Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia’s Leadership Crisis

Share

Last night I was watching a television program called “Celebrating Nelson Mandela–The Giants of Africa” an initiative by Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri. The program featured various people who have been touched in one way or another by the life of the late Nelson Mandela. I was not on the program, but I am one of those people who have been touched by Madiba. By the next day, I was absorbed in my thoughts on how badly Zambia needed leaders of Madiba’s caliber.

Zambia is the second largest copper producer in Africa. In addition, it has cobalt, zinc, lead, emeralds, coal, gold, silver and many more minerals. There is also plenty of water, wildlife, forestry, grassland, waterfalls, rich culture, and sunshine all year round. Why then are we still one of the poorest countries on earth? Clearly, Zambia’s biggest problem is not wealth. It is not even HIV/AIDS. The biggest challenge of Africa and our country has had seems to lie in leadership.

Even the largest annually awarded prize in the world—The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is struggling to find recipients for its prize. In 2009, 2012 and 2013 there was no award given by the committee. The prize constitutes US$5 million over ten years and US$200,000 per year for life thereafter. How can a continent of more than fifty countries have only three leaders to have received this prize?

[pullquote]

Leaders don’t necessarily have to generate the ideas but ensure that ideas flow freely and are administered accordingly.

 

[/pullquote]It’s very obvious that Africa has a leadership crisis. Zambia has equally done its part by contributing to the leadership challenges the continent has faced for decades. Zambia has elected leaders, with the least leadership qualities, least education, problematic past, and all sorts of issues that a leader should not be. If we go back from pre-independence days to today and analyze the options in leaders that voters had, in each of those elections Zambians did not elect the most qualified candidate. Are we then surprised that we continue to be a poor, diseased and jobless country?

In Zambia, we view leaders as people who are old (often gray-haired) and wise. This is perhaps the reason we have elected politicians in their 70s and 80s and allowed various government positions to be filled by our grandparents. We look at young leaders as immature or lack political experience. There is a big leadership gap among generations. Zambia needs leaders who are going to tap in from ideas of different generations.

Qualities of a good leader

  1. Leaders don’t necessarily have to generate the ideas but ensure that ideas flow freely and are administered accordingly. The greatest leaders are not necessarily those with a high IQ. Zambian leaders need to understand that they are not the alpha and the omega of knowledge. Instead, their role is to create an environment where people are free to give and receive ideas.It’s often distressing to hear our members of parliament debate issues especially those from the ruling party. Oftentimes, they have no opinion of their own but echo that of the president. When the president says this thing is blue then everyone jumps up and sings the blue song. Immediately the president changes his mind and says this thing is actually white, everyone around him also shouts the white song. This attitude continues to rob our nation of good ideas. Our leaders need to have people who can disagree with them on national matters.
  2. A leader maximises the potential of his subordinates so that they can excel in their respective fields. He sees to it that the best qualities are utilized and showcased in those he leads. One would wonder when our presidents make appointments to key government positions if serious thought is given on skill and expertise. Sadly, in Zambia political appointments continue to be made to please the appointee with complete disregard of the capabilities. Unfortunately, the public has not demanded more of this. Even parliament has failed to reject these mediocre appointments.
  3. A leader appreciates criticism and must be wary of those subordinates who are always showering praises. He should know that he also gets things wrong and when he does must admit the mistake and take measures to correct the mistake so that it does not happen again. That’s why it is very important to surround oneself with people who can make you a better leader. Part of that process is praising you when you have done something right and correcting you when you have missed the mark.
  4. A leader surrounds himself with people who are even smarter than him so that he can tap from their intelligence. That’s why a leader needs to listen more and ask questions. It’s disappointing when you continue to see not so intelligent individuals continue to be rewarded with political appointments in our country or even those who are convicted criminals continue to hold political office.
  5. A leader should not be the richest person in the land. The race to amass wealth seems to be a big motivating factor to get involved in politics in Zambia. Most Zambian politicians become wealthy after assuming political office. The late president Michael Sata questioned UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s wealth several times. He wondered why HH could be so rich even the fact that he never worked in government. What a twisted line of thinking there by the president of our country. Should that surprise us then why everyone thinks that once they get into politics their lives will be transformed? In fact, the world’s millionaires and even those in Zambia such as Costain Chilala and many others are far away from the corridors of power.
  6. A leader grooms people around him. He needs to have people who can take over his place when he leaves. Because Zambian leaders perhaps never think of leaving the office of the president, they never groom people to take over from them. The recent PF leadership struggles are a classic example.

