HOW HH INTENDS TO “WIN” 2026 ELECTIONS

By Wynona Silwamba

President Hakainde Hichilema recognises that he has literally been knocked out of the 2026 presidential race because of his failure to address the various crises: economic crisis, high cost of living, food insecurity, youth unemployment, poverty, failure to deliver on his campaign promises such as cheaper mealie-meal, fuel electricity, fertiliser, cooking oil and sugar.

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has only two choices.

1. Change leadership, remove Hakainde Hichilema to present a new leader in 2026, to increase chances of the Party to retain power.

2. Rig the elections-Hichilema has chosen the second option. To manipulate the results of the 2026 general elections.

PREPARATIONS FOR 2026 ELECTIONS AND ITS MANIPULATION

Hichilema had evil foresight. He appointed persons from one region of the country to head all key positions.

He appointed Nelly Mutti and Mumba Malila to head the Legislature and Judiciary, respectively.

He has also appointed Vincent Blacksin Malambo SC as Chairperson of the Judicial Complaints Commission (JCC), Prof. Mulela Margaret Munalula as President of the Constitutional Court and Hichilema’s associate, Arnold Mweetwa Shilimi, as Deputy President of the Constitutional Court.

Or, by the way, have you ever wondered why there were high rewards for the team from the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)?

Board Chairperson Bradford Machila was appointed as State House Principle Private Secretary, Dr. Roma Chilengi (Chief Scientific Officer) appointed as State House Special Assistant for Health, Dr. Lawrence Mwananyanda appointed as State House Special Assistant for Projects, CIDRZ Board Member, Mrs. Kondwa Sakala Chibiya was appointed as a member of the Judicial Service Commission.

This team at CIDRZ was key in securing funding for the UPND hiding through the organisation. There is speculation were these funds came from, including from USA LGBTQ groups.

Hichilema appointed a senior member of the UPND, Frances Mwangala Ifunga Zaloumis, as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia. He also appointed a well-known UPND cadre and the Executive Director of Governance, Elections, Advocacy and Research Initiatives (GEARS), Mc donald Chipenzi, as Commissioner on thr ECZ Board.

GEARS was instrumental in training observers and affirming the 2021 election results.

Hichilema also appointed heads of the defence and national security from the same region.

He has also proceeded to appoint heads of state-owned enterprises and state agencies from the same region.

These appointments will be key in 2026 and will be useful for what is being prepared ahead.

2. DESTROY THE OPPOSITION

A systematic plan is underway to destroy and decimate the Opposition.

The Patriotic Front(PF) has been officially been proscribed, while a stooge has been imposed as President on the fake PF.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti was quick to illegally change the leadership of the Opposition in Parliament, while Mumba Malila did not bother when the cases challenging the illegalities against the Patriotic Front, were deliberately stalled, deliberately delayed and deliberately sabotaged.

3. SHRINKING DEMOCRATIC SPACE

President Hichilema has heightened attacks against democracy and democratic institutions with the help of appointees such as the Inspector General of Police, Graphael Musamba.

He has restricted coverage of the Opposition on the public broadcaster, ZNBC.

He has banned political rallies, meetings, protests and demonstrations by the Opposition.

He has systematically arrested key leaders of the Opposition and has charged them with trumped up charges.

Vocal critics such as Socialist Party leader, Fred M’membe have been slapped with trumped up charges.

Amb.Emmanuel Mwamba, Rizwan Patel and other were tortured while other members of the Opposition have fled the country such as Economic and Equity Party (EEP) leader, Chilufya Tayali, former State House aide, Kaizer Zulu and former Minister of Information and former NDC Leader, Chishimba Kambwili.

But Kambwili was abducted from Zimbabwe, and forcibly returned to Zambia.

4. RIGGING INFRASTRUCTURE

Mwangala Zaloumis is being used to horn the rigging strategy that will be unleashed and implemented in 2026.

Since October 2023, the Patriotic Front has been banned from participating in elections.

The entire approach is meant to disenfranchise former President, Edgar Lungu who has returned to active politics.

The UPND have unleashed violence against other party agents that are chased from polling stations after close of poll.

The continuous voter registration and mobile NRC issuance exercises, are being abused to promote more voter numbers in Hichilema’s perceived stronghold.

In recent by-elections, the Police have ignored with impunity, reports of violence against members of the Opposition.

This is part of the larger strategy to restrict the operations of the critics and the Opposition.

5. ASSET SEIZURES AND DENIAL OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Hichilema has made it clear that business entities perceived as threats against his interests will be destroyed.

He has seized their assets, denied them government businesses, and used institutions such as the Drug Enforcement Commission and the Zambia Revenue Authority(ZRA) to seize, quarantine or garnished targeted accounts against persons or entities he assumes may be against him.

On the other hand, he has extended government business opportunities to himself and his associates.

He has also increased opportunities to grab major State assets such as the copper mines to himself or his associates.

INFILTRATE AND REDUCE INFLUENCE OF CIVIL SOCIETY

The Catholic Church and other church groupings have been targeted to reduce their influence. The leadership is insulted and scandalised using State House owned rogue online media organisations.

The UPND has set up and opened various media centres of social-media, radio callers, and bloggers to manufacture opinions that Hichilema is popular.

UPND has also invested in controlling radio and tv stations.

CONCLUSION

It is clear that Hichilema has an evil agenda to clamour to power.

He may be warned that there have been previous regimes that planned to steal elections and hoped to hold on to power did not succeed.
He will not succeed. The.masses will defend their vote.

12 MOST POISONOUS SNAKES THAT WILL BITE & DUMP HH IN 2026 AFTER HIS SHAMEFUL DEFEAT: PART TWO

By Dr. Chris Zumani Zimba

…….Pastor Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba: “A man of God who is ever treacherously singing and dancing for political gold at State House”……

On 14th April, 2024, Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba posted on his Facebook page that “if you have to humiliate someone in order to correct them, then you don’t know how to teach”. I totally agree with him. In this short article, we are merely doing a critical analysis of his life as a politician in relations to state house since 2001.

