By Fanny Kalonda

ACTING PF president Given Lubinda says the UPND government is desperately attempting to label the former ruling party as a corrupt one to raise public anger and discord against it.

He notes that life has become unbearable by the day, “due to the incompetence and failure of President Hichilema and his government to deal with the depressing economic challenges affecting Zambians”.

And Lubinda says the comment by technology minister Felix Mutati has vindicated PF in the FTJ University saga.

On Friday, Mutati said payments for the FTJ University were made after he was moved from the Ministry of Finance to then ministry of works and supply.

The PF had called on Mutati to explain the FTJ University saga and how finances were released since he was finance minister then.

But Mutati published a letter showing that he was demoted from finance to works and supply.

He said all those payments were made after he had left the Ministry of Finance.

“It has come to my attention via various sections of the media that there is a story surrounding FTJ University funding and that I should explain my role then. On February 14, 2018 – I was demoted as Minister of Finance and sent to the Ministry of Works and Supply. On 28th February, 2018 the first payment for FTJ University of US Dollars 8,888,421.63 was made to China Energy Engineering Group. You will notice from the above that the first payment was made following my removal,” explained Mutati. “Subsequent payments made on FTJ Project were as follows; 20th March, 2018, 8,000,000.00. Second, 20th April, 2018, 8,000,000.00 and lastly, 1st June, 2018, 8,861,578.37. This brings the total payments to China Energy Group for FTJ Project to USD 33,750,000.00. I trust that this clarifies the payment transactions on the FTJ project.”

In his immediate reaction, Lubinda said the PF was happy that Mutati had full knowledge of the $33 million transaction regarding the much talked about FTJ University.

He however insisted that all those who wanted to know what happened to the $33 million should not point fingers at the PF but ask Mutati because he is the one with all the information as indicated in his formal response.

“Mr Mutati in his official response to our query has indicated the company that was paid, the amounts that were paid including the dates when the money was paid. This is exactly what we have been saying that it is malicious for Charles Milupi to be accusing the Patriotic Front or any member of the Patriotic Front of impropriety in the matter of the FTJ University when in fact he is fully aware that Felix Mutati was minister of finance at the time,” said Lubinda. “He has all the information regarding who was paid, what was paid and when it was paid. So, Milupi and all those who want to know what happened to the $33 million should not point fingers at the PF but ask Felix Mutati because he is the one who has all the information as indicated in his formal response. Unfortunately for them, no amount of malice, lies and propaganda against PF and its leadership will save President Hakainde Sammy Hichilema and his UPND from the anger and frustration of the Zambians whose lives are becoming unbearable by the day due to the incompetence and failure of President Hichilema and his government to deal with the depressing economic challenges affecting Zambians.”

Comment : The delicate PF rebranding process

Zambia is a multiparty democracy where every stakeholder has got something to contribute to our democratic credentials.
On paper, we have over 40 registered political parties. However, there are less than five relevant ones that Zambians can look up to for providing checks and balances, and even form the next government. This is why any disintegration of a big political party such as the Patriotic Front (PF) should be a big source of worry for every citizen.

This country has a history of not returning former ruling parties at any general election; even if there is a clear revolution. Zambians have never gone into their political archives to unearth a political party like Malawi did two years ago. Instead, they have always faced forward – looking for new political parties. It seems they never want to be reminded of past bad memories of any former ruling party. This is the trend that has seen two former ruling parties so far confined to the political dustbin in the likes of UNIP and MMD. And now we have the PF which lost power last year and is gossiping for a surprise comeback; seeking to rewrite history in our politics.
And Eastern Province PF information and publicity secretary William Phiri says the former ruling party should consider postponing the convention and concentrate on strengthening membership.
Phiri warns that the rebranding process will injure or destroy the already fatigued and worn-out general membership.

“The loss indeed was painful, which somehow destabilised the party, especially the lower organs. The much talked about rebranding of the once mighty Patriot Front party has left many with mixed feelings when it comes to certain names that have been included in the central committee, the highest organ of the party in charge of making decisions. The rebranding process will injure or destroy the already fatigued and worn-out general members if not handled with care and consideration. In short, it is too premature to go to the convention at this stage. The party needs to deal with all the power-hungry elements or power struggles within the party,” said Phiri. “The different factions that have so far emerged may cause mayhem at the convention and later paralyse the entire party. We don’t want to go that route. We must analyse critically what president Nason Msoni has advised the PF. It is myopic for the party to ignore such advice. The party cannot afford to elect some leaders into sensitive positions when they are facing very serious allegations of corruption. Otherwise the rebranding won’t have any meaning at all. Worse still, the Zambian people won’t take us seriously anymore and the tag of ‘PF party of thieves won’t be easily erased’. The party should seriously consider postponing the convention. Let’s concentrate on strengthening the abandoned lower structures and help revive the morale. The structures may be intact but if leaders are not pushing the agenda of unity and hard work, then let’s forget about returning power in 2026. The power struggle in the party is very worrisome.”

William has brought out very serious concerns here which the PF leadership should ponder on critically. It is true that right now there are several groups in the PF with vested interests. This has not started today. It was there even when the party was in power. And it should not be blamed on Edgar Lungu. Shadow boxing and otherwise emanates from the party’s founding president Michael Sata. Michael managed this party using a divide and rule system, which resulted in the purging of some loyal members based on pure gossip from others. We all remember how Wynter Kabimba was hounded out after PF members staged mock funeral processions about Wynter, sponsored by Michael himself. Opportunists found their way into the party’s inner circle. Edgar just amplified on this.

