ZAMBIANS are not interested in being fooled and taken for jolly rides by the government on matters that affect them, says Fr Richard Luonde.

Fr Luonde in an interview said the suggested commission of inquiry into the gassing incidents would be a waste of the already scarce resources.

“Setting up a commission of inquiry to inquire into the gassing that has taken place in some parts of our land will be a shear waste of money and a way of running away from telling the Zambians what truly transpired. People were being gassed and taken to hospital where they were examined and later discharged but we were not told the type of chemicals that were being used in that gassing. Is this commission of inquiry going to go back to the people who were being gassed and find out how that happened? That will not work,” Fr Luonde said.

“How many commissions of inquiries have we had as Zambians and what has come out of them? Zero. We are no longer interested in being fooled as Zambians. We have had enough of being taken as docile people and being taken for granted as people who cannot learn and come to know the truth.”

He called on the security wings to enhance investigations into the gassing incidences.

“These people who are doing these criminal and unChristian acts of gassing people, some of them have been arrested. Let the security wings concentrate on those who have been arrested so that at the end of it they can be able to reveal what exactly happened. They will reveal who their senders, their funders are, that will be inquiry enough. Let the money go to the security wings,” Fr Luonde said. “The commissioners who are going to be appointed are simply going there to make money. Some of them are even celebrating saying ‘here comes money again’. We are tired, the Zambian economy is limping. People are starving, all they need is the growth of the economy, not setting up of commissions of inquiry which have yielded nothing in our land. What has happened to Zambia in terms of criminality has never happened before since independence.”

He charged that something was wrong in the country which was making people abuse each other.

“Today, fellow Zambians are trying to mistreat, ill-treat their own citizens, then something must be wrong and this thing that is wrong must be addressed head on. We don’t need any commission of inquiry,” Fr Luonde said.

“I’m appealing to the Head of State [Edgar Lungu] not to go ahead with appointing the commission of inquiry into gassing, it will be a shear waste of time. Let the investigative wings get to the ground. Most of the people are already in detention, why appoint a commission of inquiry?”

He said Zambians could not easily forget the gassing incidents because: “it has happened for the first time in the history of Zambia and we must be serious on how we handle this. If people have been arrested, let those people give information to the investigative wings then Zambia will come to know the truth.”

Fr Luonde said the economy was collapsing.

“Let us be restrictive in the usage of the little money that we are remaining with after paying huge loans. Let us use it on the good of our nation and to the development of our nation, not appointing commissions,” said Fr Luonde.

After months of hush, except his Facebook and off-the-cuff airport runway remarks on gassing, President Lungu used Parliament on Friday to tell perpetrators of the vice that they will be “crushed and buried.”

The occasion was the President’s address to the National Assembly on progress made in the application of national values and principles, as per Article 9 (2) of the 2016 amended Republican Constitution.

“As Commander-In-Chief of the defence forces and Head of State and government, I want to promise Zambians that the enemies of our people will be crushed and buried. To this effect, I’m seriously considering constituting a Commission of Inquiry to get to the bottom of these gassing attacks,” President Lungu said, with his voice drowned with applause from his think-alike in the House. “Be rest assured that all the culprits will be brought to book, regardless of their standing in society. The enemy will surely be defeated and life will return to normal for our people, sooner rather than later.”

[By Mast Correspondents]

THE government’s decision to engage Ethiopian Airline to relaunch the national airline will cost Zambia a whopping US$700,000 (10.3 million kwacha) a month in plane charges, a well-placed government source has revealed.

The government is facing intense criticism over the decision. Opposition is focused on the business plan, while there are dark mutterings in political circles that corruption is driving the deal.

A senior member of the ruling Patriotic Front’s (PF) central committee questioned how the project was pushed through without consulting the party’s top structures.

There are also allegations that the Civil Aviation Authority is coming under pressure from the government to issue an operator’s certificate before legally required processes have been completed.

It is understood that an initial investment of US$30 million is required to launch the airline under a joint venture agreement that will see Zambia holding 55 per cent through the country’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Ethiopian Airways holding the balance of the shares.

Opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader, Harry Kalaba accused government of getting money from the state mining investment company, the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM – IH) to set up the airline.
He made the claims when he featured on Radio Phoenix in January this year.

Kalaba, who served as foreign affairs minister and resigned his position due to alleged corruption in government, claimed that the deal with Ethiopia cannot be reversed because kickbacks have already exchanged hands.

Ethiopian Airline has not responded to an emailed query asking them to answer to accusations of selling a deal to government that is not in Zambia’s interest.

Former employees of Zambia Airways who formed a company called Zambian AirWorks believe that the best approach is a Public Private Partnership anchored on funding from private sources, either local or foreign.

“During the past 30 years, most of the world, including Zambia, has learnt the folly of government-owned airlines,” said Captain Alick Sakala, one of the founders of Zambian AirWorks.

Addressing the parliamentary committee on transport in 2018, Sakala said: “We propose a private sector and market-driven airline. The IDC could play a part in sourcing investment either locally or [abroad].”

In 2016, at his first press conference as president, Edgar Lungu “deferred” the formation of the airline “until such a time as the economy is able to afford the high establishment costs”.

Economic indicators show that the country is in a worse state now.

According to the African Development Bank, public debt has rapidly increased to 80 per cent of GDP at the end of last year from 35 per cent at the end of 2014. Rising inflation is expected to reach 9 per cent in 2020-21, pushed by large exchange rate depreciations and food price increases.

Zambia’s rolling electricity blackouts, lasting up to 18 hours a day are a further challenge to this huge project. The country is unable to import power to cushion the economy.

Another sign of the faltering economy is the government’s failure to honour a contract with the Russian government for the supply of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft in the VIP version. The two countries also discussed the supply of four more SSJ 100s.

Russia’s industry and trade minister, Denis Manturov, said at the Russia-Africa Forum that the decision to cancel the deal “was because Zambia does not have enough funds to finance the contract”.

The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD), an economic think-tank, argues that using state funds to launch the airline will increase government’s financial burdens.

Research by the centre contends that the agreement should be harmonised with Ethiopian Airlines Vision 2025 agenda, which would mean operating the airline as a regional carrier, at least in its early stages.

A senior member of the PF’s central committee, who asked not to be named, complained that the relaunch of the national carrier on the current terms “stinks of corruption”.

