Chitotela weeps as court pronounces 10 year jail term
PAMBASHE PF member of parliament Ronald Chitotela was yesterday morning reduced to tears as the Kabwe High Court condemned him to a 10-year stay for burning car during the campaigns of the 2021 general elections.
As tears rolled down the cheeks of the former minister while he stood numb in the dock, some of his family members threw themselves on the floor and and wailed at the verdict creating a sombre yet dramatic atmosphere in the court.
Chitotela, a former minister of housing infrastructure, was jailed 10 years by Kabwe High Court judge Irene Mbewe for arson with hard labor.
He was imprisoned together with his brother Kunda Chitotela and Davies Kiniki.
The trio during the 2021 general election campaigns, burnt a Mahindra belonging to the UPND Luapula Youth Committee.
Chitotela and others were convicted by magistrate Martin Namushi who committed them to the High Court in August this year for mitigation and sentencing.
Magistrate Namushi lacked sentencing powers as the offense of arson attracts a minimum mandatory sentence of five years.
In mitigation before judge Mbewe Chitotela said he never committed a crime during the period he served as minister, as the offense of arson was his first.
He begged the court for mercy saying he was a maize dealer in his constituency, and contributed towards economic development in the area, and if jailed for a long time, the locals may suffer as he purchases maize from them.
Judge Mbewe in her judgment said the trial Court was on firm ground to convict the three, as the offense of arson not only endangers property but human life.
She also dismissed his application to vary the conviction on reasons that it amounted to forum shopping, as a similar application was raised before judge Kelvin Limbani.
For setting ablaze a vehicle without thinking their decision through, the former minister of tourism and his abettors have been confined to a cell for a decade.
After the pronouncement Chitotela broke down as he was patted on the back by his friends notable among them Chanda Kabwe.
His family members were a sorry sight, as they rolled on the floor crying uncontrollably in protestation of the trio’s jailing.
Apart from losing his freedom, Chitotela has also lost his status as honorable as he ceases to be a law maker for Pambashe constituents.
The Speaker of the National Assembly will have to declare his seat vacant and inform the Electoral Commission of Zambia to prepare for a bye-election in Pambashe constituency.
Kalemba December 18, 2024.
But why only 10 years for such a serious act? Chitotela was a bandit and plunderer at the same time. He once received thousands of US$ from Chinese “friends” in his personal account whilst serving as Minister of Works and Supply. Money he could not explain. Money which was reward for corruptly awarding a contract to these Chinese. Instead of firing him, ECL transferred him to the Tourism Ministry where the pilferage continued. He corruptly sold expensive animals, granted dubious hunting concessions to his colleagues .This guy was nightmare to have as a Minister. Micheal Chilufya Sata retired him, together with Kaizer Zulu from Government in Natioinal Interest because of corruption and lack of any skills. He was paid in full and was never to serve Govt again, but as corrupt as ECL was, he brought him back to plunder. I guess this is karma.
Crocodile tears….be a man and take you dose of medicine like a man.
PF have a lot of characters that act all macho but when they face the law. They act like children. Kaizer sick when his motive was to run away like a coward. Tayali all talk and noise and now yapping like a little puppy in some country. Mwamba faking illness so that he can leave the country. Kambwili was returned in Zimbabwe running away from facing the law. Lusambo was found in the ceiling. Now this man child is crying. Do people not realise that there are consequences for ones actions? Chilangwa is the man who has taken his incarsaeration like a man. Quietly serving his sins and I hope he will find something productive once he has served his time. Politics is not a passport to crimes. Crime does not pay.
We are yet to see more of these jailings. Davies Mwila knew what he was talking about when he urged and warned PF members to campaign vigorously because if they lost the 2021 elections most of them would end up in jail. He knew the coat of most of those PF zealots – criminality was their common denominator. Now, surely, can someone, with sufficient grey matter within their skull, raise their wobbly finger and claim persecution of these wanton PF criminals who traumatised this country for seven long years? Come on please, give us a break. We urgently need sanity and civility to fully return to our country. We will keep voting wisely to ensure that criminals do not worm their way into power. God bless our beautiful Zambia!
What a contrast, Chitotela was laughing when HH was arrested by Lungu but this time that he is the one who is arrested, he is weeping. Unless he has forgotten, Chitotela celebrated the incarceration of HH, he was full of smiles even singing a song publicly before the people together with ba Kampyongo. God punishes people in his own way and he has not reserved all the punishments until at the end of time, no. Even now he can still punish someone. As Africans, we don’t celebrate the arrest, illness or death of your brother, if you celebrate any of these, then know that you have sinned against the Lord and be sure that your sin will find you out. Numb 32:23. If I am not mistaken, Chitotela is an elder mu SDA and as the young Lawyer who came to Jesus, he knows all the God’s commandments which are summarized into these two: Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
We are a Christian nation where we should always preach Christ’s Spirit of love and unity, loving God with all our souls and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Through our prayers, it’s my hope that one day, Br. Chitotela will win the mercies of the president under his prerogative of mercy and be forgiven before the end of 10 years. But stop blaming the president for his arrest because he has no hand in it.
It is a great pity and shame to this gentleman’s criminality, as if he was not a police man. He was fired by Mr. Sata for corruption but Mr. Lungu brought him back as a Minister and is therefore to blame. Arson and corruption. All very serious offence.
A good name is worth more than gold or silver. Is it really worth the trouble? Imagine a government official torching a vehicle just so he can retain power. Can lawlessness get any worse than that?
The Bible says, “The sins of some men are obvious reaching the place of judgement ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them. When Mr. Chitotela and his brother were committing this act of lawlessness, they felt like they were masters of the universe. Now, it is time to account.
Very sad that family members can agree to engage in criminal acts with none to restrain the other. This should be a lesson to all of us. It seems this was a peculiar trait of the PF brotherhood, starting with the great leader himself. His whole family is now appearing before the courts of law. Can a man be more irresponsible than this? Exposing his whole family to danger! What a husband! What a father!
The same way his victims were crying when he was carrying out atrocities on them with his henchmen.