This is the legacy that PF has carried on for the 21 years it has existed. And the leadership should look back and see what has made them disintegrate in this manner. William is calling for the postponement of the PF convention, but we do not agree with his view. We think that holding the PF convention quickly with a totally new leadership will help the party survive and live a little longer. Further, the party should avail its postmortem report to the general membership. This is the best way of dealing with the past mistakes and confronting the future.

There is no honour in hiding the findings of this postmortem. If PF leaders continue hiding the findings then they will never know what exactly caused their downfall – they risk finishing quickly even before the 2026 elections.

Amilcar Cabral advised that, “We should recognise as a matter of conscience that there have been many faults and errors in our action whether political or military: an important number of things we should have done we have not done at the right times, or not done at all.”

On false confidence and deception, he warned that, “We must practice revolutionary democracy in every aspect of our Party life. Every responsible member must have the courage of his responsibilities, exacting from others a proper respect for his work and properly respecting the work of others. Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories.”

It is not healthy for PF leaders to behave like ostriches by burying their heads in the sand. Problems in the party are real, and they continue to multiply, especially that the PF is no longer in power. How can certain names pop up as presidential candidates even when they know the mess they caused prior to the August 12 elections? This is what is called courage of a cockroach. In a normal organisation, such leaders should have stayed away from leadership aspirations.

For the sake of democracy, Zambians would like PF to exist and provide checks and balances to the UPND. However, the key is in the hands of PF members and the entire leadership. If they want to exist for the next 10 years, it is up to them to decide. This will certainly depend on how they conduct their national convention. This exercise will either keep the PF afloat or bury them. If it buries them, their entire leadership should bear the blame, not anyone else. The PF problem cannot be postponed!

Muhanga will be first new dawn technocrat to go to jail – Mung’andu

By Ernest Chanda

CHAMA South PF member of parliament Davison Mung’andu has warned that tourism permanent secretary Evans Muhanga will be the first new dawn government technocrat to go to jail.

On April 29, The Mast published an expose which showed that Muhanga had cancelled tourism hunting concession agreements for 19 hunting blocks which were signed in December 2020.

This was against advice from the Attorney General who also warned of heavy compensation the government could pay successful bidders if they sued.

Several stakeholders condemned Muhanga’s decision, including Lusaka lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, a State Counsel.

Socialist Party president Fred M’membe also said there is no public interest in the cancellation of safari hunting concession agreements by Muhanga.

“Clearly, there’s no ‘public interest’ being pursued here; it’s all about personal interest. They want to corruptly award the concessions to themselves, their friends or associates. We demand that they immediately cancel their cancellation of the awarded tenders and follow the Attorney General’s advice,” said Dr M’membe. “There’s something seriously wrong, questionable or even corrupt with this government’s cancellation of the tender for the granting of safari hunting/ photographic tourism concessions ‘due to public interest’. This cancellation is against the Attorney General’s very well-reasoned legal advice. This government has deliberately ignored the Attorney General’s warning that this cancellation was legally unsustainable. And that it will lead to law suits against the government which will tarnish its image in terms of creating an enabling investment environment and respect of the law.”

When contacted for comment, Muhanga blamed The Mast, accusing the newspaper of being used to push an agenda against him.

…I received your press query, but you’ve been going on writing things that you don’t even confirm. So just continue the way you are doing them. If you respect the office, you will come first of all; you ask. But you go and…For me, The Mast has got its own way of doing things, which is not professional I must tell you,” said Muhanga. “My friend, I’ve been in the media also for quite a long time. So, I know who has an agenda. Who is pushing an agenda. You’ve decided to be used at the expense of national interest. I’m not gonna be dragged into that element. So, you’ve decided not to be professional.”

Adding his voice to the debate, Mung’andu, whose constituency covers part of the South Luangwa National Park, questioned in whose interest Muhanga had made such a decision.

“For me, Mr Muhanga has just presented himself to be the first new dawn technocrat who will be going to jail because that is against the law. He can’t just come and unilaterally cancel hunting concessions that were awarded legally. Why is it that they want to bring politics and promote their own economic or financial interests in this?” he asked. “The people of Chama South will reject that. They need to give a valid reason, otherwise this cancellation smells corruption. Let him tell us if there was corruption in the bidding process, and did it affect the community? They need to give us all these answers, or else we’ll not tolerate it.”

Mung’andu accused Muhanga of pushing an agenda “possibly given to him by interested parties”.

“Clearly, instead of Evans Muhanga accusing The Mast of having an agenda, it is him and those that are giving him instructions who have an agenda against the people where these hunting concessions were signed. That has to be put clearly. That it is actually him and those that he is possibly receiving instructions from,” he said. “Why I say so it is them who have gone against the advice from the Attorney General. It is not The Mast newspaper.”

Mung’andu said people from his constituency have already complained against Muhanga’s decision.

He said people from the area had already contacted him to complain about Muhanga’s decision.