“The matter has never been discussed in the committee’s meetings,” he added. “It was on the agenda of one of our meetings in 2018 but the president (Lungu) merely informed us about the decision to partner with Ethiopia.”

Asked another ruling party source: “Why is government insisting on spending taxpayers’ money on the airline when there are private people who are willing to invest in it?”

An insider familiar with the agreement revealed that Zambia will be paying Ethiopian Airline more than US$700,000 per month for the lease of planes. That figure does not include expenses such as insurance and maintenance fees.

A source at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) complained that officials looking into certification were coming under pressure from top government figures and the airline’s CEO, who seemed to have a direct line to State House.

“It is our legal mandate to ensure that we do our professional work,” said a source. “But there is pressure from some top government officials who want us to ignore certain procedures and hand out the certificate quickly.”

Speaking recently on a local radio station, Mutotwe Kafwaya, the Minister of Transport and Communication, insisted that “no money will come from the treasury”.

“The IDC looks after parastatals, it’s a quasi [quasi-government institution] so I don’t know why that’s not a good enough model,” said Kafwaya. “It’s not drawing money from the treasury, so keep the treasury away from the conversation ….”

Despite continuing uncertainties, the groundwork has mostly been done.
The board, led by senior lawyer Bonaventure Mutale, Zambia’s former Attorney General, is in place.

The chief executive officer, Bruk Endeshaw Abebe, was appointed early last year. Abebe was Ethiopian Airline’s sales and services director for the southern region.

Endershaw was recently quoted in one of the local dailies saying Zambia Airways would operate eight aircraft – three Bombardier Q-400, two Boeing 737-800, and three Boeing 787-800.

However, former transport minister Brian Mushimba said in Parliament in 2018 that the airline “will start with three planes that are going to service a few regional and domestic routes”.

Mushimba did not specify the type of planes but added that at full capacity, the airline will employ about 500 people.

Sakala favours planes that have been operated in Zambia before as “it will reduce the cost significantly”.

He said Zambia Airways once operated Boeing and ATR aircraft, and the country still has expertise in maintaining and flying these planes.

“This makes it possible for the airline to put together a maintenance organisation,” he said. “In addition, both pilots and maintenance engineers could be sourced from the diaspora where they relocated after the closure of the airline.”

The IDC did not respond to an emailed query asking about the airline’s startup capital and who is paying Endeshaw’s salary.

One source claimed Endeshaw is on a gigantic monthly salary, despite the airline not yet being operational. He was contacted for comment and but did not answer repeated calls and a text message.

The airline is not yet listed in the portfolio of state-owned companies on the IDC website. When the board appointed Endeshaw in February last year, it directed him to target the launch of the airline for the third quarter of 2019.

The national airline has been a flagship project for the ruling Patriotic Front since it first formed government in 2011.

The first technical committee appointed in 2013 to oversee the project worked with experts from ZA to draw up a business plan and make recommendations on which aircraft to purchase.

The first committee recommended buying an ATR 42- 600 for domestic routes which would then feed into the Boeing 737 – 700 or 800 for regional routes.
The idea then was to open the intercontinental route after two years of domestic and regional operation. The Boeing 777 Dreamliner was earmarked for intercontinental routes.

The government ignored the plan.

The project was plagued with challenges from the outset, ranging from where to source the planes to interference from government officials.

There have also been loud calls for the government to make public the findings of the liquidator’s report on the defunct Zambia Airways before another airline is launched. There are major questions over how Zambia Airways’ assets were managed after it closed in 1994.

“ZA had assets in New York, London and many other places around the world,” said one former employee. “We want to know what happened to them, because we are told that some senior government officials benefited.”

Zambia has joined Malawi by buying into Ethiopian Airlines’ strategy of expanding its Bole base to include important geographical hubs.

In 2013, the airline acquired a 49 per cent stake in newly founded Malawi Airlines, based in Lilongwe.

However, in 2017 Malawian MPs questioned the partnership between the airline and its Ethiopian counterpart, saying it was not beneficial to the country.

They demanded a report from President Peter Mutharika’s government on how much Malawi had benefited from the partnership.

In 2010, Ethiopian Airlines helped to establish Asky Airlines in Lomé, Togo. Further investments were made in Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines and Tchadia Airlines in Chad.

Ethiopian Airlines drew up a 15-year strategic plan called “Vision 2025“ to make the airline the leading aviation group in Africa in eight areas: regional, international, freight, maintenance and repair operations, an aviation academy, board catering, ground operations and airport enterprise.

The targets are ambitious: by the year 2025 the airline plans to have an annual turnover of US$10-billion, a fleet of 120 aircraft and 90 international destinations.

A FORMER aide of late president Levy Mwanawasa says Zambians should not imagine the PF winning the 2021 election because it will be a disaster and the end of this country.

Jack Kalala said Zambia would get worse because the PF had failed to run the country since taking power in 2011.

“There is no capacity in PF. They have been there for nine years and failed to transform this country. It is the same people who are going to sit there and stealing with the notion of, uubomba mwibala alya mwibala and their violent behaviour. That is what they will continue doing,” Kalala said in an interview.

He observed that already there was a lot of discontent and that if PF wins in 2021, the same discontent would continue increasing.

“In 2022, the bonds will come up and the nation will be coming out of an election in 2021 which will consume a lot of money. Where is the money going to come from to facilitate for these bonds? The nation is going to default if Zambia continues under the current regime,” Kalala said. “[former Bank of Zambia governor] Caleb Fundanga predicted in 2011 and once Zambia defaults, everything will be due now and everyone will start saying ‘pay us’. Currently, citizens are struggling. What will happen to them if Zambia becomes bankrupt?”

He recalled that the PF created the Industrial Development Corporation whose purpose was to create new industries in the country.

“What are they doing now? They are putting existing companies and eating money from them instead of creating new industries for Zambians. To them, what matters most is their belly. KCM, they have taken it over. Is there anything good coming out of KCM since they took over? It is being run down,” Kalala said. “By the time we reach 2021, KCM will be a shell. And yet Zambians were told after two to three months they are going to find an investor for this company. The Vedanta guys are smiling because they know that they are going to get money out of that mistake.”

Kalala urged Zambians to wake up because time was running out and that if not careful, the country would go into an abyss under the current regime.

