Jailing of Kambwili; good lesson for other tribalists!
By Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
We have no time celebrating or rejoicing over the sentencing of any human being to prison where they will have to swap their designer clothes for the orange garb and get to work undertaking backbreaking chores such as growing cabbages and tomatoes and of course, getting themselves soiled tending to pigs!
We are a God-fearing people – peace loving, in fact.
However, we have little or no sympathy for one Chishimba Kambwili for the unfortunate situation he finds himself in.
In case you are not yet in the loop, the Kasama Magistrates court has handed Kambwili a 5-months jail sentence for the offence of expressing hatred and ridicule of the people of Southern province based on tribe and place of origin.
Videos of Kambwili energetically uttering disparaging tribal remarks and spewing venom on a certain ethinic group as one of the former senior leaders of PF who is also an MP smiles, eagerly are available on social media.
Kambwili is not a stranger to stirring controversy on issues of tribe; he is a danger to this nation.
As a matter of fact, prior to the 2021 general elections, the Electoral Commission of Zambia had censured and briefly banned him from the campaign trail for committing similar offences as the leadership of PF at the time remained tight lipped on the matter.
And way back in 2009, Local Government and Housing Minister at the time, Hon. Benny Tetamashimba, had requested Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata to discipline his Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili for insulting the humble people of North-Western province during a public rally in Kitwe.
During the rally, Kambwili blamed the people of Luanshya for having voted for Labour and Social Security Deputy Minister Simon Kachimba as Member of Parliament for the area, saying he knew a lot of well meaning and successful Luvales, but not Mr Kachimba.
Why should Kambwili always bring in the issue of tribe whenever he’s conducting his politics?
Pitying one ethnic grouping against another isn’t healthy in a nation which is already polarised. We praise God for President Hakainde Hichilema who is already trying hard to reunite our nation by taking development to every corner of the nation and assembling a government that represents a national character.
Unfortunately, it seems our colleagues in PF and certain opposition political parties are are not comfortable with certain tribes!
Whenever a golden opportunity presents itself, you’ll see them go to town demeaning and scandalizing those tribes.
We’ve seen this from former cabinet ministers, senior members of the party and some of their MPs. We ought to remind these individuals that the genocide in Rwanda was a culmination of decades of division and incitement of hatred towards the Tutsi by extremists in the country’s leadership, which was controlled by members of the Hutu majority group.
It’s important to reiterate that there are still a few individuals still on the loose out there, including Patriotic Front MPs and so called opposition leaders. They remain unrepentant in as far promoting hate speech is concerned. Like rabid dogs, they have little trouble poking and provoking other ethnic groups by continuously stereotyping or labelling them.
We’d like to sound a clarion call to the police not to hesitate to bring to book such enemies of the people and subject them court processes where appropriate punishment will be prescribed to them as an example to other would be culprits.
NOTE: The author of this article is a Political/Social Analyst
Kalemba
What creates delusions of exceptionalism in some people which makes them start thinking that they are the breed apart and therefore special and different from their fellow human beings/citizens? Chishimba Kambwili is not the first to have said words that have sent him to jail. He’s just the first one to go to jail over hate speech. Late Sikota Wina has documented for posterity how the UNIP National Council meeting in 1967 nearly led to Kenneth Kaunda’s resignation as both leader of his party and the country due to tribalism. It was an emotional reaction by Kaunda instead of providing firm leadership and counselling to those who didn’t know better. Looking back with hindsight is easy but Kaunda had the difficult work of governing a post-colonial state without the benefit of current research on diversity and government that’s available to today’s analysts. It was largely due to Kaunda’s tolerance that Zambia was held together.
KK was a man amongt men. Rare breed. Then came Levy Mwanawasa, a selfless servant of the people. Rest in peace to both these true sons of Zambia.
The other presidents have been totally useless and corrupt. Sata cared for the poor though, unlike Hakainde.
Zambians have to go back to the drawing board in 2026. Let us reject tribalism and oppression again just as we did in 2021.
HH of course cares for the poor. His government is educating their children up to grade 12 and spending money through CDF to provide teachers’ housing and water supply, acquiring desks so that pupils do not have to sit on bare concrete during lessons. Earthmoving equipment has been acquired by local authorities from CDF. This has created cashflow for the dealers in equipment and in turn they will recruit service personnel to keep the machines in working well. If this kind of discipline in budget execution continues, the impact on real people will be clear to even HH’s worst critics.
Who can reunite us in 2026 boi, advise is it the mighty ECL?