FORMER first lady Christine Kaseba is being ungrateful to many economically disadvantaged Zambians by attempting to decline an expensive house Government has secured for her and her family, the Christian Coalition has charged.
Coalition general secretary John Mwendapole said it was morally incorrect for Dr Kaseba to “continue playing victim’’ in circumstances where she should have been thankful to Zambians for giving her the privilege of acquiring the status of the first lady.
Rev Mwendapole said Zambia’s biggest challenge has been lacunas in the law and that until the law on the benefits of former presidents and their spouses was reviewed, those in privileged positions such as former first ladies would continue to abuse their privileges.
He said it was disheartening that Government had continued paying for a vacant house secured for Dr Kaseba when the money could have been utilized in other areas of urgent need.
Rev Mwendapole however said he was consoled by President Edgar Lungu’s desire to consider abandoning the law on former presidents’ retirement benefits which include the construction of a house because former presidents often left office with some wealth.
He advised that Dr Kaseba should not attempt to create a picture that President Lungu’s Government did not care about her in a scheme to have the Head of State demonized.
Rev Mwendapole said it was the expectations of Zambians that Dr Kaseba as a woman and leader would volunteer the money being spent on her and donate it to some women groups involved in economic activities for survival.
He wondered why the housing of Dr Kaseba had continued to draw controversy when over the years other former first ladies were accommodated without any ‘‘political noise’’.
“Zambians expect Dr Kaseba to be more sensitive and we know for a fact that women are less greedy than men. With the controversy that has continued to surround the accommodation of Dr Kaseba, it would be appreciated if she told Zambians that she did not need the support of Government.
“Let her say ‘thank you’ for the offer but that she will not need it ‘because you as Zambians gave me a privilege of having attained the status of the first lady’.
“We do not want to see Dr Kaseba and her family suffering but her status in Zambia is much better than most of our women in rural areas and those are the people she must dedicate her heart to,” Rev Mwendapole said.
He advised that Government should immediately stop paying for the house until after Dr Kaseba and her family had moved in to avoid wasting money.
Government has secured a house for Dr Kaseba in Woodlands along Mutende Road but the house has remained unoccupied despite rentals being paid.
Dr Kaseba has been informed about the house but had not advanced reasons for not having moved into the house.
The Malawians would say, Ena nkumasowa pogona nduthu, Ena ndikumakana ma nyumba apamwamba akumayadi!! Dziko limeli ai ndithu!!!
Beautiful cicewa a Mbewe…
John Mwendapole, please be care with your utterances because so far Dr. Kaseba has not said any word concerning the matter.
CHI PAJERO ULI CHIPUBA AND U MUST BE A UPND CADRE.IF U ARE OFFERD A HOUSE AND U DONT MOVE IN AND ARE QUIET,Z DAT NOT A WAY OF SAYING NO.IF UPND THINKS THEY WILL GET VOTES BY MAKING CAPITAL OF CHRISTINE KASEBA,THEY ARE RONG.UPND IN KASAMA IS GOING AROUND TELLING PIPO THAT GOVERMENT HAS NEGLECTED DR KASEBA.DR KASEBA IS A VERYUNGRATEFUL WOMAN HU HAS NO RESPECT FOR OTHER SUFFERING WIDOWS.
Every former First Lady deserves respect. It is better for Government officers to do the background work of contacting them, talking to them, interviewing them, establishing what grievances could be there and then formulating appropriate solutions. It seems that junior officers may have moved in quickly evict her from the previous accommodation. At that level of social status, it may not be asking for too much to insist on a particular type of housing or location or arrangement within the same city. Dialogue can help.
WHICH RESPECT KA DR MAKASA WE MBWILI.HU LEAKED THIS NEWS OF CHRISTINE KASEBA’S SNUBING OF THE HOUSE?WAS IT GOVERMENT OR LUSAKA TIMES?INFACT GOVERMENT HAS REFUSED TO COMMENT AND URGED THE PRESS TO RESPECT DR KASEBA.WEN MAJORITY OF ZAMBIANS ARE RENTING HOMES AND SUFFERING,THIS WOMAN AND HER LATE HUSBAND OWNED MORE THAN 100 HOUSES,AND HAS THE ATITUDE TO TURN DOWN A LUXIURY GOVERMENT HOUSE JUST TO EMBARASS GOVERMENT AMD IMPRESS HER KING MMEMBE.WAT AN INSULT TO THE SUFFERING ZAMBIANS.
My thoughts exactly, in this economy and someone has the audacity to “ukufwita” inganda ku mayadi
Even if Edgar Lungu is using this matter for political expediency, Kaseba still should not look a gift horse in her mouth. We know the plunder that her and her husband engaged in by way of travelling with a horde of relatives on foreign trips to allow them to shop in exotic boutiques. In fact Kaseba must be audited. How come all her sisters and other relatives, all of sudden, are driving very expensive, top of the range cars? How and where have they acquired the wealth in such a short space of time? These people reaped this economy apart by taking advantage of the weak systems to amass wealth. Kaseba must not dare Zambians.
