By David N Kapoma
Almost every Zambian voter knows by now that our politics are not what we can call clean. In fact most people say politics is a dirty game. If anything most citizens that think they are principled and clean always avoid being involved in politics. Zambia has been on a downward spiral politically in the last seven years or so, and ever since the Patriotic Front (PF) took over the reins of government from the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), things have become far worse. Maybe it’s because the ruling party is looking attractive.
We now have a situation where it has become normal for politicians to belong to two parties and act like it is the new acceptable thing in politics. The last one year or so has been particularly grievous as we have seen ‘unbelievable’ things on the Zambian political landscape. The term “political prostitute” has taken on a new dimension. Let me give a few examples to make the point clear and I do this with no strings attached.
RUPIAH BANDA
The former president it seems became greedy for his own good. Instead of supporting his own party and the candidature of his successor Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba, he opted to try to impose himself as the MMD presidential candidate in the last election in January. Dr Mumba took the case to court and the Supreme Court ruled that Mr Banda was out of order.
Then what happened shocked us all though we should not have been shocked. The former president went to bed with a party he had traded blows with just 3 years earlier. He allegedly raised money for the PF, donated his campaign truck to him and went round the country campaigning with Lungu while holding up a different party symbol in either hand. This was the probably one of the worst points in Zambian immoral politics. One wonders what back-door deals were made for this to happen.
GEOFFREY B MWAMBA
GBM as he is affectionately known, also one of the richest individuals in Zambia defected from MMD to PF in 2008 and stood as Kasama Central MP during a by-election. He won the seat and later in 2011 became Defence Minister under the Michael Sata government. Then he suddenly resigned from PF claiming it was due to the Chief Chitimukulu controversy, although subsequent events suggested otherwise.
Today he is United Party for National Development (UPND) Vice-President but wants to remain a PF MP and is fighting his expulsion from PF in court. On one hand, he claims to be very popular in Kasama but he clearly doesn’t want to go for a by-election. He wants to have his cake and eat it.
As Bembas say,”Cimbwi afwile intanganano”. GBM cannot make up his mind which party he wants to belong to and stick with it. His seemingly “marriage of convenience” with UPND makes one wonder whether he hopes to take over from UPND president Hakainde Hichilema if UPND loses the 2016 election. The reality is that his chances of taking over UPND are as good as a Southerner taking over PF. Next to zero.
FELIX MUTATI
The honourable threw his weight behind a presidential candidate from a rival party, the UPND. He went all over the country campaigning for Mr Hichilema and to this day, he apparently sees nothing wrong with that. He is now trying to get the MMD presidency from Dr Mumba and if he succeeds, he will end up campaigning against the same UPND he supported in January 2015.
After watching the MMD disintegrate from the sidelines and contributing to its demise, he now says he will stand as Lunte MP on the MMD ticket with 26 others and he is ready to stand as MMD President at the next convention. I don’t even understand what I have said here but that’s just how complicated it is in reality.
Could it be that honourable Mutati is secretly negotiating with both PF and UPND to be a running mate in the event that MMD comes out third and become king-makers under a 50%+1 electoral system? Because Zambian politics have long been known for these “double tobela” maneuvres.
SYLVIA MASEBO
Seasoned as she is I think she takes the prize for biggest political “muselela kwakaba” of all time. She was first elected as Chongwe MP on the Zambian Republican Party (ZRP) ticket in 2001. 5 years later, she stood on MMD ticket and then stood on PF ticket another 5 years later in 2011. From all indications, she is going to stand on UPND in 2016. FDD or Rainbow Party in 2021? 2026?
DORA SILIYA
Probably the sharpest political tongue in Zambian politics, while in MMD she regularly traded political blows with PF leaders including former President Michael Sata himself, even inventing new names for her political opponents. I must say she is very good at this. Before we knew it, she went quiet as MMD Spokesperson and now she is a PF Central Committee member and Minister in charge of Load-shedding in the PF government. All this despite Information Minister Chishimba Kambwili saying that he would rather sale his soul to the devil than embracing Siliya in PF. Today the two honourables seat together in cabinet meetings. Indeed in Zambian politics you don’t need to have permanent enemies or friends.