“Then secondly, the CRBs (Community Resource Boards) actually have contacted me to complain. As a member of parliament, I’ll be writing him a letter tomorrow over the same matter. You know, as MPs, we don’t necessarily get involved in all what goes on because the community is well represented at each level,” Mung’andu explained. “All villages they have what they call Village Hunting Groups (VHGs). VHGs submit to what they call Community Resource Boards. And representation of the Community Resource Boards comes from some members of each VHG which is represented. That is how the selection is done. And the selection is done according to the commitment that the bidders have made to the community. On top of that they (bidders) pay levy to the government. They also look at how many things has the bidder pledged to do for the people in the entire community. When you look at the outfitters in my community, they are the highest. One of them was the highest in the country. How then can it (cancellation) be called public interest?”

He explained that with Muhanga’s decision only a few locals would benefit.

Mung’andu said he would write to Muhanga on behalf of his constituents, seeking what he termed satisfactory answers.

“They are also questioning to say they are suggesting that outfitters should partner with indigenous locals. That will mean only a few locals will benefit. The current system which makes these outfitters to make pledges to the community is the best because the entire community benefits. So, for us we will be writing to Mr Muhanga, why he unilaterally cancelled the tenders against the advice from the Attorney General,” he said.

Mung’andu asked Muhanga to prepare himself for possible litigation from winners of the tenders he has cancelled.

“If anything, further, we want to remind Mr Muhanga to prepare himself because we are told that those who were affected, they are likely to go to court; which simply means there will be no hunting. And if there will be no hunting let him quickly employ as many wildlife police officers as possible because many of these areas are manned by villagers,” explained Mung’andu. “So, we are talking about people from the community who have been making a living from this. They have been sending their children to school, they have been able to buy soap and do other activities. Now, they are still waiting. They don’t know what will happen. So, he should also be able to prepare himself. He should also tell us whose interest he’s pushing.”

Last month, Muhanga cancelled safari hunting concession agreements signed in 2020, against the advice of Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, as the hunting season opened on May 1, 2022.

Instead, he ordered a readvertisement of the same in his memorandum to director of national parks and wildlife in the Ministry of Tourism Dr Chuma Simukonda dated April 22, 2022.

According to the Attorney General’s advice in a letter dated January 5, 2022 addressed to President Hakainde Hichilema on tender No. MTA/SP/001/2020, there was nothing illegal about the tender and that cancelling it would attract law suits against the government.

“Your Excellency, I find it pertinent to make an appointment with you and explain the legal implications relating to the subject matter. Your Excellency, prior to meeting you [I] wish to bring it to your attention through this letter that I received a letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Arts reference No. MTA/54/14/2 dated 15th December, 2021 in which the Ministry was seeking a legal opinion on the cancellation of Hunting Concession Agreements (hereinafter referred to as ‘HCAs’,” Kabesha wrote. “The circumstances that engendered the opinion is attributed to your directive to the Minister and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism to the effect that the execution of the HCAs must be halted and that the negotiated HCAs must be cancelled.”

He cited formalities which prescribe a genuine hunting concession agreement and advised that once they are met then the tender remains legal.

Citing case law, Kabesha advised against cancelling the agreements as that would attract legal suits on government and subsequent loss of income through compensations to the affected parties.

“Your Excellency, once all these formalities are met, the contract or contracts come into being. According to the Procuring Entity all these procedures were met which resulted in the HCAs being approved,” explained Kabesha. “In the case of National Drug Company Limited and Zambia Privatisation Agency v Mary Katongo, the Supreme Court held that: ‘It is trite law that once the parties have voluntarily and freely entered into a legal contract, they become bound to abide by the terms of the contract and that the role of the court is to give efficacy to the contract when one party has breached it by respecting, upholding and enforcing the contract.’ In view of the cited case and in the absence of cogent evidence of infringement of section 69 (1), it becomes legally unsustainable to terminate the HCAs. Any attempt to effect will undoubtedly lead to law suits against Government which is striving to resuscitate the economy of the country and at the same time creating an enabling environment for investment and respect of the law. I humbly render my advice.”

Specifically, the affected hunting concession agreements include the following:

Musungwa and Shezongo Community Resources Board and JVZ Safaris Limited, relating to safari hunting rights in Nkala Hunting Block in Nkala game management area.

Nabwalya Community Resources Board and Kuwama Safaris Limited, relating to Safari hunting rights in Nabwalya Hunting Block in Nabwalya Game Management Area.

Malama and Kakumbi Community Resources Board and Kwalata Safaris Limited, relating to safari hunting rights in Lower Lupande Hunting Block in Lupande Game Management Area.

Chikwa Community Resources Board and Mopani Safaris Limited, relating to safari hunting rights in Chikwa Hunting Block in East Musalangu Game Management Area.

Mulendema Community Resources Board, Chibuluma Community Resources Board, Kabulwebulwe Community Resources Boards and Nedzo Safaris Limited relating to safari hunting rights in Mumbwa West Hunting Block in Mumbwa West Game Management Area.

Chifunda Community Resources Board and Kocango Safaris Limited relating to safari hunting rights in Chifunda Hunting Block in East Musalangu Game Management Area.

Several stakeholders, including good governance activist Brebner Changala and State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota, have advised Muhanga against the cancellation, warning that government would pay heavily when bidders sue.

And on May 4, 2022, Muhanga wrote a letter officially informing all the bidders about the cancellation.

By Kombe Mataka

THE biggest tragedy the country has is to follow the smoke and leaving the fire behind, says acting PF secretary general Nickson Chilangwa.