“My advice to Zambians is that for the interest of this country and prosperity we should get a capable leader who should take over in 2021 and sort out the mess that the PF has created in the country,” he said.
Kalala said voting out the PF would be good for the country.

“PF has run out of ideas and they have now resorted to dividing the nation, full of lies saying that Zambians cannot vote for a particular tribe,” said Kalala. “That is not leadership and Zambians should not tolerate and accept that. Even the educated who are in PF are behaving like they are not educated. There is no hope for PF to transform this nation. I love this country and Zambians who love this country too should think about changing the current leadership that has continued abusing the poor Zambians.”

A CONCERNED citizen has challenged people of Eastern Province not to vote on tribal lines in the 2021 general election.

Kapoche PF member of parliament and local government minister Charles Banda recently asked people of Eastern Province to re-elect President Edgar Lungu next year and not lose him like they did Rupiah Banda.

Kingfrey Musaka said the province could not develop because of such mentality.

“Eastern is the least developed province in Zambia because they have been voting for their tribesmen who, after coming to power, took things for granted,” he said. “My fellow Zambians in Eastern Province, stop doing business with family, you will always be broke. I challenge you to exercise patriotism and show Mr Banda that we are One Zambia, One Nation by voting for a Zambian, not restricting candidates to family.”

Musaka appealed to Easterners to try voting for other tribes and see if they would not deliver to them compared to their kinsmen.

“Try visitors and see if they will fail you like your kinsmen. Come 2021 our voting will be based on merit and not tribal relations. If you want to be re-elected then deliver your promises,” Musaka said.

Musaka asked Dr Banda why people should be patient with PF amidst continued hardships.

“Dr Banda, you want people to be patient, seriously? How are they going to be patient when even a simple illness can be interpreted as fatal due to lack of drugs in clinics? How can they be patient when they chase dogs from eating from their plates but still end up drinking with dogs?” he asked. “How can they be patient when they trusted you to help them, instead you neglect them only to come back because you have now checked your time and it’s showing 04:30 AM; soon it will be dawn on your election calendar?”

He said Dr Banda’s statement was divisive to the country.

Munsaka said Dr Banda should instead help unite the country as a leader.

“Dr Banda, in your attempt to sell yourself for re-election in 2021, remember to tell people the truth as in chichewa they say ‘ukanama boza sikucedwa kuca’. During your campaigns you promised a lot of things that are not being delivered and now that the day is almost breaking on you, you are now turning into an opportunistic vulture who is waiting to use all available disorder to paint the opposition black,” said Musaka. “You are promoting tribalism, Dr Banda. Your statement has no trace of national unity in it at all. Our freedom fighters spent sleepless nights trying to build this nation by promoting One Zambia, One Nation, whose effects are still felt now.”

ANDREW Banda says when a Head of State does not stamp his authority on his political party, cadres takeover.
And Andrew wonders why ‘small boys’ can hold the country hostage.

In an interview, Andrew said PF cadres had been conducting themselves in a violent manner for a very wrong time.

“When a Head of State does not stamp his authority on his country or his political party, cadres takeover, cadres take advantage and in this case they seem to have taken advantage. You know what happened in

Shiwang’andu where PF cadres under a command of senior government official almost brought down a chopper carrying UPND officials? You know what happened in Ndola where a group of heavily armed cadres besieged Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe airport when Miles Sampa went to launch his party? Nobody did anything about that,” he said.

“In Sesheke, PF cadres were stationed there for a month to intimidate voters. In Kaoma, a UPND member was killed, nothing has happened up to now. Recently, at Inter-continental Hotel, with CCTV cameras, well known people who were visible went and besieged and held hostage eminent lawyers, all the best legal brains in this country for over 30 minutes, which is a very serious crime; up to date there has been no arrest at all. I can cite another example among many others where Harry Kalaba was in Petauke when known PF cadres chased him out of there and fired gunshots but no arrests were made. The police can’t do anything because they are scared of losing their jobs as was the case in Sesheke,” he said.

Andrew said the PF cadres have been conducting themselves in a violent manner for the past eight years and they now feel untouchable.

“The biggest problem is that the powers that be have allowed this and it is now getting out of control. Now my appeal before it gets late, my appeal to President Edgar Lungu is, let him stamp his constitutional powers to ensure that these people are arrested, prosecuted and face the consequences of what they are doing,” he said.
Andrew said people were still waiting for President Lungu to address the nation, not Parliament, on what had been happening in the last two months.

“I think it is only fair that an independent investigations team, after all we are members of the commonwealth, like Scotland Yard, where possible even FBI, can be brought in to investigate this gassing issue since the police have failed. Let independent investigation bodies investigate and let us know who was behind this. It won’t help if we just let it die like that. If we let it die like that, there is every chance that it will re-occur, there is every possibility that it will come back again if those that are involved are not exposed. This issue must not be taken lightly, many lives have been lost something that we have never experienced before in this country,” he said.

Andrew commended the Zambia Army for bringing a volatile situation to almost normalcy.

“Off course, for the police, I know at low level they have also tried their best under very difficult circumstances but I have a problem with the police command; how have they failed to come up with
who was behind this gassing, whose resultant effects were mob justice in some cases on innocent people because the citizenry just lost confidence in the police. In a normal situation, the command should have stepped down because people have simply lost confidence in them,” he said.

On Spax, Andrew said the young man seem to be very close to the powers that be as shown by a couple of pictures.

“Now coming to this young man whom they say has been arrested, warned and cautioned for murder and other charges leveled against him. And this same young man seems to be very close to the powers that be as
pictures show he is at State function, sometimes wearing military fatigue, which is actually illegal. In some pictures, he is seen carrying powerful guns that look like M16 which is an American assault rifle, where did he get that weapon?” he asked.

Andrew wondered why young people like Spax could hold Zambia to ransom.

“How is it possible for the whole Zambia to be held to ransom by young men? How is it possible? Holding the country to hostage with impunity, somebody is condoning that! They were condoning tribalism, corruption and now look at where the country has ended up because of not listening! Exactly like in the economy, they were advised that if you borrow too much, this will happen. Where Zambia has found itself is a mess and it is irreversible. If we are not careful we’ll be ruled by these boys but I believe that the Almighty God will prevail,” said Andrew.

GUY Scott says it does not make sense that there is so much corruption without anyone being convicted for the vice.

