MATERO MP MILES SAMPA WRITES:
Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda aka ABC (1938-2022)
As a teen I just used to read or watch ABC of UNIP and MMD on a black and white TV in our Matero family home. It was Michael Chilufya Sata that was a relation to my mother and would visit us periodically. In my later years and through him, I would meet ABC as my grandpa.
Soon after University I got hired as a trainee manager(MDP) at the Barclays and now ABSA Bank. Got selected amongst few other fresh graduates by the Human Resource Director Paul Smith and the Managing Director (MD) was a Mr Ian Knapman. It turned out that some of the Board Members of the Bank were a Mr Bruce Munyama -ABM; Chairman(MHSRIP) and Mr Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda-ABC (MHSRIP). Blue eyed ‘boys’ I thought to myself. Soon they would prove me wrong by making a radicle decision to the British owners of the Bank and appoint a first black MD of the Bank Mrs Margaret Mwanakatwe.
Grandpa ABC would years later narrate to me how in preparation of the new Barclays Board after him and ABM reach the nearing retirement age, they surveyed and head hunted a certain Mr Hakainde Hichilema to come onto the Barclays Bank Board and under study ABM as a member and associate Chairman. It all came to pass.
About 2004 the Lusaka Golf Club had leadership wrangles and Trustees namely ABM, ABC and David Phiri-DAR (MHSRIP) were requested by the High Court to run the club in the interim. They approached me as then a Treasurer of a Bank to be their club interim Treasurer. We would together run the club for about 4 years. I played golf with them periodically but most times would be extended meetings in the late hours inside the club house. I bonded with each one in a personal special way.
Mr David Phiri introduced me to the chimbuya lane with ‘iwe kuipa monga mbuye wako’. ABM we got so close he even asked me to be on the Board of his planned RIMO motel Golf estate in Kafue.
Grandpa ABC was a very strong background supporter and fundraiser for PF and Michael Chilufya Sata (MCS) in opposition. The two had mutual historical love and respect for each other. ABC told me how in the 80s MCS surprised him by building, without his knowledge or consent, a house in Kasama for his mother. ABC was potentially about only person that would make MCS change a stance both while in opposition and as a republican President.
End of part 1