Speaking when he featured on Diamond Live Programme on Thursday evening, Chilangwa said he was amazed about how the issue of alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the construction of FTJ University in Mansa during the PF regime was blown by the UPND government.

“In this country the biggest tragedy the country has is to follow the smoke and leaving the fire behind. And because of that tragedy, we have got in place some characters and human beings we have placed in governance who would want people to run away with the smoke and leave the fire behind,” he said. “The FTJ University, I agree, is a project that was started by His Excellency president Michael Sata in 2013…When president Edgar Lungu came into government, he picked up the story and said ‘I am going to run with the project’. So, he came to cabinet and [it was] approved by 18th July 2019.”

Chilangwa said he had failed to explain where money allocated to the fund was because as a provincial minister, he could not sign for any project but merely supervise.

“Something along the way went wrong. This is where we come back to the issue of running away with the smoke and leaving the fire behind. This is what is happening. I have said on the 18th July 2019 the contractor was on site. Yes, he was on site. Was work going on? Yes. Did the Ministry of Finance assure me that money was available? Yes, I was assured,” he explained. “I am amazed you as a journalist, do you listen to yourself? Do you listen? This is what goes on in this country. Can I tell you that at the end of 2016 there was a decision by cabinet? There was an announcement by cabinet through the Ministry of Finance to say ‘we are under negotiations with IMF; and IMF are saying we have over borrowed and we need to slow down on capital projects’. It was all here. Where you do live. In this country?”

Chilangwa affirmed that as of 2019 he found the contractor on site.

“In 2019 in July, I was at the project. I found the contractor on site. The minister of finance told me the constructor was on site. But we as government need a loan and raise counterpart funding – about US $33 million,” he explained. “And by the way, the counterpart [funding] of $33 million was for the two universities: the FTJ University and Northern University. That is money the government [was supposed to provide] as counterpart funding. I was not in charge of money or payments. I am not the one in charge of paying.”

Chilangwa said people should stop vilifying him and PF over the FTJ University saga because there was a new government that must take up the issue.

“Is there anyone who has been indicted for chewing this money? This is the problem. This is the tragedy of this country. We have characters in governance here who do not want to be truthful. When this entire structure started, who was the finance minister? Honourable (Felix) Mutati. He has not died. He is still in this government…” said Chilangwa. “I like to believe honourable (Dr Situmbeko) Musokotwane is a truthful and honest man. He will be able to take you through the process of how the money was released. Who was it released to? I am not in a privileged position, no mwana (my friend)! Listen naiwe (you), your colleagues who have never been in governance; is not abracadabra. It is not what you say ‘I am going to do this by 14:00 hours’, no. There are processes and procedures. We have got colleagues at the Ministry of Finance who are keeping quiet when all this is going on. What is the agenda? To paint us black? There are records there that money has a trail. Why are they being economical with the truth? Why are they whipping people’s emotions?”

By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone

IF I can bring Given Lubinda to UPND I will be very happy, says lands minister Elijah Muchima.

He says the PF’s dream to bounce back into power will not come true because they stole a lot of money from Zambians.

Muchima, a UPND national management committee member, said President Hakainde Hichilema is ready to die for Zambians.

Speaking at Victoria Hall on Thursday when former Mbabala member of parliament Ephraim Bbelemu and two others rejoined the UPND from the PF, Muchima said President Hichilema wants power to get back to the people.

“Through you (UPND members) we are respected as Zambians. Never again shall we suffer as Zambians as we did under PF. But good things don’t come easily,” he said. “Please don’t stop people from coming to join the UPND. Let’s make UPND attractive. Let’s not chase them. If I can bring [acting PF president] Lubinda to the UPND, I will be very happy. If I receive a PF member, I will be very happy.”

Muchima said the PF left big problems and that he is surprised that they could afford to build big mansions.

Muchima, who was flanked by information minister Chushi Kasanda and Livingstone mayor Constance Muleabai, said he has been in government administration for decades but was shocked as to where PF ministers got money to build lavish mansions.

He said his tours are not for luxury but to “get land that was stolen from poor Zambians back to them”.

“We will reposses land stolen by PF cadres. This war you fought, you were not alone. God saw the violence. God saw the levels of cadreism. General mosquito (UPND national youth chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso) don’t follow in PF footsteps. PF has a dream to come back, but that won’t come true because they stole a lot from Zambians. But HH won’t subtract even a penny from Zambians,” Muchima said. “But he has increased CDF. Yes, the cost of living is high, fuel prices are high as a result of the war (Russia-Ukraine conflict). But in every Cabinet meeting he (President Hichilema) talks of poor people. He says ‘land should be for the poor’. HH is ready to die for you.”

He asked UPND members to give President Hichilema and his leadership some time stressing that good things don’t come easily.

“Be strong, do not fear. You will never be left alone,” Muchima said.

He said the PF would criticise Dr Jimmy Bbelemu (Mahogany Airways owner), his brother Ephraim and former Choma mayor Jackson Makwamba for rejoining the UPND but he advised the trio to ignore the criticisms.

“Wait for 2026 to see if there will be any PF. From where I come from I’m tough and rough. They will never come back, they stole a lot,” Muchima said.

He praised former Livingstone and Katombora members of parliament Mathews Jere and Derrick Livune respectively for being loyal to the UPND.

