EASTER BOMBSHELLS
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
“An Easter Holiday that has threatened the future of Hichilema’s Government”
Grappling with a bad economy, youth unemployment crisis, and rising fuel and food prices, the UPND and its New Dawn Government were going into Easter Holidays with a tinge of celebrations because of the electoral tripple win of; the Mongu Mayoral Seat, Lukutu Ward in Luwingu and Katimba Ward in Monze Town Council.
However their joy was short-lived.
A young Minister manning one of the key portfolios in the country, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Stanley Kasongo Kakubo was caught in web of lies and a diplomatic crisis.
Pictures leaked exposing his presence at the Chinese owned, Sinoma Cement Plant.
This occurred on Holy Saturday, a holiday.
The pictures showed he was received by a Chinese diplomat and Sinoma Cement Management.
The pictures also showed that he left with a suspicious gift bag.
The presence of a Chinese diplomatic vehicle flying an official five-star red flag, complicated Kakubo’s explanations that he was merely buying cement and the parcel was merely company souvenirs; a calendar and pen.
This is happening in a wider scope of allegations that President Hakainde Hichilema’s Government has its leanings towards the West and has shunned both China and Russia in its diplomatic dealings.
On Holy Sunday, the Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Lusaka, Most Rev. Dr Alick Banda in homily excerpts that went viral on social-media, blasted Hichilema’s government for its unfulfilled electoral promises.
The Archbishop also bemoaned the continued lack of medicines and medical supplies in public hospitals.
He also wondered why Cholera has made a come back in Lusaka after a five-year hiatus.
He expressed concerns that Government officials take pride in officiating finished projects without having the decency to acknowledge that the previous government initiated, commissioned and built the infrastructure projects but spend time in vilifying it.
He also reminded Government that its reliance on foreign investment and foreign suppliers of goods and services to the country, would not help develop the country.
This was not the end of the piling crises.
The revelations from Constitutional Court documents that former Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) Liquidator, Milingo Lungu’s re-arrest by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) on the same fraud and theft charges that the Director of Public Prosecutions had discontinued, was conducted despite being granted some form of immunity or indemnity from prosecution on those matters.
Of interest however, was the strong expose that the negotiations leading to Milingo’s immunity, was spearheaded by State House.
State House Principle Private Secretary, Bradford Machila and State House Special Assistant for Legal Affairs, Christopher Mundia have been named as leading the negotiations.
Others assisting the process were; Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha SC, Solicitor General Marshal Muchende SC, Director of Public Relations, Lillian Fulata Siyuni SC and Natasha Kalimukwa, Administrator General and new Official Receiver of KCM.
Clearly, Milingo’s earlier Nolle Prosequi and subsequent immunity granted to him was not a single act of the DPP but a State House collective and driven process.
Milingo’s court Affidavit also revealed that earlier, he met President Hakainde Hichilema, Vice President, Mrs. Mutale Nalumango, Minister of Finance, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, and Mr. Bradford Machila to discuss the same matters.
All these meetings sit at the periphery of the law as any plea bargain must be done through a court process as provided for in The Plea Negotiations and Agreements Act of 2010.
But of interest is the DEC Director, Mary Chirwa who has has helped spawn the crisis.
Despite Milingo being granted immunity from prosecution on the matters relating to his tenure as Liquidatorof KCM, she proceeded to arrest him on the same charges.
Chirwa’s well-known zealousness and her usual premature clamor for public attention was at maximum play!
Her penchant habit to conduct such cases in the court of public gallery, has now exposed a bigger legal and political crisis for President Hichilema.
It appears that in all their schemes, the state actors believed Milingo would keep quiet and the would be fall-guy to the inevitable crisis if mishandled, would be the DPP.
Infact learning about Milingo’s impending legal challenge of his arrest, the State Officials hushed a process to publicly scandalise the DPP with sponsored statements issued by UPND junior leaders of the party and other usual rented voices who were paraded on ZNBC and other media platforms.
But we should remember that this entire circus is pegged onto a far bigger issue-KCM!
The desperate attempts to quickly get a new provisional liquidator or receiver manager for KCM is driven by huried efforts aimed at resolving the crisis of KCM, a strategic national asset that is being primed to be returned or to be sold to either Vedanta Resources or any other foreign investor.
In all this, State House Presidential Spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya, whose gaffes are increasing by the day, was again exposed.
Bwalya dismissed assertions that Milingo ever met President Hichilema or State House officials.
Bwalya was lying with a straight face and without shame.
On his radio appearance, Bwalya also disparaged public concerns about President Hichilema moving to Nkwazi House at State House.
He further enraged the public when he said that Nkwazi house was so dilapidated that even at his level, he couldn’t live there.
Yet Nkwazi was extensively renovated in 2011 and 2016, and President Edgar Lungu lived in the house until his last official day in August 2021.
CONCLUSION
This Easter Holiday Hichilema’s hypocrisy was laid bare and his government new corruption tendencies exposed.
The period has revealed that even opinion-makers, influencers and some of Hichilema’s most ardent supporters are disappointed and embarrassed by the direction his government has taken in the last eight months.
Doing, repeating and embracing things that Zambians rejected in the August 2021 General elections so early in his five year term of office has been the greatest surprise.
So what happens to Kakubo, Machila and the rest of them?
Will he make reshuffles? Will he make changes to attempt to regain lost public confidence? Or will he rely on the remaining praise singers to raise their voices to a shrieking level?
What an Easter Holiday!