CLAYSON HAMASAKA WILL BE APPOINTED AS STATE HOUSE CHIEF ANALYST, REPLACING CECILIA MULENGA LUBUMBASHI
He is not State House Media Director, a non-existent position, as earlier purported by Thabo Kawana.
Kennedy Limwanya writes:
CONGRATULATIONS, CLAYSON HAMASAKA!
Today, I join many other Zambians in congratulating my former journalism lecturer Clayson Hamasaka on his appointment as head of the media directorate at State House.
Mr Hamasaka taught me at Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka 24 years ago.
He brings to the table many years of experience, having trained many Zambians including former president Edgar Lungu when he enrolled for a journalism programme at the institution in 2010.
Mr Hamasaka lost his job as head of the Evelyn Hone media department in 2012 in politically-motivated circumstances.
His only offence was to allow opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema feature on Hone FM radio.
After Mr Hichilema had appeared on the programme, State House prevailed on Evelyn Hone College principal Sam Kangwa to fire Mr Hamasaka whom the Patriotic Front (PF) government perceived to be a UPND sympathiser.
His Tonga ethnicity had given him away and he was, thus, rendered jobless after 15 years of service.
It had not been an easy decision for Dr Kangwa to make as he was Mr Hamasaka’s friend.
The Hamasaka household would, then, have to depend on a single source of income in the form of the salary Mr Hamasaka’s wife, Pamela, was earning at the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company where she was working as public relations manager.
But the PF government was not yet done with the inflicting of pain on the Hamasaka family.
Mr Hamasaka was fired on a Thursday.
Exactly one week later, Mrs Hamasaka had no job.
State House had twice called Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company managing director George Ndongwe, instructing him to fire Mrs Hamasaka.
Her only offence was that she was married to Mr Hamasaka.
Another heart-rending decision for the water utility company.
The management team summoned Mrs Hamasaka, counselled her and explained the instruction they had received from State House.
The company was generous enough to pay Mrs Hamasaka all her dues.
Mrs Hamasaka’s dismissal, resultantly, sent Mr Hamasaka into depression.
She had committed no offence at all.
That was how wicked the PF were.
Many other families endured similar experiences during the 10 years of the cruel PF regime.
Once again, congratulations to Mr Hamasaka on his very well deserved appointment.