Why I have sued UNZA ‘s John Mweshi and Mubanga G Mulenga over Natasha Ngoma scandal
By Austin Mbozi
I have sued University of Zambia (UNZA)’s Dr John Mweshi (lecturer) and Ms Mubanga G. Mulenga (deputy registrar, administration).
First, I want to prove that PF-era UNZA bosses plotted that lie that I sexually assaulted ‘student’ Natasha Ngoma. Second, I want them to publicly give us the PF-era UNZA chief security officer Bwalya Kalebaila’s letter which accused me, and which they are HIDDING.Third, I want them to publicly give us the entire report written by the UNZA Disciplinary Committee led by Dr Friday Mulenga which declared me innocent of these allegations, but which they are also HIDDING. And fourth, I need compensation because they caused me to lose my PhD place in its final year at the University of Johannesburg.
Let them just reveal in court the ‘big fish’ who was sending them. Imagine that even when the high court rightly acquitted me, PF thief-thug cadres continue abusing/defaming me over it on social media. Now even columnist Clinton Nzala has joined them. When he was annoyed that I defended UPND’s agro policy against his attack on President Hichilema over mealie meal subsidies, he wrote ‘Austin Mbozi, an academician who is more famous for his ALLEGED non-academic activities than for his academic prowess’ (The Mast 11 March 2024).
Here is what happened. On 5 October 2018, Bwalya Kalebaila invited police to stop an anti-PF student riot. When police killed female student Vespers Shimuzhila, I condemned PF in an article; ‘Mr. President Edgar Lungu and your tribal voters; stop killing our hungry children’.
PF thugs led by Lusaka Province chairman Stanford Kayame gave 48 hours to Vice Chancellor Luke Mumba to fire me and called for my arrest. Then UNZA Registrar Rodgers Phiri wrote/ordered me to hand myself over to police. After I spent two nights in cells, police abandoned the case when they found that it was actually PF cadres who added insults and tribal hate speech to my article. Unhappy that I was set free, Philosophy Department’s Head John Mweshi accused me of ‘dis-reputing’ UNZA, but the Disciplinary Committee led by Dr Mulenga Bwalya rejected his accusation. On 1 April 2019, Dean of Humanities Felix Masiye wrote to John Mweshi ordering him to reject the Dr Mulenga Bwalya Committee, and Mweshi obeyed on 2 April, warning me of dismissal if I ever wrote/oppose PF.
Then the PF-era UNZA bosses began cooking up a case against me. On 28 October 2020, I interviewed in my office a ‘job-seeker’ of my private soccer academy and selling my book, Natasha Ngoma, who introduced herself as a non-student. On 9 October 2020, the same Bwalya Kalebaila came to arrest me for ‘sexually harassing’ her and handed me to officer Stephen Mumba. Since there was no complaint from Natasha, officer Mumba locked me into Chudleigh Police cells without entering any details. The OIC transferred me to Chelston Police Station, my holding charge entered as ‘Obtaining Money by False Pretenses’. Kalebaila then secretly wrote some ‘big fish’. That ‘big fish’ gave that letter to the same John Mweshi, so that he can try his second luck at firing me. On 14 October 2020 Mweshi wrote me as follows: ‘I am in receipt of a report from the Chief Security Officer’ about a ‘sexual harassment’ from ‘whose names I have withheld for now’.
A Disciplinary Committee led by Dr Friday Mulenga interviewed me alone without Natasha and refused to show me Kalebaila’s letter or any witness, which were illegal. But to its credit it ruled me innocent, since Natasha whom it interviewed in my absence told it that I never sexually assaulted her. Yet, like in 2018, John Mweshi on 31 December 2020 rejected this Committee also, changed his accusation from ‘sexual assault’ (forceful touching) to ‘sexual coercion’ (consensual touching in exchange for a job) and warned me of dismissal.
Determined, my tormentors carried my cross of crucifixion to the ‘mountain of Golgotha’, the criminal court. Before magistrate Mwaka Mikalile they failed. Fake witness Kafunda Mwenya said he found Natasha awake but fainted and fell on the ground upon seeing him, booked a tax for her and rolled her on a stretcher into UNZA clinic. Natasha said she could not remember anything. But UNZA clinical officer Charles Mwanza contradicted their lies, saying Natasha was in perfect health, not even a dent sign of being touched. Who sent UNZA vehicle and UNZA clinic director Clementina Lwatula to escort them?
Soon, magistrate Mikalile abandoned the case. Why? And magistrate Felix Kaoma came in, and decided to re-hear the testimonies all over again. For close to a year, Natasha/witnesses refused to attend court. But upon UPND’s winning elections, they suddenly reappeared, now with Notula Simuntanyi. Here, Natasha and Mwenya totally changed the statements submitted to magistrate Mikalile.
I wrote/asked UNZA for Kalebala’s letter to use for my defence. But on 8 April 2022, Ms Mubanga Mulenga refused, saying, ‘there are documents that are confidential in nature. The document you are requesting for falls under this category. We can only release it by a court order’.
Now madam, I bring Kalebaila’s letter to court as you promised. When I sued Natasha Ngoma for defamation she changed her story again, saying she never complained against sexual assault. Her case is now moving towards the High Court. Meanwhile, John Mweshi self-confessed. He wrote me:
‘Do you understand this is harassment?… .In my view, you should have sued unza management and not the innocent girl. Those who reported you to police were acting on behalf of management… sue the people who plotted and not the student if she is just a victim of the plot’. Sent on 18th and 19th October 2023).
Well John Mweshi, I hereby sue you as you requested.
This author advises readers to look out on WhatsApp groups for the full over 100-paged report against his arresting officer to the PPCC. Email: austin.mbozi2027@gmail.com, Phone: +260-978-741920. S