The recent presidential elections held in Zambia are a clear testimony on how quality is not a prerequisite to being president. We elected the same leaders who lied to us, stole from us and humiliated us. We elected a candidate who did not address the issues that the majority of us face on a day-to-day basis. To suddenly expect the new great leader to create jobs, raise the standard of living or even bring the new constitution to life when he refused to sign the social contract is like expecting Robert Mugabe to be given the Noble Peace Prize. Good Luck.

By Wesley Ngwenya

69 COMMENTS

  1. You can see for yourselves! He goes to dance in zimbabwe without appointing his cabinet. He told you he was visionless but you went ahead and voted for him. You reap what you sow.

    • Whether you like it or not he’s president and he knows what he’s doing! As for the article it was written by Upnd cadre who is thankless to our founding fathers

    • HH: I will reduce taxes
      Edgar : Me too

      HH: I will recognise chitimukulu
      Edgar: Me too.

      HH: I will reduce the price of mealie meal

      Edgar: Me too.

      HH: I will be the President.

      Edgar: Oh oh oh!! Apo pena wabepa mudala. The President will be one Edgar Chagwa Lungu on the 20th January. On that one may be try in 2054.

    • Africans are enemies of themselves. The comments already being made by some of these PF cadres just goes on to prove what the author is saying. Look at Lungu’s appointments so far. Some are ok, but most of them are just after appeasement. Look at Mulenga Sata’s appointment. What is the value of such an appointment for Zambia’s development? It is basically to say thank you to Michael Sata but without consideration of the value Mulenga Sata adds to state house. Look at RDA corruption. Edgar Lungu has said nothing about it. The reappointment of Chikwanda who has literally bankrupted Zambia. Nonsense.

    • WESLEY NGWENYA, GO BACK TO BED YOU STILL SOUND SLEEPY. WE CAN TALK WHEN YOU WAKE MY BROTHER – WHEN YOU ARE ASLEEP, YOU ARE HALF-DEAD. WE ARE LIVING MEN WITH WORK TO DO.

    • Nelson Madela contributed nothing if you compare him to our KK, FTJ LPM, RB and MCS. The only praise is that he was in prison for 27 years but caused a lot of death a year leading to elections in the zulu land.

    • @Pio the truth is Mandela is a hero made by white people. Had white people not recognised him as a hero his fame would have died out like a candle in the wind. They were so scared of black people who screamed “one settler one bullet” when Mandela vowed not to take revenge they realised to keep him on that line they gave him insincere adulation. The whites own the media and bodies that conferred honours on Mandela so it was easy to make him famous. He has been made a hero by those who are grateful that he didn’t kill their people

    • imwe naimwe, this ibrahim mo mother F’er is just broke now. so he does not want to give his money out anymore. Dont follow standards set by so called wetern educated men of what a leader should be. Ignore some of these things. Mo Ibrahim or whatevre your name is; go and stuff that money of yours in your behind. You are the type of uncle tom n.i.g.g.a.z who used western standards to dictate what africans should be. base your criteria on african standards and then also learn to weight the parameters depending on the times and seasons. You cannot use the standards of democracy on a 50 year old africa compared to the western countries which are about 100-150 years old or more in democracy. so you dont expect africans using this animal called democracy standard to be the same as europe.