The duo remained in the party after not being adopted to reelection in 2021.

And Bbelemu said he takes responsibility for his actions to join the PF in April 2021 which injured many UPND members.

“For now I redirect my energies away from the PF and I want to render my apology to anyone I may have injured. I know people were injured when I left,” he said.

Bbelemu said at the moment it was only the UPND which has talked of giving back power to the people as well as opening up people’s freedoms and rights so that they can exercise them freely.

“I believe that I must enjoy my liberties, my rights. And the UPND has so far exhibited that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Bbelemu said it is disheartening to segregate people based on tribe.

For his part, Makwamba apologised for ditching the UPND in May 2021 for PF.

“Please accept my apology. I am human and I am bound to sin. I have come to work. I seek no position,” said Makwamba.

And Liswaniso urged UPND members not to wait for 2026 to engage Zambians on what the government was doing.

He said the UPND needs to be stronger as a party. “Even stronger than the government. [But] this can only be done by growing its membership,” he said.

Liswaniso called for forgiveness.

By Darious Kapembwa in Mpongwe

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema says he gave a chance to former government officials who stole public resources to return them but that they have not done so and his administration is left with two choices, to get back the money and jail them.

Speaking on arrival at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola before departure to Mpongwe for this year’s field day yesterday, President Hichilema took a jibe at his predecessor Edgar Lungu when he said his administration has changed a slogan.

President Hichilema was on the Copperbelt to attend the farmers’ field day in Mpongwe district.

“Ifwe natucinja (we have changed the slogan). It’s no longer uubomba mwibala alya mwibala (a field worker should benefit from there), ours is to grow the seed,” he said to a cheering crowd.

President Hichilema described corruption as a thief who is hated by the people, citing the US $33 million which has been revealed to have been spent on the non-existent Frederick Chiluba University in Luapula Province by the previous administration as evidence of how evil corruption and theft of public funds was.

“We will fight corruption day and night. Corruption is a thief. Look at FTJ University, ulupiya lonse balya basheta ati uubomba mwibala (they stole all the money). When we ask them to bring back the money they have stolen, they say he is fighting a tribe. Were you stealing for the tribe? Did you share your loot with your tribesmen?” President Hichilema asked. “It’s a lie. Ubufi bwabalya twanaka nabo (we are tired of their lies). That money belongs to the State, belongs to the people. There was an argument that that $33 million was never paid. The evidence is there. The Ministry of Finance paid the money. Do you understand how big 33 million dollars is? It’s a lot of money and very few people get it. Ati balebomba mwibala nomba balya mwibala (that they were field workers and benefited from there), that money belongs to the people. Corruption is a thief. Do you love a thief?”

President Hichilema assured Copperbelt residents that no matter what his administration would recover the stolen money.

“That money is for the people. Tulepoka (we shall recover it). I told them ngamwaliiba leteni ulupiya. Nomba twayalanshyanya tabalefwaya, nomba kubakaka (if you stole bring back the money. We talked but now they don’t want. So we shall jail them). We will not just jail them, it’s two things: jail and returning the money,” he said.

President Hichilema said he got elected to serve the people and not to take away from them.

“We got elected to serve our people. We got elected not to get but to give. We sought public office not to divide but to unite. We sought public office not to exclude but include. We took public office not to steal from the people but protect the people’s assets and I want the Copperbelt, like the whole country, to join the new dawn government in protecting people’s habitat: buildings, people’s lives, people’s money, ulupiya lwa bantu, tefyo (people’s money, not so),’’ President Hichilema said further. “Tatulefwaya filya ifyakale umuntu mwamubika mu office ati abombe, nomba atampa ukwiba, ukusenda. Natucinja slogan. Tatulefwaya ati ubomba mwibala alya mwibala; ukulila kumo ne mbuto. Tatulefwaya, we want to grow the seed. (We don’t want those past habits when you put someone in office in order for them to work, then they start stealing. Taking away. We have changed the slogan. We don’t want things like he who ploughs the field eats from there. You consume together with the seeds. We don’t want).”

He said he had already led the foundation of his all-inclusive national development agenda by increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and sharing it equally to all the 156 constituencies.

President Hichilema also announced that world leaders had appointed him as the Cholera Champion, saying he would be accepting the appointment in Geneva later in the year.

His announcement sent the crowd into wild cheers.

“I was telling my friends that when you plant pumpkin seeds do not eat all the leaves and flowers, because you need pumpkins because when you have pumpkins, you have seeds…that is the concept of this government. That is different thinking. Paradigm shift,” he said. “Lilya twalemweba (when we were telling you) when we were campaigning and you are seeing now. Germinate the seed that the provincial chairman talked about of free education. Twabyala (we’ve planted), take care of the crop. We harvest then we can distribute. Te (Is it not) free education mulefwaya (you want), te (is it not) CDF mulefwaya (you want)? …clear the garbage, we don’t want cholera. And let me tell you something ba Kopala…the whole world has appointed me Cholera Champion. In eight months, the world has recognised. I will be accepting the appointment later in the year in Geneva.”

On the mines, President Hichilema said unlocking the mining sector on the Copperbelt and North-Western Province remained top of his economic agenda because he wanted to see more people benefit from the mineral proceeds, adding that he wanted Zambians to supply goods and services to the mines and get paid on time.

