Maureen Mwanawasa accused of plundering Mwanawasa’s assets

MIRIAM Mwanawasa has alleged that her step mother Maureen altered late president Levy Mwanawasa’s will.

But Maureen says Facebook does not solve people’s problems.

Miriam is Mwanawasa’s daughter while Maureen is his widow.

On Tuesday, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) announced the suspension of Maureen from practicing law.

LAZ also closed her late husband’s law firm, Levy Mwanawasa & Co, describing it as a one-man firm.

“Take notice that the above-named Legal Practitioner has been suspended from practicing law with immediate effect. By this notice, the said Practitioner is not to appear in any Court of Law/Tribunal and should not file any Court process of whatever nature until further notice from the undersigned,” read the LAZ letter dated October 22, 2021. “Since the firm under the name and style of (Messrs Levy Mwanawasa & Co.) is a one-man firm, it is further ordered that the said firm be closed with immediate effect.”

The letter was also copied to, among others, acting Chief Justice Michael Musonda.

Reacting to this, Miriam expressed worry about the safety of other family assets.

“Following this information, I hope TEKA farm formerly owned and jointly owned by my late grandmother Miriam Mokola, and my late father after the death of my grandma my late father incorporated the farm and changed names from TEKA farm to MIPACHIMA farms before he passed on,” she wrote. “And when he died the will of my late father was fraudulently altered to an extent where properties of my late father were not properly shared because the will itself was questionable thereby disadvantaging my other sister also, Lorna, from benefiting any property.”

She accused Maureen of not surrendering title deeds to family property.

Miriam also claimed that she only received K15,000 from her father’s estate.

“Up to now our said mother has never surrendered the title deeds to us children. She took advantage of being administrator to our late father’s estate and presided over everything,” Miriam said further. “Out of my late father’s benefits I only received K15,000 which was not enough to settle my issues. As we speak now government is building a house for the late president Mwanawasa and currently the caretakers and people staying in the same said government funded house are her family members. Her brother and wife and her sister and husband.”

Miriam further expressed concern about the closure of the law firm, adding that she has never benefited from her father’s estate.

“My question is if the court allows our farm land to go just like that where will I stay because I’m currently staying at my grandma’s farm and I will not accept to be displaced over my step mother’s debts,” she said. “Money that never benefited me or my children. If anything, my children had even stopped going to school at some point, however I thank God for his intervention. I have no finances to fight this case but it is my prayer if the courts of ZAMBIA looked into this matter and guided us on the way forward and if possible, also remove my step mother from presiding over being administrator for the family property so that we can all have a fair treatment. As it is, a lot has gone wrong.”

Miriam vowed never to accept injustice in the matter.

“She currently drawls [sic] a salary from government and I fail to understand how she failed to settle her debts because whatever money that she gets only benefits her,” said Miriam. “I’m forced to comment because I will not accept injustice to continue. And I pray for God’s intervention in this matter in Jesus Christ Name.”

And when asked if she indeed altered the will, Maureen responded: “I don’t respond to such things. If someone is unhappy about something, there are laws which protect such people, yeah.”

Asked further if indeed Miriam only received K15,000 benefits as she claimed, Maureen said she was not the main administrator.

“Yeah, but there’s an administrator of the estate. He’s still alive. So, he’s the person who can explain if he wants to talk to the press. I am not the main administrator of the estate,” Maureen explained. “And, like I said, if someone is unhappy, you don’t go to Facebook. You go to the institutions that protect those who feel disadvantaged. That’s what you do. Facebook doesn’t solve someone’s problems.”

Asked if she was now advising Miriam to

go to the relevant authorities, Maureen responded: “It is not me to advise. I’m just responding to you. Why should I advise? That is a Facebook page… I’m not on Facebook myself. I don’t respond to media things,” said Maureen. “I’m just telling you that any person who is aggrieved, this country is governed by laws. If it’s a family matter, family has got people. So this is not Facebook, yes.”

Credit: Mast Newspaper

Chilufya Tayali

MAKE A DATE WITH ME AT 20:00HRS WHEN I WILL REVEAL TO YOU WHY ACC LET GO OF FAITH MUSONDA AND WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE MINISTRY OF ENERGY

Firstly, I want to tell my fellow Zambians not fight corruption like a political contestation. Corrupt people can be UPND or PF or any other party.

So if we are just going to demonise those in other political parties (eg PF) but defend those in our political parties (eg UPND), we have already lost the fight because corrupt people will simply move to UPND knowing they will be protected.

We would naive to think that all UPND members and Ministers are corrupt free. I can assure you, they are already cutting deals, especially those who were not even in the political battlefield.

Anyway, I am sure I will be very tired by the end of the day, because we will be putting to rest, my cousin (According to Bemba tradition he is my brother) Judge Mwila Chitabo. So I will start offloading my data-bag tomorrow at 20:00hrs.

I will will tell you why ACC let go of Faith Musonda, now that, the story is closed by ACC. I couldn’t reveal much because the case was under investigation, but it’s now closed so I can offload my data.

If you want to know where there is big corruption involving big monies in Dollars, look at the Energy Ministry. There is money there and most of the Ministers who have gone through that Ministry swim in cash no sooner than they get in office.

I will also talk about the happenings at the Ministry of Energy under Hon. Peter Kapala especially around fuel and the looming shortage and pump price hick of fuel if the Minister keep drinking tea with foreign entities in the industry disregarding SI 35 of June 2021.

I know some people, UPND cadres, will stand up to defend the Minister, but I want to remind you that, I know more than you do and you may call me names, but I am fighting for you as Zambians. I don’t speak in ignorance.

PF cadres did the same defending criminals Ministers but where are they today? What did they get apart from small changes dropping like crumbs from the rich man’s table.

ACC and DEC seems to be all over the place, casing some broke and small boys in the game of corruption while the big wolves have already changed camps and are now eating with SOME of the new guys in Govt.

I think ACC need some ideas on where to sniff corruption and illegal money. I have some puppy sniffer dogs for them, they can consult me.

TAYALI THE PUBLIC LAWYER OF THE PUBLIC COURT OF OPINIONS!

TAYALI THE NATIONAL ASSET – THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS!

EEP PRESIDENT – ZIKO NI BANTU!

POLITICAL AND BUSINESS CONSULTANT!

ZAMBIA MUST BE OWNED BY ZAMBIANS!

2022 BUDGET MUST REFLECT UPND CAMPAIGN PROMISES – TIZ

By Ulande Nkomeshya

TRANSPARENCY International Zambia (TI-Z) has stressed the need for the 2022 budget to be consistent with UPND campaign promises.

And Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) executive director Bernadette Deka Zulu says there is need for government to broaden its tax base in the 2022 budget.

In a statement, TI-Z executive director Maurice Nyambe said the 2022 budget would be a litmus test on whether or not the UPND government would deliver on their campaign promises.

“The 2022 national budget will be presented to the National Assembly on Friday 29th October 2021. This Budget is an initial benchmark for the UPND administration and is, therefore, expected to reveal government’s key priorities for the year 2022. The UPND won the 2021 general elections on the promise of higher economic growth and prosperity, job creation, prudent management of public resources and good governance, among others,” he said.

“The 2022 budget will therefore be the first litmus test for the UPND government as to whether or not they are determined to deliver on their campaign promises. Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) therefore calls upon all Zambians to scrutinize the 2022 budget in search of indicators of prudent debt management, greater commitment to economic recovery and development, higher allocations towards the social sectors and good governance through promoting transparency, accountability and integrity in the management of public resources.”

Nyambe stated that the budget should elaborate on how government would implement measures aimed at reducing corruption in the budget cycle.

“The Zambian people are aware that the UPND administration has committed to deliver change in the way public resources are managed. The budget is therefore a critical tool for generating change through implementing measures aimed at reducing corruption in the budget cycle. In the 2021 budget, government committed to introducing public procurement reforms in order to give priority to citizens to participate in the supply of goods and services, introduce price benchmarking, penalize fronting and selling of contracts, improve contract management, make it mandatory to use the Electronic Procurement System and penalize offenders. TI-Z therefore expects the 2022 budget to reflect the progress made in implementing these reforms and develop new measures to curb corruption in the procurement system,” he stated.

Nyambe said the 2022 budget should also address the debt burden which had continued to crowd out the social sector.

“The 2022 budget should also address the debt burden which has continued to crowd-out the social sectors through demanding a greater share of the budget for debt servicing. The reduced budget shares of the social sectors over the past few years has worsened the poverty situation for most households. There is need to allocate more resources towards education, health and social protection in order to reduce the vulnerabilities which trigger petty corruption as citizens are forced to compete for inadequate social services,” said Nyambe.

“TI-Z also calls upon the UPND government to urgently publish and widely circulate the 2022 citizens’ budget. A citizens’ budget allows for easy understanding of the content of the budget and for a wider section of the general public to participate in the budgeting process.”

Meanwhile, Zulu called for a reduction on individual taxes in order to alleviate pressure at individual and corporate levels.

“As government seeks to mobilize for domestic revenue sources, broadening the tax base ought to be considered. Therefore, tax policy will need to be reviewed. We expect a reduction on individual taxes in order to alleviate pressure at individual and corporate level. Government is also expected to take advantage of the current favourable copper prices and seize the opportunity to reintroduce some taxes regarding windfalls. In addition, government is urged to implement tax reforms in a win-win situation. Furthermore, PMRC expects government to disclose its proposed tax policy reforms in relation to a shift in emphasis away from personal income and company tax by increasing consumption taxes and property taxes as they have previously been underexploited,” Zulu said.

“As talks with external creditors over the country’s external debt continue, PMRC expects government to soon reach a conclusion for Zambia’s debt to be restructured to help unlock and shift resources towards health and education. PMRC expects expenditure in infrastructure to be directed towards agro-processing and the whole manufacturing value chain. The government is also expected to strive towards achieving budget credibility through adherence to expenditure plans as outlined in the budget thereby reducing borrowing and accumulating arrears for expenditures outside the budget.”

She called on goverment to consider developing a long term, stable and consistent mining tax regime.

