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Our Labour Movement is capable of handling any threats to democracy, Mwamba tells NUMSA

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Emmanuel Mwamba listens to a representative of NUMSA
Emmanuel Mwamba listens to a representative of NUMSA

Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba has said Zambia has a fearless, vocal and active labour movement to deal with any matter regarding the governance of the country.

He said the country’s labour movement had played a key role in the liberation of Southern Africa and was also instrumental in the democratization of Africa.

Speaking when he received a memorandum of demands from the National Union of Metal Workers in South Africa(NUMSA), Mr. Mwamba said the concern of the Union were misplaced and founded on distorted media reports.

He said the labour movement in Zambia was capable to handle any threats to democracy or the rule of law.

He urged NUMSA to concentrate on the issues affecting their workers and the country of South Africa before they can show solidarity to misguided causes.

He said Zambia was at peace and its democratic processes were not threatened in any way.

He also dismissed allegations that the country had slid into a dictatorship.

He said the recent proclamation by President Edgar Lungu was designed to arrest and deter threats to peace and public safety and was NOT a state of emergency in any way.

NUMSA applied to local police and conducted a picket at the Embassy in Pretoria.

The Union also delivered a memorandum of demands.

Emmanuel Mwamba speaking when he received a memorandum of demands NUMSA
Emmanuel Mwamba speaking when he received a memorandum of demands NUMSA

Below is the full statement by His Excellency Mr. Mwamba

STATEMENT DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR. EMMANUEL MWAMBA ON THE OCCASION OF RECEIVING NUMSA’s MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS TO THE ZAMBIA GOVERNMENT

PRETORIA-TUESDAY 11th July 2017

We are rather surprised by the keen interest so far shown by the National Union of Metal Workers in South Africa(NUMSA) in the democratic process of our country.

It should be noted that Zambia has a vibrant, vocal, fearless and active labour movement that champions the cause of workers and advocates a healthy and rooted practice of democracy.

It should be noted that our labour movement was deeply involved in the liberation of Southern Africa and relentlessly fought against the shackles of colonialism and its offshoots such as racism, apartheid and Neo-colonialism.

Our Labour movement was also at the forefront of restoring a second wave of Democracy in Africa and even helped usher in a labour leader, Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba as Zambia’s second president of the Republic after Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda.

Therefore, if anything was amiss in our country, you would have loudly heard the voices of our labour movement.

However, notwithstanding the above prevailing matter, we wish to state the following:

1. Our country held elections on 11th August 2016. These elections and the outcome was affirmed as free, fair and credible. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared President Edgar Lungu as winner of that election. Reports from the SADC, EISA, African Union, Commonwealth, the European Union Observer Mission’s all reflected that the outcome of the August 2016 election reflected the will of the Zambian people;

2. That President Edgar Lungu won the elections and is legitimately and legally the President of the Republic of Zambia.

 

3. Although the Opposition disputed the results and went to the Constitutional Court, this matter was legally settled in favour of President Edgar Lungu.

4. In relation to the arrest of the Opposition leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND) is a matter of the Rule of Law. This matter will be determined in our courts of law and any further comments is both prejudicial and subjudice.

5. Recently there were acts of sabotage and acts of arson to public installations that prompted President Edgar Lungu and his Cabinet to approve a proclamation to preserve public security and safety.

6. I was shocked to see in the Media here in South Africa reporting that Zambia had declared a State of Emergency when in fact no such declaration was made.

7. There is NO State of emergency. This is not true. There are no curfews, there is no disruption of ordinary life and business in any way and in any form.

8. Banks have maintained their operating schedules, no single airline has cancelled a flight schedule including those that arrive in the night.

9. No freedoms or rights have been suspended and the measure to secure public safety is a measure provided for in the Constitution. There is NO State of Emergency.

10. This is a mere set of constitutionally approved powers that gives the Police latitude to investigate and prosecute such matters.

 

11. Any country facing a security threat resorts to similar measures. But our country is not at a stage where it would even declare a state of emergency.

These measures are limited and will last in the short prescribed period as defined by the Constitution.

Conclusion

So we strongly reject any assertions that claim that Zambia is sliding into a dictatorship or has abandoned the rule of law.

His Excellency
Mr. Emmanuel Mwamba
Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa
Pretoria

32 COMMENTS

    • Labour movement in zambia? What labour movement? It all died when Kafupi became president he made sure that Fackson Shamenda a weak trade unionist did not make any impact.
      Today workers are poorly represented thanks to useless leaders.
      The labour movement has been silent on the racism at that lusaka restaurant where works were intimidated and the minister of labour bribed. Pa Zambia kwena ! Paliba ubupupa sana!
      You think they can criticise Lungu?

    • Folked tongue. Terrorism, threats, withdrawal of constitutional rights are poles apart with peace. They don’t exist side by side.

      These politicians don’t seem to know what to tout.

    • All the Labour unions in Zambia are headed by PF stauch supporters from the Northern party of the country and hence the quietness-do you ever hear anything from ZCTU of late? Zero, its like they do not exist! And its because they are have been bought off by this stinking corrupt regime called PF.

      Well done NUMSA, for once more making the world know about this hopeless regime which wants to turn Zambia into one party regime.

      Lungusha should surely go in for at least 15 years in prison after his misrule comes to an end.

    • Zambian labour movement is dead. Workers even go for 6 to 12 months without pay. Salaries range from $200/month for semi-skilled workers to $400 for professionals.

      – FTJ Chiluba a former ZCTU president himself killed the zambian labour movement.
      – Lungu a failed lawyer himself has killed the zambian judiciary & our hard fought democracy.

    • Defending the status quo will not change/alter the reality. The Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa is sustaining and strengthening institutionalised biased and defective perceptions in favour of the current Lungu administration. The most recent attempts of the tribal based regime in Zambia are not compatible with norms of international law. The destruction of property is unacceptable, but what purpose does it serve to the rulers and opposition parties? Two schools of thought emerge from the principal question. The purpose of burning public infrastructure serves very trivial or miniature value for any opposition party. With specific reference to the PF party, the burning of the market strengthens Lungu’s iron fist and, the bloated desire to implement autocratic laws. There is…

    • The purpose of burning public infrastructure serves very trivial or miniature value for any opposition party. With specific reference to the PF party, the burning of the market strengthens Lungu’s iron fist and, the bloated desire to implement autocratic laws. There is quality of thought in foregoing analysis.

    • The said in the preceding analytical narrative, a synopsis (summary) of an unwritten detailed analysis, creates a motive for the PF to orchestrate a state-driven nefarious act, which was painstakingly designed to legitimise subsequent repressive state violent acts against its perceived opponents. That said, such clandestine acts birth paralysis and submission among the citizenry on the one hand. On the other hand, state sponsored violence prolongs tyranny and, impels both domestic political support and foreign financial injection post an epoch in which the state (PF) appears as a victim, yet not. The optimum approach is to weigh the concerns (interests) of the political actors in Zambia and, question the extent of benefits which each party can accrue from the destruction of public…

    • The optimum approach is to weigh the concerns (interests) of the political actors in Zambia and, question the extent of benefits which each party can accrue from the destruction of public property. The truth needs to be unmasked. Viva UPND.

  1. Our labour movement died when Fackson Shamenda, Newstead Zimba etc., left to join Politics. What labour movement are you referring to?

  2. Yaaa pa Zed there are some TOUGH GUYS, from the picture, both NUMSA representatives and Journalist “baledabwaa fyee” ati YES, MWAMUPEDZA MUNZAHNU!!

    • Hahaha!! I think when “He urged NUMSA to concentrate on the issues affecting their workers and the country of South Africa before they can show solidarity to misguided causes”. They must have felt very stupid if they understood what he said.

  3. Zambian labour movement is toothless, there us nothing these movements can say against their paymaster.
    One interesting this people where demonstrating peaceful without being teargassed, now had it been in Zambian, mhhhhh, those would have been teargassed.

  4. Woyee…..! @Nubian Princess/carlos/Lombe (MA). The UPND leaders and their headless cadres have been severely stunned (paralyzed) by High Commissioner Emmanuel Mwamba’s address to worthless members of NUMSA. The message has sank into the minds of DA, EFF and IFP – who have been parroting their Pay Masters voices in South Africa.