“We have started unlocking the mines here and North-Western Province, full of minerals. We want the minerals to benefit the people of Zambia. Black mountain is just the beginning. We are legalising mining, licences… we want to unlock Mopani to increase production and employ more people, contracts for goods and services for Zambians and be paid on time. Not what used to happen,” President Hichilema said. “We are looking at KCM day and night. We have not given it to Vedanta, bufi (it’s a lie). We want to remove all court cases so that we talk. You can’t resolve when you have court cases daily. We want a mining company that will invest in Konkola Deep. We want to unlock KCM.”

And speaking when he met all Lamba chiefs before the field day tour at Munkumpu village in Mpongwe, President Hichilema said he would always rely on traditional leaders countrywide for advice to deliver equitable development to the people.

He also thanked Lamba chiefs on the Copperbelt for allowing their subjects to vote freely in the August 12 elections.

Meanwhile, chief Nkambo of the Lamba speaking people of Masaiti district showered praises on President Hichilema, saying he had shown leadership and stability in the nation in the short time he has been in office.

“The title of ‘His Excellency’ befits you because there is a touch of excellence to whatever you do. Even when we see you walking on TV we are very happy…there is excitement in the villages because now every child is going to school, thanks to your free education policy just months in office,” said Nkambo who was flanked by other chiefs.

DON’T TURN INTO PARROT
…just to win US acceptability, M’membe urges HH

By Fanny Kalonda

SOCIALIST Party president Fred M’membe has urged leaders not to turn themselves into parrots, parroting things they do not understand just to win acceptability by the Americans.
Speaking when he met visiting US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment Jose W Fernandez at State House on Thursday, President Hakainde Hichilema said the new dawn government is not trying to change the country’s values by aligning them with American values.

“Zambia is a democratic country. It is a country anchored on the rule of law. It is a country that respects human rights, liberties and freedoms. This new government will do its best to ensure that the country continues to advance democratic values. Values that we share with yourselves. Sometimes the media have somehow misinterpreted this statement to mean that the new dawn government is going to change, alter Zambian values so as to align with the American values,” said President Hichilema. “That is not the point. We are not altering our values. These are our values. And by choice as a country, we chose to run ourselves on a platform of democracy. Also it is our African values to respect each other, to respect other people of course in return to get respect. To also get respect in an orderly manner. So we are not altering our values to align with the American values. These are our values. They happen to be shared with the Americans as well. So I’m very happy that we share these values and I think that these values will largely help us keep ourselves in order, as the world is confronted with a lot of challenges.”

But Dr M’membe said American values “are not our values” adding that political ideas are worthless if they are not inspired by noble and selfless sentiments.

“It is important to understand the core or real values and assumptions of the people we are dealing with. Values are ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, normal and abnormal, proper and improper. Assumptions are the unquestioned standards about people, life, and ‘the way things are’. People who grow up in a particular culture share certain values and assumptions. This means that most of them, most of the time, agree with each others’ ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable. They also agree, mostly, with each other’s assumptions about human nature, social relationships. The values and assumptions of a culture shape the way people act. Understanding these values and assumptions help us understand why people from a certain society behave the way they do. In life it is always very important to be clear about things,” he said. “The most important thing to understand about Americans is probably their devotion to ‘individualism’. This is their main value, the value on which all their other values – greed, unbridled competition and consumerism – are anchored. They have been trained from early in their lives to consider themselves separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies. They have not been trained to see themselves as members of a close-knit, tightly interdependent family, religious group, tribe, nation, or other group. And all their values are subsets of individualism or are there to serve and reinforce it.”

Dr M’membe said the most important value for the Socialist Party is equity, and not individualism as it is for the Americans and “their puppets”.
He said Zambians would thrive best in a decent community of people with principles, standards, common aims and values.
“All our other values are subsets of ‘equity’ to serve or reinforce it. Individualism is certainly not our core value. Our traditional society, culture and religious beliefs are not anchored on individualism but on Ubuntu, equity,” Dr M’membe noted. “In this respect, the American values are not our values. Our leaders shouldn’t turn themselves into parrots parroting things they don’t even understand just to win acceptability by the Americans. Political ideas are worthless if they are not inspired by noble, selfless sentiments. Likewise, noble sentiments are worthless if they are not based on correct and fair ideas. For us, we have chosen to defend certain principles that are of tremendous value at a time of confusion and opportunism in our country and in the world. A time when many politicians are feathering their own nests, are struggling for recognition by the imperialists. We will never be hired or hire ourselves out to be lackeys or puppets of imperialism. We are striving to build a new society anchored on the values of equity, honesty, humility and solidarity. You do not suffer just because you are getting fewer calories than required. There is another sort of suffering; social inequality, which makes you feel constantly debased and humiliated as a second-class citizen in your own country.”

And Dr M’membe said inequality has divided the country into two, the poor and the well-to-do.
He said the Zambian masses are suffering from poverty, injustice, humiliation and inequality adding that the suffering is both material and moral.

Dr M’membe said even when no one lives in absolute poverty, the existence of a glaring disparity in income levels indicates an intolerable imbalance in the way wealth and resources are distributed, where average rural poverty is 76.6 per cent.

