Zambian Socialist leader to Escalate His Anti-HH Campaign.
By Sitambile Bonambi/14-07-23/Kimberly 24news@hotmail.com
Fred M’membe, the leader of the Zambian Socialist Party, is ramping up his attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema, accusing him of being a liar and unreliable for failing to fulfill his campaign promises. Multiple sources from M’membe’s party and the Zambia Intelligence community have revealed that he has selectively focused on the promises made by President Hakainde during his time in opposition, which he has yet to fulfill in his nearly two years in office.
M’membe, a former newspaper owner whose publication was shut down by the previous government due to non-compliance with tax regulations, established a political party based on the principles of the Cuban Socialist Party. Before entering politics, he used his Post Newspaper to promote his ideology and position himself as a key influencer in Zambian politics.
During his campaign, M’membe conducted a divisive tribal campaign that polarized politics and marginalized the Tonga people of Southern Zambia, the homeland of President Hakainde Hichilema and his party predecessor Anderson Mazoka.
Fred M’membe is widely seen as the source of sectarianism and ethnic hatred that characterized the ten years of the Patriotic Front, a party that Hichilema’s UPND defeated by a significant margin in the 2021 elections.
His sudden transformation from being one of Zambia’s wealthiest capitalists to a socialist has raised eyebrows. M’membe was once the proud owner of a Hummer SUV but failed to meet his obligations to his workers, including remitting their pension contributions, and evaded taxes for his newspaper.
He also co-owned an airline, Zambian Airways, which went bankrupt within a few months of its operation.
According to sources, Fred M’membe has been deeply unsettled by President Hichilema’s notable achievements in the negotiations for Zambia’s loan rescheduling, and he aims to undermine these successes. He has attempted to label Hichilema as an imperialist collaborator and a conspirator of white capital.
Hichilema has made significant strides in various socioeconomic areas. He has decentralized the processes related to the Constituency Development Fund, which were previously centralized in Lusaka. Additionally, he has substantially increased CDF funding across the board, by almost 300%, while implementing free education from primary to secondary school and reintroducing meal allowances for students in public universities. He has also been committed to fighting corruption and has eliminated political hooliganism perpetrated by thugs affiliated with the previous Patriotic Front Party government of President Edgar Lungu.