1. On 25th December, 2014, Jack Zimba wrote an article, “Nevers Mumba- The 21st Century Jonah” and concluded that “the fact is that many people loved Nevers the preacher and not Nevers the politician: it is not too late for Mumba to change course after his political debacles and go to Nineveh”. This is my opinion too because the former clergy man is perceived more of poisonous snake in Zambian politics than a respected statesman.

2. This clergy is certainly anointed by heaven to proclaim the gospel with signs and wonders. He lived this active pulpit life until 2001. After abandoning his “Victory Ministries” and tele-evangelism crusade “Zambia Shall be Saved”, Pastor Nevers Mumba joined politics and contested the presidency in 2001. However, his anticipated Christian support terribly dwindled and his presidential bid ended in brutal disappointment. He totally lost and failed!

3. A group of opposition leaders denounced the 2001 presidential election victory by Levy Mwanawasa. In trying to resolve the political deadlock, Pastor Nevers Mumba was sent to engage President Levy Mwanawasa as their representative. That is how he betrayed everyone like Jonah who went to Tarshish for himself instead of Niniveh for God. Mumba negotiated for himself and was eventually appointed Republican Vice President in 2003.

4. Anderson Mazoka as lead opposition leader was bitten and dumped like a foolish eagle. After securing a deal for himself, Nevers Mumba become the second most powerful Zambian with available state resources at his disposal. If Anderson Mazoka was to speak today, he would say “Mumba is a man of gold who betrayed and dumped them in 2003”. In 2004, Micheal Sata openly called Mumba as “Judas Iscariot”. In their graves, both Mazoka and Sata know Nevers Mumba as a poisonous political snake who dribbled and betrayed them in 2003!

5. When state power swiftly went to the pastor’s sub conscience, Mumba saw himself politically better and started to openly undermine his appointing king-Mwanawasa. “I regret appointing Nevers Mumba as vice president of this country,” Mwanawasa bitterly complained when firing Mumba on 5th October, 2004. After Mwanawasa discovered Mumba as a poisonous snake, he quickly threw him out of state house back into the Amazon forest!

6. Following the death of Mwanawasa in 2008, Mumba lost MMD party leadership elections to Vice President Rupiah Banda and chose to support him for the presidency. As payback, Rupiah Banda appointed him as Zambia’s High Commissioner to Canada. Again, he was singing and dancing at state house in political gold. Rupiah Banda became the god father for Dr. Mumba and he was being worshipped and praised in all Pentecost songs and music!

7. But in 2011, Rupiah Banda and MMD lost power to PF’s Micheal Sata. When Banda was disgraced, Dr. Mumba was equally fired from his Ottawa top job by PF. During their internal leadership disputes in 2016, Mumba denounced Rupiah Banda as the “most immoral human being”. Due to political differences, Dr. Mumba had courage to insult a man who once employed him in a high profiled job abroad! To many, this was a huge mark of disrespect and political betrayal from a renowned man of God and indeed gold.

8. During the era of president Lungu under PF, many are aware that Dr. Mumba was truly ‘swimming’ in comfort, luxury and gorgeous lifestyle materially and financially courtesy of ECL through Amos Chanda, Kaizer Zulu and other close state house associates. The pastor was nicely eating and drinking directly from the high table of president Lungu as he is doing now at Community House with HH. In many areas, Lungu took good care of Dr. Mumba by making sure that the man of God had enough political gold! In 2021, Mumba even announced to work with Lungu before their differences with Raphael Nakachinda’s faction split them far and apart.

9. Today, Mumba has turned against Lungu like a snake. On 1st March, 2024, after ‘feasting’ at Community House, Mumba was everywhere mocking Lungu that whatever the former president and his family were going through in terms of malicious corruption investigations and prosecutions were simply reaping what they sowed in the past. Really! This Mumba is ungrateful, Mumba is shameful and Mumba is disgraceful poisonous for politics because he is a deadly traitor. Why should Lungu be alone today when this Mumba was around him during his days at state house? As usual, he is only vomiting fire on Lungu today for the sake of eating cake with HH!

10. Commenting on the Police Call Out for father Chewe last month, Dr Mumba wrote on his Facebook page that “Ala Ba Catolica kubasulakofye bena bakulekafye…teti muba kwanishe, elo telelo batampa. Pantu namuli Kaunda bena balelandila abantu…Meanwhile Blessed Sunday”. Instead of calling HH as his close friend covertly to advise, Mumba the political snake mocked and blackmailed Bally via Facebook. He was raising his snake relevance as well as satanic rhetoric to Bally.

11. On many occasions, he has used such social media mockery and blackmail on his alliance partner-HH. He did the same on Invest Trust Bank’s insolvency announcement. When HH warms up to him, Dr. Mumba equally softens on his Facebook posts for state house political gold. When HH ‘stops’ picking his calls or responding to his heavy appetite messages, Mumba begins to post in heavy political mockery and blackmail against Bally. That is the big political snake in Nevers Mumba! These are warning shots of betrayal ahead of 2026!

12. In 2000, Dr Mumba told Frank Mutubila on a live interview that “as a pastor, I am not considering to join politics because that would be demotion for a man of God”. Few months later, Mumba formed National Citizen Coalition (NCC) and joined politics! Zambian political records show that Nevers should never be trusted! In 2026, HH will know the Chinsali political snake in Dr. Nevers Mumba because he will bite and dump Bally after his shameful political defeat before our voters. Most of us have already watched this movie!

For over 24 years, pastor Mumba has been living the life of Esau in Genesis 25:29 to 33 as follows:

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.[a]) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.

Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba is a Political Scientist, Researcher, Author & Consultant specialized in Comparative Global Governance and Democratic Theories. He holds a PhD, MA, BA and Cert in Political Science. Zimba was President Lungu’s Political Advisor from December 2019 to August 2021. By philosophical approach, Dr. Zimba is a Pan Africanist as well as Afro-Christian by religion.
Email:chriszumaniZimba.cz@gmail.com

ZESCO MD EMPLOYS SON, DAUGHTER

Unpacking ZESCO’s Bloated Staff, Abuse of Authority & a Drain on Nationsl Resources.