We are not against government providing accommodation to Dr Kaseba. What some of us are criticizing is her seemingly extravagance and lack of appreciation for efforts being made to re-settle her after the death of her husband. Honestly, how do those people who have lost loved ones due to lack of medicine in hospitals and a host of other Zambians who cannot afford rentals feel about the way tax payers’ money is being wasted on Dr Kaseba’s accommodation? Maureen Mwanawasa was First Lady for a much longer period as compared to Dr Kaseba but she is not trying to ‘play victim’ and wasting tax payers’ money like it drops from trees. Dr Kaseba must realize that there are many Zambians who are spending nights in the cold all because government has not paid them their terminal dues. Others…
Dr Makasa Kasonde, with due respect, I understand your point of view. Under the circumstance, just after the demise of the husband, Dr Kaseba should have understood that she would not enjoy the same privilege as she attained at Nkwazi house where a mini hospital was constructed just to service the husband. It was reported and for a fact that, after the death of the husband, Government was paying for Dr. Kaseba who occupied all the 10 plush rooms at Reedbuck Lodge each going at US$230 per room which is US2300 per day or at the current exchange rate amounts to K16,790 per day on rooms. Surely, this is absurd. These figures translate to K503, 700 per months or (half a billion in old currency. This purely absurd, selfish and insane to say the least. Such a figure is enough to pay 10 retirees…
….10 retirees being paid by ZCCM at the rate of K50,000 each.
Surely, where on earth can you condone such as behaviour of selfishness? Even if someone crossed her path, to allow government to pay for a vacant house, in the name of ukufwita, it does not make sense. First and foremost, she stole a lot of money in the name of being allocated a budget by the late husband, appointment of her relative to serve in government and mission abroad, we have not forgotten her antie the UK nurse who was appointed as ambassador just to mention a few. She knows she has the money that is why she is playing hide and sick to win public sympathy. Rev. Mwendapole I agree with you in totalility, whereas as for Dr Makasa, save your integrity by playing an observatory role than meddle in issues just to add…
SHZ A VERY GREEDY AND UNCARING WOMAN AND THATS WHY SHE MARRIED OUR LATE PRESIDENT EVEN WEN SHE KNEW HE HAD ANOTHER WIFE.THEZ JUST SUMTHING ABOUT A WOMAN U MARRY AFTER ABANDONING YO FIRST WIFE.THEY ARE AFTER MONEY.THIS WOMAN DESERVES NO SYMPATHY AND ONLY A CHILDISH POLITICIAN LIKE HH CAN SEE THIS AS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE.HOW MANY POOR ZAMBIANS HAVE HOUSES OF THEIR OWN,FOR CHRISTINE TO BE TURNING DOWN AN EXPENSIVE HOUSE?
ONLY A FOOLISH MAN WUD SUPPORT CHISTINE KASEBA’S BEHAVIOUR.AS A CHINGOLA RESIDENT HU WITNESSED YESTERDAY’S DEMONSTRATION BY CONTRACT MINERS,I GET DISTURBED TO LEARN THAT CHRISTINE KASEBA A MOTHER HU SHUD UNDERSTAND POVERTY VERY WELL OWING TO HER HUMBLE POOR BACKGROUND,WUD BE BEHAVING VERY CHILDISH BY TURNING DOWN A VERY EXPENSIVE HOUSE.THESE MINERS ARE GOING WITH PEANUTS DUE TO OUR POOR LAWS,YET GOVERMENT IS PAYING MILLIONS OF KWACHA FOR A VACANT HOUSE.CHRISTINE GROW UP,U ARE NO LONGER A TEENAGE GIRL PLAYING HARD TO GET WITH A PROPOSAL.MMEMBE IS JUST USING U AND WILL DUMP U WEN HZ DONE WITH U.
SHAME ON U CHRISTINE.
No Comment
Amai mwatichitsa manyadzi.paja kale timati ndinu woyera mtima,koma tsono tazindikila,kuti ndinu njoka mdzitsamba.
“she should have been thankful to Zambians for giving her the privilege of acquiring the status of the first lady.” Ubufi!
No it was Sata who gave her the priviledge of First Lady not Zambians. We never vote for first ladies.
Those supporting her, you do realize President Sata was her reason for the privilege. She lost the PF presidency. She needs to move into that house and enjoy.
This clause og building a house for a retired president shud be revisited,its not like they are homeless before going to state house,on top of that they acquire wealth wen they are still reigning to top it they sti remain on a life salary….
Does that sound normal in a poor economy life zambia? Total selfish if u ask me.