The Delusion of Greyford Monde, Why Failure Can’t Be Rebranded as Leadership
By Tobbius Hamunkoyo
Hon. Greyford Monde’s latest attack on the United Party for National Development UPND and President Hakainde Hichilema is nothing but the voice of desperation from a failed politician trying to reinvent himself.
As a former minister under the Patriotic Front (PF government that left Zambia bankrupt, violent, and divided, Monde has no moral ground to accuse UPND of shrinking freedoms or failing the economy. The truth is clear, Zambia today enjoys more freedom and stability than it ever did under PF. Citizens openly criticize government on radio, television, and social media without fear of cadres or midnight arrests.
Monde’s attempt to paint UPND as intolerant is not only dishonest but also an insult to the millions who lived in fear during PF’s brutal rule.
On the economy, Monde’s criticism collapses when measured against facts. PF left behind a crippled economy with over $33 billion debt, skyrocketing inflation, and a collapsed Kwacha. UPND inherited that disaster, yet in just four years has delivered single-digit inflation, secured an IMF program without cutting social spending, dismantled arrears, and restored investor confidence.
The fuel pricing system Monde attacks is transparent and shields the nation from hidden subsidies and long-term debt traps. Unlike PF’s deceit, which promised “cheap fuel” while mortgaging the future, UPND is building a stable, honest economic foundation for Zambia.
The reality is that ordinary citizens are already benefiting from UPND’s reforms: millions of children are in school for free, over 60,000 teachers and health workers have been recruited, communities are empowered with record Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocations, and mining assets such as Mopani and KCM have been restored to Zambians. These are not empty promises, they are tangible achievements that Monde cannot erase with political rhetoric. If anything, UPND’s record stands in direct contrast to the plunder and neglect of the PF years in which Monde served.
And now, Monde parades himself as a “presidential hopeful.” But what legacy did he leave as Minister of Livestock & Fisheries? Under his watch, farmers lost animals to preventable diseases due to poor vaccination programs, fish stocks continued to dwindle due to unchecked illegal fishing, and no serious aquaculture policies were put in place.
Simply put, Monde failed in his own ministry. A man who could not manage livestock and fisheries now wants to lead an entire country, that is not leadership, it is delusion. Zambians are wiser than that. When the time to account comes, UPND will stand tall on its record of delivery and reform, while Monde will be remembered as another bitter opportunist who shouted from the sidelines without a legacy.