By Daimone Siulapwa

As the dawn of a new month breaks upon us, it brings with it a double blow to the already burdened shoulders of Zambian citizens: the relentless surge in ZESCO tariffs and the merciless hike in fuel prices.

Added to that, we have an 8 hour daily load-shedding, which ZESCO even fails to follow thier own schedule, unless you are privileged to live in Sate lodge or New Kassma where they have zero load-shedding, thanks to the elite and politically connected

These dual assaults on the pockets of ordinary Zambians are not merely inconveniences; they are harbingers of dire consequences that threaten to further destabilize an already fragile socio-economic landscape.

The repercussions of these actions extend far beyond mere numbers on utility bills; they seep into the very fabric of Zambian society, casting shadows of uncertainty over the livelihoods of countless individuals and families.

With businesses forced to contend with soaring operational costs, the specter of job losses looms high on the horizon. As the economic squeeze tightens its grip, the shelves of our homes grow increasingly barren, echoing the cries of empty stomachs.

And in the darkness left by erratic load-shedding schedules, the seeds of desperation take root, fostering an environment ripe for the proliferation of crime.

Yet, amidst this cacophony of woes, one voice rises above the din, demanding accountability and transparency from the corridors of power.

It is the voice of the taxpayer, the voice of the citizen who foots the bill for the lavish lifestyles enjoyed by ZESCO’s bloated cadre of staff.

As the saga of ZESCO’s mismanagement unfolds, one name emerges as a recurring motif in the tapestry of nepotism and cronyism: Victor Mapani.

Amidst allegations of favoritism and familial patronage, Mapani’s tenure at the helm of ZESCO has come under intense scrutiny, laying bare a web of connections that reeks of impropriety and self-interest.

At the heart of this controversy lies the creation of deputy director positions within ZESCO—an ostensibly innocuous decision that has since morphed into a lightning rod for accusations of nepotism and favoritism.

The questions that loom large in the public consciousness are not merely speculative; they are rooted in concrete evidence of Mapani’s penchant for placing personal allegiances above the public good

It is a well-known fact that ZESCO’s staffing structure has long been plagued by inefficiency and excess.

When the promise of a new dawn by UPND swept through the halls of power, it was widely acknowledged that drastic measures were needed to streamline ZESCO’s operations and curb the hemorrhaging of public funds.

However, instead of embarking on a path of reform and efficiency, it appears that ZESCO’s management opted for a different approach—one shrouded in secrecy and opacity.

The creation of high-paying positions, such as deputy directors, raises serious questions about the motives and intentions of those at the helm of the power utility.

Why were these positions not subjected to the rigors of open competition and public advertising, as mandated by standard procedure?
Who authorized the creation of these roles, each accompanied by a hefty salary package that burdens the coffers of the taxpayer?

And perhaps most importantly, what purpose do these deputy directors serve, especially in light of the fact that their responsibilities overlap with those of senior managers who boast decades of experience?

Did the board approve the creation of these exorbitantly paying positions with each allegedly swallowing K100,000 plus per month? Why and for who?

The lack of transparency surrounding the appointment of many of these deputy directors only serves to deepen the suspicions of an already skeptical public.

Who are these individuals, handpicked for positions of power and influence within ZESCO’s hierarchy?

And why were internal candidates overlooked in favor of external appointments?

Furthermore, the proliferation of departmental heads raises further eyebrows.

Why, in a supposedly streamlined organizational structure, were these positions deemed necessary when existing senior managers were more than capable of fulfilling their duties?

These are not merely rhetorical questions posed to an indifferent audience; they are the rallying cry of a populace weary of half-truths and evasive statements.

As taxpayers, we demand—not mere platitudes—but concrete answers to these pressing concerns.

In the absence of transparency, trust erodes, leaving in its wake a gaping chasm between the governed and those who govern.

If ZESCO wishes to regain the confidence of the Zambian people, it must embrace accountability as more than just a buzzword; it must become a guiding principle that permeates every facet of its operations.

For too long, the veil of secrecy has shrouded the inner workings of ZESCO, shielding incompetence and malfeasance from the harsh light of public scrutiny.

It is time to cast aside the shadows of opacity and usher in a new era of transparency and accountability.

The path ahead is fraught with challenges, but it is also imbued with the promise of renewal and reform.

Let us seize this opportunity to demand better from those entrusted with the stewardship of our nation’s most vital resources.

Let us hold ZESCO accountable not only for the electricity it provides but also for the trust it has squandered.

The time for excuses has passed; the time for action is now.

Zambians deserve nothing less than a ZESCO that operates with the utmost integrity, efficiency, and transparency.

Anything less is a betrayal of the trust placed in it by the people it purportedly serves.

Daimone Siulapwa is a political analyst, an advocate for tribal unity, and Citizen Economic Empowerment.

For all comments and inquiries regarding content creation, research, speeches, proposals, book writing, creative marketing, investigations, and more, please feel free to contact us at dsiulapwa@gmail.com

GUEST ARTICLE: Zambia, a country where thieves are celebrated

It’s one thing to blame this government for the social and economic problems Zambians are going through but extremely infuriating to read the latest Auditor General’s report.

It is even more upsetting that those who caused us these problems can have the audacity to call out the government—the very government that is sorting out their mess.

Make me understand how US$13.3 million from the Eurobond given out as loans to SMEs has not been paid back.

According to the report, Zambia Railways received US$120 million of the Eurobond money but did not return US$3.6m for failed deliveries.

The government defaulted on amounts totaling US$830.6 million on Eurobond coupons comprising US$750 million in principal amounts and more than US$80 million in accumulated interest as at 31 December 2022.

Further, the audit report shows that one supplier was given US$70 million to supply uniforms valued at US$4.5 million to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In other words, the supplier’s ‘profit’ was a mind-blowing US$66.5 million!

How does a single company, honestly, get named in an audit involving a US$402 million contract whose interest was overpriced by US$60 million!

Any which way we look at it, do Zambians realize that while the previous regime indulged in all manner of improprieties, theft, and recklessness, ultimately, the people to pay the price are them?