RICHARD KACHINGWE
As National Secretary of the MMD at the time, he got a bright idea to remove Nevers Mumba as MMD President. Where he got such powers I do not know. A few slaps and kicks later from my best friend, he was out of MMD. Rumour has it that he was the one who gave the list of MMD financial donors to opponents in exchange for a nice brown envelope.
BOWMAN LUSAMBO
Do I even have to say anything about my good friend? I think we all know what is going on here. Like my friend Antonia Mwanza, he is a potential powerful political animal we are yet to see.
MUHABI LUNGU
Very well spoken and articulate politician. someone as good as a father and big brother to me. Enough said.
KABINGA PANDE
One day he was in a meeting to suspend Dr Mumba as MMD President and choose RB as MMD candidate for the January 2015 election. The next day he was busy condemning the very meeting he himself had chaired the day before and then he threw his support on the UPND. Today he is still in MMD, waiting for which side of the fence to jump to.
FORDSON MALISHINYI
The most popular Solwezi West MMD candidate withdrew from the September by-election race at the nomination desk with the MMD Spokesperson Raphael Nakacinda standing next to him with his mouth wide open in shock. What a joker! He was later accused by the MMD leadership of having been called to Plot One the day before to receive a large brown envelope and the man gave up on his dream of becoming a member of parliament.
MIKE MULONGOTI
One week he is holding up “The Hour” symbol, the next week he is holding up a fist. This self-proclaimed “king maker” who is nothing more than a political clown seems to be only interested in getting a political job. He complained about not being given a job by late president Sata, formed his own party and then said he regretted supporting PF. Looks like Lungu is not in a hurry to appoint him either.
RICHARD KAPITA
The former UPND Vice-President decided to jump ship after accusations of financial impropriety surfaced in UPND. Now he is a PF Central Committee member and in line for a job from President Lungu.
The list is endless and I can write several volumes on this. The point I want to make is that we can do better than this as Zambians. We cannot continue electing into office morally bankrupt individuals and hope to have a better Zambia for us and our children and their children. These muselela kwakaba politicians are only interested to go where they can eat the most and have no principles. We cannot progress as a nation like this.
I am worried and concerned as this kind of politics is not inspiring to the young people and the next generation. Brown envelopes, as popularized by late Michael Sata, have taken over Zambian politics. It seem there is no escape from them. Maybe I should also get a large brown envelope from someone!
I agree with Dr Mumba and many others who say that Zambian politics must change for the nation to go forward. The political immorality and filth is too much. The good news is that we have a chance to make things right in the coming election by carefully scrutinizing everyone on the ballot. We must insist on a proven track record of a good moral standing, rather than electing corrupt and morally bankrupt candidates.
Bane vote wisely in 2016.
Ba Kapoma wesu. You said “Then he suddenly resigned from PF claiming it was due to the Chief Chitimukulu controversy…” Point of correction sir, GBM resigned from Cabinet but still maintained his PF membership.
The parody in the writing brought a broad smile, the discussion did not suggest a remedy other than offering lamentations.
GBM has no moral compass and stop trying to portray him to have one. What would be interesting to see is how GBM would cope with 5 more years in opposition UPND if the PF were to win. The reason HH has remained president of that party is largely owing to his financial prowess, but now he will have a credible challenger!
This article has has a lot of truth in it and it doesn’t look biased at all. I think I like it.
Forgive him, he is not a politician and therefore does not think like one. World over, politicks is a game and its players are called politicians. Just like my ‘wife’ wonders how 22 sensible human beings can spend 90 minutes chasing a lifeless skin inflated with ordinary air during football games. It does not make sense to her, just like political moves do not make sense to this writer.
All they do is legal and fun, hence no one is arrested. It is all part of the game. That is why you do not need to be educated or very intelligent to become a good politician. There is no formula to becoming a good politician. You may hate the game the way others hate football, but people like those you mentioned will play it, probably for their whole lives.
The Custodians of morality are religions, or the Church in the case of our Christian Nation, and some of these have failed dismally. Some of these promote immorality by preaching success at all cost to these same Politicians. What we see is selfishness and greed idolised in most of them, and devoid of any principles.
This makes sad reading. its a pity we never realise that we always vote for the same people.