And Dr Scott revealed that government has refused to pay him for the 90 days he acted as Republican President following the death of incumbent Michael Sata.

He also says conditions were suitable for civil unrest if he hadn’t managed the situation properly in the December 2014 PF convention in Kabwe that ushered in Lungu as the party’s presidential candidate.

In an interview when he visited The Mast, the former vice-president wondered what the role of government control systems was and that of investigative wings.

“Somebody spends a million dollars on a fire engine, he’s not given any case. And things are not even put in front of the court. Have you heard somebody being asked about that? No. There’s so much that has to be gotten to the bottom. It’s a complicated area,” he said on Tuesday.

“…We hear stories of corruption, that somebody has stolen the money; and yet there’re controls. But where are they? I’m asking because if somebody says we run a government in transparency, how much do we know? How many people follow that? I see in newspapers, a story headline on corruption and another on gassing. You’ve caught people, who have you caught? It’s just worth getting the figures, that’s all.”

Dr Scott questioned frequent acquittals of corruption suspects amidst overwhelming evidence.

“There was a story in your paper recently about three days ago. And it said that there was somebody who had stolen. And then there were three who were acquitted,” Dr Scott said. “But that’s bad if nobody is there to stand at the door or state that this is bad. I don’t know, I don’t know how government administration works because I’m a politician. But, presumably, these guys who run around in the Ministry of Finance putting controls and all such things, why don’t they find out?”

And Dr Scott disclosed that President Edgar Lungu’s administration refused to recognize the period he acted as President and pay him for it.

“And we’ve got an interesting situation in Parliament. They refused to pay me for [the period] when I was Acting President. For 90 days I was answering questions on the floor,” he said. “I went to get my extra malipilo (wages) and some smart guy in the Ministry [of Finance] sent me a letter saying, but you weren’t acting as the President, and definitely you don’t get that increment. And I said, excuse me! I mean, nobody asked him for his opinion.”

Meanwhile, Dr Scott reflected on the December 2014 PF convention in Kabwe that ushered in Lungu as the party’s presidential candidate.

He said the conditions were suitable for civil unrest if there was no proper management of the situation.

“When I had 6,000 people in Kabwe after facing some people who wanted to vote for PF and everything else, we had had 6,000 people. Now if I hadn’t allowed any guns at all, if I’d said no guns, you’ll have had the conditions for civil unrest. We saw what they did, without the guns it would have been very difficult. But no one says is that a truthful account,” said Dr Scott. “And every morning I’m eager to look and see what I’d stolen, where I put it and so forth. But I can’t find anything, so I can’t even get an ice cream. But that doesn’t mean anything if you are not saying to me that I’ve stolen some money. What good is it to me or to the people? Very strange.”

Dr Scott also said he is glad that old politicians like Dr Boniface Kawimbe and Ernest Mwansa found time to visit him.

A GROUP of ruling PF supporters has vowed not to move out of a piece of land which has a title registered in the names of Lands and Natural Resources minister Jean Kapata claiming it is their share.

The group led by Joseph Lungo has accused Kapata of being selfish and using her position to grab the land from them using officials who they say they will expose if pushed too far.

In an interview, Lungo, backed by others who are equally vowing to be killed if all goes to the worst, asked President Edgar Lungu to intervene in the matter before it gets out of hand.

“I stand here and complain about what has happened in the Forest 27. We are the ones that initiated the degazettion of Forest 27, we wrote an appointment letter to honourable Jean Kapata and on 23rd February 2017, she wrote to the commissioner of lands to look into the matter,” Lungo said.

“The commissioner quickly guided us. We even have the letters we wrote. Mr George Sindila is the one who responded to us for the commissioner. We went and saw the surveyor general before going to the council and he wrote a recommendation for cancellation of lot 6497/M situated in Forest 27 Lusaka East.”

“After this letter which we took to the council, and the procedure was followed until we took the document back to the ministry, we reached the extent degazettion of Forest 27. 64 hectors which is just part of it was degazzeted and they divided the land into 110 plots and we were asked to submit names of the people we were working with which we did but they shared all the plots.”

Lungo said his group was then advised to have a concise list.

“Honourable Jean Kapata had a list of 30 people who she shared the plots with. We went back to Mr. Sindila. We were told our list was too long and we adjusted it and waited for the way forward but we discovered all the plots were all gone. When we asked, we were told it’s national interest. But what is surprising about this national interest is that while these national interest guys did not apply for this land. They only came in after he had secured the land,” he says.

“The President is the one who asked us to look for land and follow procedure in acquiring it but that wasn’t the case. We went back to the lands commissioner who advised us that we should look for alternative means to resolve the matter which we failed to find. We wrote another complaint letter to the commissioner and copied it to the President so that maybe we could be heard and the minister Jean Kapata can have mercy on us but we suspect that letter was blocked and the President never saw it.”

Lungo said his team applied to the commissioner to be allocated the market space but they were duped.
“When we saw that there was no way out, we decided that since there is land left for a market, maybe they could allocate us part of the land but to our surprise, even the same land, they allocated to themselves and when we checked, the land had been put under the name Jean Kapata and a title deed had been issued,” he adds.

“We wondered what kind of a parent we had been complaining to because instead of helping us, she got the land herself. The whole three hectors she got. This is selfishness and she used her position to get the land which we found and fought for.”

The group accused Kapata of harming the party and trying to make it tough for them to win elections next year.

“We vow that we will not give up on this land. If she wants, let her come and kill us. We have since come onto the land and started developing it. We have no other properties like her, she is just being selfish,” Lungo charged.

“We have seen that she is in that office to help herself, she is not there to help the people, she is only aiming at destroying the reputation of the PF party and the President because this party is ours, we are the ones who vote people into and out of positions and time is coming. She has been sending police officers o harass us for the past five days. We want the President to hear us because this woman is not helping in any way because she is decampaigning the party with her actions ahead of 2021.”

Lungo said: “we know the people they used to do all these deals. They should not force us to disclose a lot of things. Even those who want to come and bring down our structures, please follow the procedure, the thief who has stolen land from us is the one crying foul and going to the police.”

But when contacted for a comment, Kapata cut the line when this reporter introduced himself as a Mast Newspapers journalist.

After being phoned again, Kapata asked what the problem was before saying she did not have any comment after this reporter introduced himself.