“The diversification in the mining sector through the local gold purchasing programme by Bank of Zambia ought to be continued to strengthen and diversify the country’s reserves. PMRC urges the government to consider developing a long term, stable and consistent mining tax regime that encourages investment in the sector while ensuring maximum tax returns accrue to the nation. This is especially required in view of new copper prices on the international market. Promotion of mineral diversification should be considered to broaden the tax base in the sector. The 2022 National Budget must consider investing more in the copper value chains to ensure the country exports value-added copper products,” Zulu said.

She said government should consider introducing stimulus packages meant for players in the tourism sector.

“In the 2022 National Budget, PMRC urges government to consider introducing stimulus packages tailor made for the players in the tourism sector to help them revamp their businesses in view of the impact of the pandemic,” Zulu said.

“There is need for the review of the Public Private Procurement Act to ensure it favours investment in the manufacturing sector. The government ought to consider continuing with dismantling of arrears for local manufacturers and suppliers, which will provide liquidity for re-investment. This is needed for the growth of the manufacturing sector. PMRC expects the government to continue introducing tax incentives in the energy and agriculture sectors such as the zero rating of import duty for solar equipment and farming equipment in order to attract more local investment within the sector.”

Zulu urged government to expedite reforms in debt contraction.

“The debt situation continues to be a source of concern, with public external debt conservatively standing at US$12.9bn. The government is encouraged to expedite reforms in the loan contraction and provide oversight on the legal and policy framework to ensure that the porous areas are addressed through key legislation. PMRC is elated by the government’s commitment to reforming the Loans and Guarantees Act as a way of ensuring debt management, as this will promote transparency and accountability,” said Zulu.

“This includes the Planning and Budgeting Act, the Public Procurement Act and the Public Finance Management Act. All must be looked at in addition to allied legislation. In order to curb public expenditure and borrowing, strengthening oversight functions of institutions also needs to be a part of these reforms. Therefore it is expected that reforms will be budgeted for adequately.”

LACK OF EXPERIENCE BY HH WILL ENDANGER ZAMBIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY, SAYS KABIMBA

Copy, cut and paste seems to be the hallmark of the so-called New Dawn government so far led by Hakainde Hichilema, charges Rainbow Party leader Wynter Kabimba.

Kabimba a respected Lusaka Lawyer says he is disappointedin the manner the UPND and President Hichilem’s way of governance.

“I was flustered and overly disappointed as a citizen who has worked for several years both in the local government service and open civil service as minister of justice to read on social media the State House press statement on the name and identity of the newly appointed Director General and Deputy Director of State Intelligence,” said Kabimba.

Kabimba notes that coping what the US government does will not help Zambia to display unity of purpose.

“This is unprecedented in the history of our country and the intelligence community in many countries. However, the answer is simple. The United States of America does it and it should, therefore be the same here according to the so-called New Dawn government. But the American system is different from ours. In the US the appointment of the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) must be confirmed by the Senate at an open hearing after his/her appointment by the President. In the Zambian system there is no ratification by parliament of the person appointed as director of State Intelligence,” observes Kabimba.

The reason for this non-ratification by parliament and hence non-exposure is to ensure that such an individual remains part of the state secret by nature of his responsibilities. It is also intended to guarantee his/her personal security against other foreign agencies and individuals,” noted the former minister of Justice.

He says the action by President Hichilema exposes the newly appointed Director General of Intelligence to issues that work against national security.

“What President Hakainde has done is to expose the new DG to risk situations which may not be apparent now but could pose a national security breach for the country in the future. But if you do not have the experience and you are not willing to learn because you knew it all, such is where we stand as a country today and I am certain more shock waves are still on the way.”

Credit: The New Dawn Newspapers

FAILURE FOR HH TO MEET CHITIMUKULU UNACCEPTABLE- SEAN TEMBO

“You Were In Kasama and Refused to Pay Courtesy Call on Paramount Chief Chitimukulu”-Sean Tembo

1. As Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) we find it regrettable that President Hakainde Hichilema failed to pay a courtesy call on Inkosi Ya Makosi Paramount Chief Mpezeni when he visited Chipata two weeks ago, just like he failed to pay a courtesy call on Paramount Chief Chitimukulu when he visited Kasama yesterday. After ignoring the two Paramount Chiefs, the President decided to visit other junior chiefs in the respective areas instead.
3. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we would not want to speculate why President Hichilema has been acrimonious towards the two Paramount Chiefs ever since he ascended to the Presidency. However, our advice to the President is that he needs to respect traditional leadership and also adhere to the well established norms and protocols for treatment of traditional leaders in Zambia. President Hichilema should desist from his habit of only respecting traditional leaders that come from his political strongholds in the country. Mr Hichilema must understand and appreciate that now that he is Republican President, he needs to be a President for all Zambians. Otherwise he will not succeed in uniting the country if he segregates which traditional leaders he gives respect and which ones he doesn’t.
5. As Patriots for Economic Progress we call upon President Hakainde Hichilema to extend an apology to both Inkosi ya Makosi Paramount Chief Mpezeni and Paramount Chief Chitimukulu for visiting their towns but ignoring to pay a courtesy call on these senior traditional leaders. Such an apology is important as a way for the President to embrace all the regions of the country and unite the nation. For it is only through a united Zambia that we can achieve national development and prosperity for our people.
6. Going forward, President Hichilema should desist from acts that may be construed as segregating, ostracizing and embarrassing traditional leaders from certain regions of the country. Mr Hichilema should be reminded that Presidents come and go but traditional leaders will always be there.

Thank You and May God Bless the Good Citizens of the Republic of Zambia and Our Hopeful Nation.

Yours Sincerely

SEAN E. TEMBO (SET)
PARTY PRESIDENT
PATRIOTS FOR ECONOMIC PROGRESS (PeP)

MCQUEEN ZAZA DENIES EXTORTION CHARGES: ” I ONLY GOT THE MONEY SO I COULD REPORT MY CLIENT TO ACC”

By Julia Malunga,

LUSAKA Lawyer Mcqueen Zaza has denied allegations that he extorted money from a businessman saying he only accepted a bribe which he was offered so that he could report the said businessman to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Zaza, however, said before he could execute his plans of reporting Royd Musonda to the ACC, he was arrested and charged with extortion.

Last week, police revealed that they had arrested Zaza, a police officer and an engineer and charged them with extortion involving K40,000.

“Police in Lusaka received a report of Extortion from Yvonne Shakantu aged 51 of House No. 31, Chitimukulu road, PHI Lusaka, a business lady who reported on behalf of Roy Musonda aged 39 of Plot No. 30, Birds view, Silverest, a Business consultant and Director at Big Eye Limited who has a contract with Ministry of Defence to supply Uniforms, Bulletproof vests that he was swindled of K40,000 by unscrupulous people,” read a police statement.

But in an interview, Zaza said Musonda actually owed his company K2,000.

“What happened was that Mr Roy Musonda, the man I knew as an immigration consultant, owed our company money in the sum of K2,000. This was a refund for his failure to obtain an investment permit for Mr Boaz, one of our directors. We, Oriane company limited, had engaged Mr Roy Musonda to obtain an investment permit for Mr Boaz. The company and Mr Musonda agreed to do the permit for K55,000 which was to be paid in two instalments, K45,000 and last K10,000.

The company paid the first instalment in the sum of K45,000 on or about the 15th of July 2021. He was to deliver the permit in two weeks. From July to October, the said Mr Musonda failed to deliver the permit. This brought panic to Mr Boaz as his temporal permit was expiring on the 22nd September 2021,” Zaza explained.

“As a result, I started calling Mr Musonda to hear what was happening but to no avail. He often ignored or cut my calls. I sent him texts but to no avail. He then agreed to refund the money on the 6th of October. He paid us K43,000 and a balance of K2,000 was promised to be paid on the next Tuesday.

Tuesday came and we went. He failed to refund us. This led to an exchange of texts in demand for our money. Then on the 14th of October 2021, he asked for a meeting with me over the balance and I proposed to meet at Garden City Mall car wash.”

Zaza said Musonda offered to pay him K40,000 to drop some charges, which he resisted but later accepted after about three hours.

“We met at the car wash on the very day, and Mr Musonda came with a pistol. While holding the said pistol, he asked me to follow him and I refused because I was scared. He then reached out to me saying he was going to manhandle me. I still refused to follow him. A police officer whom I came to know as Inspector Chilufya then introduced himself as such, asked Mr Roy Musonda to [follow him to] Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe.

We went there and Mr Roy Musonda was asked why he came to a meeting with a pistol. At that point, Mr Musonda said that was part of his life as he was a supplier of guns and other uniform materials to ZNS, police and defence,” he said.

“Richard Phiri asked him why he carried a gun when it was an offence. At that point, the police officer read the offence to Mr Musonda, he then asked for forgiveness and offered me, as a complainant, the sum of K40, 000 to drop the charge. I refused and kept refusing for two to three hours.

Even his friend begged me to drop the charges and even said he would give me K40,000. He cried and asked for my forgiveness. Until after some good three hours, I agreed to drop the charge and he asked us to go to his office to get the money.”

Zaza said he accepted the money because he wanted to report the case to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

“I went there and he gave me K30, 000 and told me he was giving the police K10,000. I left his office and we gave the police officer a lift back to the police. While in the car, I asked the police how much he had been given by Roy Musonda, and said he was given K10,000 which he handed over to me. I told him that we needed to report Mr Roy Musonda to ACC for offering and giving a police officer money.

I kept the money because I wanted to go and report to ACC. The next day, 15th October 2021, Mr Musonda sent me a text saying he was ready. I wondered what that meant hence I called him. He told me that he wanted to give me a refund of K2,000 for the company. I told him it was not necessary as he had already given [me] K30,000,” Zaza narrated.

“He again insisted I go meet him at his office. I told him I would see him after the public debate at Radisson Hotel. After the debate I called him and went to meet him. While talking to him and telling him how it was unnecessary to give me the refund, police officers from Chelstone police came.

They shot gun shots in the air and started beating me while on the ground. This was around 21:00 hours. I was taken to Chelstone police station and detained there from the 15th day of October to Sunday the 17th day of October 2021, 13:40 hours. They got all my things including a phone and car.”

Zaza lamented that the police never took a statement from him.

He said he was surprised when he was later charged with extortion.

