The other day, former president, Edgar Lungu took to Social media to register his displeasure over what he deemed as prosecution of some of his supporters for hate speech; describing the same as, retrogressive and regionalism that undermines the “One Zambia, One Nation” motto.
He further wrote, “This morning, I have been reminded of Jackson Chama, a young Zambian who is serving one year imprisonment sentence in Kalomo prison since February 2024 for “hate speech” against the Tonga people. The offense was allegedly committed in Lusaka but the complainant emerged in Kalomo, Southern Province.”
He continues, “you all know the story of “Why Me”, another young man who is equally in police custody in Livingstone now for allegedly, “hate speech” against the Tonga people. The alleged offense was committed in Lusaka but again the complainant emerged from Southern Province.”
Lungu, can you really claim to be a lawyer of good standing in society? If indeed some folks in Southern province felt agrieved by those stupid remarks, do you honestly expect someone from Shan’gombo to file complaints, against the same ?
Lungu further alludes to the imprisonment of Chishimba Kambwili over the similar offenses of “hate speech” against the Tonga people. Interesting!
As a lawyer, we don’t expect Lungu to wantonly gloss over this issue by neglecting to help the public understand why the said individuals have found themselves into conflict with the law! We shall now seek to give a brief background of this without necessarily risking to bore our readers.
In February this year, Jackson Chama went ballistic on Tiktok declaring the people of Southern Province, unfit for government positions. Chama charged that; “no youth from Southern Province will be allowed to take up any government positions in the future because southerners are incapable to run the country as seen by your elders who have ruined your chances by their failure to run the nation…”
It’s shocking that an entire former president can find time to talk about “Why Me”. Were you the one sponsoring him to spew all that rubbish from the septic tank, Sir? “Why Me” is a perfect example of a poorly brought up creature! He has no morals or values at all. Once he got inebriated with his favourite Flying Fish, he’d take utmost pleasure in describing body anatomies in the most obscene, graphic and vile manner that would leave Bana Chimbusa in shock! At some point, he’d digress and vent his anger at “ifi ifibaTonga,” literally undressing them and describing them as the worst human beings!
As for Chishimba Kambwili, oh please, come on! Isn’t Lungu aware that Kambwili was once censured and banned from the campaign trail by the Electoral Commission of Zambia for making utterances that could have plunged our nation into total chaos?
Speaking during an interview on a live phone in radio station in Kasama, Kambwili claimed that the people in the southern region were so tribal that even if Jesus Christ came on earth and stood on a different political party, the people in the region would reject the Son of God and vote for their tribesman!”
Honestly, how can Lungu today complain of “ethnic injustice when a particular tribe has been a subject of contempt, ridicule and hate and even denied of job opportunities during the last 10 years of PF in power?
The behavioural pattern of Lungu in these past few days actually confirms what we’ve feared all along…..that Lungu is a hardcore tribalist, a danger to this nation!
Lungu must not even pretend to insinuate that “as a lawyer, former President, politician and law abiding citizen,” he is against any form of “hate speech” against any person, tribe, region or group of people anywhere!
For instance, when I wrote an article, Sata’s Family Forest Explained which detailed the extent of tribalism and regionalism in terms of individuals appointed to various senior government positions, Edgar Lungu as Home Affairs Minister wanted me to go to prison for treason, for simply stating the truth!
As our Republican President, he never ever bothered reigning in any of his senior officials or party members promoting tribalism or uttering tribal sentiments
During a Parliamentary by-election on Chilubi Island in 2020, Prof. Nkandu Luo would say, “In our land, in line with our tradition, you don’t just pick anyone to succeed me as Nkandu Luo, a Bisa, a Bemba. If I die, you can’t go and get a Tonga in Monze to succeed me.” What nonsense!
Did Lungu reprimand or ever seek to distance himself from such divisive remarks? Negative! He in fact went ahead and rewarded Luo as his running mate in the forthcoming crucial 2021 elections. This simply means he was in agreement with whatever she said.
A week earlier, Chanda Nyela, a staunch PF member openly asked the residents of Clhilubi against voting for any one connected to Tongas because they are bad people.
Did we see heads rolling for uttering such tribal sentiments? Negative!
It’s shocking that former president, Edgar Lungu should be the one to “see the speck in others today, when he actually ignored the log in his eyes” yesterday, when his own cabinet ministers and party cadres were in the forefront of openly sowing seeds of discord in the nation by uttering remarks that tend to expose certain ethnic groupings to contempt, ridicule and hate!
Lungu conveniently kept quiet when his own brutal cadres who had taken over the Lusaka Intercity Bus Terminus ambushed anyone arriving in the city, wearing any red attire and speaking iciTonga, by striping off their clothes and giving them a good beating for supporting the “cow!”
No, Sir! You are not the right person to be raising this issue, today.
When Tongas were being brutalized in public places, you looked the other way; when Tongas were being stereotyped by PF cadres including some senior members of your party, you conveniently kept quiet; worse still, your PF government starting from Micheal Sata to your government, brazenly sidelined people from the Zambezi provinces when allocating government jobs thereby eroding the spirit of the very, “One Zambia, One Nation” motto you want to talk about.
That you want to pretend to be concerned about unity in the nation is a matter of grave concern to some of us; please, try in the next life, Sir!
Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political) Social Analyst
Useless article…
I know the one who used Tribe to become Party President when there were other more deserving candidates. The one who resurrected tribal fractures in Zambia, brought in divisive Tribal politics, who rode on Tribalism and brought in Regional Voting for over 20 years… brought in Tribal Zealotry which the nation is grappling with now. THe one who has held hostage his kinship.
The one who subsists on Tribalism, and whose Tribal messaging has continued even when in Power….at every rally with his kinship, it’s always about tribe, peddling a false narrative. His appointments are based on Tribe.
ECL has never used the Eastern Province as a spring board for his political career. He was a Chawama Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister under Guy Scott, Justice Minister, Defence Minister etc. The man used merit to climb up the political ladder.
The Chief Tribalist on the contrary used Tribe as a Ladder, and it’s well documented..he is the embodiment of Tribalism.
And about Ethnic based violence, who doesn’t know the terror which was unleashed on Non Tongas after the 2015/ 2016 General Elections in Southern Province…How people’s houses were burnt..the violence in fishing camps. Bus loads of people moving from Southern Province were well documented.. Let the sleeping dogs lie, cause there’s a lot of Tribal rot committed by the sacreds.
The Judicial process being employed on those accused of hate speech against the Tongas leave much to be desired …The offence is committed in Lusaka…the suspects are taken to Southern Province, denied police bond, bail… dehumanized…
‘Why me’ is still in detention..no bond, no bail, and no trial.. Meanwhile the self confessed instigator and promoter of Tribal Hate Speech Cornelius Mweetwa, and his counter part in tribal hate Douglas Siakalima are sacred…the untouchables. This is wrong. Only a sick person can support this.
And this is not lost on the people of Zambia.. When you create a sacred grouping of people, who seem to have more rights than others, there is bound to be a backlash. May those pursuing non Tongas through Criminal prosecution for hate speech ensure equality before the law, and a fair Judicial process as guaranteed by our constitution.
Hallucinating Hypocrite ulimatuvi ya PF iwe for spewing this sh*t.in public. Like it or not Billy Kaping’a spoke the truth about your defeated Edgar Lungu. Stop pontificating tribal idiocy iwe PF loser. Abash guntrotting and Panga Wielding PF criminals forever
The way it is now, both ECL and HH are not good enough for this country!
Ba Dickson Jere, you worked with bena RB.
Start preparing to lead Zambia in 2026!
Zambia is bigger than these two and we cannot be stuck recycling failures!
Chikubabe where do you base your conclusion that HH has also failed to lead the country in less than 7 years of Edgar Lungu’s reign? You have hidden agenda against HH iwe. Just come out openly we are ready to debunk falsehood from you bwana.
If you have nothing to write about just continue drinking chibwantu. The tribalist is you because you supported fellow tribalists to come to power. When you use tribe to be become president you can not succeed to run a country like Zambia with 73 tribes! And still after you become president based on your tribe and 3 other tribes, still you continue with tribal appointments. The end result is failure in everything. No maize in the country, no electricity, no water, shortages of essentials goods, high cost of essential goods, high exchange rate etc! This is because you are frustrating other tribes by being tribal in the way you run government. Other tribes will not be happy and hence frustrate your governance system. Edgar Lungu is not tribal, somebody else whom the author supports is very tribal. Pity you tribalists when you get out of power , kaya!
Mandanda always talking sh*t! Billy Kaping’a has nailed it correctly unless to of idiots like you. Zambia belongs to all Zambians and certainly not only to PF criminals. You are equally a tribal idiot like your PF/ UKWA bag leader
No doubt about it, Lungu is a die-hard tribalist. Do you doubt?? Just check his cabinet, permanent secretaries, CEOs, my friends Diplomats etc but the list is endless!! Come-on, check the cabinet list under Lungu and even sata!!!!!
Check the same for HH’s appointments. The author is a tribalist. Why did you reproduce what ECL. said instead of editing it to suit your tribal agenda
Kaping’a, the title of your article is referring to your god. KK’s prediction has come to pass.
Monze Sec school 1st Alumnus you are a PF idiot for failing to appreciate bare facts by Billy Kapin’ga. You are a tribal idiot iwe. Abash guntrotting and Panga Wielding PF criminals forever
Hah,hah!! What a badly stitched Frankenstein monster!!! Hah! hah!
Why is it that the so-called constitutional lawyers like Professors Hansungule and Ndulo have not condemned your government’s lawlessness? They are shameless like you lot!!!