Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Chishimba Kambwili has issued a sincere apology to the family of the late Freedom Fighter Mr Samuel Mbilishi who passed away on 20th October aged 107. In a statement made available to the media, Mr Kambwili, who is also the Government Chief Spokesperson said that Government will was unaware of Mr Mbilishi death and promised to assist the family with funeral arrangements.
Below is the full statement
Republic of Zambia
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services
STATEMENT BY HON. CHISHIMBA KAMBWILI , MP, MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON ON THE DEATH OF FREEDOM FIGHTER AND FORMER CABINET MINISTER SAMUEL MBILISHI.
Government sincerely apologises to the family of the late Samuel Mbilishi for inadvertently not recognising the death of freedom fighter and former Cabinet Minister in the Kaunda government.
This is due to the fact that Government was unaware of his demise. It has since come to the Government‘s attention that Mr. Mbilishi died on Tuesday, 20th October, 2015.
Government will, however, assist the family with funeral logistics.
Government would also like to advise families of freedom fighters and former leaders to inform the Office of the President , the Vice President,or the Chief Government Spokesperson of any deaths of these gallant sons and daughters of Zambia so that they are given due recognition.
Mr. Mbilishi was a gallant freedom fighter who served the country diligently.
May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.
Hon. Chishimba Kambwili, MP
MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
23rd October ,2015
Well, first of all, any Zambian who dies at the age of over 100 years should be celebrated and acknowledged. It is indeed very rare to hear of a Zambian who has died at the age above 100.
Second point, this man was a freedom fighter who even served in cabinet. If Government indeed looked after it’s freedom fighters, particularly those that server in cabinet, Mr Kambwili would be giving us the above excuse that he was unaware. That is lame and speaks volume to how many of our freedom fighter have been neglected and left to fend for themselves and dies in obscurity. This indeed is an indictment to this Kaponya Government.
This man deserves national mourning and not that Willie Nsanda of yours. Am told he actually died home and not in SA Milpark hospital. That is how patriotic he was
Full of apologies. Sorry we lied to you about the constitution, sorry we increase fees for traffic offenses, sorry ZESCO drained the water at Kariba….sorry for everything. You tell a man’s character by the company he keeps. For Edgar to still have Kambwili in his cabinet says a lot.
Apologizing at same time blaming family for not informing. Why not government follow the welfare of freedom fighters or citizens at large?
The government full of errors, apologies, u-turns, arrogance, cluelessness, me too-sm etc. Continue on this path and come 2016 you’re history. This is unacceptable!
Kambwili is full of helium, nothing else.
Chimbwili should just come out and say that honours of national mourning are not given to heroes from NWP. Wasn’t the late Mr Mbilishi even in the UNIP Central Committee in the late 1970s? PF can mourn and honour a PF DC cadre from Mufulira but not somebody who did much more than stealing because of his tribe. What a thankless bunch of indolents.
@MMD Chief Bootlicker you are certainly not getting any recognition despite you being an MMD Chief Bootlicker in PF! In other countries that’s why they have an ID or is there no date of birth on the Zambian NRC? The queen personally signs a car for every year for anyone over 100 years!
107 years and we never monitored his health?
sad indeed.
MHSRIP.
What do you mean monitor his health?
You are talking about Zambia, and not the UK.
There are no health monitoring schemes in place in Zambia.
You have to carry yourself to hospitals when you are ill in order to get treatment.
My dad is in Zambia. He is 101, we have to figure out what his medical needs might be whenever they arise, credit to my youngest sibling and his wife and children for lovingly caring for him. God truly bless them.
On topic, the passing away of our Freedom Fighter must be celebrated.
Wasn’t he supposed to be accorded a state funeral, having been a cabinet minister? You mean even his living colleagues in the cabinet, not to mention KK, were not informed of his passing on?
‘Govrnment would like to advise families of freedom fighters to inform government when they die. ‘Shouldn’t government be looking after these people when they are alive instead of showing up on the last minute to buy caskets and flowers. This is a disgrace!I would rather my tax money went to support feedom fighters than sponspor Lungu and Mrs Lungu’s +256 of their posse abroad
It would be swell if you could also apologise for not acknowledging that you have messed up the country and that you are dull together with your president and that you have no clue what to do. That would be swell.
Let the government feed me is greater in Zambia. Whether freedom fighter or not, Zambians must save money for their retirement or invest in children to look after them when they are old. Government should look up to people, and not people up to government for money?
Joseph Mvula I think you got the wrong end of the stick, acknowledging the passing on of freedom fighters and indeed those who are lucky enough is not asking for monetary help. Obviously you didn’t see anything wrong when PF govt was falling over itself trying to honour Willie Nsanda a nobody who fleeced millions of tax payers’ money
Why don’t you pay pensioners their dues instead of apologies. ..all that money wasted on useless deputy ministers should be channelled to them.
