door for the wave as until I drive off.
‘Bye bye ba Shikulu’ I said through my open car window as I left.
As I got home he called and said “just wanted to check if you arrived home Bashi Emma”
I thought it was a priceless madaala etiquette that this generation does not have.
Two days later would hear of his stroke that would have him in and out of hospital for several weeks . Turns out him asking to see him that night was to have the last (Biblical) meal and wine together. The bye bye waving as I drove off was the last ever.
5.0 Conclusion
A very wise man he was. My only regret and same as I have over Michael Sata is that I did not ask them a lot more questions that did so as to have learnt much more from their enormous life experience and wisdom. All the same I count myself very lucky to have rubbed shoulders not only with ABC, MCS, ABM and DAP . These were (VJ still) in a class of their own. Very exposed globally and almost in all districts of Zambia. Priceless knowledge I picked up from their minds. This generation of immense real life practical thinkers and people problem solvers is just about becoming extinct.
Here lays ABC a man that majority people that were lucky to encounter him in person, each grew to receive his love unconditionally in thick or thin.
So long Sir ABC. MYSRIEP🙏🏽
MBS06.05.2022)
(Pic-2012 when I invited him to Matero Boys for on of my Schools Computer donation event).