    • @salmon rushdie – you are so right man, but am sad it had to come from you who is not even african. why wont my people, the brown africans realise or know this. You mandela was labelled a terrorist by the american government until i thin the late 80s. Its only countries like zambia and those in the front line states who pushed his name as a hero and sacrificed for the end of aprthied in south africa. But what annoyed me the most was the behaviour of Zuma on mandelas birthday to give the prominent speech time to the united states “barack obama” and not zambia or zimbabwe, yet these same mother f’ers were calling him a terrorist a few years before. learn your history properly africans please napapata, dont just get your news from CNN, FOX,BBC, these are white propaganda machines.

    • correction ” nagtwafulwa tulalufyanya, i should remember to calm down”. not mandelas birthday but mandelas funeral.

  2. There you go.
    Blah, blah, blah.

    You must be wiser than all the Zambians who weighed issues and voted.

    By the way, did you vote? Who in your opinion should have been voted President?

  3. Please mwe bantu, a Tonga in whatever form will not lead this country. Not in the life time of the child HH adopted in Zambezi.

  4. You can tell this article is a load of made up nonsense due to where the report originates from (Wesley Ngwenya)

    I’m off to read Ka Tona at least they don’t try and insult our intelligence……….Poor Poor clumsy and ridiculous Journalism

  5. The problem with UPND cadres they think HH ni ka Lesa (god), and only in UPND are brains that can transform this country.

    • YOU KANTANSHI YOU ARE THE SAME FOOLISH DONALD, A PRODUCT OF CORRUPTION. TONGAS ARE COMING INTO POWER VERY SOON, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU ROTTEN LOOTERS OF OUR COUNTRY YOU WILL RUN LIKE RATS!

  6. Internet yalileta akantu nomba. Uwaumfwafye ukunya ninshi fast fast kuya mukunyela pa keyboard….
    Tamwakwata ifimbsus mu mayanda?

  7. Ulabeja Mudala HH wealth is from looting the Poor Zambian wealth.He could not investigated because he fa our helped a lot of corrupt Now rich Zambians who could pursue justice because they were all involved except HH looted assets which were Valuable and able to profit him in short time.He has not worked for anything he is not a Leader no qualities at all.Soon he will enter into the World Book Record of Guiness as a Man who stood for President for 50 years without be Elected watch this.He needs God for now he is getting old soon he will be capult God forbid on that one.

    • How did Mulenga Sata become rich within a short time? After his father became president? He was a simple councillor. I don’t think the office of Mayor would enrich someone so quickly? It is those meetings he was having with the Chinese at Radisson Hotel. Why do you harp on HH? Mulenga should be included too!

  8. That is the message.
    Until 2060, HH will never rule.
    God will not allow the innocent souls rest until HH pays back what he stole from them. The good thing is that he is paying back little by little with 4 losses so far and one more just on the horizon. That is why UPND constitution is like that; he will keep on standing until he wins, Maybe. Only Satan not God knows how he will win. We have only seen red lips so far. We need to see red nose and eyes and eye lids and to wear a red shirt and tie to confirm that he drinks human blood.

    • I used to think like you that HH will never rule but l have now shallowed me own words-HH is about to rule this country.

  9. Why is it that most Zambians can not exercise some civility, read the comments of ba Donald, and many others, they are headstrong, righteous, it’s people like you who have made this nation not to prosper, can you even be proud of mediocre leaders, who have never added value to the Zambian brand.

  10. As long as we have mediocre leaders like Sata, Edger lungu, Zambia will remain poor and poorly viewed and HH will continue to be rich, whether he is president of Zambia or not!! And us supporters of UPND and HH, shall always be in Zambia to save as a balance in future when our children shall look back and search the past whether it only had fools or even the wise did exist!

  11. This is well thought out and well reasoned article. Sadly the author spoils it when he reveals his true partisan colours towards the end when he blurts out : “We elected a candidate who did not address the issues that the majority of us face on a day-to-day basis”. The leader being referred to is evidently Edgar Lungu who has hardly served a month in office! Can’t we honestly give him a chance before we start attacking him?