Please Mr.kambwili,accord him the state funeral on Monday and declare monday a holiday because independence will be on saturday.Pipo are tired and needs a holiday.Last week it was a fasting day and tomorrow it’s independence day.Why can’t u declare Monday 26th october a holiday ba PF?Please tulefwaya national morning for the former cabinet minister and holiday on monday.it’s not too late naimwe Ba kambwili.Shani Mwaamba ukusebanya party yesu zoona.U want UPND to rule us?
@MMD chief bootlicker, now you’ve come back to the real you. We are all tired of this govt of kaponyas. Where on earth can a govt worth its salt neglect a man over 100 and a freedom fighter?
Joseph Mvula
You are very dull my friend. He has lived for 100 years without asking the government to feed him. The issue here is recognition of his service to the nation. Do not comment if you have nothing to say. After all the government does even pay people their pensions instead they divert the pensions money to their allowances. So what is you problem?
Kambwili! Kambwili! Kambwili! Kambwili! If only you didnt waste time turning petty issues into huge problems you would have known about such a great man’s passing away. But you were busy threatening Radio Phoenix, calling HH pompous, quarrelling with Kabimba when do you work?
Try and pur in a decent day’s work pulizi. Is making loud noise like an empty tin the hallmark of a government spokesman? This post should be abolished! It’s a waste of our tax to pay a chatterscatterbrain
Mbilishi never asked government for pittance. This man retired from govt without the wealth you associate with government thieves like Dora, Rupiah and that fat guy who buried money on his farm. So those who are insulting him should do their homework before opening their mouths
LAME EXCUSE. WHAT WAS OP DOING? MONITORING THE OPPOSITION AND JOURNALISTS? USELESS TRIBAL GOVERNMENT. IN THIS GOVERNMENT PEOPLE ARE TREATED ACCORDING TO THE TRIBE THEY BELONG TO. WHEN PROFESSOR LUO WAS AT LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHE HAD 3 DIRECTORS DISMISSED BECAUSE THEY BELONGED TO A “WRONG TRIBE”. I CHALLENGE TO DENY THIS.
Collective government memory has been fading slowly since 1991 because everything is politicized. We have moved from compassion and pride to vindictiveness and hate. Every succeeding administration wants to outdo itself by wiping clean the slate of achievements that the previous one entered into the memory book of government. Is it surprising that we do not follow up on anything or anyone that was of value or has potential of keeping our continuity as a country in check? Let’s stop this revolving door of throwing out the baby with the bath water with each election: replacing officials and CEOs for no reason is some of the many instances leading to this malaise.
This is the only country in the world where the politicians fail in managing the country in terms of everything from the economy, careless borrowing, careless expenditure, bloated government, load shedding, loss of employment to higher prices of all commodities, and blame God for all their ineptness and call for a day of prayer so that God can turn things around! Shockingly, gullible Zambians accept and believe and blame God! They turn up in numbers on the day of prayer! Only in Zambia!!
Chimbwili!
nonsense, leave the giant and gallant pillar of our freedom to rest in mumutende(peace)
Kambwili, government has no track of freedom fight. To be honest it was better to support him when he was arrive. Moments after burial you will forget about the family.
When he was arrive? Ha ha! Ha!
The issue here is not recognition. This man led a very simple life after his retirement and has been in the capital ailing the past few years. Govt was aware. His passing on last Tuesday was communicated to cabinet office and one young man told the family that he was not a cabinet minister. The CEO at cabinet office had the infor the day he died. What logistics is kambwili talking about when the old man was put to rest yesterday and there was a cabinet minister present who came in his own capacity as a friend. KK was there too.
I feel state funerals are the preserve of kaponyas like nsanda and imagine a musician like Charles muyamwa ???? Does this not make you realise that he was a nortwesterner.
The gentleman was given a hero’s send off by those that appreciated his contributions to…
Are you speaking the truth? These guys must be insane!
Thank you #Mother. You speak the truth. Wasn’t Mr Mbilishi an MCC in UNIP? That was equivalent to Cabinet Minister now. These kaponyas are just full of hatred and spite.
Edgar Lungu pali appointment yakwa Kambwili abwelapofye.
Kambwili is the goverment’s vuvuzela and should not be blamed as an individual. The current government should take responsibility for this blunder/negligency.
The problem is the government only go looking for freedom fighters as ‘props’ every independence. The annual thought is the start and end of their interest in the matter. How difficult is it to register and support a an annually dwindling number of heroes? They do not see them as heroes beyond the superficial need to have a conversation piece. Their new heroes are any predecessor who has eaten from the bottomless vault that makes them all desire a corrupt seat at the invisible table for the greedy.
I have to agree with the comment of Kalok that collective government memory has been fading slowly. In May this year when honouring the first cabinet of Zambia at independence the Government could not remember the full cabinet and forgot to include some of the cabinet members who fought so hard for independence for Zambia including my father, James John Skinner. A sad indictment of a Government if it cannot remember and honour those that fought to get the country independence. My condolences to the family of Mr Samuel Mbilishi.
I think that GRZ needs to have a record of these gallant sons and daughters of Zambia and create a fund to support them . South Africa has a good system maybe we can learn from them.