Reporter: Afternoon madam minister, my name is Tobias…
Kapata: Tobias from where?

Reporter: Tobias from The Mast Newspaper
Kapata: Tobias, what is your problem?

Reporter: I have a story which I need your comment on.
Kapata: What is the story?

Reporter: the story is about some people who claim you have duped them in Forest 27.
Kapata: I have no comment to make. I have no comment to make. No. I have no comment to make because I don’t give land myself. I have no comment to make.

Reporter: They say you used your position to get that land and dupe them.
Kapata: I have told you, I have no comment. Thank you very much.

CHIEF Hamusonde (r) says President Edgar Lungu and other PF leaders will remember The Post once out of power.

He warned President Lungu that unless The Mast will give him space, the State media will just feast on him or any of his ministers.

Hamusonde asked President Lungu’s government to pay Post Newspaper (in liquidation) employees “since you have already sold all company assets”.

He said President Lungu and all PF leaders will remember The Post once they are out of office as it was the only voice of those oppressed by government.

Hamusonde of Bweengwa, west of Monze, said President Lungu was quick to close and place the newspaper under liquidation but has since gone silent after striping its assets through the liquidator Lewis Mosho.

“I feel for all the ex-employees of once Zambia’s or Africa’s leading newspaper, The Post. They have and continue suffering untold misery after being sent onto the street by President Lungu. The man has since not even mentioned anything over the workers despite Mr Mosho who is an agent of the government having sold all that was built as a leading media empire. Even his Minister of Information (Dora Siliya) is mute over the matter,” he said. “The nation would be interested to know how the proceeds of the liquidation have been utilised. If this silence continues, we are only left to speculate that the funds have been looted. So my appeal is that the liquidator must pay all the workers their dues. I did see adverts over the call to ex-employees of the paper to provide certain documentation but all is now quiet.”

Hamusonde advised President Lungu to tell the nation what transpired to The Post as he was quick to send in Zambia Revenue Authority and policemen to the newspaper’s headquarters on Bwinjimfumu Road and to Dr Fred M’membe’s residence.

“If he is shy, let him tell his minister Siliya or her permanent secretary Amos Malupenga who was a high ranking journalist at The Post to tell us what is happening since Mosho seems to be now living a lavish life to care about the suffering ex-workers,” Hamusonde said.

He reminded President Lungu that inasmuch as he could celebrate to having done what presidents Frederick Chiluba, Rupiah Banda and Levy Mwanawasa did not do (closing The Post), he would soon have no media outlet to give him space after he leaves office.

Hamusonde said the State media, in the Times of Zambia, Daily Mail, and the ZNBC would abandon him once out of office and in trouble with the law.

“We all saw how the State owned media used to do with Chiluba, it was only The Post that probably gave him balanced coverage even after having exposed his weaknesses while in office. The same will happen to Mr Lungu, maybe The Mast will give him space but the State media will just feast on him or any of his ministers,” he warned. “Remember that the PF ministers have a lot of skeletons hidden in their closets such as the judgment by the Constitutional Court that they need to pay back the 2016 moneys when they remained in office after parliament was dissolved. I pity and feel for them but it’s up to God, the Almighty, to pass judgment through our courts of law and not me. But please feel for the many families affected by your closure of The Post, for once show that you feel for the suffering masses.”

Hamusonde added that he was saddened by the fact the PF had gone all out to undo what president Michael Sata did by embracing The Post.

He indicated that nearly all former Post employees who were sent into foreign missions by Sata had been recalled.

Meanwhile, James Lukuku has also asked President Lungu and Mosho to pay former Post employees because all assets of the liquidated company had been sold.

“It’s immoral to deliberately subject families to miseries for the sole purpose of political expedition,” Lukuku said.

“The same speed with which President Edgar Lungu moved while advocating the closure of The Post is the same speed expected of his government at ensuring affected former employees are paid. As President, he must not take advantage of the voiceless and powerless people to subject them to painful injustices.”

Lukuku said it looks like President Lungu was a sadist, who enjoys the suffering of people because “there is no way he can spearhead a liquidation and forget about the plight of affected employees”.

“Lewis Mosho has been giving antagonistic and helpless responses to Post Newspaper former employees. But there is no statement to show the schedule of liquidation,” Lukuku said.

“Let Mosho comprehensively explain how much was raised from the sale of Post Newspaper assets. How much was paid to banks? How much was paid to ZRA and NAPSA? And how much was paid to other suppliers? Let him explain why he thinks Post Newspaper former employees do not deserve to be paid their dues. Let us not embrace daylight exploitation of man by man. Mosho and President Lungu must sit down together and formulate a schedule to ensure former workers are paid.”

Lukuku said it was too insensitive for President Lungu to keep enjoying while other families could not educate their children because they were suffering from State-sponsored exploitation.

“I call upon all affected workers to glue together and fight this injustice by exhaustion of all possible channels,” said Lukuku, president of Republican Progressive Party.

AFTER months of hush, except his Facebook and off-the-cuff airport runway remarks on gassing, President Edgar Lungu used Parliament yesterday to tell perpetrators of the vice that they will be “crushed and buried.”

The occasion was the President’s address to the National Assembly on progress made in the application of national values and principles, as per Article 9 (2) of the 2016 amended Republican Constitution.

The President entered the Chamber at 09:50 hours and then led members of parliament in observing a minute of silence, in honour of deceased Chilubi PF member of parliament Rosario Chailunga Fundanga.

Fundanga died on November 20 last year.

He also congratulated Fundanga’s successor, PF’s Fube Mulenga.

President Lungu said it was now more than three months since Zambia woke up to a horrible reality of gassing from unknown people.

He said those unknown gassers do not only inflict physical harm but also applies psychological warfare on Zambians.

As known to everyone, President Lungu indicated that the launchpad of gassing was Chingola but that since then, “many parts of Zambia have experienced this inhuman phenomenon of gas attacks on our people, often culminating in loss of lives at the hands of mobs – all acting in the name of community justice.”

“These combined attacks have triggered irrational mob attacks on suspects, vandalism of public property, death of innocent lives and constant fear among our people in many communities,” President Lungu said. “Mr Speaker, we have witnessed merciless killings of innocent people, not only in Chingola but also other parts of our motherland, Zambia. We have equally witnessed merciless reactions from citizens after these killings. We have witnessed spraying of chemicals on families, school children and the public, in general.”