  12. Yes whether HH leads this nation or does not, he is so rich that the Bembas wish they had that wealth. Poor them. Once Mazoka tried to take cows there, the thieves stole them and since they dont have meat apart from monkey, they ate all the cows. They do not know about leaving a seed. Fyoonse kwiba

    • What makes you think anybody who insults HH or Tongas is Bemba?Also, your stereotype is just as st.upid as those demeaning Tongas. Bafikala just grow up and learn to live with one another.

    • HH is rich in his own way, we have a lot of Zambians who are richer than HH and one of the is AB.Chikwanda, HH has utuntemba.

    • Oh no see this idi0t! Who cares about his riches anyway? Let him share it with Munkombwe and Maureen since they need it that badly.

  13. As long as we feel only a certain individual fits in our leadership definition, we miss the point. When we talk of leadership lets not attack others , when you are attacking personalities who can not answer you back, that in itself is leadership failure. The writer got very good points but it seems he does not subscribe to the points raised by himself. This demonstrates how leadership is not a cheap adventure.

  14. Iwe “ninala # 11” you sound like a nincompoop. And what the heck you can speak ill of a tribe like that? People of your kind do not deserve a place on planet earth, may be Jupiter. And what is all special about HH or Tongas? If you are not careful will turn HH into a small god, may be you’ve already started worshipping HH. Remember when Mazo…. used to work for ZR? He tried to exchange good cows for bad ones? Mind you these cows were coming from Botswana enroute to DRC, formerly Zaire. We call that stealing, buffoon! Stop fooling yourself. When a Tonga steals you call it acquiring wealth and when a Bemba does the same, you call him thief, what a hypocrite!

  15. The shallowness in Zambians will never cease to amaze me. Always yapping “Copper! Copper! Copper!” No country develops by mining minerals. Copper is a very cheap commodity. Agric and manufacturing is the way to go. We should only use mining to produce raw materials into manufacturing factories. As a scientist, I have deep insight of what I am trying to say. Obscession with copper is what is keeping us down. I am not saying we should discard copper, it is not just the ticket to heaven. I get so angry sometimes.

  16. The author is confused to say the least, his article is full of complaints and envy. We cannot all be Madiba for crying out loud. Situation and conditions of each country are different. Maybe the author should have also mentioned that Apartheid was good because it produced characters like Madiba. Zambia is not short of leaders, we just need to realise that we cannot all be leaders and support the leader at each given moment. It is very illogical to insinuate that we have no leaders just because we do not like the leader at present. Furthermore, it is important to understand that each country has got its own values, we cannot all be Canada, SA or USA. Why do we have to copy and try to be like others?

  17. Indeed this author is very insular to think that we cannot read between the lines of what he is trying to say. Vote HH because he is the wisest person in the whole Zambia Republic. If HH was president in 1964 Zambia would be like Britain. The down fall of Zambia cannot be blamed on the government alone. Dont forget the bribes you receive daily also contribute to the sragnation of the Nation. Dont forget your tribalistic nepotism has contributed to the backwardedness of this country. Even the writer of this article commits white colar everyday. Let him deny this and lightening will strike him.

  18. To be president in Zambia one has to have at least three names or more …Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda, Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba, levy Patrick Mwanawasa, Rupiah Bwezani Banda, Michael Chilufya Katongo Sata, Edgar Chapona Lungu… H H?

  19. God has His mysterious ways of saving the peoples of Zambia from catastrophe. Take the following events into account.

    (1) The High Court ruled in favour of Nevers Mumba to stand as MMD Presidential candidate.
    (2) Mumba threatened to punish MPs who supported of RB.
    (3) The RB camp unleashed a rare brand of wisdom by asking their supporters to vote for Edgar Lungu.
    (4) A comparative assessment of Late Sata and Edgar Lungu reveals that Sata ruled with an iron fist, by never listening to advice offered by the leadership in PF. Yet Edgar is exhibiting a talent of ruling the country based on consensus (collective) wisdom drawn from his PF colleagues.
    (5) Inonge’s Vice Presidency alters Lozi thinking in Lungu’s favour.