“They never allowed me to have food, water or even access to any of my friends or relatives. I wasn’t even allowed to access my medicines, insulin. I sat in the police cells hungry till I was released on bond on the 17th day of October and it was on that day that I was told of the charge of extortion. I was surprised because I never did that. The police have not even taken any statement from me to verify what happened. They merely intimidated me,” said Zaza.

“On the day of release, Mr Roy Musonda said that he was going to drop the charge against me if I refunded him K40,000 plus interest K30,000. I agreed to do this and have since paid the said amount. Surprisingly and maliciously, I saw a report from police saying I had extorted Mr Roy Musonda using the name of Jack Mwiimbu and that of the president. Furthermore, I saw my bond form on social media. The bond document was obtained from Chelstone police station as it was a copy that remains with police and put on social media to further scandalize my name.”

WE have entered into a pact with the ruling UPND to help my brother President Hakainde Hichilema succeed in uniting the nation, and not seeking employment, New Hope MMD president Nevers Mumba has said.

On Sunday, MMD founder member Gaston Sichilima charged that Dr Mumba had entered into a pact with the ruling UPND without consulting members out of desperation to quickly get an appointment in the new Government.
But Dr Mumba said yesterday that he was not an opportunist or a job seeker but a true and mature leader who wanted the best for the country.

He said it was unfair for some people to accuse him of being an opportunist when he was trying to be patriotic in ensuring that the current administration succeeded.

Dr Mumba explained that his party had decided to enter into a partnership with the ruling UPND based on common values of dealing with tribalism, regionalism, partisanship, public debt, corruption and rebuilding the economy and debt repayment strategy among others.

“We have agreed on the human rights and economy that we have to deal with the debt stock in our country in order that we invest our resources and money into the social sector of health and education as a way of improving people’s lives.
“Our partnering with HH and the UPND is an act of support for a brother whom we feel means well and is doing all he can to implement the very things we have been fighting side by side against and for,” Dr Mumba said.

He said it was a responsibility of every politician to rally behind Government which was on a right trajectory of uniting citizens.
Dr Mumba said every leader deserved to be supported where he was succeeding and doing the right thing.
“It is for this reason that I am calling upon the nation that, supporting Government in place over those areas that are important, is not a sign of weakness. As a matter of fact, it is a sign of being a true and mature leader. Because the day you shall lead this country, you shall need that support,” he said.
He also said they decided to support the UPND-led Government on the shared value of the rule of law.
-Daily Nation

By Julia Malunga,

LUSAKA Lawyer Elias Chipimo says the amnesty from prosecution granted to Faith Musonda has set a bad precedent because plunderers will now only be forfeiting part of the looted assets and keep the rest, in a bid to go scot free.

And Chipimo says politics in the previous regime were too toxic for progressive ideas.

Last week, the State said it entered into an undertaking not to institute criminal proceedings against former ZNBC broadcaster Faith Musonda after she admitted wrongdoing and surrendered the K65 million, US$57,900 and a house in New Kasama, which properties were acquired through corrupt practices.

But commenting on the development in an interview, Chipimo said it was a bad precedent.

He argued that corruption cases should be dealt with in a public and transparent way instead of relying on private negotiations between the purported perpetrator of a crime and enforcement agencies.

“This is a bad precedent! I have always said that the way that you deal with cases of corruption is you have to do them in a public and transparent way. Relying on private negotiations between the purported perpetrator of a crime and the enforcement agencies when you had such endemic corruption is simply going to aid and abet the problem rather than fix it. Because we don’t know how much was purported to be legally acquired, so we are now left to speculate whether this was 20 percent of the potential alleged wealth that was accumulated in a manner that is still questionable or if it was 50 percent,” Chipimo said.

“Now you can imagine the signal that it sends to anybody that might end up in a similar situation where they are having to forfeit the assets is that ‘well, as long as I can keep 50 percent of it, I can just declare perhaps the remaining 50 and hand over to the State [and] get away scot free.’ Transparency is important, this is not something that should be left to a private conclusion of the individuals at the center of any controversial issue and the enforcement agencies.’

Chipimo said the conclusion of Musonda’s case left the public speculating that there could be side deals that were done.

“When I was in NAREP, I always advocated setting up a separate commission that would be a public commission so that all the information would be available to the public. There has to be a process whereby amnesty could only be allowed if basic conditions were met. First of all, if there was a full declaration of what had been purportedly misappropriated or illegally acquired, secondly that there was commitment to give back some or all of the wealth and that is something that will be determined in an objective manner with a very clear formula that is public and transparent. And the adequate information about how that wealth was acquired, was made publicly available,” he said.

“I am stressing transparency because then that avoids the problem of people cutting side deals. I am not saying that was the case here but it certainly leaves everybody concluding that, that is a very real possibility. The lack of transparency, the sense of impunity within which it has been concluded really leaves me as a Zambian concerned if this is the approach that is going to be taken. That is why we need a complete shift in how we are addressing these issues. We need to be clear that any allegations around the misappropriation or theft are properly scrutinized in a public manner in a way that gives confidence to the public that no side deals are being cut.”

And Chipimo said politics were too toxic in the previous regime.

“I am trying to forge a path that can still have me working with vulnerable and underserved communities. Just addressing the needs that are there in these areas that literally have no support. I was trying to do it through the public sector because if you can change things at the policy level, you can achieve rapid improvement than if you are trying to do it by targeting interventions in the private sector. At some point in order to be effective, they still need government interactions and interventions. But having realized that the politics were just too toxic for progressive ideas, I decided to try and find a way to do this through the private sector while I still have energy,” Chipimo said.

“Yes, in the previous regime, it was very difficult to promote ideas if people did not see an opportunity to make money for themselves. And so that made it difficult to push an agenda that was beneficial for the country. It was easier to push an agenda if it could benefit individuals who were making decisions that needed government interventions, rather than even if it did not benefit the individual, but benefited the country. That was very difficult to achieve. Things are still problematic but I am sure that it takes time but I think the private sector must really be given the freedom to develop the thinking that can take this country forward. They have to work in conjunction with the public policy but the drive must come from the private sector and not enough of that is happening yet.”

Asked if he would rejoin politics, Chipimo said he wanted to be away from politics.

“I have told people that as far as the East is far from the West is how I want to keep myself from politics. Right now, my focus is really on how to ensure that enterprises; micro, small, medium and large scale can thrive. And to do that, there must be access to affordable credit, there must be support in terms of guarantees that remove the requirement for this heavy collateral that many small enterprises don’t have. There must be capacity building for these SMEs, there must be support for mentorship for individuals that are at an early stage or that are growing enterprises, even for those that are thinking about developing business ideas. And for me that is where we have to place a lot of our priorities. I am now working with SMEs more directly, I am mentoring enterprises and individuals that run business,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chipimo said it would be difficult for UPND to achieve all its promises because the base from where it was operating was badly eroded.

“It is going to be difficult for them to achieve all the things they have spoken about simply because the base from which we are having to operate has been so badly eroded. I think that they may have underestimated what it is going to take. But it is not too late to take the steps that will ensure that we can achieve the most out of this new opportunity. It is an opportunity to operate according to systems, operate on the basis of merit, operate on the basis of a pursuit of excellence, operate on the basis of strategic vision for our country.

Even if you look at some of the challenges of dealing with capitalization and the need to revamp the economy, certain olden radical things can be done, for example, I can let us waive duty on all imports and perhaps charge the VAT. I know we signed the economic Free Trade Area agreement, it will make trade between Africa much more robust,” said Chipimo.

Chipimo suggested that Kafue town should be a new location for the capital city.

IS HH SERIOUS OVER THE FIGHT AGAINST FINANCIAL CRIME?

The Candidates’ Comment

The delay by Hakainde Hichilema to do so many things is slowly eroding his prospect to achieve so many things he promised Zambians. On top of delivering all other promises, Hakainde committed himself to fighting corruption, plunder and financial crimes that were committed in the previous administration of Edgar Lungu.

There is no doubt that the previous administration had the most corrupt elements this country has never seen. If someone who is a a nonentity without any traceable record of wealth as Faith Musonda and wasn’t working in government can have K65 million at home, what more those who were in authority? If a little known business man who is linked to PF can have $800,000 hidden at home, what more those who were in authority?

Everyone knows including children that PF ran the most corrupt administration. Known nonentities of all sorts have built mansions and are filthy rich under the PF administration. Those who associated with PF elements are very rich, through all sorts of corruption and plunder witnessed in the previous administration.

But amidst all this truth, there appears to be no meaningful plan by Hakainde’s administration to fight these thieves. The more Hakainde’s administration delays the more thieves are finding ways to hide the evidences and their wealth acquired corruptly. The investigative wings appear to be sabotaging Hakainde’s efforts. Worse, Hakainde is himself very slow at doing certain things, which includes making important appointments and removing compromised elements from the institutions of governance. His delay to behave like someone who is really in charge is creating a path for crooks to destroy evidences and hide their proceeds of crime.

Over the weekend, a combined team of investigators went to search at Valden Findlay’s house. This search comes after two months of Hakainde coming into power. Not long ago, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) froze the accounts of Valden on a premise that he was trying to transfer huge sums of money overseas. We believe, the investigative wings have for a long time itched to investigate Valden. Why they have taken all this time beats logic. If there were some sort of evidence at Valden’s house to implicate him in anyway, that evidence is no longer there. Valden is not as foolish as these investigative are treating him. You can’t be investigating suspected criminals in a manner that you are doing. Most of these elements being investigated are mafias. They are professional white-color crooks who will not stupidly leave easy traces of evidences anywhere openly. If these investigative wings are serious and perhaps credible, they would not be dealing with high profile criminals in such a stupid manner. The conduct of these investigative wings and how they are dealing with such matters tells more of how compromised and incompetent they are. If they are serious and very interested with investigating Valden, why not invite him for interrogations and then search his properties earlier than after many days, thereby allowing him to burry any evidences he may have against himself at his disposal?

It would be not be wrong to speculate that these elements in these investigative wings are corrupted by the same suspects they are investigating and searching. These investigative wings appear to be more of institutions that launder thieves in this country.

This perhaps explains why these investigative wings have opted not to prosecute Faith Musonda over her millions found at her house. Their reasoning that prosecuting Faith would be expensive and lengthily is stupid. Fighting crime is priceless. It matters less how much you spend in prosecuting crimes. What matters is serving justice and punishing criminals.

