FIGHTING OVER HISTORY: THE CASE OF BATUKE IMENDA AND KELVIN NDILA

FIGHTING OVER HISTORY: THE CASE OF BATUKE IMENDA AND KELVIN NDILA

Hey folks,

In the last few days, I shared with you some footage from my first book launch graced by Zambia’s first president, the late Dr Kenneth Kaunda on September 3, 2009. The book is about the life story of Zambia’s third president, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, SC.

This book was edited by a renowned academic, Professor Fackson Banda, who moved a vote of thanks to Dr Kaunda’s launch speech. In moving his vote of thanks, Professor Banda challenged or called upon all those with “the gift and skill to capture stories” to emulate my example by writing books or stories. He further challenged all those who had served the nation in various positions to avail themselves to such gifted and skilled authors in order for their stories to be recorded regardless of how such “stories implicated others” because what mattered most was the regeneration of history.

“Many countries fight over history and it’s high time we began to historicize our own history, to construct our own history for in the end, history is of our own making,” Professor Banda said. “And that is how the future battles will be fought; on the frontier of history.”

It is with this background in mind that I wish to buttress Professor Banda’s counsel and agree that indeed, countries, and individuals alike, do fight over history hence the need for the generators of such history to document and preserve their accurate accounts. If they don’t, chancers will tell their own history to suit their narratives.

Here is a practical example. It is said that success has many parents while failure is an orphan. Now that the United Party for National Development (UPND) is the ruling party, naturally a number of people may wish to be identified for the various roles they may have played from the formation of the party to the various struggles until the party formed government in 2021.

Recently, there has been an argument, in public domain, between the party secretary general, Hon. Batuke Imenda, and a UPND founding member Mr Kelvin Ndila. The argument appears to be about who the “real” founder member of the UPND is.

The purpose of my writing, however, is not to correctly answer this question. It is to advance Professor Banda’s assertion that we should, as a people, endeavor to write our own history; to construct our own history, to historicise our own history and thereby forestall any future fights about it.

Here below, I will present various versions on how UPND was born. My own version was extracted from the UPND founding president, Anderson Mazoka, when I interviewed him in April 2004.
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FIRST: Hon. Batuke Imenda’s Version:

“That question has been coming: who is Batuke Imenda? Who is Batuke Imenda? Like Mr Moono was giving you a hint, Batuke Imenda joined UPND before it was called UPND. That’s when Batuke Imenda joined UPND.

One day in 1998, I was walking in [Lusaka’s] Cairo Road. At a place called Woodgate Motors, I met a friend of mine called Charles Moono Munansangu. We were about the four of us. Munsangu said to me: ‘Imenda, we have seen what MMD is able to do. We are not happy. The best way to serve this country is by forming a new party.’

When Moono Munansangu said those words, it was at a time when MMD was controlling almost 99 percent of this country. I thought he was doing chimbuya (traditional cousinship). [He said] if you look at the ideals of the MMD and what is going on now, we are going in two separate directions. So before everything go bad, let us do something.

I thought he was joking and we said bye to each other. And then one week later, he invites me at Villa Elizabetha (in Lusaka) and said, ‘the meeting is on this evening at my house.’ We went there. Among the people that are still alive today is that lady, mum, that you see there, Loveness, that ka small Tonga boy … Maambo, the late Chilomo and many more others that you may not know. That’s how we started it in Villa.

It is a long story. But to cut the long story short, we invited a lot of people including [Ng’andu] Magande, ba Nabulyato, ba Inonge Wina, ba Gwendoline Konie; they all refused.

We finally said, ‘these people are refusing.’ A gentleman called Aluya had a friend who was the Chief Executive Officer for Anglo America. He said, ‘can you go and see that man. He is a friend of mine, brilliant! He is going to do something.’

So we went to Anglo American Building there, 7th floor. We found a secretary called Mundia and asked her if she could allow us to see the boss. She was kind enough to usher us in. As soon as we told [Anderson] Mazoka that we need to see him and that we want him to head our party, Mazoka stood from his seat. He hugged all of us immediately. Then he said: “Yes I am ready. For Zambia I am ready to do anything.”

Look at his office! So nice! Expensive office! Chief Executive Officer for a private company agreeing to head us. Mazoka did not look back. I was doing some business … not business but work in the UK. And when I went to say bye to Honourable Mazoka, he told me: ‘Go and form a branch in Europe.’

I went back to UK and formed a branch. After forming a branch in UK, our first chairman in UK, including Europe; the entire Europe, was Musonda Kandeta, the owner of this Cavendesh University. When you see that man, those are the founder members of the UPND. He really worked very hard. He got shares in Cavendesh University London through his good relationship with Mazoka. So today you are seeing Cavendesh University here; those are Mazoka’s ideas.

So, when finally we participated in elections I was one of the first members of parliament in 2001 together with people like Jack Mwiimbu. We started on the same day with Jack Mwiimbu in Parliament in 2001. My first position in UPND was chairman, transport and works. So, to cut the long story short, when people say ‘who is Imenda I am sure you can fill the answers yourselves.’ When people sit out there and talk, ‘no, these have just come to join us,’ my nature is not to argue with people. I keep quiet because at the correct time, the answers will come.”

****

SECOND: Mr Kelvin Ndila’s rebutal

Excuse me, UPND members, followers etc,
What Batuke Imenda is saying is not true at all. The truth is that in 1997, Casiano Nzala and myself lost our jobs from the Special Division (OP [Office of the President] ) due to political interference from a gentleman called Evaristo Mutale (Private Secretary to President Frederick Chiluba) who accused us of being UNIP sympathizers. Mutale was at the time a powerful Private Secretary to the late FTJ. Chiluba. He therefore influenced the Service [OP] to have us dismissed.

In the meantime, I used to reside in Madras Kamwala, and my third door neighbour was Mr. Hamududu who at the time was working for the Judiciary at the High Court of Zambia.
Mr Hamududu’s wife , a cousin to an elder sister who lived in Luanshya who was a close friend to Mrs Mazoka.

Coincidentally, Mr Mazoka used to visit Mr.Hamududu’s house in particular to seek advice from Hamududu on how he could retrieve his motor vehicle which was at the time confiscated by officials from State House and also how Mazoka could deal with the position of his BAULENI WARD TREASURER he had won but was nullified by the MMD’s National Secretary who happened to be Michael Sata at the time.

Hamududu who had known our fate at OP referred Mr. MAZOKA to meet with us for ADVICE.
Hamududu gave Mr. MAZOKA my contact number and he called me to find out when we could meet with him and I suggested to meet him the following day which he agreed and he picked myself and Casiano Nzala from Longacres around 17.00 hrs in his RED SENTRA CAR.

When we arrived at MALENDE, his residence, Mazoka briefed us what had transpired during the Bauleni Ward election, nullification of the election which he had won and the CONFISCATION OF HIS SUZUKI CAR BY STATE HOUSE.

I want to say here that my immediate reaction to Mazoka that evening was from GOD. He spoke to Mazoka using me. I SAID TO MAZOKA (SIR WHY DO YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME FIGHTING MMD TO BE A TRESURER AT A WARD LEVEL WHEN YOU CAN BE A PRESIDENT OF THIS COUNTRY? AS A CEO OF EASTERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA ANGLO AMERICAN, WHY NOT FORM YOUR OWN PARTY ? I ASKED HIM).

Mazoka, responded by asking us how we can MAKE HIM ONE. We told him we could do it with our experience in the SERVICE and promised to write a DOCUMENT TO GUIDE HIM ON WHAT STEPS HE MUST TAKE, HOW HE MUST CONDUCT HIMSELF WITH THE PUBLIC, HIS TEAM. IN OTHER WORDS BUILD HIS IMAGE. WE PRE PREPARED THE DOCUMENT WITH Casiano Nzala and Delivered to him at ANGLO AMERICAN office.

A few days later, he called me and said he appreciated the DOCUMENT and gave me a GREEN LIGHT TO BEGIN THE PROCESS.

I shared this news with Casiano, the first person I called was my cousin Themba Muleya who was manager at ZSIC (Zambia State Insurance Corporation) as we wanted to keep the PROJECT WITHIN THE FAMILY FIRST.

I then called Olivetti Malungisa who was a man[ager] at Investrust Bank, then Moono Munansangu a former accountant at UNIP OFFICE. These had been known to me personally for some time. By the way, Mazoka gave me Express ACCESS TO CONTACT AND SEE HIM ANY TIME. So Casiano and myself took Themba Muleya now late, Munansangu late, Olivetti Malungisa TO MEET AND INTRODUCE THEM TO MAZOKA AS PERSONS WE ARE GOING TO EXCUTE THE TASK WITH.

At ANGLO, Mr. Mazoka received us after passing through his secretary and were introduced to Muna Hantuba as his assistant but did not stay in the meeting. After introductions Mazoka proposed that Moono Munansangu who was the oldest in the group leads as chairman of this small group and we must commence our program by bringing in people of substance in our meetings with caution, as premature disclosure might jeopardise our operations.

Later on Themba Muleya brought in Loveness Malambo his aunt. Olivetti brought in Baxton Maambo and Munansangu brought in [Amos] Nakalonga and more people joined in until we felt strong enough to Register the Party.

Several names were suggested in our meetings for the Party to be, like universal and national party etc. Previously, I had read one African magazine which talked about political parties in WEST AFRICA and One Name STUCK WITH ME FOR A LONG TIME.

As several possible names were being floated around my mind was racing, AGAIN GOD USED ME.
In my mind I was saying, UNIP USHERED IN INDEPENDENCE, MMD MULTIPARTISM. The party we are proposing MUST OFFER ZAMBIANS WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Then I remembered this political party in West Africa. It was called, (P.N.D.) Party For National DEVELOPMENT. When I suggested this name to my fellow Committee Members, they all ACCEPTED IT. But MUNANSANGU, a former UNIP MEMBER AND ACCOUNTANT SUGGESTED THAT WE ADD (UNITED) so it can be named UPND.

Comrades and friends, this is MY STORY FOR NOW. but I’ll react sharply when attemps are made to distort facts and MARGINALISE ME. WAIT FOR MY MY BOOK?

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THIRD: FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH, An excerpt from Conversations with Memorable Personalities (Pages 244 – 245): A conversation with Anderson Mazoka in April 2004.


“… I came to Lusaka as managing director and after serving Anglo for all these years, I went
to my boss in 1998 and I said, ‘I want to work for my people.’

Anglo said, ‘No, why do you want to leave? Are you under pressure from your contemporaries?’ I said it was my own choice. They said, ‘If you are under pressure, we are
going to transfer you to another country.’ I said there will be a conflict because I can’t work
for Anglo and at the same time be in politics.

We agreed with my boss and they gave me my terminal benefits. And you know the
formation of UPND. We started meeting here [at his residence in Lusaka East] with some
people. I had spent a lot of time advising MMD. I said, ‘This is not what we fought for to get
rid of Kaunda.’ I said, ‘We need to look after our country.’

I came to a point where MMD was developing thick skin, they didn’t want to listen
to people. So, I said the only way is for me to join in their ranks. I wanted to join MMD
as a party official. But they blocked me when I attempted to stand as treasurer in Bauleni
compound at a ward level. I appealed to them to re-run the election but they refused.

Finally, I sent them a letter that I am resigning from the party and [Michael] Sata was
the first one to take the letter to the newspapers that he had accepted my resignation. In
fact, they would have cornered me if at that point they had reinstated the election and I was elected at the branch level. They would have closed me there and used party rules to control me. But when they decided to accept my resignation, I said hallelujah! Then I met some of my colleagues – John Mulwila, David Matongo, the late Munansangu and Kelvin Ndila was there.

I said, ‘We have to form a party’, so we formed a committee and that committee was to
look for the name of the party and the symbol. They also looked for the slogan and we kept
consulting.

Then rumours started moving so we had to give a dummy name which you guys [The Post]
picked and said, ‘We were going to register such and such a party.’
In the meantime, we got ordinary people like Justin Mweene to register UPND. They
agreed that after 14 days, they would hand over the party to me, which they did. We then
launched the party at Mulungushi Conference Centre and we announced the names of
people in the management committee.

***

From the above, different readers may create their own realities. And there are so many versions out there yet to be documented or discussed. The point to emphasize, nonetheless, is let us learn to document our own history and contribute to the body of knowledge for the benefit of posterity and those who love to research.

Cheers!

Amos Malupenga
Author

Pictures’ captions: Anderson Kambela Mazoka, Mr Kelvin Ndila and Hon. Batuke Imenda