He added: “we have witnessed repulsive reactions by citizens, including stoning and burning of suspects.”

“We have seen horrifying pictures on social media [and] we have also witnessed mass hysteria – people reacting violently to rumours of attacks,” he said, adding that in excess of 50 people have been murdered by various mobs across the country.

“About 24 people or so have survived, either saved by security people or good Samaritans such as traditional or religious leaders.”

In view of the gassing episode, the President, conveniently or inconveniently toughening his tone, promised that State shall “catch up with these enemies of the people and isolate them from the Zambian population.”
“That I say and I promise! It might take a while but we will get you,” President Lungu said.

He then thanked the men and women in uniform for their gallant efforts to restore order and peace, following uncertainty instigated by gassing.

President Lungu was quick to note that security personnel’s work: “is not over, neither is ours.”

“As Commander-In-Chief of the defence force and Head of State and government, I want to promise Zambians that the enemies of our people will be crushed and buried. To this effect, I’m seriously considering constituting a Commission of Inquiry to get to the bottom of these gassing attacks,” President Lungu said, with his voice drowned with applause from his think-alike in the House. “Be rest assured that all the culprits will be brought to book, regardless of their standing in society. The enemy will surely be defeated and life will return to normal for our people, sooner rather than later.”

President Lungu further noted that Zambians deserved to live in peace and that no amount of blackmail would stop the law from catching up with the criminals, “whether they are political, religious or mere criminals.”

“Those who are saying one has been arrested because he belongs to that particular political party are wasting time. We are dealing with criminals here! Criminality comes in no colour and the law is blind, anyway,” he said.

Earlier, President Lungu regretted that, in some cases, some traditional leaders and Church leaders had either directly or indirectly fuelled and instigated mob attacks, related to gassing.

“As if that is not enough, in the ensuing confusion police have also shot people. Some of those who have died in the most unfortunate circumstances include school boys such as Frank Mugala aged only 14 and Sydney Moonga aged 17,” President Lungu said. “The deaths of these two boys and other citizens are incomprehensibly regrettable and my heart goes out to the bereaved families. This is what the enemy achieved in their efforts to destabilise our peaceful nation.”

He said 26 suspects had so far been arrested and that investigations were still going on, “while the security situation in the country has generally improved.”

“It has been observed, however, that the enemy has shifted focus to the rural areas where now false information is being given to the public with a view to inciting citizens to rise and cause public disorder,” President Lungu said.

“Let me thank the headmen, headwomen, religious and community leaders, civil servants and individual citizens who have played a major role in rescuing victims that have almost been lynched by mobs.”

He underscored his commendation of good Samaritans, during gassing mob attacks, and that their gestures amounted to patriotism and good.

“In the same vein, let me strongly warn those headmen and women, religious, civic and all community leaders encouraging mob justice that the law will soon catch up with you,” said President Lungu.

THE President needs to distance the presidency from criminal elements and those that bring the presidency into disrepute, activist Maiko Zulu has urged.

Commenting on President Edgar Lungu’s association with Chingola-based murder suspect Kabaso ‘Spax’ Mulenga, Zulu said there was nothing wrong with the President having friends but that the presidency cannot afford to accommodate all of his ‘friends’ because that is not a personal to holder office.

Zulu has challenged the presidency to clarify President Lungu’s links to Kabaso.

On Monday police announced that Kabaso had been warned and cautioned for murder and also for use of unauthorised military uniforms.

“That is perhaps the biggest question that needs answers. We have stated before that the President needs to distance the presidency from criminal elements and those that bring the presidency into disrepute,” Zulu said.
He noted with regret that today corruption was right in State House and the government.

“Cases in point of Amos Chanda and Dr Chitalu Chlufya. The mere fact that government leaders are persons of interest in ACC [Anti-Corruption Commission and other investigations is cause for worry and says a lot about protection of people close to the President,” he said.

Zulu said he was worried that the Zambia Police Service tasked to police some of the criminal elements seemed to be divided with most of them compromised.

“There seems to be a police service that is trying to work professionally and that which wants to please certain individuals. Remember how soon after making headway in the Ruth Mbandu case, Solomon Jere was shoved into foreign service. Rae Hamoonga could be a victim of such,” Zulu said.

Hamoonga, then ZP deputy spokesperson, announced that police had arrested the mastermind of the gassing episodes but the following day Inspector General of Police, Kakoma Kanganja refuted the report. Hamoonga was immediately redeployed to TAZARA.

Zulu noted that the police as an institution was sending an alarming signal to citizens and those insinuating that criminal elements have taken over government and public institutions.

He said it also worrying that certain investigations were given red carpet treatment and “in time legal technicalities come in and the accused persons go scot-free”.

Zulu reckons that with so much having happened, it was time President Lungu addressed the nation.

“How does one trust the police? A lot of these things from insecurity to biased judgment are bottling in people’s minds and one little thing is able to ignite unprecedented citizen uprisings. Now is the best time for a State of the Nation address and a press conference because a lot has happened and people through the press have a lot of questions from the great leader,” said Zulu.

Laura Miti says she knew Edgar Lungu wouldn’t make a good President.

“There was no doubt in my mind and so I grieved as people insisted he was the one. I have to say though that I thought he would be incompetent but not harmful,” Laura states in a series of tweets. “I can’t believe the fundamental damage this presidency has caused to motherland. The educated voted for EL in proportionally high numbers too. They like to pretend theirs were sins of omission but zero. They were right here arguing for the humble leader while their cousins were dancing to dununa [reverse] at the market. I actually feared Sata more than EL. But EL has overachieved in the damage stakes.”

And Laura puts the harm caused by Edgar’s aides on his head.
“The leader steers the wheel. The extent to which others choose the direction must be okayed by the leader overtly or covertly. It is President Lungu that has chosen the direction towards the ditch. Others can only do harm he does not mind,” states Laura.

Not all Zambian presidents are missed once they leave State House. But Edgar will certainly be the least missed president – the worst president.

Edgar is certainly Zambia’s worst president. He has proved himself to be such an inept public servant.
Edgar has been a good dancer but certainly not a good president.

His dununa reverse moves are the antics of a dancer not a statesman.
Mind you, a flair for dancing is not a bad thing in a leader.