We are disappointed with Hakainde that his so-called recovery of assets corruptly acquired meant getting the money from Faith without prosecution. If this is what Hakainde meant that he would fight corruption, then clearly, there is nothing to celebrate about in this regard.

MERCY COWHAM LEFT HER CHILD AS SECURITY AT A LODGE IN KITWE IN 2015 AND HAS NEVER COLLECTED HER

The family of Mercy Cowham have disclosed that Mercy Cowham left one of her children at a Lodge in Kitwe as security for her unpaid bills.

Mercy had booked a room at Dew Waters Guest House in Buchi, for an extended period while she allegedly conducted a recruitment for workers for the Mines.

After many weeks, the owner realised that Mercy had no contract with the mines or its agencies, and no money to pay, she demanded that Mercy vacated the Guest House and settles the huge Bill.

Mercy fled but left her child as security phoning later that she would return to settle the bill and pick the child.

And Amanda Veach, owner of the Guest House in Buchi, Kitwe, confirmed that Mercy left the infant in 2016 and has never returned.

The Child, Chipego remains in Kitwe under the care of Mrs. Veatch.

Chipego, who will turn 6 years old in November 2021, is now called Chabupe (Gift) by the new guardians.

The family said Mercy had travelled to Kitwe because she was recruiting workers for the mines.

Mercy’s stay in Kitwe is traced to 2014 when she was pregnant with Chipego.

She disclosed to her Aunt that the teacher from Roan Antelope Secondary School (RASS) was responsible for the pregnancy.

But the teacher differed with Mercy over the age of the pregnancy.

Mercy later settled with a Police man from Kamfisa Training College.

The “marriage” didn’t last and Mercy left for Lusaka.

Its during this period, Mercy began to conduct the workers’ recruitment.

Kitwe Central Police Station investigated Mercy as she had collected money as registration fees from Lusaka and Kitwe youths, under the pretext that she was conducting recruitment to provide labour for the mines.

Mercy has recently been in the news alleging that she has 3 children with Kabushi MP, Hon. Bowman Lusambo.

She also says Lusambo is responsible for her current 8-month pregnancy.

Lusambo has denied ever meeting Mercy.

He says he has no knowledge of her or her children.

By Diggers Editor…OPINION

25th October 2021

WE are baffled with the conclusion of Faith Musonda’s case and we believe we speak for many when we say it hurts that our investigative wings think they can hide behind section 80 of their Act.

The investigative wings want people to believe that they have signed an agreement with Faith Musonda so that she can forfeit her stolen money and property. That’s nonsense to say the least.

People are hurting because the Anti-Corruption Commission has not told the people specific details about how that decision was arrived at, and when we look at the record that is in public domain, we find that they are lying. The problem with lies is that they leave a lot of loose ends.

A day or so before ACC’s announcement, Faith Musonda’s lawyers told the media that there had been no progress on the matter and that they would wait on police to call them again. Suddenly ACC is announcing some funny agreement? When did that agreement take place? Where was it done? Which room was it done from? Who was present? Who signed that agreement?

As far as we know, Faith has not admitted to anything. In both meetings with the police she didn’t volunteer any information. Our people are not foolish, as the UPND government may think. Let them just say that “we have struck a deal with the real owner of the money and we don’t want to prosecute him.”

We do not need to know all the hard facts, but logic dictates that Faith could not have acted alone in this corrupt transaction. This is why we cannot be so naive to believe the cover up story that ACC is trying to feed the nation. Someone much bigger than Faith stole that money from some sensitive government accounts and whoever this person is, he is untouchable. There is nothing about section 80 that can justify this move by the ACC. This is simply a case of exercising caution while trying to kill a mosquito that is biting someone’s genitals.

This development says a lot about the direction in which we are moving in our fight against corruption. The message that the UPND government is sending to the nation is that there will be no prosecutions for the corrupt as long as they are willing to sign a document and return what they have been caught stealing. ACC is telling the nation that HH on corruption te sana.

In the eyes of many Zambians this was one of easiest cases to prosecute. You find a person with K65 plus million in their house, they can’t explain its source, and they cannot explain how they built the million dollar house. That’s a potential convict. So how did ACC fail to prosecute? If you can’t arrest such an individual, who are you going to arrest?

This is a declaration of weakness by the UPND government and our investigative wings, and their collective failure to make the criminals behind this saga account is embarrassing. In fact, it’s safe to say that this is abetting corruption!

Ati “she has admitted committing a crime but we don’t need to prosecute since we have recovered the assets”. Are they telling us that if someone says they had stolen K10,000 from the government, and offers to return it, the State should believe that and close the case? What kind of law is that? And why do we have people in jail today for theft? They should all be asked to pay back and go home.

If this is the President’s plan to fight corruption, then he has a reckless plan which will backfire and make him very unpopular. This is news that you would expect to hear in the Edgar Lungu’s PF administration, not in the New Dawn era. Zambians hate corruption. If there is anything that unites them more than soccer and religion, it’s corruption.

Today Zambians are asking questions. Is this what the President meant when he said he would reconcile the country? Is this what he meant when he said the former government leaders should not worry because he would take care of them?

If this news was happening in Congo or Zimbabwe, we would be questioning the leadership capacity of that country. The reason is because this is simply wrong and damaging to the country’s reputation.

Those who surround the President must tell him that this development is the worst news from his government and it has done some irreparable damage to his intended legacy. A president who allows such to happen under his watch is a dangerous one. It is clear from this case that President Hichilema’s talk about fighting corruption is just talk. The difference between him and ECL, there is no!

By Alexander Nkosi

Public domestic debt is around $10 billion, at K17/$ this is around K170 billion. Add the reported K36 billion VAT refunds to that, it goes beyond K200 billion. Tough decisions ahead! We need every kwacha today, otherwise we won’t have money to support new entrepreneurs as we still owe a lot of existing entrepreneurs whose businesses will collapse if we don’t pay them…but where do we get all this money?

We need to get back what was stollen from Zambians in the most efficient way possible. Assets seized while cases are in court won’t be the same by the time these cases are despised of, there will be so much depreciation/ loss of value. We still need to strengthen our systems and allow fast track courts get fully established and running efficiently before we can reach such a stage where we deal with these cases in record time. A good example is that if based on assessments we are targeting to recover assets worth K10 billion, as cases drag in court, the assets won’t be the same. If we seize a lodge, we won’t start running it until the case is disposed of.

What I would do is to study all the cases, assets involved and have profiles for each of the individuals involved. If individual X has 10 cases involving assets worth K200 million suspected to be proceeds of crime, I would target to enter into an agreements with him over 9 difficult cases worth K199 million so that it is recovered it immediately, without spending anything on further investigating and prosecuting the case which can be so costly. I would thereafter prosecute and jail him over the 10th case worth K1m. If I do this for other cases involving huge amounts, I will recover K9.8 billion now with less costs and use it and still end up jailing the offenders over a few other cases.

Are they protecting some people by not announcing the source? I don’t think so, if they want to protect people they would actually not even announce investigations they are doing or not even investigate at all. So while we might be concerned with what is being seen as ‘lack of transparency’ in announcing sources, they could have gotten valuable information which they are secretly further investigating and would not want to announce at this point for fear of disturbing investigations or even victimising people before they establish strong cases.

So it might be too early for us to judge, let us give it a bit of time and observe how things unfold.

I stand for recovery of what was stollen in the most efficient way and punishing ofenders. I fully support any legal method which results in this.

Mr HH what is your commitment sir?👇

MINISTRY OF HEALTH FOUND WITH CASE TO ANSWER IN AWARDING HONEY BEE TO SUPPLY MEDICAL KITS

By Logic Lukwanda

The Parliamentary Accounts Committee –PAC- has heard that full due diligence was not taken when the Ministry of Health awarded Honey Bee Pharmacy Limited a US$17 MILLION to supply medical kits.

This was revealed at the PAC sitting on Wednesday where Ministry Of Health Permanent Secretary for Administration Kakulubelwa Mulalelo, and Director For Procurement Wilson Banda, Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority –ZAMRA-, Medical Stores Limited, and the Zambia Bureau of Standards –ZABS- were summoned.

And ZABS Executive Director Manuel Mutale confirmed that according to tests, the latex condoms and gloves supplied by Honey Bee were substandard and results were submitted to ZAMRA and Medical Stores for a decision to be made.

But the committee heard that unfortunately, the fake condoms, gloves and Paracetamol was authorized for distribution more than three months ago by the office of the Permanent Secretary at The Ministry of Health despite the items being substandard.

The Ministry Of Health Permanent Secretary for Administration, ZAMRA and Medical Stores all struggled to give satisfactory answers on why fake condoms and gloves have been distributed to the public and no recall of the products has been done three months after the distribution, thereby putting the lives of many people at risk.

Meanwhile, Honey Bee Pharmacy through one of its directors Zakir Motala failed to provide the addresses of the company as documents availed did not have such information including letter heads and has since been ordered to provide the information in a few days.

And as more irregularities were revealed in the multimillion dollar contract, it was discovered that ZAMRA in 2019 did reject awarding Honey Bee a certificate due to 17 inadequacies, but after the release of the Auditor General’s report in 2020, a meeting without minutes was held by ZAMRA on a weekend and certification was done.

Chairperson of PAC Howard Kunda and his members rebuked the Ministry of Health for what they called poor and reckless running of a sensitive ministry that deals with lives of people and demanded that all the anomalies be resolved even if a lot of damage has already been done.

PHOENIX FM NEWS

Ba Hon. Patrick Mucheleka; “Muicheme” “We Are Not Slow Starters”.

In view of Hon. Patrick Mucheleka’s disparaging remark about easterners, from the onset, allow me to underscore that whatever view points I have raised in this discourse, I have done so, foremost as an easterner and without any political party proclivity.

I say so because; the remarks attributed to him are not targeted at particular political party but easterners as a whole. It is without any doubt that the remarks by Hon. Patrick Mucheleka were derogatory to easterners.

I would like to rebut his unwarranted attacks on us with civility and realities; without which I will be no different from him. As for him, he did so for his personal political expediency; emotionally made such utterances suggesting that UPND lost Kaumbwe and Lusangazi because of easterners’ ethnic eccentric factors. Among them, suggesting, that we, “easterners” are slow to change or indeed to timely adapt to the changing political environment. “Bakalamba!” “Amano, yafuma mwifwesa yaya muchulu”. Let me give you some unsolicited, but very important political tutelage at no cost.

A political party, worthy its sort; prospecting whether to seek or retain power in the current Zambia’s geopolitics, must do so by fundamentally appreciating that effective management of the melting pot of ethnic and tribal diversity is an imperative. Hon P. Mucheleka must understand that the foresaid is a key success factor for any political undertaking in Zambia today. I thought he was wiser on this score. Maybe he chose to overlook it for personal political expediency. In effect, he should appreciate that diversity of ethnic and tribal groupings is both an important asset and a source of strength.

Zambia has just come out of a general election; it is a fact that UPND scooped 6 constituencies in PF stronghold; Kaputa, Mbala, Mpulugu , Senga Hill and eastern province account for two seats, Malambo, and Chipata Central. Furthermore, it must be appreciated that an estimated average of 47% of eastern province, voted for President HH. In fact, commenting on an article entitled HH Beats President Lungu in Malambo constituency in Eastern Province; Kakwata Aniche commented that; “I like Easterners they don’t have tribalism in their hearts like ……….”. “ They give to whoever they want, to unite the country. ………………..” http://www.lusakatimes.com/…/hh-beats-president-lungu-in/.

Lets give the eagle eye to some constituency specific results of estimated percentages of these who voted in favour of President HH in the eastern province; 48% -Nyimba, 50%-Sinda, 51%-Mkaika, 57%-Vubwi, 46%-Kasenengwa, 50%-Chipata central, 40%- Chipangali and similar trends are sustained in all remaining constituencies in the province. With the above facts right before Hon Mucheleka; He chose to insult us, like really. Bakalamba, muvichitilamo che.

Above all, what kind of energy do the alleged disparaging remarks convey to the rank and file of UPND officials in the eastern province? As Deputy CEO of the party, did he institute an assessment to ascertain whether indeed UPND lost Kaumbwe and Lusangazi owning to the assumed ethnic eccentric factors or otherwise. From were I stand, the loss did not border on ethnic eccentric factors of easterners, but it was the casual approach and taking things for granted in this score. As I end my tutelage, let me underscore that the loss in question bordered on issues to do with effective elections planning and execution; and not as assumed by Ba Mucheleka in the remarks that were attributed to him. Do not draw easterners in the equation on an account of failure on your part bakalamba. Take responsibility, don’t massage the truth, account for the loss to the power that be; unlike engaging in a blame game mode. “A man can fail many times, but, he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.” In fact from were I stand, this loss should have been an object of lessons learnt and not a blame game. Tutelage closed.

With the apolitical stance I have taken and the facts I have made available; as easterners, you owe us an apology.

Hon. Sensio Banda
Former MP/ Kasenengwa constituency

Dear Mr President H.E Hakainde Hichilema

TIMELY, PASSIONATE ADVICE TO PRESIDENT HICHILEMA.

The OP will share with you the information you would want to hear but us on the ground, will tell you exactly how it is. In August 2019, based on the interactions I had with people, I sent you a message on Facebook in which I indicated that people were talking of you being an alternative to PF regime and all you needed was to protect the vote. Thankfully, people voted and you protected the vote. Today, you are the President of the Republic of Zambia. I am not a cadre but an entrepreneur who interacts with people of all sorts including the lowly ones in communities. I hold a degree in Information Technology and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management.

The way I advised you out of sincerity then is the same way I am doing it today. The 2.8 million who voted for you were not all UPND members. The major thing people wanted to see was justice to be done. And justice included firing of PF cadres in government institutions and those who participated in criminalities and looting of resources be prosecuted. Your delay in acting has left so many people disappointed. And your delay has given PF members still in your government together with other senior PF leaders to plan your downfall in 2026. When you hear them saying you will be a one term President, they know what they are talking about.

2021 election was a unique one. It was Zambians Vs PF. 2026 election will be UPND Vs Opposition Parties. This will make it difficult for UPND to gunner 51 plus outrightly. Then opposition parties will form an alliance to upset the ruling party. The tribal campaign talk will bear fruit in 2026. You should expect a different ball game. In addition, don’t underrate the likes of Nawakwi, Kambwili, Lubinda and Nakachinda. This is a formidable team that can turn the tables. In the past, people rubbished what they were saying because you were not in government. Hence, people had nothing to compare you against with. Now, they are comparing you with what they have heard against what you do. PF was arrogant. They were not listening to people. In your case, you are smartly not listening to people. People waited for 2021 elections to express themselves. Remember that if you don’t quickly act, people are already talking about 2026. People who are happy with your methodical approach are PF members. They know that it has worked to their advantage.

Elias Munshya and Alice Musukwa vigorously campaigned for you on social media. These together with their followers are already disappointed with your methodical approach. Your numbers are dwindling.

My advice to you is that take a working holiday and make ALL Presidential appointments as quickly as possible. And let your appointments be balanced. For example, Stanley Kakubo and Chipo Mwanawasa are first cousins. Why not just appoint one from the family and the other one compete with others for other vacancies? Presidential appointments are limited and you don’t need to appoint so many from one family. If you don’t act correctly, you will make people like Sean Tembo look intelligent who claims that your appointments are limited to people in your phone book. And remember what Fred Mmembe used to write in Post Newspaper about Bantustan.

You have scored tremendously in other areas but more needs to be done. Five (5) year mandate will finish like brink of an eye!! We are here to support you.

I have confidence that you will act timeously otherwise; any delay will hurt you in 2026. Don’t underrate the opposition. Already, people are so much disappointed with your delay in ‘forming the government’. People who are cheering you are enemies of progress. They want you to make as many mistakes so that they capitalize on them in future.

Concerned Citizen.

LAWYER, POLICE OFFICER RUN AWAY WITH $800,000 OBTAINED FROM AN OFFICIAL FROM MINISTRY OF ENERGY

A LAWYER and a police officer are on the run after they allegedly stole US$800,000 during a search party at a suspect’s home.

Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, in a statement named the fugitives as Mutemwa Mutemwa State Counsel (SC) of Mutemwa Legal Practioners and Detective Chief Inspector Mano Kayombo of Lusaka Central Police Station.

He said the money is a property of Lloyd Chinjenge of House number 2415 Ibex Hill Lusaka.

Mr Hamoonga said the incident occurred on 19th October, 2021 in Salama Park area, Lusaka, when police received information that Chinjenge was in possession of undisclosed amount of money on his premises believed to have been unlawfully obtained.

He said a search party of officers, among them Detective Chief Inspector Kayombo was constituted to conduct searches on two premises belonging to Chinjenge in Salama Park and another in Ibex Hill.

Mr Hamoonga said both searches were witnessed by Mutemwa Mutemwa Junior on behalf of Chinjenge.

“Not known to the rest of the search party, whilst the search was going on at the ibex hill premise, Mano and Mutemwa SC, who was instructed by Mutemwa Jnr to assist, went to the Salama Park residence and picked up two bags suspected to have contained the sought money from one of the motor vehicles belonging to Chinjenge on his instruction for safe custody.The incident was witnessed by an officer undercover who was left to keep vigil at the said residence.

The following day, the 20th October,2021 Chinjenge reported to the police that the said lawyers stole the $800,000=00 which he had entrusted them to secure,” Mr Hamoonga said.

He said when police summoned Mutemwa Jnr and under warn and caution, he disclosed that Mutemwa SC and Mano got the money amounting to $400,000=00 and not $800,000.

Mr Hamoonga said Mutemwa has since been arrested for theft.

“Meanwhile both Mutemwa SC and Mano Kayombo are on the run.Investigations into the matter continue and manhunt launched for the two named fugitives,” he said.

Meanwhile, the police spokesperson has dispelled a report police officers ran away with US$ 3 million after a search at Valden Findley’s home.

“As Zambia Police we would like to state that the author of the article “POLICE OFFICERS RUN AWAY WITH CLOSE TO US 3 MILLION AFTER SEARCH AT VALDEN FINDLEY’S HOUSE” making rounds on social media is confusing the operations that were under taken by the Anti Corruption Commission at Mr Findley’s residence and Mr Chinjenge’s by Zambia Police.We further want to urge you the public to always spread verified information from designated official sources that are competent to comment on criminal matters,” Mr Hamoonga

PF VP Lubinda gives HH advice on Zambia´s debt
…”we borrowed for production not consumption, get to work stop whining,” Lubinda tells HH.

25.10.21

Mr Given Lubinda, the Vice President of the main opposition party in Zambia, Patriotic Front of PF has scoffed at President Hakainde Hichilema´s desperate attempt to musk his inertia on economic development by blaming the former ruling party on how much it borrowed to develop Zambia.

Mr Lubinda, a respected former legislator and Minister was reacting to a statement the government issued to Bloomberg regarding the extent of the Zambian debt on 21st October which he said needed clarification to the international world and the locals too.
The statement issued by Mr Hichilema´s government provides nothing new about the debt stock that stands at about US$13 billion and yet the Hichilema government makes it appear as if the debt was reckless and yet not according to Mr Lubinda.
“Mr Hichilema as a President of Zambia needs to be reminded yet again that the debt or the money we borrowed went into good use and Mr Hichilema must be grateful about it and not be glib, as the investment of the debt gives him a head start, said Mr Lubinda.
He said the PF government under President Lungu borrowed money for the following, among many others:

• To build 8 public universities in various provinces

• To build 650 health posts (490 done to date) that are reducing mortality and maternal deaths in Zambia today
. To build 14, 000 class rooms

• To build 8000 kms of roads around the country in order to make communication and business efficient
• To erect communication towers which actually enabled Mr HH to communicate with the youth and win him a one term election
• To increase electricity generation capacity and supply from a meagre 1,700 MW in 2011 when we took over from MMD to 3250 MW when we left office in August 2021

• To increase agriculture capacity through programmes such as FSIP in order to enhance food security
• To build international airports that make Zambia a hub for regional and continental trade
• Zambia now has three medical universities because of the PF

. To build specialist and ultra modern general hospitals in districts that hitherto did not have rural health centers
. To build maize sheds across the country and ended the perennial wastage of crop due to rain, which has happened this year after 10 years

Mr Lubinda said President Hichilema should be grateful that he is starting off on a sound footing of good infrastructure which he must build on instead of crying every day as though he is still in the opposition.

“We borrowed for production, we did not borrow for consumption and Mr Hichilema must stop trying to get local and international pity via a bad debt campaign, he is looking cheap and desperate and yet his problems are just beginning,” said Mr Lubinda.
The PF VP said, “whether he (Hichilema) likes it or not, we are bouncing back in office in 2026 because Mr Hichilema and his people will not live up to their “over promising”. We are coming back and we will win, just watch this space.”
Mr Lubinda urged President Hichilema to “Stop blaming and start working.”

Farmers are waiting for 12 bags of fertiliser today and at the price of K250, where is Mr Hichilema?
• The 2020 to 2021 bumper harvest is rotting where is Mr Hichilema?

• The 2.8 million are still waiting on him regarding his numerous campaign promises. It is time for him to show them what he can do. Need he be reminded that the people did not vote for him to use state resources and state authority to demonize the previous government, they voted for him because he made them believe that he had a better agenda than the other parties for Zambia. The sooner he got down to delivering on his promises the better.

ISSUED BY HON: GIVEN LUBINDA, VP of the Patriotic Front of Zambia.

FAITH MUSONDA K65M, US$57PIN & K6M HOUSE WORTH, THE LAW AND JUSTICE!

MIXED reaction is what has greeted the recovery of the above properties found in the possession of and amnesty from prosecution granted to Faith Musonda respectively.

What is the policy of the new dawn government on corruption fight and is this policy/manifesto well understood by the majority Zambians?

From the reactions, the answer may be Nay and this calls for more policy/manifesto education among the citizens to appreciate why the ACC and sister state institutions have opted the approach applied on Faith Musonda.

Under page 16 of the UPND Manifesto, the UPND proposes a two-prolonged approach to the fight against corruption namely court appraoch through establishment of the fast-truck courts or tribunals and the Operation Recovery which is aimed at getting back the accumulated ill-gotten wealth esp from the previous regime/administration.

With these two approaches, it is envisaged that the reasons for fighting corruption which is that of deterrent, recovery of stolen wealth and justice will be attained.

The Faith Musonda case falls within the 2nd strategic approach by the UPND in the fight AGAINST CORRUPTION- the OPERATION RECOVERY (sec 80 of the Anti-corruption Act).

This may look like a clear case of selective justice since some people who are in prisons also lost the property to the State but they were still prosecuted and sent to prison e.g. The People v Liato is instructive on Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act.

This is when people also see that here is one, Faith, who has been set free on account of section 80 of the AC Act and yet she was under investigation for having property suspected to be proceeds of crime under FPOCA, a distinct Act of Parliament.

Therefore, it will be construed by some people that applying Section 80 of the AC Act to Faith’s case is like having a member of PF party expelled from PF based on the PF constitution and being reinstated using provisions of the UPND constitution.

The dangers and beauty of Operation Recovery is that sec 80 will be applied to the maximum and since this is the law, no one would go to prison.

All one needs to do is once one knows that s/he is being followed, or has been questioned, by law enforcement agencies can calculate what s/he is comfortable to surrender, of the stolen money, to the State and the case is closed and the culprit is set free.

The plunderers are clearly in charge of our criminal justice system as they will get the outcomes they want from law enforcement wings and they get the court orders they want from the courts.

They have successfully driven the narrative of desisting from prosecution to save resources and we are all buying into that narrative.

However, the dangers of the court justice system is possibility of getting nothing from the plunderers but losing so much money, time in prosecution.

The case of FTJ Chiluba and the taskforce on the fight against corruption where govt and donors lost close to US$ 8m to pursue a sum of US$250, 000 is instructive. From this case neither the money was recovered nor Chiluba served a jail sentence.

In pursuit of the rule of a balanced Act, the Operation Recovery looks more lucrative and viable, less time and money consuming, unless otherwise, as shown in Faith Musonda’s case because in less than a month, the country has recovered K65m, US$57,000 and a house worth K6m and Faith’s blessers may be know by the law enforcement agencies for further investigations.

Had the second option of going to court been opted by the Law Enforcement agencies, none of the above recovered properties and monies would have been gotten by the state in the immediate the case of Katele Kalumba is still fresh.

State has gained in this Faith Musonda’s case handling from the recovery approach opted by ACC and sister state institutions.

What is key and expected are transparency and accountability from the state in the application and utilisation of the recovered funds and properties

To this end, those who will refuse to pay back the ill-acquired money or property and wealth must be subject to the court/tribunal justice.

I submit

McDonald Chipenzi

Former Republican Vice Presidents have called for respect of divergent views and upholding of peace among politicians in the country.

Immediate past Vice President Inonge Wina said both the old and youthful population should uphold national values and principles in order to foster peace and tranquility.

Mrs Wina who served as Vice President under the Patriotic Front government from 2015 to 2021, explained that people should desist from using social media to demonize others.

The longest serving Republican Vice President pointed out that politicians should embrace national unity and development now that elections are over.

ZANIS reports that Mrs Wina also called on youths to be champions of national peace and unity as they are key players in the democratic governance.

“Let us not use social media to demonize others politically for we are all one Zambia one nation and there is no country that will call Zambia apart from this mother land. Elections are now past us, let all forge ahead and be united so that peace and unity prevail in our only country,” she stressed.

She emphasized that women countrywide need to be commended for working tirelessly to provide food for the families through the businesses they run in markets.

And Enock Kavindele also explained that for the past 57 years, Zambia has demonstrated that peace and unity are tools that can propel social and economic development.

Mr Kavindele who served as Vice President in the late Levy Patrick Mwanawasa’s administration from May 4, 2001 to May 29, 2003 stated that Independence Day is the unifying day for all people from the cross section of society.

He called on politicians to quickly resolve their differences whenever they do not agree in order to pave way for economic development.

“So far our politicians are doing fine where resolving conflicts is concerned and October is the month we should use to iron out any differences and foster peace and unity. We should all co-exists for the country to record massive development,” he charged.

Meanwhile, Nevers Mumba said former office bearers are key pillars of national unity and peace.

Dr Mumba who served as Vice President from 2003 to 2004 placed emphasis on political party leaders to only differ intellectually.

He further said attending the independence celebrations was part of refocusing Zambia where all the people will economically and politically be stable and free.

Zambia is today celebrated the Independence attained on October 24th 1964 under the theme “Celebrating a New Dawn Anchored on Good Governance, National Unity and Development”

PF IS STILL TRADING ON FALSEHOOD BUT IT IS GONE, IT IS NO EXCEPTION – HIKAUMBA

UPND Alliance member, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said Zambians now have hope that has been regenerated by the New Dawn government owing to the prevailing peace and freedom. This has provided a conducive environment for productive engagement.

And the party has said it is unfortunate of the opposition PF to continue trading on falsehood which is, but only, a sign of the last kicks of a dying horse.

MDC Vice President for Politics, Leonard Hikaumba, said from the outlook, it already shows that the opposition PF, which was once a strong party, will go under in the same way other former ruling parties, namely; UNIP and MMD have lost ground.

Speaking in Petauke district after leading a delegation of MDC officials in the campaigns for Kaumbwe constituency parliamentary by election held yesterday, Mr Hikaumba said so many people have already drifted from the former ruling PF giving an indication it will not be an exception in terms of going under.

“Just like the other parties have gone under, UNIP was very strong for a while after MMD came to power but it is no longer there. When PF came to power, MMD was strong but it is no longer there and so, it is exactly the same thing that is going to happen to PF. So may people have aready drifted from the PF a sign that it will not be an exception” he said.

Mr Hikaumba said the New Dawn government has regenerated hope amongst the people by focusing on the problems adversely affecting the people by targeting priority areas of various jurisdictions including Eastern province.

He said this has been achieved with the interaction with the people who are now free to express themselves and are able to identify their own critical problems which need to be addressed.

Mr Hikaumba observed that during campaigns in Kaumbwe constituency, people were able to express gratitude that now they can move freely without any form of political harassment and intimidation from anyone which is an important development.

“For people to productively engage in economic activities, the most important ingredient is peace and freedom. They must be free to do what they would like to do. But of course the PF is still trading on falsehood but I think the people have become aware that these are the last kicks of a dying horse” Mr Hikaumba said.

The delegation from the MDC which accompanied the vice president on the campaign trail includes; party Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Joyce Musenge & Chairperson for International Relations, Chairperson for Commerce and Strategy Hon Raymond Mpundu, Chairman for Eastern Province Jacob Mwanza and other provincial and district party officials.

©MDC MEDIA TEAM

NO MONEY WAS FOUND AT MY HOUSE DURING THE SEARCH BY THE POLICE – FINDLAY

… says the respective authorities should correct the position by issuing a public statement to that effect, as this is not only affecting him as an individual, his family and reputation, but also the integrity of our Zambia Police Service worldwide.

Lusaka businessman Valden Findlay says no money was found at his private residence during the search by the police.

In a statement Mr. Findlay said the search was illegal and conducted in his absence.

He said the falsehoods being perpetuated on social media that money was found at his residence and stolen by police officers is false.

” In response to the recent events that have been distorted by social media, I would like to state and correct the position. A search was carried out by the relevant government authorities at my private residence, I take issue with the legality of the Search, which was conducted in my absence and despite the officers being advised by my Lawyers that this was illegal, they proceeded anyway. However, to be clear no money was found at my residence or allegedly stolen by any police officers. This is all “fake news,” Mr. Findlay said.

Mr. Findlay adds that he is saddened that in an attempt to tarnish his name and reputation and possibly sell their stories the relevant social media platforms, has not only deliberately published lies about him, but also attacked the integrity of the Zambia Police Service.

“It is indeed sad that such ‘fake news’ undermine public confidence in the truthfulness of journalism by publishing lies that can never be substantiated. Social media has become a common place to attack and settle scores with individuals just because one can. It is unfair in an attempt to gain followers social media platforms has resort to publishing lies about me, knowingly are untrue with no shred of evidence or truth to support these,” he said.

