Treating Diplomats with Contempt- The Sad Case of Zambia’s Deputy Ambassador to Russia, Prince Imasiku Mutangelwa
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
I have been persuaded to personally write this article as many Ambassadors and diplomats recently faced similar harrassment and ill treatment from officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations and by their own Government, despite the guidance, provisions and protection contained in their Conditions of Service and Foreign Service Regulations.
I saw some scanty details of the case of Mr. Imasiku trending at some WhatsApp Group of students in Russia and decided to follow up the matter.
RECALL OF DEPUTY AMBASSADOR PRINCE MUTANGELWA IMASIKU
Deputy Ambassador, Prince Mutangelwa Imasiku has been left stranded in Russia by his own government, fending for himself and meeting expensive medical and other bills in Moscow.
His legitimate request for a short extension to enable him attend to a medical crisis he is facing was unfairly rejected without good reason.
In a quest to force him to return home immediately as directed, resulted in his foreign service allowances including those meant for his accommodation and medicals immediately withdrawn.
APPOINTMENT IN FOREIGN SERVICE
Mr. Imasiku was first appointed as Zambia’s Ambassador and Plenipotentiary to Angola and sworn-in by President Michael Chilufya Sata in 2011.
Ambassadors are diplomats of the highest rank, formally representing their Head of State, with plenipotentiary powers (i.e. full authority to represent their Head of State and Country).
However for four years Mr. Imasiku’s was unable to take up his post and his case remained unresolved until 2015.
It was speculated that the host country, Angola was reported not to have responded to Zambia’s request for an Agreement to accept him as Ambassador.
In 2015 President Edgar Lungu decided to resolve his case but appointed Mr. Imasiku as Deputy Ambassador to Zambia’s Embassy in Moscow, Russia.
He continued to serve in that position until 2020 when he was suddenly recalled from Foreign Service.
There was a strong perception that this was attributed to his fiery and political views on national matters he frequently expressed on WhatsApp Groups back home where he was very active.
A letter of recall was written and he returned home in 2021.
However, when the new Government of President Hakainde Hichilema assumed office, Imasiku was one of those deemed to have been unfairly treated by the previous government and was reinstated.
He reported back to his station in Moscow in December 2021.
But recently, the recall letter of 2020 was strangely actioned upon and repatriation funds sent for his immediate return home.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs authorities claim the letter of recall from 2020 has never been rescinded.
Imasiku’s repeated request that a fresh letter of recall be written to him, as he couldn’t return home on a letter that was rescinded and changes that saw his fresh return to Moscow, was declined.
His further request for him to be allowed to wind up all his affairs and return home after three months as provided for in the Foreign Service Regulations was also declined.
Mr. Imasiku has a medical condition and for the last five years has been treated and has undergone eye surgeries.
He was due for two scheduled major surgeries on his other eye.
However his request for a short extension was declined and his foreign service allowances withdrawn.
The case of Mr. Imasiku is similar and circumstances that he has faced was experienced by most diplomats recalled recently.
The diplomats were refused and denied a chance to wind up their affairs as provided for by the law and return home in a decent and civil manner.
For Ambassadors, it was even worse, as most of them failed to bid farewell to the host Heads of States as is required by diplomatic etiquette and practice.
Others were placed in financial ruin as salary advances were recovered at once, despite the provisions that this can be recovered back home.
Further their loans with banks and foreign financial institutions left them stranded or they lost property or cars in a bid to settle the commitments before their departure due to the sudden recalls and the unrealistic demands made by Ministry of Foreign Affairs for them to return home immediately.
Others had school children that were due to write exams in months time but their requests for a stay of three months as provided for by conditions of service or their requests for a short extension were disregarded or flatly refused.
One Ambassador was told that President Hichilema had been informed about the conditions of service and foreign service regulations but he had allegedly directed that all diplomats return immediately or Foreign Affairs would cut their allowances.
I am aware about many Ambassadors and diplomats that wrote request letters to Ministry of Foreign Affairs for short extension or demanded that they stay the three months to wind up affairs as provided for in foreign service regulations, but were treated like criminals and ordered to return home immediately as the letters of recall “was with immediate effect”!
BEING REMOVED FROM PAYROLL
Further when diplomats arrived in Zambia, most were civil servants who were employed on permanent and pensionable terms but were removed from the payroll.
For both civil servants and those on fixed-term contracts, they were expected to remain on the payroll until their full benefits were paid as provided for under Article 187 & 189 (2) of the Republican Constitution.
Article 189(2) reads;
“Where a pension benefit is not paid on a person’s last working day, that person shall stop work but the person’s name shall be retained on the payroll, until payment of the pension benefit based on the last salary received by that person while on the payroll”.
But Ministry of Foreign Affairs removed all diplomats that were recalled and were on fixed-term contracts.
For those on fixed-term contract the Ministry cited a circular from Secretary to Cabinet citing a recent case of Anderson Mwale and Others Vs Zambia Open University – 2021/CCZ/001 which was determined by the Constitutional Court and were primotly removed from the payroll before their benefits were paid.
President Hichilema as Zambia’s Chief Diplomat of the country must ensure that his diplomats abroad are treated well when they report or leave the foreign stations and a strict adherence is followed in accordance with the law, foreign service regulations, diplomatic etiquette and practice.