So, when we complain about some of the country’s economic and social problems, we will do well to recall that they stem from this – the blatant theft of public resources for personal enrichment.

Do Zambians realize how much just a fraction of these amounts can do to change people’s lives in any part of this country?

I remember vividly how parties were thrown when Zambia contracted the Eurobond because of this remarkable achievement—an achievement celebrating nkongole or kaloba, if you like!

Yet in reality, Zambia found love – expensive love that we didn’t know what to do with. Soon, we started hearing stories about how, even after contracting this debt, we didn’t have a plan for the money we went to borrow.

Yes, we didn’t have a plan, and we started looking for any project to throw this money at, including loss-making ventures like Zambia Railways.

Then we were told that part of it was invested in ZESCO to end load shedding yet here we are today, grappling with crippling long hours of no electricity.

Unashamedly, the jackals that put us in this abyss with their potbellies want to come back and grab political power. To loot. And some Zambians who are feeling the pinch of the very problems these people put us in want the fools back.

But I blame the current government and our leaders too. They are proving to be toothless and are just talking heads. That is why thieves can have the audacity to do and say what they are doing and saying.

For all the jaw-dropping revelations in the Auditor General’s report, we will be angry today but move on tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we will forget about it like nothing happened while well-known thieves continue flaunting their wealth and properties like role models.

Kalemba

PRESIDENT HH REVISIT YOUR POLICIES PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY AND SUFFERING OUT THERE.

By Hon Saili Mavegie Phiri

Voicing out does not mean that you hate the President or maybe wanting the UPND govt out of power, people come out because they are affected, there is hunger in a lot of Zambian families, life is becoming so unbalanced 😭😭 on many communities. The govt has the capacity to reduce this burden on the citizens, they have all what it takes to make policies favorable to the Zambian community at large and work on what is basically a hitting point to all factors affecting the prices of every basic need.

What these praise singers don’t realize is that people who are being praised enjoy decent meals in their homes, their children go to expensive schools and they have free fuel to run their movements. They dont feel the impact of fuel prices, mealie meal prices or fertilizer prices.

The truth is that we are dealing with a relaxed govt and we are a reason why this govt is relaxed, how can the government fail to relax when we are giving it unnecessary praise even on things that are suppose to be criticized on ?

Unlike our old political pastor, The Zambia shall be saved man, Dad Zambia will never be saved if you keep being a praise singer, We expect a little bit of positive criticism with guidance from you especially on clear things that you know that the govt is not doing well but on a sad note you have joined the people who are fueling the bitterness which is between the current head of state and the former, Zambia can only be saved through unity.

Am learning to respect Chellah Tukuta, He is coming out like a patriotic Zambian on issues surrounding Zambia’s interest.I know am one of those people who have been criticizing him but trust me the guy is coming out objectively on issues affecting the nation he praises where they deserve it and criticize were things are not going well, If alot of people can be like him Zambia would have a well balanced govt by now.

Am starting to like Chella tukuta, despite his unstable behavior on social media but he is so objective towards politics. You and i know that the escalating prices of mealie meal,Fuel and other basic commodities is mainly attributed to unfiltered govt policies. Your govt rushed in adhering to IMF policies without thinking of how such decisions would affect citizens. They rushed in removing subsidies without having a second plan.

Amb. Mukwita begs President Hichilema

…to enrol some govt officials into diplomatic school

1st May 2024-Smart Eagles

Ambassador Anthony Mukwita has implored President Hakainde Hichilema to enrol some of his top government officials into diplomatic school so they can learn what language to use in mainstream media and in private.

The former diplomat turned author also urged public officials to desist from insulting the intelligence of Zambians when speaking on national issues such as ´food and sex´ in a program aired live on KBNTV.

This follows comments from nominated legislator Doreen Mwamba who has asked unemployed Zambian couples to stop having sex and impregnating their wives because it is a stress on government coffers.

“If Ms Mwamba had a little more education in public administration an international relation, she would have known that creating jobs, shelter and education is a prerequisite of a government in office it’s called a ´public good´ that must be delivered by government,” said Amb. Mukwita.

Mr. Mukwita added that, “it is different if unemployed Zambians were asking Ms Mwamba to pay for their DSTV or golf club membership because that would be a ´luxury good´. Having said that, “it is in insult on right thinking Zambians for Ms Mwamba to speak the way she did. This is crude language she can only use in a tavern with her friends not media that can be accessed by children”.

Ambassador Mukwita said the solution lies in President Hichilema having a special programm to educate some of his top officials to regulate the language they use in a public space.

He added that, if only Ms Mwamba had researched a little, she would have found a corelation between economic growth and population growth, she is discouraging.

Ambassador Mukwita said wealthy nation like China, India, the United States are wealthy largely because they have huge populations, China above 1.4 billion people, India about 1.5 billion people, USA above 300 million people and Nigeria about 250 million people.

“It’s a shame Ms Mwamba was not told about how huge populations compliment greater economic growth but its not too late because the President can have people like her educated in no time, so they know what to say in public space in future,” said Ambassador Mukwita
Top government officials in UPND have become infamous for saying or using language seen by observers as either inflammatory or disruptive on various fora.

12 Strange things HH has done in April 2024 alone: As Bally Continues to make history

By Dr. Chris Zumani Zimba

1. “I see you are not happy because we don’t give you bags of money when we visit you like the PF did”, HH told off chiefs in Muchinga. This was unfair mockery and strange traditional insult from HH because giving gifts and presents to chiefs is a customary practice we all found on earth. Our stingy HH is now going against human heritage. Even Jesus Christ as a baby king in the Kraal received expensive royal gifts from wise men. Why is our president so stingy to share his mountain of wealth and money?

2. And why is he receiving material gifts, presents and cash himself at Community House from different visitors and partners? Why is he not stopping the wife from receiving donations, gifts and money like the K100,000 she received from our defunct Invest Trust Bank? Why is he spoiling Chief Mukuni and Chief Monze with expensive royal state luxuries but he is dangerously denying and maliciously starving chiefs from other regions?