” It is expected that any reputable journalist would verify their source before taking to publishing, why mislead the public and publish rumors, knowing you have no credible source. Most of these social media platforms get away with their fake content because they cannot be taken to task in court due to their virtual existence, they get away with publishing content that is irreparable to an individual,” he adds.

He emphasised that he has not committed any crime, but that he has been judged, found guilty and condemned in the public domain, addijg that his silence has been taken advantage of.

” We undermine the power of social media and how it can destroy any individual, their life and affect their family. Our society has been indoctrinated to believe anything that has been published in the social media simply because it has been published,” Mr. Findlay said.

“I would like to state loud and clear that none of the stories published in the social media about me are true, they have been deliberately distorted in an attempt to gain followers. We ought to be mindful that such bad publicity and cyber bullying can happen to anyone and that such baseless rumors have the potential of destroying lives. To date, no shred of evidence to substantiate any of the allegations published has been brought forth. The recent story of money allegedly found at my residence with a police officer on the run and my having paid a bribe is all lies,” he said.

He said the respective authorities should correct the position by issuing a public statement to that effect, as this is not only affecting him as an individual, his family and reputation, but also the integrity of our Zambia Police Service worldwide.

#SmartEagles2021.

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTACKING PRESIDENT HICHILEMA FOR NOT GIVING THEM JOBS ARE BEING VERY UNFAIR AND UNREASONABLE-MWANAJITI.

Political Analyst and Human Rights Defender Ngande Mwanajiti says President Hakainde Hichilema has committed to bringing about sanity in Zambia’s governance journey.

In a statement this evening, 23rd October, 2021, Mr. Mwanajiti stressed the need for objective support to the Head of State because his appointments and Governance are on merit so far.

Mr. Mwanajiti said those castigating him should realize that this is a journey and a process which must be supported by all well meaning Zambians.

“A process necessarily weighs heavily on systems, which systems are operated by individuals.”

And Mr. Mwanajiti noted that it is a solemn duty and responsibility of all UPND supporters and any other, NOT to take away from the President through unfounded criticisms, some of which may border on the unfortunate challenge of an entitlement mentality.

He emphasized that appointments and disappointments are a preserve of the President and nobody else.

“It is impossible for the President or his or her delegates to ensure that every Zambian is employed by the Zambian government.”

“it is normal for anyone to criticise an appointment. It is important that in doing so, we move away from any emotion that takes away from reason and the core objective of President Hichilema.” he said

Below is the statement;

Appointments and Governance

President Hakainde Hichilema has committed to bringing about sanity in Zambia’s governance journey. He needs objective support, because this is what any President must do.

It is a journey. It is a process. A process necessarily weighs heavily on systems, which systems are operated by individuals.

It is a solemn duty and responsibility of all UPND supporters and any other, NOT to take away from the President through unfounded criticisms, some of which may border on the unfortunate challenge of an entitlement mentality.

I must emphasize that appointments and disappointments are a preserve of the President and nobody else. It is impossible for the President or his or her delegates to ensure that every Zambian is employed by the Zambian government.

It is normal for anyone to criticise an appointment. It is important that in doing so, we move away from any emotion that takes away from reason and the core objective of President Hichilema.

It is practically impossible for anybody to understand why any appointment has been made. We should as a people interrogate appointments through the lens of process and delivery accountability and not taking into account irrelevant considerations.

It is also important to accommodate the reality that the path that the UPND embarked from it’s day of formation has has had many observers and Actors. No single one did more than the other.

Let’s keep our eyes on the ball and pray for Zambia’s success.

It shall be well.

Ngande Mwanajiti
Political Analyst and Human Rights Defender.

Chipo Mwanawasa has not been appointed presidential aide for public policy

According to Statehouse sources Chipokota Mwanawasa has not been appointed presidential aide for public policy analysis as widely circulated on social media. But before we say more about this, here is a little bit about Mwanawasa.

Chipokota Mwanawasa is daughter to Zambia’s third republican president Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. A practicing lawyer, Mwanawasa also has an MBA in public policy. Mwanawasa first got publicly involved with the UPND in around 2015.

In the run-in to the 2016 general elections, Mwanawasa ran the ‘rock the vote’ UPND project targeted at the young vote. During this time she also worked for Dipak Patel who was Hakainde Hichilema’s campaign manager for the 2015 and 2016 elections. So clearly, Mwanawasa was involved and was working with the UPND way before Lillian Mutambo and the names Mutambo is throwing around. Simply put, Mwanawasa was UPND at a time when it was not very fashionable to be UPND.

After the 2016 election she got a job as a corporate lawyer as well as running her own entrepreneurship projects like ‘cattle bank’.

Fast forward to 2021, Mwanawasa found herself at Statehouse working on some project or other. Our sources suggest she is/was working on consultancy basis. A few days ago a story broke on a social media platform claiming that President Hakainde Hichilema had appointed Chipokota Mwanawasa as his aide for public policy analysis. Attached to the article were two pictures; one of Mwanawasa with President Hichilema and another of her with presidential aide for economics and development Jito Kaumba.

Before long the article had gone viral with congratulations pouring in. Some of Mwanawasa’s family and colleagues congratulated her in person which she received heartily. However, others were unhappy. Former Munali MP aspiring candidate Lilian Mutambo has led the charge of those not happy calling the alleged appointment as ‘utter rubbish’.

By the end of the day President Hichilema’s Facebook page and Twitter account announced the Chipo Mwanawasa ‘appointment’. But the following day the posts were deleted from both the President’s Facebook page and Twitter account without explanation. State media has not announced the ‘appointment’ thus far.

What is clear now is that there is no such appointment relating to Chipokota Mwanawasa at Statehouse. It is not clear who generated the initial story on social media. As to the ‘announcement’ on the HH pages, it is not clear if it’s mischief and misconduct on the part of Mwanawasa and her colleagues managing the pages or a mere cause of miscommunication.

Saboi Imboela
CHIPO MWANAWASA IS A GREAT APPOINTMENT- YOUNG, FOCUSSED AND INTELLIGENT WOMAN

The politician in me wanted to keep quiet and let the UPND be rebuked by its members so that they feel how others feel when their unruly cadres insult them all day and they are quiet as leaders. But the activist in me, can’t allow a person be rebuked for something people don’t know, and I keep quiet when I know the truth.

Some UPND members, especially new ones, may not know Chipo and look at her as having gotten that appointment because of her name but that is far from the truth.

I met Chipo in 2014/15 and she is certainly one of the most hard working, humble, focused and intelligent young people I met in the UPND. Chipo is very friendly and gets work done.

Despite having been the first child and literally grew up in the eyes of the Zambians as that cute, chubby little girl that was always with President Mwanawasa, she is very humble and can talk to the toughest thug on the street and the highest intellectual in an office, in a bid to convince them to vote for HH.

Chipo would even go to Chibolya to talk to the thugs there to get them to join UPND and I remember how she was the one that also convinced some notorious cadres, that would beat up UPND members in Chilenje, to join UPND. Parties have thugs and cadres and Chipo never feared to talk to any thug or cadre that was terrorising the UPND in many places including Chibolya, where some people in UPND have never even set foot.

I remember being added to a Strategy group of the UPND (and this is the first time I’m publicly speaking about this) because people in UPND need to understand that their party had both formal structures and informal or even secret ones where a number of people the party thought could contribute greatly to the strategies of the party would be assigned.

We were seven and I was the only female in the Strategy group, and being the gender activist that I am I complained about that. They challenged me to recommend someone and I recommended Chipo Mwanawasa and Dr. Munkombwe from South Africa and we ended up being the only 3 females in that group.

By the way, Dr. Mwananyanda who was appointed as the Projects and Implementation person at Statehouse by President HH was also part of this group and so was Mr. Clayson Hamasaka, the new Media Director at Statehouse. So I was laughing when I saw people criticise Dr. Mwananyanda’s appointment and ask where he was coming from because they have no idea what that man has done for their party. In other words, the advisers and people surrounding HH at statehouse right now have been some of his key advisers in the party all these years and most people didn’t know, because you are not supposed to know. But you have certainly benefited and enjoyed the results of their work and strategies.

In 2015, the UPND, as usual announced that they would not participate in that year’s women’s day celebrations. When that announcement was made, I called Chipo Mwanawasa and told her that we should convince the party to rescind its decision. We met the following day and agreed to go and meet the now Minister of Health hon. Masebo because we thought she was one of those women that would help us convince President HH to rescind the decision.

The UPND had just lost the elections to President Lungu in February and we believed that it was important to have many women march on that day, 8th March, just to show the public that the party was alive and kicking despite the election loss a month before. Our plan was to march over a thousand women.

We were challenged that the party didn’t have money and we got hon. Nkombo to organise some MPs to contribute to the budget and they did that. And we went to see the President at Community house, with the Lusaka province Chairlady and others and convinced him to give us chitenges. Mrs. Mwamba, the current Minister of Community Development also came in to help, especially with women from Munali, as she was an aspiring candidate there. We also made our own contributions and even though we only raised half the money we needed, we still went ahead with the event and made it very big. Thanks to Ruth Dante and many women that made it a huge success.

To cut the long story short, the UPND had the biggest Women’s Day celebrations in 2015 that has never happened before or after that and Chipo Mwanawasa and I were the people behind that. Then many other things, and especially mobilisation programmes to just get anyone and everyone join the UPND unlike where people would choose what sort of people should join the party.

SO to Chipo Mwanawasa, as a young female, who is not just qualified, passionate and hard working, but also quick to learn where you need to, I know that the president made the right decision to appoint you. Some people may not know what you have done for the party, but they have felt some of the strategies you have had to implement. I know you will do a great job and may God bless you and give you more wisdom and strength as you settle in your new role. Do not be destructed and feel belittled and insulted that it’s your name that got you there, because anyone who has worked with you knows that it is your hard work, intelligence and determination that has got you this appointment and not your father’s or mother’s name. Because despite having that, if you were not the kind of woman that you are, HH would have certainly not appointed you. YOU HAVE EARNED THIS and a BIG Congratulations to you young woman of substance. So proud of you.

By Isaac Mwanza

Introduction

The audio recording which has been circulating on social media in recent days, detailing how the decision by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to prosecute former Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya was arrived at, must be of grave concern to everyone who believes in the rule of law and brings into question the independence of the Anti-Corruption Commission which, together with the Drug Enforcement and other Commissions, are key governance institutions in the fight against corruption as well as in curbing financial and economic crimes.