    These are factors that will see Lungu triumph over HH in 2016.

  20. @observer
    I am actually one of the people that gave you a plus on your comment. I don’t think the author is saying we have to copy other countries. However, he has shown to us that good leadership produces the much needed results that so many countries yearn for–prosperous economic activity, good healthcare system, good education, jobs and so on. I am not sure many Zambians would say that they enjoy being poor. It’s actually the opposite. They want to be prosperous too. Only thing is they do not make a direct connection between good leadership and good results. Somehow they think that they can elect a bad leader and expect that person to give them good results–not possible.

    • Go ask Cameron why he stopped BA from flying into ZAMBIA if at he has a clue! This article is below par in my opinion.

  21. Correctly and well articulated. As the old adage goes “when two elephants fight its the grass that suffers”. Democracy is meant to be an evolutionary concept unfortunately in most African examples we seem to perpetuate the same mediocrity. Its not the politicians that take the suffering for the most part they are comfortable regardless of who wins. Its our poor that feel the pain when things go wrong. As said by the author Good luck!

  22. It is wrong to assume that Zambia will only have good leadership once HH becomes president or once a Tonga becomes president. For record’s sake, why mandela is deemed to be a good leader is because he never revenged the barbaric behaviour of the apatheird regime.The so called good leadership of mandela has no significance impact on poverty levels in south africa as the black people are still wallowing in poverty. Therefore, it does not make sence to try to insult the intelligence of majority Zambians who in their infinity wisdom voted to Chiluba, Mwanawasa, Rupiya, Sata and no Lungu. Again to say that in Zambia we just vote old people is wrong becAUSE kk,chiluba and mwanawasa and now lungu, all became presidents at age below 60. To only think that Zambia will only have a young leaders

  23. @deja vu
    Your mentality is similar to Zambian adolescents. When you tell them not to drink beer, play with girls, smoke dagger, they say that they wont do. But when they are alone they go ahead and do all they evil with the view to punish the one who told them not to do evil. In the end, the youths themselves are seem running mad, destitution, disoriented etc and thats how PF supporter are! For sure, if at onetime by accident PF can have a credible leader, we shall be there to support such.

    • We already know about what he has copied from someone’s article withou acknowledging it, sorry this called plagiarism.

      Do the Chinese ever blow their own trumpet to show their leadership qualities or do they just produce results.

  24. @Salaman Rashiddie……..

    Leave Mandela alone.

    Madiba was already famous when South Africans voted him into power.

    Yes, the whites recognised his fame just as they for voted for black Obama to become President of the most powerful country on earth.

    You were busy insulting old Guy Scott for just Acting. Racism is not just a vermin among backward conservative whites but among our fellow blacks who suffer serious inferiority complex and lack of self-esteem.

    • You’re speaking nonsense. Salman Rushdie speaks sense. He is not dissing Mandela but those who manipulated his name for their own interests

  25. Wesley Ngwenya, the reality about life is that feeling pity for someone who does not deserve pity or helping someone who is not ready to be helped is a total waste of effort. Zambians are very happy with what they are going through right now i.e. Mediocre leadership, Poverty levels of around 80%, High cost of living, high youth unemployment, poor healthy system! poor education system, etc. The same unemployed youths vote for the same system responsible for their unemployment. This is exactly what they want. When they want something else they will seek it! For now Zambians are in the very position they have chosen to be! So let them be Wesley! When you have time look out for a program called Secret Millionaire on DSTV for you to understand the attitude of people who deserve pity or help!

  26. True a black man suffers serious inferiority complex and lack of self esteem.We can develop but we do not share wisdom to prosper and learn to listen from others.Leaders want to be worshiped like God.Learn to love your neighbour and above all respect everyone created by GOD.This is food for thought for you all.

  27. How would someone be fit for Presidency when hebelieves that the only way someone gets economically transformed is when they work in government ( stealing government resources like they do) that shows how incompetent they’re…

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading