ZAMBIA’S High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba has urged politicians to make responsible comments over the printing of ballot papers for this year’s general elections to avoid damaging the reputation of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
Mr Mwamba said people should stop making speculative comments on the printing of ballot papers because doing so was damaging ECZ’s reputation for holding credible elections.
Mr Mwamba was speaking when he featured on Muvi Television live programme, dubbed Zambia’s Foreign Relations on Sunday evening.
He said comments by politicians who are alleging that a Dubai firm that the ECZ proposed to use as the company to print ballot papers were irresponsible and could plunge the country into chaos.
“Please let us not scandalise our institutions. We need to trust ECZ and if there are any irregularities, let us report to law enforcement agencies,” Mr Mwamba said.
He said politicians and other stakeholders should trust ECZ to conduct free and fair elections because its autonomy was enshrined in the Constitution.
Mr Mwamba said the media had a role to play in national building by counter-checking every statement which was published to avoid publicising unfounded rumours.
He said some political parties were promoting hatred and violence during their political campaigns.
Mr Mwamba said Zambia should maintain its reputation as one of the most hospitable countries in the world.
He said the recent attacks on Rwandese in some parts of Lusaka were acts of criminality contrary to assertions by some politicians that the people rioted because of high poverty levels in the country.
Mr Mwamba said recent statistics had shown that Zambia had recorded improvements in poverty reduction efforts.
He said Zambia hosted people from several neighbouring countries, including South Africa and Zimbabwe during their liberation struggles, because it was a nation of loving and peaceful people.
Stop making contradictory remarks from a distance you parasite.
1) by the time Zambians have reported their suspicions about ECZ the press will have pricked it up and it will be out there for all to read
2) Zambia the hospitable hub of peace is making headlines about ruining livelihoods of Rwandese settlers.in parts of Lusaka.
That’s ‘the patriot abroad’ behaviour. SHUD UP!!
What a FO.Olish ASSERTION!! ECZ EXISTS Because of POLITICS!!
IF ECZ thinks it can do things of its own ACCORD without WORKING WITH THE PEOPLE IT SERVES, IT THEN BECOMES IRRELEVANT, so master bootlicker, STOP DEFENDING ECZ!!! All you want is to DISTRACT ATTENTION FROM THE PRINTING DEBACLE IN DUBAI!!!
#Chagwamustfall!! PamaFikuyabebele!!
Vote Wisely 11/8/2016!! Vote Zambia FORWARD!! VOTE UPND!!
I thank you!!
Mwamba lost 2016 elections in Matero, and PF have failed to find him a different job
Question is. Is the electoral Commission of Zambia a reputable organization?
Is Mwamba a politician or a civil servant?
We thought he retired from pilitics but alas this guy is so greedy and corrupt that he wants to eat from both pots with two hands
This EM is useless why not addressing the concerns the stakeholders have that just yapping/barking afar?
If ECZ is teaming up with PF to rig the 2016 elections u want people and political parties to shut up? Thats not being patriotic to turn a blind eye to election rigging. ECZ brought this upon Itself when they accepted a directive to hire the discredited Dubai Printer for the sole purpose of rigging the elections for 2016 using extra and pre-marked ballot papers. This Dubai Printer, Al Ghurair is tainted and we don’t want it to print our ballot papers. Period! Bisides the discredited Dubai Printer is quoting a price of $3.6m while Ren Form’s price is only $1.6m which is more than twice the price. ECZ is not independent to rig elections . ECZ is funded by tax payers’ money and therefore it is accountable to Tax Payers and political parties are stakeholders becoz all members of all…
@Patriot please do Zambians a favour. Go to see Attorney General in his Chambers with solid evidence that the Rigging allegation you make are solid and real. Provide him with that evidence and for sure he will not fail us. He will ensure the Law abides.
Until you do so, please stop it with the psychotic lies!
He has come back again this crook Mwamba!!
It’s a good thing he is so creative! One thought he had been muzzled! Good on him for raising this issue. ECZ can not, should, not be challenged on their ability to be fair and make good decisions to facilitate elections in Zambia. The institution is the nerve centre of our Democratic system and must be respected, otherwise Chaos, and Anarchy rear their ugly heads.
The High Commissioner to South Africa is a civil servant so why is he allowed to issue political statements? The problem is that ECL and PF are not confident to win these elections without rigging. Mwamba is telling us to accept a rigged election on 11th August 2016. Well if ECZ is conniving with PF to rig these elections in favour of PF we will not fold our hands and allow our elections to be rigged under our watch. ECZ’s image and reputation are already tarnished and the only way to spruce it, is to abandon the discredited Dubai Printer and select a new Printer in a transparent way. ECZ should resist pressure from PF to rig these upcoming elections in favour of ECL and PF. We are all watching as ECZ rolls out these election processes. Walls have eyes and ears. ECZ should take note…
I support Mwamba.. ECZ must be respected for our democracy to function. HH and Up & Down are already looking for execuses even before the single vote is cast..
PF want to retain power at all costs. If it means rigging the elections thru these Dubai printed ballot papers then let it be. The end justifies the means. For that the ballots must be printed in Dubai becoz Al Ghurair has the capacity to print the ballots as directed by ECZ and the PF Govt. With the whole state machinery under Lungu why should ECL and PF lose these elections? Yr enemy’s enemy is my friend. Let the rigging begin.
Common sense is not common in pf, they are talking about credible election, when they refuse a credible process & transperancy. My question is to them, if you had k1 000 000, to invest in a certain bank you have selected, but before you invest your money, you hear rumors that says that bank is going bankrupt, & might close down any time, it is just rumors without proof, will you go ahead to invest your 1 000 000, in that bank, coz there is no proof? Or still will you go down to the bank to ask, “are you going bankrupt?” If you may ask, no sendible person will take that risk. Now why should ecz take that risk with our elections, this printer has been rumored to have caused electral problems in other countries, why should we go even near it, as if it is the only printer? ECZ is damaging…
His job is finnished,what else can he do?other than killing chiluba,crooking people with government contracts,deceiving Zambians that he is bringing free internet connection to Zambia thru a South African company that is co-founded with his South African counterpart.Thats how this survives-corruption and corruption.and currently HH doesnt seem to be the type of person that will sleep over corruption!
This year,2016,will be the first time in Zambian history that you see almost all the Ruling party cadres working in abroad missions coming frequently visiting Zambia toward and during the time of elections.They will all be in and out trying to rig and win.Watch there moves.Go and check at Airports you will see what am talking about.They are all over the place jumping ship-confused.Cos its almost clear to all of them that there jobs are finnished,and mostly they are all going.Some of them are mere grade 9 but working as ambassadors,delegates etc.For the first time and only under PF.KK hired grade 9s cos there were no grade 12’s at the time.Today zambia has Dr.s yet PF has deployed chawama cadres as our ambassadors-i already told some crap ambassador off “i can do your job better than…