“…two nations – the Kwa (shanty compounds) and Ku (low density residential areas) nations – the nations of the poor and the well-to-do. As such, we cannot today truly speak of one Zambia as one nation. Those who live in Kwa have poor water supply, sanitation, shelter, nutrition, schools, healthcare, roads, and very high rates of unemployment. Those who live in Ku have the best of everything. And whereas in the past it was easy to move from Kwa to Ku, today it is very difficult to do so. In those days, all one needed was to work very hard at school, college or university. Today, hard work is not a guarantee that one will finish school, college or university. It is money that determines that, the ability to pay school, college or university fees,” he said. “If you are born in Kwa, it is highly unlikely you will marry someone from Ku. Where are you going to meet? You live in different places, you go to different schools, churches, shopping centres, places of entertainment, and even bury your dead in different graveyards. To unite our people in ‘one land and one nation’ – as is our cry in our national anthem – will require equity of access to necessities such as education, healthcare, water, housing, sanitation, transportation, physical security, land and food. Most, such as health, education and physical security, should be public goods, and others should at least be distributed according to the level of need in order to ensure access for all.”

Dr M’membe said Zambian society is a long way from realising that requirement.
“The rich have ‘first-world standard’ goods and services, whereas the poor masses have access to poor-quality services or none at all. There should be no such gap. Western Province has poverty levels of 82.2 per cent, Luapula Province 81.1 per cent, Northern Province 79.7 per cent, Eastern Province 70 per cent, North Western Province 66.4 per cent, Southern Province 57.6 per cent, Central Province 56.2 per cent, Copperbelt Province 30.8 per cent and Lusaka Province 20.2 per cent,” he noted.

Dr M’membe said as long as the gap between the poor and the rich remains at “its current scandalous level, the future of the country is at risk”.
“…if the gap between the rich and poor is unacceptable, then so, too, is the actual degree of poverty in our society. In a compassionate society, there should be no differences in outcomes based on factors for which people cannot be held responsible. Zambia has one of the worst situations globally. There is a glaring gap between the rich and poor. Between 2010 and 2015, the Gini coefficient increased from 0.65 to 0.69. This is a very high rate of income inequality. It is volatile and dangerous for national development. It could be argued, of course, that those who enjoy the highest levels of income have achieved it through hard work, and that they deserve the benefits of their efforts, regardless of the poverty afflicting others. There are many reasons to reject this argument,” he said. “Firstly, from a religious point of view, it is sinful to keep for oneself an overabundance of wealth when one’s sisters and brothers are suffering, and even dying for want of simple necessities. In such a situation, it is of no consequence how and why some people come to be excessively wealthy while others starve. Distributive justice demands that sufficient sharing takes place to ensure the basic needs of all are met. Secondly, even if the demands of charity are rejected, and were it possible to argue that those enjoying excessive wealth are fully justified in doing so, commonsense dictates that our society cannot prosper under such conditions. The good of each of us in the long term is secured and promoted by the common good. Failure to do so can only precipitate social instability and threaten the wellbeing of all, rich and poor.”

Dr M’membe said history abounds with instances where the rich and powerful have brought about their own downfall by refusing to recognise in good time the legitimate demands of the poor.

He said by tolerating high levels of poverty, the Zambian economy undermines the common good, and fails to demonstrate the solidarity of shared human dignity demands.

He added that the country has become a shameful example of how capitalism is creating and reproducing itself under conditions of extreme injustice, inequity and state-sponsored violence.

Dr M’membe said that if nothing is done to address “this decay, a total collapse of the social, political, cultural and economic life of Zambia is imminent”.

“It’s very clear that the value systems that Zambians had at one time hoped to create for their country; those of equity, non-violence, a sense of justice and national unity, are becoming a distant vision,” said Dr M’membe.

THE MAST FRIDAY EDITORIAL

HH’s consistent inconsistencies

Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”.

How is it possible that between April 25 and May 9, 2022, in a mere 15 days, a decision to suspend litigation was made and announced on foreign soil at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa? The government should have first made a decision on the way forward, which is that Vedanta’s investment in KCM is no longer wanted and finally begin formal negotiations (not backdoor discussions by Hakainde Hichilema’s friends; the external advisors) on Vedanta’s exit and the litigation should not be discontinued to ensure KCM assets are protected against claims. ZCCM-IH has previously undertaken a forensic audit that clearly showed the serious fraud by Vedanta. It would have been wiser to have arrived at a phase in negotiations with Vedanta where their exit would have been agreed and then discontinue the litigation.

In less than forty-eight hours after Hakainde announced that litigation has been suspended, Vedanta is in court to stop the appointment of Celine Nair as KCM liquidator. This is laughable and clearly shows that Hakainde is being led on a garden path of chaos. It is clear that he knows not what he is doing nor does his ill-informed legal team of interns. But what is emerging clearly is that Hakainde has a contempt for entire Zambian government administration – he has his own errand boys and girls running his things!

We all recall on April 25, 2022 during his first quarter press conference President Hakainde Hichilema saying, “I have seen the media falsehoods that we want to give KCM back to Vedanta. That’s not true. We want to unlock KCM. It’s a Zambian asset and nothing should stand in the way so that the people of the Copperbelt and the people of Zambia can benefit. When KCM is unlocked, it benefits the people of Copperbelt. It benefits our citizens here, it benefits suppliers. It benefits revenue and foreign exchange income.” He went at length saying the mining asset is being abused and the government is determined to do what it takes to bring the asset back into production, adding that no innuendo or court process will slow the government down.