Good dancers can help rally a nation to defeat poverty. But Edgar is something else again.
As Edgar’s presidential failures keep adding up, remembering them all can be a challenge.
Edgar has not saved Zambians from hunger and poverty. Under Edgar’s presidency poverty has increased and not reduced.

Edgar’s presidency has institutionalised and deepened corruption. He is the most corrupt Zambian president.
Under Edgar’s presidency the Zambian economy is at its lowest and national debt at its highest.
Edgar has introduced very violent and intolerant politics in the nation. Media houses have been closed without hesitation and good reasons – sometimes on lies. Look at the way he closed The Post in total disregard of the Tax Tribunal’s order to reopen the newspaper and reconcile the disagreeable tax demands! How many television and radio stations has Edgar closed?

Look at his treatment of political opponents – Hakainde Hichilema, Chishimba Kambwili, Harry Kalaba and Dr Fred M’membe!

Look at his lawlessness!
He has liquidated The Post on a corruptly obtained and defended ex parte order!
To this day he is occupying Dr M’membe’s house in Mwika Royal Village without any court order!
Look at what Edgar has done to our country’s image around the world!
Has Edgar united or divided our country?

Look at his abuse of the police, the courts, to further his political goals!
Look at his administration of the public order Act to deny his political opponents their constitutional and human rights to assemble, hold rallies or protest his bad policies and actions!
Look at how crime has increased under his presidency! Today people are not sleeping at night due to fear of being gassed by Edgar’s criminal gangs.

His real record on the economy, politics and social life of country is a disaster – the worst.
Look at his shocking abuses of taxpayer money; his bitterly divisive style of governing; his shameless usurpation of the Constitution; his scandals and cover ups; the unprecedented expansion of government power and more!

Edgar’s legacy of failure isn’t going anywhere.

NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili has advised the Patriotic Front to find a replacement for President Edgar Lungu or risk having no candidate for the 2021 Presidential elections.

And Kambwili says threats from PF officials that they will start regarding constitutional lawyer John Sangwa State Counsel as a political opponent are unfounded.

In a statement to News Diggers, Kambwili advised PF to look for another candidate saying President Lungu was not eligible to run for another term of office.

“Without going into complex legal arguments which we are not qualified to delve into, a simple reading of the provisions of Article 106 (3) of our Constitution makes it very clear that President Lungu does not qualify to be on the ballot in 2021. The said Article states that, ‘a person who has twice held office as President is not eligible for election as President’. We have equally noted the flawed arguments as to Presidential terms of office by our colleagues in the Patriotic Front. Unfortunately for them, the Constitutional Court judgment they keep referring to does not help them in anyway as the issue of whether a period served of less than three years constitutes a term of office is not the issue at hand. This is simply because those provisions are only applicable to a sitting Vice-President elected as a running mate. And in any event, the Constitutional Court did not even deal with President Lungu’s eligibility in next year’s election,” Kambwili stated.

“We challenge anyone to show us one paragraph in that Judgment where the Court said President Lungu can go for a third term or be life President as he seems to so desperately desire. President Lungu has never been Vice-President of Zambia who was elected as a running mate of this country and as such, the Constitutional Court judgment is not helpful to President Lungu or the PF in anyway whatsoever. We have known about this position since the judgment of the Court was delivered and have been waiting for an opportune time to address this critical issue.”

Kambwili warned the PF not to settle for President Lungu as its candidate for 2021 at its upcoming July elective general conference or risk having no candidate at all.

“Allow me to categorically warn all PF members and the very few sympathisers that remain of the PF that PF will have no candidate in the 2021 election if the party insists on adopting Mr. Lungu at its convention. The country is reminded that under our electoral rules and practice, a candidate that misses an appointed time and date to file in his or her nomination cannot be given another time or day to file in nomination papers and the same applies to a party that chooses to sponsor an ineligible candidate such as President Lungu. PF therefore need to look for another candidate or can choose to escort the opposition to State House if they insist President Lungu who does not qualify to run for President again,” Kambwili stated.

The opposition leader also urged government and the PF to forget about passing Constitution Amendment Bill Number 10, saying that he was aware that the charade was aimed at amending the law and make President Lungu eligibile to stand in 2021.

“We are very aware and well informed from our colleagues in cabinet and the back bench of the PF that this whole Bill 10 agenda is an attempt to simply annihilate provisions that make it impossible for President Lungu to seek an illegal third term. President Lungu does not qualify to run for an illegal third term and doing so will simply end in humiliation and will spell the end of the PF as we know it today,” he charged.

Meanwhile, Kambwili urged PF secretary general Davies Mwila and the party’s media director Sunday Chanda to desist from insulting those with divergent views on President Lungu’s eligibility.

“The crude statements from the Patriotic Front including Davies Mwila and its media director Sunday Chanda directed at those that hold the correct view that President Lungu is not eligible to run for another term of office. We have always placed it on record that Mwila is literally the worst and most academically challenged secretary general any party in Zambia could hope for and has been the architect of the PF’s dramatic yet predictable downfall. It is shocking that he would characterize one of our most distinguished legal minds and Constitutional academics State Counsel [John] Sangwa as dull when the said characterization is very true about him. Threats by to treat State Counsel Sangwa as a political opponent are equally misplaced and have no basis in civil discourse. Mr. Chanda should learn to be mature and debate in a civil manner especially that he is student of the law,” stated Kambwili.

KAPOCHE member of parliament Charles Banda says the opposition want to cause anarchy in the nation by telling people that the PF government under President Edgar Lungu is evil.

Speaking to the electorates at Mataya village under Matambazi ward, Dr Banda accused the opposition of being behind the gassing episodes in order for people to rise against the current government.

He further told the people that so far the government was doing everything possible to ensure the gassers were brought to book.

He said about 46 suspects would soon appear in law.

He said some opposition parties had failed to form government hence plan to get it by force by creating havoc in a nation.

He gave an example that a disciplined man would not propose love to a married lady because she is already occupied.

He said the opposition knew that the PF was in power and 2021 was not yet in but want to force themselves to be leaders before the appointed time.

“You don’t ask marriage from a married woman because she has someone already. Now we are in power but people want to force themselves in. Be careful because the opposition want to inject fear in the people to say Lungu’s government is evil. That’s why there are gassers who have robbed people’s peace in their houses. All they want is you to rise against government but the good part is that those who are doing such activities or suspected to be gassers are being caught such that so far about 46 will appear in court soon,” Dr Banda said.

He, however, warned communities against mob justice because everyone involved in the act was being prosecuted.

He expressed disappointment with people of Chimphundu who on Saturday attacked census agents whom they suspected to be gassers.

The officers only saved by Matambazi ward counsellor Ranson Besa and the quick response by Sinda police who dispersed the mob using tear gas.

Dr Banda urged the people to go for President Lungu in 2021, claiming that he deserved to be given another chance to rule Zambia.

“Ladies and gentlemen, next year we will be having general elections and I would appeal to you that let’s go for Lungu in 2021, let’s not lose Lungu the way we lost RB. We lost RB because of our careless voting. Lungu is our own and if we lose him now, we might not have another president from Eastern for some years but let’s ensure Lungu is on until 2026, let’s hold him with our double hands…” Dr Banda said.

He explained to the gathering that some of the PF promises have not materialised because Zambia was big.

He said at the right time certain promises would be fulfilled.

He told them that the government gave Kapoche Constituency K350,000 to rehabilitate bridges and that so far some bridges have been worked on.

However, Dr Banda said heavy rains compromised the development.

And Dr Banda, who is also Minister of Local Government, explained that Bill 10 was not an evil animal but a good programme that aims at removing bad clauses in the current constitution.

“Don’t be misled that they want to include bad clauses, no! Certain clauses are not okay and government wants to ensure that it is perfected so that it fits everyone unlike the way it is. For example, we have about 156 constituencies but if we amend the constitution then we shall have about 230 constituencies,” he explained.

Dr Banda said he was the 12th member of parliament for Kapoche Constituency and wondered why people were pointing fingers at him that he had failed.

“I am accused of serving 20 years which I have not. I am the 12th MP in this Kapoche, we had people like Chioza, Ben Zulu, Fashion Phiri, Elinah, Nicholas, Kanyuka, all these did their part but surely all the projects and developments they did not do you are there loading them on me! You say I have served 20 years No! I was the MP from 2001 to 2006 and I was off until 2016 is that 20 years? Let’s learn to speak the truth and appreciate what someone has done by saying Zikomo,” Dr Banda said.

He boasted that out of all the previous MPs, it was only under him that various developments where implemented in Kapoche Constituency like the sinking of 46 boreholes, bridge rehabilitation, donations of cement and iron sheets to various communities.

But Jabesi Phiri of Mataya village said all government officials and aspirants promise various things like the Chimphundu road but never fulfill the promises.

“Honorable, we appreciate your coming but the big challenge we have is the poor road network. It’s unfortunate that everyone who comes give us an assurance of the road to be worked on and once they leave, nothing happens and even what you are saying we are made to believe it’s a lie. We challenge you to fulfill your words of the bridges you have mentioned,” he said.

Ronald Phiri of Kalandila village told Banda that there were no drugs in clinics as patients were given prescriptions to purchase medicines.

He said when the malaria drug, corterm, was available at the health centre, patients were usally asked to purchase panadol on their own.

“We want to tell you in case you don’t know. We have suffered in these clinics due to lack of drugs as they just give us prescriptions to go and buy even panadol and due to hunger people have no money to buy drugs, the result is death at home! How is the government going to help us? Honorable when little drugs are there, we are receiving panadol [wrapped] on plain papers as those medical plastics are not there! Please advocate for our lives, we are dying because drugs are not there in clinics” said Phiri.

Christine Zulu of Kakonje village told Dr Banda not to get surprised when he hears of disease outbreak as people consume contaminated water from streams where dogs, cows and other wild animals also drink.

“We appeal for your intervention,” said Zulu.

Dr Banda assured the electorates that various roads, including boarder roads would be worked on.

He asked the electorates to be patient with government a little while.

Earlier, Dr Banda made a stop-over at Chimphundu RCZ church where he donated 25 bags of cement, 7 roof ridges and gave out K500 as offering to the amusement of the church.

NATIONAL Democratic Congress president Chishimba Kambwili was yesterday rushed to UTH after falling ill from high blood pressure and a severe headache.

Meanwhile, principal resident magistrate David Simusamba has threatened to have Kambwili locked up in cells if he does not avail himself before court on Tuesday, March 10.

His nephew Charles Kabwita, who was among those that took Kambwili to the hospital, confirmed that the opposition leader started feeling bad on Wednesday afternoon and the condition worsened later at night.

Kabwita said because Kambwili had a sleepless night owing to the high blood pressure, he was taken to UTH around 02:00 hours were he has been receiving treatment.

“He started complaining of severe headache in the afternoon on Wednesday but later at night his BP rose as well. He could not sleep well at night. He is however recovering well after receiving treatment at UTH. The nation should not panic or worry as the Lord has answered our prayers and he is in the road to recovery,” said Kabwita.

His hospitalization affected his attendance of court proceedings in a matter he has facing forgery, uttering a false document and giving false information to a public officer, in relation to his company Mwamona engineering and technical services limited.

When the matter came up for defense, Kambwili’s new lawyer David Banda of Messrs MAK Partners, said the former was admitted at University Teaching Hospital and that his sureties were present before court and produced a letter from the hospital indicating that his client was sick.

But deputy chief state advocate Margaret Chintundu said the State was at pains that Kambwili was admitted in the morning on a day he was scheduled to open defence.

“The state is at pains, we find it hard that the accused has been admitted today, if he is really admitted we understand that the accused is unwell we would have been given this letter in the morning we have just seen the letter now and it’s difficult for me to understand this illness comorbidities,” Chitundu said.

A letter signed by Dr Alinani Silwamba, a registrar at Unit 5 Department of Internal Medicine reads: “Hon Kambwili is a known patient to the UTH being managed for multiple comorbidities, he was admitted on 5th March with acute complications of the condition requiring stabilisation in the hospital. He remains under observation at UTH.”

But magistrate Simusamba said Kambwili had a record of absconding court for such reasons.

“Your client has a history of such conduct before court. However, I will give him a last benefit of doubt and adjourn the matter to Tuesday. If he will not be in attendance for whatever reason on Tuesday, I will put him on warrant, make sure he’s before court,” ordered magistrate Simusamba.