3. HH is the first president to openly show stinginess (kaso, akaso) to traditional leaders and the citizens in this manner. In fact, President HH is not being honest on this issue. What he told the chiefs in Muchinga province is the total opposite of what he does when he is visiting palaces in Southern province. HH has special chiefs like chief Mukuni, senior chief Monze, etc who he generously gives and takes care of as his coated royal parents. But to other chiefs like those unlucky poor ones in Muchinga, HH merely starves financially by choice and cannot give them even his farm ‘mabisi’.

4. During the KK’s centenary celebrations in the same Muchinga province on 28th April, 2024, president HH shocked everyone when he lied that Super Ken told him that one day, he would become the president of Zambia. The truth is that, KK denounced HH as the only politician he feared because he was capable of dividing the country and destroying his “One Zambia, One Nation” legacy if he became president. The video interview is empirical evidence and there!

5. This April, President’s illegal auditor general, Dr Ron Mwambwa cooked and published a ‘false audit report’ merely to steer public anger and political malicious against previous governments. Most of the contents is incorrect and contradictory. By law, an auditor general must be between 46 and 60 years. HH’s auditor general is now 65 years old, so legally unfit and physically too old for the job. But HH is torturing Zambians with doctored audit reports coming from an illegal auditor general. Why is HH like this sure and from which planet did we carelessly get this president?

6. In his public address in Muchinga, HH further surprised everyone when he said “when I became president, I visited all the eight neighboring countries so that Zambia does not go to war with any”. HH was again shockingly lying because Zambia has never at any point been in a position of going to war with any neighboring country since 1964. His statement was brutally false and a big naked lie as usual. Where did voters fish a lier of this manner as our leader?

7. Since last month to this April, 2024, HH has repeatedly refused to subject the illegal sale of 51% shares in state owned Mopani copper mine to parliament as required by law. HH is strangely the first president to auction or sale one of the most valuable and profitable government mines without getting parliamentary approval since independence. Strange enough, even HH’s ministers of mines and finance respectively cannot clearly explain this slippery and dangerous deal Bally illegally imposed on Zambians.

8. In April, 2024, HH was strangely chased by bees on the Copperbelt. The same HH sold the Luanshya Roan mines in the 1990 as a government consultant and left hundreds of them workers depressed, sickly and dead. This month, the same HH had the rare courage to go and handover the same mine to a new investor who he illegally sold and angry bees invaded his rally. From a cultural standpoint, the Luanshya bees chasing HH will remain a historic symbol of Bally’s bad leadership and political disapproval!

9. April was loaded with HH forcing the BRE to invite him as Guest of Honour at the Kuomboka ceremony instead of Paramount Chief, Chitimukulu. When he noticed that the BRE could not be intimidated, it was shocking to see HH inviting himself as an ordinary citizen to attend the ceremony. Why did the president force himself to be where he was either unwanted or uninvited? This question is also historically strange!

10. At Kuomboka ceremony, it is strange that for the first time, a sitting president was shamefully treated as an outcast, a visible “personal non grata” before the BRE and the The Litunga. HH shockingly attended this Bulozi ceremony like a mere community civic leader by reducing the posture of Head of State and Government to the level of district commissioner or village induna. Very strange indeed and politically wrong!

11. Since 14th April, 2024, the UPND government has crookedly been celebrating the recovery of U$24m from former KCM liquidator, Milingo Lungu (not a relative of former President Edgar Lungu) and hiding many crucial details. Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa has asked President HH to clearly redeem his fingers and role from this U$24m deal. Was the deal cut to prevent Milingo Lungu from presenting evidence in form of recorded meetings with named State officials –before court and to protect the implicated officers? This question remains a huge shock before the nose of HH as long as it is suspiciously unanswered according to Sishuwa Sishuwa.

12. In April 2022, Milingo Lungu told the Constitutional Court that he had evidence of how he cut a deal to stop his prosecution with key State actors namely Principal Private Secretary to the President Bradford Machila, Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, Solicitor General Marshal Muchende, Director of Public Prosecutions Lillian Fulata Siyunyi, Special Assistant to the President for Legal Affairs Christopher Mundia and Administrator General and Official Receiver Natasha Kalimukwa. As long as such crucial issues are not openly explained to Zambians, everything remains strange and citizens must continue to pray for king Nebuchadnezzar.

The list of strange things around HH’s leadership and government for the month of April alone are too many. On 16th April, 2024, HH’s respected lawyer and appointed Commissioner at Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), Dr. Henry Bwanga Mbushi SC openly submitted his resignation letter to the Republican President, an open protest and vote of no confidence in Bally’s fight against corruption. Dr. Mbushi’s resignation came on the day that HH’s Law Enforcement Agencies secretly released the tainted and controversial jet that was involved in the KK International Airport Gold Scandal. To date, everyone is shocked that HH has said nothing about any of the two. Because of time and space, we choose to end here for now!

Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba is a Political Scientist, Researcher, Author & Consultant specialized in Comparative Global Governance and Democratic Theories. He holds a PhD, MA, BA and Cert in Political Science. Zimba was President Lungu’s Political Advisor from December 2019 to August 2021. By philosophical approach, Dr. Zimba is a Pan Africanist as well as Afro-Christian by religion.
Email:chriszumaniZimba.cz@gmail.co

After Gassing Acquittal, Zumani and Co-accused Seek Justice and Healing

….Plaintiffs Push for Compensation Amidst Emotional Toll….

In a story of resilience and determination, Dr Zumani Zimba and Portiphar Gwai, recently acquitted in the gassing case that shook the nation, are now fighting for justice of a different kind one that seeks to mend their broken lives and restore their dignity.

For Dr Zimba and Mr Gwai, the acquittal was a bittersweet victory. While they were relieved to be cleared of the charges that had haunted them, the scars of their ordeal ran deep. Now, as they embark on a legal battle for compensation, they’re confronting the emotional toll and financial ruin left in the wake of their wrongful prosecution and detention.

In exclusive heartfelt interviews, Dr Zimba after the wrongful incarceration, shared the anguish of being labeled a criminal and the toll it took on his family. “It wasn’t just me who suffered. My wife, my children we all felt the weight of those false accusations,” he said, his voice tinged with emotion.

The demand for over K200 million in compensation is about more than just money; it’s about seeking closure and rebuilding shattered lives. It includes provisions for lost income, the trauma endured, and the hefty legal fees accrued during their defense expenses that continue to burden them even after their acquittal.

According to the court documents Dr Zimba and Mr Gwai being “1st and 2nd Plaintiffs were without evidence maliciously arrested, charged, detained, imprisoned and prosecuted by the Defendants. And Payment of Zambian Kwacha Two Hundred Million (2MW200, 000,
000.00) being Compensation for maliciously arresting, charging; detaining, imprisoning and prosecuting the Plaintiffs by the Defendants”

But beyond the financial aspect, there’s a quest for justice for accountability and acknowledgment of the injustice they faced. They want those responsible to understand the pain they caused.

“It’s not just about us; it’s about ensuring this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Being a Political advisor to the former President their legal journey might be fraught with challenges, but when we look back to the months they were wrongfully imprisoned they remain undeterred. With each step forward, they’re reclaiming their dignity and challenging a system that failed them.

Their story serves as an important reminder of the human cost of injustice and the resilience of the human spirit. As they navigate the road ahead, their hope is not just for compensation, but for healing for themselves and for a nation grappling with the scars of its past.

This quest for justice also poses a significant political test for the UPND government, which has been under scrutiny for allegedly rewarding party members with substantial sums of money since coming into power.

As public attention shifts to this case, it will be a litmus test for the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and justice for all.

Will anyone be held responsible for current ‘artificial’ maize deficit?

By ZBT correspondent
One major deficiency in the way public affairs are conducted in Zambia is that there is an embedded culture of inpunity and lack of accountability.

Meritocracy is only entertained when in opposition, but when in power, national leaders give in to all sorts of vices which lead to stagnation. This is clear in the way the country has ended up with a huge maize deficit.

After many predictions and warnings of an impending drought, the impact is well underway. The drought, it should be mentioned, was predicted in good time, but the general reaction to the available information, was lax at best.

As early as May 2023, the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) issued an advisory on the expected conditions related to El Niño, including lower than expected rainfall for larger swaths of the country.

Significant for Zambia was that the impact centered around the most productive regions of the country, namely the Southern, Eastern, and Central Provinces. The official production deficit stands at 1.2 million metric tons of maize, reducing the total output for the production year to 1.7 million tons, grossly shy of the 2.9 million MT minimum total annual consumption required.

This makes for curious reading because despite adequate warning of an impending drought, we, as a country, still went ahead to export roughly 1 million tons of maize with a conservative estimated value of $350,000,000 (price assumed at $350/ton) USD.

A few months down the line, we are faced with the prospect of importing 650K tons of maize at a cost of $260,000,000. This is a damning indictment for the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, and DMMU for their sheer lack of foresight.

Questions loom large on how we achieved the fantastic feat of exporting so much grain while our needs at the time and at present surpassed the need to export.

Despite the government relying on “hope” that the drought would not be as extensive as it is, the foundations for the current problems being experienced were laid in the 2022 announcement of national maize output. In 2022, the official national output for maize stood at 3.2 million MT – by most standards, an overestimate, with the real figure hovering around 2.7 million.

Carrying on with this number has meant there has been an inflated production figure which the drought has now exposed. The litmus test for the inaccuracy was the odd invocation of the Zambia National Services’ assignment to mill maize meal with the hope of affecting the prevailing price of mealie meal, admirable but amateurish at best because there was no disclosure as to where ZNS would procure its stock to keep the façade of cheap mealie meal (from FRA, of course! One would muse), but FRA has a long tradition of a mismatch between stocks on paper and physical stocks held.

This situation unfortunately makes the Ministry of Agric inept at reasonable planning and makes the DMMU culpable for not standing as an independent branch of government with the mandate to mitigate disasters and has been co-opted in parroting false production figures that have led us to the current situation.

The current administration has staked its credibility on being transparent, but the current handling of the drought presents a myriad of problems that need honest self-introspection – results of which, one hopes, would see the need for reliable information to be communicated; managing information is what has led us here.

From an economic standpoint, this compounds an already complicated economic situation in the country, with the national debt still front and centre and yet to be resolved. Managing the drought entails raising cash to procure stocks to cover the while rolling out the annual FISP program (± $400 million USD) – not an enviable position to be found in.

Let’s ask again, are we as a nation intellectually comfortable and honest by blaming all this on El nino and that the leaders and decision makers at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food Reserve Agency – FRA should not take full responsibility for their failure to keep strategic food reserves?
For comments, contribution and whistleblowing email: editor@zambianbusinesstimes.com

-Zambian Business Times

5% Copper export increase while Kwacha depreciates – a reflection of failure to actualize export tracking framework – Expert

Economist Yusuf Dodia says the latest Zamstatics report showing an increase of about 5 percent of copper export earnings is a clear reflection of Governments failure to actualize the export proceeds tracking framework.

The BOZ export tracking framework which came into effect on 1st January, 2024 requires that all exporters in Zambia open bank accounts with a bank or financial institution domiciled in Zambia and deposit all export proceeds to that account within a period of 90 days.

Speaking an in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times (ZBT), Dodia said the country is being deprived of benefits from copper because if the Export Tracking Framework was properly implemented, the country would been realizing about $20 – 30 million dollars a day.

He said the purported increase of copper production would also be meaningless as long as the economy is not benefiting from the higher exports and remitting back of proceed to Zambia.

“This report is showing us our losses, currently the only thing the country is benefiting is mineral loyalty Taxes which is very small, the developments in the mining industry will remain unimpactful as long those export earnings are not coming to Zambia, we are just running an economy for the benefit of western investors,” he said.

He said the lack of actualizing the Export Tracking Framework has spilled over to the instability of the Kwacha and economy at large.

Dodia revealed that whilst 20 to 30 million dollars of copper leave the country everyday, there is no formidable steps being taken to harness the potential of the minerals.

“We are losing 20 to 30 million dollars, the increase in production maybe is 25 million dollars a day, it is just showing us that we need to improve or atleast the Bank of Zambia and Government must take steps to safeguard the economy,” He said.

The BOZ export proceeds tracking framework directive had brought renewed hope, with analysts and economists projecting that, if well implemented, the Kwacha may post further gains as this balance of payments monitoring tool is expected to bring more transparency and result in more export forex inflows into the country.

The BOZ export tracking framework among other things requires exporters to open and maintain a bank account with a bank or financial institution domiciled in Zambia and that an exporter shall deposit all proceeds of exports of goods and/or services into this account within ninety (90) days from the date of export.

All exporters in Zambia are required to complete and submit to Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), the customs export declaration.

And the banks or financial institutions that receive these export proceeds are required to make a return or report to BOZ through submission of money receipts and remittances report on the electronic Balance of payment (e-BoP) Monitoring System.

The directive has also prescribed adequate penalties for exporters or banks or financial institutions that fail to comply, which include revocation of their tax clearance certificate and TPIN.-Zambian Business Times

CHRIS ZUMANI SAYS, SUNDAY CHANDA IS A SNAKE, HH WILL CRY

“Sunday Chanda was eating at State House every week when Edgar Lungu was Republican President. Chanda warmed himself as a spoiled adopted son of the Lungus at Nkwanzi where he adorned himself so close to madam Esther Lungu, Chawama lawmaker, Tasila Lungu and all key staff of the president.

I was equally close to him as Political Advisor to ECL because he was already my friend too. For me, Sunday Chanda became part of extended family as far back as 2017. President Lungu dearly loved Sunday Chanda as PF Media Director and treated him as his own son.

With guidance from ECL, all of us treated Sunday as part of the LUNGU’s inner circle from a party point of view: he was highly privileged. Apart from sacrificing a high respected civil servant, former police IG in Hon. Malama to adopt Sunday Chanda on PF ticket in Kanchibiya, President Lungu used his own resources and networks at his disposal to finance and support Sunday Chanda to become a parliamentarian in 2021. I know everything as political programs and campaign activities were under my desk. Chanda ate the best cake in PF.

Shockingly, today, brother Sunday Chanda takes Edgar Lungu for unwanted political asylum seeker who he does not want to mention or associate with anywhere because ECL lost power. Today, Sunday is crawling for something at Community House on HH’s table and presenting himself as Bally’s step son for CDF. This Sunday Chanda even had satanic courage to openly campaign for the UPND in the recent local government by elections in his constituency in the name of HH’s CDF when this is the man who vehemently opposed Bally and called him all demonic names during the PF era.

Many times, I am lost with words to describe our brother because his political behavior is not different from the snake of the garden of Eden. He is a big traitor and shamefully treacherous. Well, HH is fooling himself by playing with snakes like our brother. HH will be bitten big and ‘killed’ in 2026 by the same snakes he is carelessly dancing with at Community House-Sunday Chanda is one of these snakes. If he betrayed Lungu who made him reach where he is today, what more our stingy HH who is just throwing empty promises on him?

B. conclusion

Snakes can never befriend man perpetually, they just pretend to be cool as long as they’re warm and comfortable. But trust me, snakes soon betray, strike and sometimes kill their own host with their inherit poison: HH must wait for 2026. If HH thinks he is a big snake of our politics specialized in mingalato’, he is fooling himself because he now faces bigger and better deadly pythons: he will be nicely swallowed and chewed into pieces! In 2026, Bally will be fixed by voters and his Anaconda snakes will eat him alive and vanish to their new host”

Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba

Dr. Mwambwa is a Danger to the National Audit Office

By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

The Constitution provides that the Auditor General must be among other things, aged between 46 and 60 years because of the nature of the work, experience required, qualifications, and stature of the office.

Dr. Ron Mwambwa is aged 65 years and is not, therefore, qualified to hold that position.

For this reason, his appointment by President Hichilema and the eventual nomination for parliamentary ratification, was quietly withdrawn.

But President Hichilema has illegally kept the Auditor General in office.

This is to clearly help his agenda of suppressing key issues that should expose theft and abuse of public resources and then pick issues that weaponise his fight against the former ruling party, the Patriotic Front.

Dr. Mwambwa stay at the National Audit Office is therefore illegal. President Hichilema has not bothered to show urgency to seek a replacement.

Take, for example, the Special Audit Report on External on External Public Debt.

The matters the Auditor General has raised were comprehensively dealt with at the Public Accounts Committee.

Both the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Education officials and witnesses, appeared before the Committee to answer to the audit concerns.

Further, the House adopted recommendations that should be dealt with.

However, the Auditor General has proceeded to rehash the same facts on the same matters and purports to call the outcome report as a special audit.

The legitimacy of this report is absent as any public audit done by the Auditor General must be presented before Parliament.

Does it mean that Parliament will be forced and subjected to handle these matters twice?

Utter illegalities.

Look at the audit case of US$340 million for a greenfield brand new international airport.

The Auditor General purports that these funds are missing and no airport was ever constructed.

I guess he has never heard of the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport.

He also has never heard of the Ndola Airport that was transformed into the Peter Zuze Airforce Base?

Since President Hichilema is determined to keep Dr. Mwambwa, it incumbent upon himself as for.er professional to tender a resignation to save his remaining integrity, and pave way for a legitimate constitutional office-holder.

Victor Mapani’s Shameless Reign of Nepotism at ZESCO Continues

By Daimone Siulapwa

As discontent brews within the ranks of ZESCO employees, the revelations of rampant nepotism within the organization have sent shockwaves through the corridors of power.

More shocking revelations now expose the extent to which the nepotism rot has reached and at the heart of this rot stands Victor Mapani, the Managing Director, whose shameless alleged gross nepotism has transformed the company into a family affair.

The audacity of Mapani’s nepotistic maneuvers is staggering.

Firstly, elevating himself from MO1 to MO0 smacks of arrogance and entitlement, while simultaneously demoting the principles of meritocracy and fairness to mere footnotes in ZESCO’s history.

But it is not just Mapani who has embraced this culture of favoritism; his kin have also found their way into the ZESCO fold.

His daughter, Beenzu Mapani, just recently enjoyed a swift ascent from ML6 to ML5, translating into a gross salary of around K38,000 per month, courtesy of her father’s influence.

Meanwhile, Makoye Mapani, his son, has been employed in the position of Principal Engineer at Kafue Gorge Lower, entering at a higher grade of ML5 while many senior engineers with over 10 years experience still languish at ML6 and they now report to him.

The nepotism web extends further, allegedly ensnaring Mapani’s sister in the call center, a niece in the ESU, and to add insult to injury, his sister-in-law conveniently assumes the mantle of Director of Finance.

This cronyism is a slap in the face to every hardworking ZESCO employee who dreams of advancement based on merit, not familial connections.

But Mapani’s nepotism knows no bounds; he has also welcomed a cadre of cronies into the fold, appointing them to lucrative positions at the expense of more qualified candidates.

The new positions of department heads and Deputy Directors were non existent at ZESCO but were created specifically for friends and family members (story for another day)

The stench of corruption hangs heavy in the air as ZESCO becomes a breeding ground for incompetence and cronyism.

The time for complacency is over. As patriotic citizens, we demand action.

Mapani must be held to account for his egregious abuse of power, and the board of ZESCO must act swiftly and decisively to root out the cancer of nepotism that threatens to consume this institution from within, unless they are partaking in the forbidden fruit.

We call upon the board to demand for Mapani to immediately step-down pending a thorough investigation into his nepotistic practices.

The people of Zambia deserve better than this flagrant betrayal of trust.

It is time to reclaim ZESCO as a beacon of integrity and meritocracy, where hard work and dedication are rewarded, not sidelined in favor of nepotistic cronyism.

The fear and intimidation tactics employed to silence dissent within ZESCO’s ranks are reprehensible.

No employee should live in fear of retribution for speaking out against injustice.

It is time for the voices of the silenced to be heard, for the truth to be brought to light, and for justice to prevail.

Let this be a rallying cry for change. Let us stand united against the scourge of nepotism, for the sake of ZESCO, for the sake of Zambia, and for the sake of future generations who deserve a fair and just society. The time for action is now.

Daimone Siulapwa is a political analyst, an advocate for tribal unity, and Citizen Economic Empowerment.

Former Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya has announced his intention to run for PF Party President. “I intend to stand as a candidate for Party President at the Congress,” Dr.Chilufya said. He further refused to endorse Edgar Lungu as current pf president or the UKA Alliance.

Dr. Chitalu Chilufya was appointed as Minister of Health by the President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in September, 2016 a position he served up to 2020 before he then appointed for a brief period as Minister of Agriculture.

Previously he served as the Deputy Minister of Health between 2014 and 2016

Dr. Chitalu is a graduate of the University of Zambia, School of Medicine. Prior to joining politics, he worked at various levels of management in the health sector mostly in the rural areas of Zambia. He is currently the elected Member of Parliament for Mansa Central Constituency since 2013 in the Northern part of Zambia.

In February 2023 the Lusaka magistrate court freed Dr. Chitalu Chilufya and seven others in a case where they were accused of conspiracy to defraud the state in connection with the HoneyBee drugs supply case. The accused were alleged to have conspired to defraud the government out of over US$17 million.

The case had attracted significant attention in Zambia, with many closely following developments and waiting for the outcome. The other accused in the case included former Attorney General Likando Kalaluka, former Ministry of Health permanent secretary Caroline Kakulubelwa, and procurement officer Wilson Lungu. The case also involved Honeybee Pharmacy Limited directors Abdurrauf Motala, Zakir Motala, and Imran Lunat, as well as pharmacist Emmanuel Mubanga.

When the matter came up for a trial, the prosecution team made an application to discontinue the matter pursuant to section 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court subsequently discharged all of the accused persons.

The decision to discontinue the case was significant, as it represented a victory for Dr. Chilufya and the others accused. The allegations against them were serious, and the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence was a real concern. The decision to withdraw the charges was welcomed by many, particularly those who have supported Dr. Chilufya.

MWALITETA QUESTIONS OPPOSITION SILENCE OVER FINANCIAL SCANDALS

He writes:

Why is the opposition silent over financial scandals?

Lusaka-IS the opposition telling Zambians that it is perfectly in order to steal State financial resources without any consequences?

We know that silence gives consent and this appears to be the case with Edgar Lungu and his cronies in the UKA over public funds and property which are being forfeited to the State.

Surely, the deafening silence from Edgar Lungu and his cronies in the opposition political parties over the US$24 million Milingo Lungu scandal is a betrayal to the Zambian people.

We all know that Lungu’s forfeiture of US$24 million he dubiously benefited himself as a Provisional Liguidator at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) is financial crime that should concern any political organization, especially Edgar Lungu who grabbed Konkola Copper Mine from investors.

If Lungu was not aware of the theft and abuse of these public resources he would have been fuming with anger against the culprits following the revelations.

It is no brainer that our colleagues in the opposition in this country shall look the other way when their finance support base is threatened by government actions.

Edgar Lungu and his cronies don’t exist at the moment to protect the interests of this country but their interests even if it hurts the citizens.
The outspoken political leaders such as Edith Nawakwi, Sean Tembo, Harry Kalaba, Saboi Imboela and others are also silent, perhaps because they are third party beneficiaries of the looted funds under former president Edgar Lungu’s government.

It is common knowledge that Edgar Lungu is a grand sponsor of the activities of United Kwacha Alliance (UKA). This situation is compromising the very essence of the opposition providing checks and balances while ensuring that public resources are protected.

But Zambians are assured that the United Party for National Development (UPND) government is determined to recover all stolen assets without any exception because they belong to the people.
If one individual can misappropriate $24 million, what of the inner cycle of Edgar Lungu during his reign?

Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, let’s discuss stolen money and free yourself of the burden hovering over your head.

ISSUED BY: OBVIOUS MWALITETA
UPND LUSAKA PROVINCE CHAIRMAN