David Kapoma that’s a very good article right there. As voters we should start scrutinizing these characters or rather berry politicians and vote them out. Politicians like those ones mentioned in your article are the ones messing up this country and we don’t need such. We will use such a too to decampaign them,we don’t care what party ticket they stand on. It’s very unfortunate that some political parties are busy embracing such characters,it simply shows how desperate for power they are. Because they can never be change when u have the same crooks crossing the floor. Zambians should not vote for such political parties as well.I feel for my former classmate and a good friend of mine Bowman Lusambo who has decided to mess up his political career by joining such kind of politics. What…
Uyu Mufana Kapoma Azavuta. From ZESCO he is now on politicians. You should have included Kaingu as well….
Azabavuta and we need such people to speak out and tell the nation the truth
Yes @ Wilson Banda we need to know the truth about these people and the integrity about them! Indeed abvute chabe Kapoma with the data he avails only those with lots of skeletons will feel Kapoma’s hot furnace yet citizens will get more enlightened!
This David Kapoma was a personal assistant to Elias Chipimo, what difference does it make he is also a politician. Unless someone tell me he is not the one worked with Elias Chipimo.
In a simple analogy, PF membership is a brothel. If you do not need a symbol or oath to belong, by implication you can come and go – pun intended – as you please… It is not complicated to see how all the patrons are entering and withdrawing from such a party at will.
The correct Bemba saying is: “CIMBWI AFWILE INTANGALALO.”
Iwe Kapoma shurup…kikikiki
Mr Kapona, this is very easy to understand, it just shows that Zambian politicians are very weak and un principled. They do not even know who they are themselves and what values they believe in as long as they can be in the limelight. the danger with this is that it is the country and its citizens who suffer. Too much aniwone aniwone in Zambia
GBM is holding on to his seat to save the country from spending huge amounts on by election.
From Gen Miyanda’s petition/articles yesterday, GBM seized being an MP the moment he crossed the floor fromm PF to UPND. You can add a list of names for all those MP’s that crossed the floor from UPND to PF. Zambian politics!!
I still support UPND because I think they have better policies than the other parties, PF inclusive, to lift Zambia out of misery. However, I do not support the move that GBM made. At least he must give up the Kasama seat to prove that he is noble.
HH will be Zambia’s best leader ever! If he gets elected next year. That is a fact and most people know this but tribalism is killing us as a nation. This article above is brilliant.
Iam sad to say what you have written, people already know about it but the question we have to find the ans to is why do people still vote for the same so called morally bankrupt politicians?
In Africa and most under developed countries especially in Asia, politicians have exploited the high poverty levels and the illiteracy of the majority electorates to continue masquerading with impunity as if they care for them(electorates) and yet their interest is to better their own individual lives.
It is very difficult for a hungry person to make a rational decision when someone is dangling a carrot in front of him/her. Zambian politicians are experts at this system of bribing because they know that a hungry person is easier to manipulate.
So African politicians and Zambian politicians…
lapkenifamily, VOTERS VOTE FOR THE SAME PEOPLE BECAUSE VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE MONEY IN ZAMBIA AND THEY ARE THE ONES WITH MONEY- PEOPLE WHO ARE ALWAYS VOTED IN. THE SOLUTION TO THIS RECYCLING OF POLITICIANS IS IN INDUSTRIALISING THE COUNTRY TO CREATE MORE MEANINGFUL JOBS FOR THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA. VOTERS WHO ARE INDEPENDENTLY EARNING THEIR OWN LIVING WILL ELECT QUALITY POLITICIANS. BUT, VOTERS WHO ARE EXPECTING MONETARY AND MATERIAL FAVOURS FROM CANDIDATES WILL VOTE BASED ON MONEY AND MATERIAL BRIBES THEY GET FROM CANDIDATES. SO, CREATING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ARE GOING TO PROMOTE BUSINESSES CREATION IN RURAL ZAMBIA AND MODERNISING THE RURAL AREAS WILL SOLVE ALL THESE PROBLEMS.
So @ Peter is it not only logical that we turn to people that know or knew how to make wealth without being assisted with political office? Without dispelling that once they get elected they could probably fall into corrupt practice since power and gluttony corrupts maybe according them the benefit of doubt to being corrupt they could be of use in driving industrialization and teaching many citizens how to make money!
Kapoma dont tell lies. Brown envelopes, were not popularized by late Michael Sata. can you show as any picture where Sata gave brown envelopes. The person that brought Brown evelopes was Chiluba who had a slush fund from which he paid people.
And if Chiluba brought the brown envelopes it was with then his chief advisor and chief executive minister of health then minister without portfolio Michael Chilufya Kingcobra Sata so David Kapoma is not telling lies but the truth. Sata chased everyone out of MMD thinking Kafupi will appoint him kansi awe then poverty forever party was born. So David and everyone else who knows the political history will accept and say it’s true him did
Flew into Lusaka on Saturday 28th November and found Felix Mutati with HH in the baggage collection area. And yet Felix was on Let the People Talk saying he was still MMD and needed to rebrand the Party. I think once he gets MMD, he will merge with UPND. Nothing wrong with that. Just my thoughts though.
So you meet two politicians in the the baggage collection area in the airport, presumably chatting and that leads you to conclude they are involved in some ‘dark’ coalition of sorts? That is jumping to some grand conclusions. It is possible that they just met at the airport, maybe even came on separate flights (considering the size of our airport and only two carousels).
The articles speaks the truth. Zambian politicians are immoral and have all ethics. However I would also like to add that the people are elected by we the Zambian people. That would indicate that we have no qualms with the morals of these politicians and by extension in our day to day lives we probably exhibit the same levels of immorality. The leadership of any community is almost always a function of the people being led. In other words, people get the leadership they deserve, especially in a democracy!!!
He is writing FOR Nevers Mumba who himself ditched his own party to join MMD. Puleeze! Judge with the right judgement. It begins by acknowledging your own sin first before you point fingers at others.
Borrowed…”If the people made a mistake and the leader or leaders turn out to be no good, then the people have the responsibility to remove those bad leaders. If they don’t remove them, then the people are at fault because they failed to unseat those leaders. The people in that case must be masochists, lazy, or they secretly desire the actions of the no good leader(s). All adult citizens have the right to vote and if they don’t vote, then they’re to blame for not voting, and if they do vote, then they should have chosen better leaders.”
you forgot two more people hh was in UDA Lost & then went back to UPND. EL Was in UPND but ran away from tribal UPND
How about PF supporters Richwell Siamunene and Greyford Monde Monde who are clinging to the mighty UPND of all Zambians?
Kapoma has a PF stench.
….David..you forgot to mention the ministers from the opposition which to me is more serious than Mr X from Y party supporting Z party……and for me I don’t mind GBM contesting for his PF Kasama seat in court just to save the by-election huge cost involved…we are just 8 t0 10 months away from the general elections….
You are smoking something really strong if you truly believe the reason GBM is holding onto his PF seat is to avoid a bye election to save tax-payers money. The article traced his political history which made it clear that he has no such morals to put the ordinary Zambian before his personal interests.
If 4 boarts are on the zambezi river obviously the one closer to the victoria falls will be abandoned ….
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF WRITING KNOWN FACTS YOU ARE JUST FINISHING LT SPACE WITH THIS ~ THERE MANY BENEFICIAL ITEMS TO WRITE ON CLEANING OF OUR TOWNS,TOILETS,MARKETS,COUNCILS ETC NOT ON THOSE THIEVES
Something good for a laughter though. But the writer has forgotten one big pig called Nawakwi. Like her brother HH, she is a “know it all” and no wonder not many know how many children she has and from whom. Is not a wonder that the so called opposition chaps just appear on the scene during the election times? Does it then mean that all other times the people they purport to stand for are fine till election times? What about Wynter Kabimba? Has anyone forgotten that he even denounced his own biological father saying “Mr. Sata knows better than my own father and will never leave PF?” Where is Kabimba today?
On HH, who will be his running mate going by the 50+1 constitution requirement? If its the obvious GBM, President Lungu will win by 63% and if its Canicious Banda, GBM will resign…
Don’t hate the player, hate the game!
This is a very good Article David that’s why we need new generation of Politicians.
The article is worthy
The reason why in Zambia we have political prostitution is poverty. Some leaders after assuming office either in the ruling party or the opposition, they sideline those sacrificed a lot for their organisations. That is, they give key jobs to either their relatives and close friends. In addition, government contracts are denied to certain individuals hence the crossing over. others they crossover when they discover that donor funds are mismanaged by their leaders. In conclusion, we should not trust leaders who carry different trade marks as it does not benefit the ordinary Zambians. In 2016, we need to vote for the Heritage Party due to the fact that the leaders do not change goal posts. Heritage Party, here we come. Zambia our heritage.