“That’s why you hear the noise on the liquidator of KCM because he was sitting in the way of resolving the KCM problems. Mopani [Copper Mines], we are very close. It’s an easier asset to unlock so we are getting there. Soon you will hear the progress we have made. KCM is a bit complicated and it was made complicated by appointing a liquidator who should not have been there in the first place,” said President Hichilema.

And in South Africa on Monday, he tells foreign media, “Vedanta and ourselves agreed that we suspend litigation, by-and-large as a partial way of resolving the matter. The outcome I wouldn’t predict but there will be a resolution of Konkola Copper Mines.”

So, who has been stating falsehoods then?

Why the deception and lies? When was the decision to drop all litigation with Vedanta taken? What negotiations have taken place in the past six months or in the 15 days after the press conference at State House? Was Cabinet consulted and if so, when? There has been no such announcement of a Cabinet decision as is the case with all other Cabinet decisions. The answer to these questions is that no meaningful negotiations have ever taken place, other than preliminary discussions that Hakainde’s external advisors had with Vedanta’s negotiating team that, as we understand, consisted of Greg Mills, Valentine Chitalu and Andrew Chipwende, amongst others. On one hand State House has acknowledged that external advisors were being used on the other the Minister of Mines, Paul Kabuswe has categorically denied this. Why the deception and lies? The nation was being told by Hakainde that the impediment was [former] provisional liquidator Milingo Lungu, and the process of removal of Milingo is now mired in chaos and court proceedings due to incompetence of the presidential staff. It’s undignified behaviour and certainly below standard for the President who said he will set the governance bar very high. Hakainde is now being consistently inconsistent. He is not being truthful either. He has been caught up in deception, if not lies.

Let’s get back to the main character in this KCM drama. Anil Agarwal’s rise and his rags to riches story, though captivating, is misleading. Anil Agarwal, the chairman/owner of Vedanta Resources Limited has been dogged with controversies wherever he has his investments. In India the government has closed down his copper smelter in Tamil Nadu, for pollution breaches. The truth about Vedanta in Zambia is that in 2006, KCM released raw effluent from their pollution control dam into the Mushishima stream, which runs directly into the Kafue River, the water source for 40 per cent of Zambia’s population. The result was some of the worst contamination Zambia has ever seen.

A Mine Workers Union of Zambia official Leonard Phiri, in 2014, said, “They can’t take care of safety measures. They can’t talk about their future plans for KCM or where they expect to go to after this… They can’t follow mining regulations. They have huge indebtedness due to outsourcing companies that were not being paid money. All these things have been made clear to the people in the country… and it has really been looked at in a negative light by the Zambian community and the Zambian state where the government now has to look for a team to monitor its operations so they can see if they can salvage the company from its current doldrums, which is a very very sad state of affairs. And, if it is owned by the British, as you are saying, I would not expect this, because the British have a history of running entities in a professional manner, respecting the indigenous laws of the country they are operating from, and motivating the workers of the country. This is not the case with KCM”.

This perception has dogged Vedanta’s KCM to this day. Nothing has changed. Vedanta is not only disliked, but they have consistently lied.

Can you trust Vedanta? What were the issues that necessitated the PF government to “seize” KCM? The reasons are legitimate but the method used by PF was wrong, hence the drama we see unfolding before us. KCM had been facing operational challenges that continue to this day. Declining mineral production, failure to meet its obligations to employees, contractors and suppliers. This has been the case ever since Vedanta took ownership of KCM.

These are the issues with Vedanta that are still valid. The former mines minister Richard Musukwa’s parliamentary statement in June 2019 said, “High Indebtedness and Threat of Insolvency: As of 30th September, 2013, KCM’s total liability stood at US $1.567 billion exceeding the current assets by US $123 million making it difficult for KCM to meet its obligations as they fall due. Further, KCM defaulted on a Standard Bank loan which it acquired to the tune of US $700 million. The bank gave a waiver up to 31st March 2014, beyond which the bank could appoint a receiver if conditions of the waiver were not complied with. The loan in question was secured on all KCM assets. It was also discovered that in 2011, Vedanta Resources loaned in excess of US $500 million to be repaid in 2012, but this loan was prematurely recalled in September, 2011. Despite having financial challenges, the major shareholder went ahead and recalled the loan. Non-compliance to the commitment to bring in foreign direct investment: Vedanta Resources Plc had not complied with its commitment to inject US $397 million into KCM as FDI. Instead, funds which were generated within KCM, which in normal operations would be used for operations, were diverted to finance capital projects. As a result, operations were starved of the necessary maintenance funds and resources. The commissioning of the Konkola Deep Mining Project (KDMP) had been delayed by approximately seven years mainly due to design challenges and resource mobilisation related to the facility. This not only resulted in the increased cost of sinking of the shaft and development of the ore resources, but the loss in excess of four million tonnes of ore anticipated per annum. …The sub-contracting of all mining activities by KCM resulted in high cost of doing business. KCM did not purchase or maintain its own equipment. Consequently, any pull-out of any contractor meant suspension of mining activities in respective areas, and this has impacted on the company negatively….” Richard detailed other issues and his statement is in public domain.

Direction needed from Government: That Vedanta must exit and negotiations begin. Can Vedanta Resources be trusted? Can the mine workers and the unions trust Vedanta Resources? Can the Hakainde administration be trusted on KCM? No!