    Taking into account the depth of problems generated by the GUPTA FAMILY that has captured South African Institutions, why on Earth would NUMSA, the DA, the EFF and IFP divert their energy to attack a country located beyond the Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers? NUMSA even fails to realise that South Africa’s economy hinges on trade with SADC States. The history of South Africa makes our hearts bleed.

  5. These uneducated and uncivilised NUMSA impipies are no much for a Zambian schooled Mwamba.

    Instead of fighting racial discrimination, all white management in SA corporates and salary disparity between black and whites ..numsa is electing to make remote noises because it has no directions.

    Numsa has alot of work in SA labour market if they can focus..

  6. Ba LT, your reporting these days usually give one side of the story. In most cases, it the PF side.

    We are watching.

  7. Thank you Ambassador Mwamba. If Numsa and that boer stooge Maimane do not understand that simple and straight message, then they are confirmed donkeys.

    Why allow themselves to suffer such embarrassment at the hands of Ambassador Mwamba? All they needed to do was to seek clarification from the Ambassador rather allow themselves to be misled by (UPN) Donkeys. Does NUMSA really equate that little underfive donkey with the great iconic anti apartheid giant Nelson Mandela? That would be a shame, did you hear Mandela burn markets for the poor people he was fighting for?

  8. There is NO route to the Presidency of Zambia through torching the livelihoods of the very people that you want to lead. Get that clear in your heads UPNDonkeys.

    Now tell me, whom you the poor marketeers vote for, the arsonist UPNDonkeys or the President who builds those markets? You have heard the answer from the marketeers themselves haven’t you? Let me hear a UPNDonkey claim that votes have been rigged in 2021, I will build a barbed fence to enclose the whole lot, waste of tax payers money to put them in correction facilities.

  9. Your Labour movement wouldn’t manage to obtain a permit to do that ..moreover its filled Grade 7 PF cadres.

  10. When the President of The Gambia lost the elections and refused to give up power to the winning opposition candidate, the international community piled pressure on the losing President to hand over power to the winner, and he did give up. Not so with UPNDonkey party and its little underfive donkey leader. Instead we see the donkeysUPNDonkeys pleading for attention with fellow low life donkeys like NUMSA and Maimane, almost suggesting the whole international community including the Queen were clbribed by President Lungu.

    Need further proof that UPNDonkeys ARE donkeys?

  11. When the President of The Gambia lost the elections and refused to give up power to the winning opposition candidate, the international community piled pressure on the losing President to hand over power to the winner, and he did give up. Not so with UPNDonkey party and its little underfive donkey leader. Instead we see the UPNDonkeys pleading for attention with fellow low life donkeys like NUMSA and Maimane, almost suggesting that the whole international community including the Queen were bribed by President Lungu.

    Need further proof that UPNDonkeys ARE donkeys?

  12. Yesterday underfive claimed that GBM and his wife Chama started their businesses by selling fish and kapenta at the gutted market. But the underfive donkey is telling lies. Has he forgotten who Mrs GBM is and her family too? Has he forgotten what GBM said about his wife after battering her, that she was a sufferer and her family were a bunch of sufferers who depended on him for help? Remember the maiden name of Chama? I will spare her for now.

    You need further proof that underfive is really a donkey?

  13. It is you country which is so poor, IQ capacity is among the poorest countries in africa, you can not manage yourselves, nowonder you would accept backyard democracy without freedom of speech, no freedom of assembly, freedom of association neither. Look at how you have wasted your country, just 50 years after independence. You need these democratic values which you do not seem to mind in order to develop. You are handing your country to the the walves on silver platter and you do not realise it, how long you would want to live on donations, you people?

  14. Life experience – who are you talking about is it us Zambians or RSA? how can you compare Zambians to you who are uneducated, you can’t even find proper jobs in your white man’s offices except as cooks, gardeners, looking after horse, that is why you have been chasing other people from other countries who are educated. Zambia helped you to be where you are now. just see how foolish your NUMSA looked when Mwamba told them to mind their business. Zambians are very clever no one can tell them to start demonstrating without any proper reason. in short we do distinguish right and wrong.

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