PF  accusing us of being bought by UPND – KBN TV

ZAMBIA, A NATION UNDER THREAT BY POLITICS OF APPEASEMENT AND PRAISE SINGERS

A KBN TV EDITORIAL

Zambian politics has become a very toxic means of survival for many. As a nation, we have tolerated politics to become an industry that is breeding an elitist class and Zambia sadly today, lacks an identity. We have become a nation of hypocrites!

We have become a nation of professional cadres and praise singers where independent minds are frowned upon. Politics has become so ugly that people can even kill to preserve and protect their positions. We need some form of reformation otherwise we are risking the future of this nation.

The media space has not been spared.  Through wielding of financial muscles coupled with intimidation, some politicians and their cadres, want to control what the media reports to the public. But they must know that professional journalism should never be sacrificed at the altar of political expediency and financial gain.

As a media house, we have had a fair share of such intimidating tactics. When we have previously questioned the misrule by the UPND, cadres have called us a PF Media House. Now with a few editorials questioning what’s happening in the opposition with regards to alliances, PF are accusing us of being bought by the ruling part.

We know that many people hate to hear the truth. Given the reaction within the PF to our recent editorials, it seems the former ruling party PF is one that doesn’t take advice. They are all knowing, they own the monopoly of wisdom and they consider any contrary view as an attack on them.

From what we gather, our recent editorials have unsettled them to the core that they have hired a few surrogates to launch an onslaught against us. It’s a futile effort because the public must be given the right information in order for them to make the right choices, especially when it comes to national leadership.

That’s the role of the media and it’s one responsibility we are prepared to defend. We will not be intimidated or coerced into submission.

One of the PF surrogates is Ephraim Shakafuswa, hiding under a borrowed identity of United Kwacha Alliance Media Director. Ephraim is a known PF cadre to the core and he can’t abuse the good name of UKA and its leadership.

We have never attacked UKA and we see no reason why State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota as UKA Chairperson could sanction someone under him to launch a scathing attack on us. Shakafuswa has called us “mercenary for hire media house”; we will be happy for him to adduce proof of his wild and defamatory allegations before a competent court.

His unwarranted attack on us is the least of our concerns as our legal team will deal with it.
These are the traits we talked about when we questioned PF’s sincerity to rebrand. We wish to advise Mr. Shakafuswa that we have never claimed to represent UKA or any political grouping. We are not confused about our assignment; we know our calling and our duty to the nation. Our allegiance is to the Zambian flag, the nation and its people. We don’t know anything about political appeasement and we will not shy away from telling the truth.

Ours is to inform the public and in doing so, scrutinise those seeking public office and masquerading as servants of the people. We have now come to realise with absolute certainty that most of them are simply opportunistic in nature. They will hoodwink you and posture themselves as your humble servants yet at the core of their schemes, is to loot national resources and stash our wealth in offshore accounts while the majority of our vulnerable citizens continue to wallow in poverty.

Since Mr. Shakafuswa has been sent by his pay masters to provoke us, we wish to advise him and his lot to focus their efforts on rebranding and doing politics the clean way. We know the misrule by the UPND is exciting to everyone who dares to dream that they can have a shot at the chances presented by the August 2026 general elections. That’s their right, one which we respect and we wish them well. But if this is how they will choose to play ball, they have an uphill battle to convince the Zambian people that the PF character as we know it, the one for which they were kicked out of power, has changed.

We know that UKA is a good vehicle, it’s good for democracy and that’s why even ECL has opted to remain in UKA while the People’s Pact is endorsing him as their candidate. If you critically evaluate what’s happening and in the wake of the Peter Sinkamba audio, you will realise that PF needs to change its strategy to win people’s confidence. If Shakafuswa’s ranting and the alliance machinations are anything to go by, then PF is far from changing.

Talking about Alliances, firstly, Mr. Peter Sinkamba, Mr. Sean Tembo, Mr. Hector Sondo, Pastor Peter Chanda and Professor Danny Pule, were all in UKA. They left and based on the audio published on Kalemba, Mr. Sinkamba makes an admission that these political leaders will be closely associated with the PF through Tonse Alliance and the People’s Pact.

It’s a well known fact that they failed to push for ECL’s adoption as UKA candidate and now they are associated with political cannibalism. They are the same headcount even if they disguise their duplicity of effort through Tonse or People’s Pact, they are just a few individuals who failed to have their way with UKA. This does not mean we are speaking for UKA; we are merely presenting facts as they are.

A little reflection can put these machinations into perspective. In 2021, with the exception of Mr. Sean Tembo, the rest (Mr. Peter Sinkamba, Mr. Hector Sondo, Pastor Peter Chanda and Professor Danny Pule) endorsed ECL and vigorously campaigned for him. Nothing has changed except today, they want to create a perception that Tonse and People’s Pact have endorsed ECL. Truth, they had endorsed him already in 2021.

It’s therefore a BIG DEAL to seek fresh endorsement from the rest of UKA Presidents such as President Sakwiba Sikota, President Harry Kalaba, President Edith Nawakwi, President Jackson Silavwe and President Chishala Kateka. Some of these never endorsed ECL in 2021 and it’s precisely for that reason that he has remained in UKA even though he has been adopted elsewhere as a candidate. There seems to be more value being derived from UKA.

The PF are going the wrong way at this. Their moves are all too familiar that a former Member of Parliament would hold a press conference to threaten UKA leaders that PF would withdraw ECL from the Alliance if they did not adopt him as their presidential candidate for 2026.

We don’t think UKA is about to buy those bullying tactics. Why should their election to exercise caution about whom they choose to lead them become a crime for which they should be threatened? UKA should not become a victim of PF’s own undoing.

We recently read an article on Fyalungula Media, and even though we didn’t agree with much of the content there, we think certain aspects in that write up confirms the fears about PF. They messed up their own party and UKA shouldn’t bear the blame.

Through similar mingalatos as we are witnessing today, “PF couldn’t hold its general conference because they opted to appoint a committee to prepare for the guidelines and regulations for the holding of the conference. That committee was headed by Hon Davies Chama and deputised by Hon Godfridah Sumaili, members of the committee included Hon. Nkandu Luo, Hon Sylvia Chalikosa and others.”
“While it sounded wise to have a committee to ensure an orderly, structured and transparent way to holding the general conference, senior officials used that same committee to buy time and kill any prospect of actually holding the convention until Miles Sampa stopped them in their tracks! The rest is history,” the article reads in part.

UKA Chairperson this weekend, told a press conference that they had appointed a committee to establish guidelines for electing the UKA President. It could be a matter of coincidence, but that sounds exactly like the same strategy PF used to kill the holding of the PF convention.

Tonse and People’s Pact endorsing ECL is meant to heap pressure on the UKA leadership to follow suit. If they don’t, the intention is to make them look incorrigible, unreasonable and power hungry so that PF wins the sympathy for the rejection of ECL to lead the Alliance. They hope he will use this excuse as the reason to leave UKA and accept the People’s Pact and Tonse candidature endorsement.

The former ruling party knows too well that UKA will be the biggest people’s movement and if they are not part of it, they are determined to fight it from within through sponsored stooges like Ephraim Shakafuswa.

ECL may have reformed and stands a chance of participating in the 2026 competition but his strategists are exposing him as being power hungry.