Going by the content of the now notorious audio recording of a senior staff meeting of the ACC, it is clear that there is now a serious crisis of confidence both at the Commission itself and in the nation at large. We need to examine the circumstances which have given rise to this crisis of confidence.

So, what has led to the ACC being in the position where it has found itself now, with the leaked audio recording?

1. Lack of autonomy by the ACC

The Anti Corruption Commission has failed to achieve the required autonomy from those who surround the political leadership under whom the ACC has been placed. The quest to grant the ACC an autonomous status – not just in word but in deed – seems to be eluding Zambia once again as the new administration of President Hakainde Hichilema has just copied and continue to implement the same style of previous regimes of putting the ACC under the office of the President.

Between 1995 and 2010, I did a lot of work with the Anti Corruption Commission. This period spans from my high school days, through to my work in civil society. All along, the focus by civil society and the ACC itself, was to seek the autonomy of the Commission.

In 1996, the MMD government of President Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba, made strides to give the ACC some form of functional independence when they repealed the Corrupt Practices Act No. 14 of 1980 which made the Commission subject to the control of the President. Section 5 of the then new 1996 Anti-Corruption Commission Act (now repealed) read:

“5. The Commission shall not, in the performance of its duties, be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority.”

Did this give the Commission the independence it required? The direction, in terms of how the ACC was to carry out the tasks under the Act, were still made by the President in accordance with the then Section 63 of the Act. It is only true that members of the public, apart from MMD members, never believed President Chiluba when he said that his administration was not going to interfere with the operations of the ACC, despite it being placed under his office.

In 2012, the Patriotic Front (PF) government under President Michael Chilufya Sata, retained the functional independence of the Commission and went one step further to delink the Commission from the President by amending the Act so that the President would no longer make regulations for the Commission, and allowed the Commission itself do that.

In 2016, the PF government under the 6th President of Zambia, Edgar Chagwa Lungu took an early step to entrench the Commission’s autonomy by way of a Constitutional amendment which not only recognised the ACC as a creation of the Constitution, reaffirming that, like other Commissions, would not to be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority but also proclaimed its independence status.

Indeed, the new provision in the Constitution as amended in 2006 now combines the institutional independence of the Commission with the functional independence it has always been vested with since 1996. Article 216 of the Constitution now reads:

“216(b). A commission shall be independent and not subject to the control of a person or an authority in the performance of its functions.”

The question can still be asked whether the Commission could have been said to have finally gained the long-fought for institutional independence under the 10 years of the PF rule.

Although numerous pronouncents were made by the Republican President and his administration that the ACC was to function independently, the latest recording of the Director General and her staff, speaks volumes about what happens behind closed doors when the Commission is placed under another office. During the PF reign, the ACC was under the Office of the President and many pronouncements, as are being made today, were made that the ACC has an autonomous status.

2. The ACC under the New Dawn Administration

The newly elected President, Hakainde Hichilema, appeared not to have had a plan on how to free these institutions and truly make them autonomous and separate from his office. Like his predecessors, he prides himself by placing the Anti Corruption Commission under his office and offering the same promise offered by his predecessors about the independence of these institutions.

I watched with much sadness how Mr. Hichilema’s Vice President, Mrs. Mutale Nalumango, energetically responded in Parliament that her new Dawn Administration has just placed the ACC where the outgoing PF administration had left it, and gave the same promise we have been hearing, from President Chiluba to President Lungu. When you think that you have heard something different, the change remains the same.

At the rate this administration is going, of doing the same thing and saying the same words previous administration have said about the Anti Corruption Commission, the similar scandals such as the one which exposed how Dr. Chitalu Chilufya was to subjected to persecution using the ACC, will continue behind the ACC boardroom doors. The Anti-Corruption Commission should not be independent because our politicians say so, but should be independent because that is what the Constitution and to the law, demand.

3. Immunity of the ACC Director-General

Lastly, let me comment on the immunity enjoyed by the ACC Director General and officers in light of the exposé we have been listening to these past few days.

Section 17 of the ACC Act states:

“17. (1) No proceedings, civil or criminal, shall lie against the Director-General, Deputy Director-General, Directors, Secretary, an officer or member of staff of the Commission for anything done in good faith in the exercise of the officer’s or member of staff’s functions under this Act.”

Although this sounds like blanket immunity enjoyed by the Director General and ACC staff, the immunity is only for anything done in good faith. The leaked audio now confirms what the ACC investigation officer told the Court about the cases involving Dr. Chilufya; that he found nothing wrong with the acquisitions Dr. Chitalu Chilufya had and his investigation had yielded nothing. Indeed, the good doctor’s prosecution was motivated by malice with full knowledge by the then Acting Director General that she was protected by the immunity conferred by this provision in the Act.

The recent happenings should be a call on Parliament to refine the ACC Act by making provisions with regard to instances in which the immunity of the Director General can be removed, so that they can be answerable for things done in bad faith. If our country was able to remove the immunity of former Presidents a number of times, why shouldn’t the law also provide for removal of immunity of other constitutional office holders as well as the staff of various Commissions so that they can be held to account for acts which can be proved to have been done in bad faith and therefore constitute an abuse of the office or power of the Commission.

Conclusion

It is important, and urgent, that the three arms of government should take steps to restore our country’s confidence in our institutions of governance, particularly in the area of law enforcement. The Executive, under President Hichilema must let go of the Anti Corruption Commission and allow it to operate independently, and not placed under his office as was done in the past and continues to be done under Mr Hichilema’s administration. The Judiciary has a duty to protect the institutional and financial independence won by Commissions such as ACC in addition to the functional independence it has always had. If nothing change under the new dawn administration and the ACC independence remains at the word of mouth coming from these politicians, which we have heard from all regimes, the ACC will remain in its current weak and compromised position used as a tool to prosecute political opponents, as was done to Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, by those who are closely connected to give some instructions behind closed doors.

The Author is the Center Director at the Center for Constitutionalism and Legal Justice in Zambia

Harry Kalaba
Happy Independence Day

Country Men and Women, Ladies and gentlemen,

Today October 24, 2021 marks Zambia’s 57 years of Independence. Like the many Independence Days in the past, this is a day when Zambians from all walks of life come together to celebrate the country’s attainment of its political freedom from the colonial master.

This year’s Independence Day is particularly special in the sense that it is the first independence celebration following the change of government from PF to UPND. The change in government followed the hardships that people suffered under the PF and were collectively allured by the UPND’s promise for better jobs, increased salaries for civil servants, recruitment for the unemployed youth, reduced cost of agriculture input, lower fuel prices, lower exchange rates, addressing corruption, putting an end to political violence and cadrerism among other reasons.

This celebration should therefore save as a reminder to the new government that the needs of the people are yet to be addressed. While we celebrate this important day on the country’s calendar, we should not forget the hardships that many Zambians are going through. 57 years of independence and yet the bulk of the people are still wallowing in abject poverty and can barely afford one meal a day. The price of essential commodities still remains prohibitively high for most Zambians. The country still remains polarized and defined by tribal inclination and patronage.

While we are alive to the fact that the story of Zambia’s independence was written with the blood of those who sacrificed their all through Cha Cha Cha, by the donations of livestock to fund the liberation struggle by those who saw it fit to change the status quo and by the tenacity of those who stood for the truth without betraying the trust and confidence of the masses that were calling for black majority rule. This independence should therefore should not be taken for granted and any well-meaning leader must do their utmost best to ensure that the nation remains united.

I remain resolved in m y mind and heart that, that which unites us as a nation is greater than that which seeks to divide us. We should therefore make a commitment to look at the good in each other and ensure that we work towards creating harmony for the good of the nation. The DP is committed to foster unity and prevail over every divisive individual and parties that are keen on dividing the nation. We remain committed to our One Zambia One Nation motto and beyond that, we are calling upon each citizen to set aside their personal differences on this day and seek to create peace for the good of the nation.

On this 57th Anniversary, we would to remind the leadership of the need to guarantee People’s rights and freedom of movement. We also are looking to see the Public Order Act revised in line with the commitments that the Republican President made during his inaugural opening of the National Assembly.

I want to reassure the Zambian people that the DP will continue to play its role of providing checks and balances to the government of the day and our engagement will be measured and accretive. For those who feel embattled and left out, be assured that you have an ally in the DP and together we will raise the standard of this nation. Happy 57th Anniversary Zambia!!!

God Bless You and God Bless Zambia

Let’s Believe Again!!!

Harry Kalaba
DP President

·
Letter to the editor

ANXIETY ABOUT APPOINTMENTS IN THE NEW DAWN GOVERNMENT BY UPND MEMBERS

By Anonymous

October 23, 2021

There has been a lot of anxiety and apprehension over delayed appointments to the New Dawn government by members of the UPND together with its Alliance Partners. This has led to some members who feel they deserve a token of appreciation for their contribution to the August 12 elections victory to utilize unorthodox means to lobby for appointment as well as secure appointments.

This unfortunate situation has created a level of apprehension among ordinary members and members of the party support base; however, I would like to urge members of the UPND, its Alliance Partners as well as ordinary party members to exercise patience and allow the president conclude this process without lobbying and using unorthodox means to secure appointments.

I can assure you that the president is fully aware and appreciates people’s contributions to this victory because this victory could not be attained by any one individual but was a result of collective efforts by so many people including some we may never know of or hear of the roles they played to guarantee this victory. It is for this reason that we must all strive to support the president in his appointments even when it may appear as though some of his appointments are individuals we may not know of or be aware of their contributions to the victory.

Lastly but not the least, I want to urge those of you who are highly expectant of being appointed to government at whatever level that as the president keeps on reminding you to search your souls not only on account of potential financial abuse but also out of a realization of the serious task of rebuilding the country which lies ahead. This task will require dedication, hard work, passion and patriotism to the nation. The burden you will be carrying is so huge that if you don’t search your souls, reflect and ensure that you are prepared for the work that you are supposed to do, you will be doing a great disservice to the people of Zambia who are highly expectant of a speedy turnaround of our country’s economic fortunes. Bally’s government will not be business as usual.-Munati Television