The Democratic Alliance leader, my brother, Mr Mmusi Maimane,
Distinguished invited guests, members of the press and ladies and gentlemen,
To start with, allow me to greet you all on bhealf of my fellow Zambians back home, I want to say thank you for inviting us to come and share with you our country’s current standing.
Thanks giving.
My brothers and sisters, we are here to reaffirm our commitment towards the upholding of democracy in our respective countries, and Africa at large.
However, before I go in detail, please allow me to thank the following people who stood firm and demanded for our release when we were arrested and detained on
Treason trumped charge:
1. To the people of this great nation, I say thank you for standing up for me.
2. To my brother mr mmusi maimane, I say thank you for standing up for democracy in my country, and please allow me to apologize on behalf of the 16 million Zambians over what happened to you on our soil as you wanted to attend my court trial and visit me in prison.
3. To the South african unions, (numsa) I say thank you, because you stood up for my country when your fellow unions were supressed or indeed feared for their lives and could not talk when injustices begun in my country.
4. To the church, I say may god, the almighty richly bless you as you have always shown leadership even when others may call you names, you still speak for the oppressed and please continue just like you did when I was brutally detained.
5. I want to say thank you to former nigerian president, president olusegun obasanjo for his statesmanship and please allow me to thank the international community which stood up and are still doing so for democracy in Zambia and world over, as you maybe aware that to a large extent our regional bodies turned a blind eye on the atrocious, and all that comes with dictatorship, especially in the southern african region but also Africa as a whole.
6. Commonwealth secretary general, the right honourable Baroness Patricia Scotland, I say thank you too.
Ladies and gentlemen, the list of those to thank is endless but I want once more thank people in my country who have been suffocated by those who do not value human rights, good governance and justice for all.
Facts regarding our arrest
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to quickly run you through how we were brutally arrested on the 10th of april 2017 as the police brutally tortured us on the very day from 21:00 hours to about 04:00 hours Zambian time.
1. Over 200 police brutally attacked us, and vandalised our residence and tortured us for no reason but later arrested us for treason, a trumped up charge which we did not commit.
2. I was put in solitary confinement for 8 days,
3. I was put in a police cell full of feacal matter.
4. I was moved from prison to prison.
5. I was made to answer the call of nature using a bucket.
However, ladies and gentlemen, we are here to tell you that despite all this brutality and inhuman treatment that those in authority made us go through, we harbour no hate, we are not bitter and we forgive them and we will use their brutality on us to make Zambia a safe home for all including neighbouring countries.
And this drives me to the next point;
Current state of affairs in our country, Zambia ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer arguable that our country Zambia is undergoing very difficult times, where citizens cannot fully stand to talk and say this is the Zambia we want.
1. Suffice to say that, as Hakainde Hichilema, I remain indebted to the people of my country, our country does not need guns or mighty men with guns but its need leadership, leadership that will realise that god hates injustices.
2. Breakdown in the rule of law; there is an absolute breakdown in the rule of law in my country which need urgent attention by all well meaning bodies.
3. Elections; I was arrested because of disputing election results through the courts of law, therefore Zambia needs an independent electoral commission if democracy is to be resuscitated.
4.JUDICIARY; Zambia needs an independent judiciary that will opetate freely unlike a situation where in the morning the constitutional court rules that a presidential petition will be heard the following day but when that day comes, they say no, time has lapsed.
5. Freedoms: ladies and gentlemen, I am glad that my brothers and sisters here in South Africa can go about and wear clothes branded by their political parties of choice unlike in our country, people from our party are daily being maimed for wearing our regalia and this is why we call on the people of South Africa to join in the struggle for democracy in Zambia, remember how Zambia joined hands with South Africa during the struggle, where has that humanism gone to?
6. Freedoms: the media in our country is not safe, there is no press freedom in my country, journalists are getting arrested even on flimsy charges such as terrorism, private newspapers, radio and television have been getting closed; Post Newspaper, Komboni Radio, Itezhi Tezhi and Muvi Television. And is urinating into a journalist’s mouth press freedom? Well, that is not a surprise to us as cadres from the ruling party have done that in Zambia.
7. Freedoms: there is no freedom of assembly, association, speech and this is why we are saying that neighbouring countries must not watch these injustices go on, because what affects Zambia, affects all and
Therefore we must all stop this.
Ladies and gentlemen, as Hakainde Hichilema, I will remain committed to ensuring that Zambia stops anyone practising dictatorship, I believe that power belongs to the people and that Zambia is not an highland and therefore I again call on other countries that believe in humanism, fundamental human rights and democracy to join in restoring democracy in Zambia.
Yes, we are ready to talk with anyone and we mean anyone with bold stance that yes, Zambia needs institutional reforms such as those of the police among others.
I want the best for Zambia and I want the best for Africa, after all, we all want the best for the world, so Let us all work towards that.
May god bless our two sisterly countries, may god bless Africa and may god bless the whole globe.
NGIYABONGA BABA,
Thank you.
HH is the president of Republic of South Africa,,, Zambians are happy with presdent Lungu. don’t force yourself on people Hichilema
Listening to him was even better.
HH is smart, he skipped most of negative things in speech, replaced with intelligent words.
I am NOT UPND, so I leave space for you PF-UPND affections.
Standing in solidarity for democracy.
HH has only told one side of the story. Have you told the South Africans how you played fast and furious in Mongu? If you truly believe in democracy your behavior that night was not democratic at ALL. BTW you left out an important piece of information, what really happened mu jele? You know what I mean.
@Kumwesu, speak for yourself. Whoo is happy with the breakdown in rule of law? Who is happy with reduced tourist arrivals to zambia due to bad governance? Who is happy to have a leader with no vision?
Right! We are very happy than having HH as president.
How do you spell the Almighty God with a small g’…..god!!! We all know the god he is referring to. We are tired of you HH. Get over it and concentrate on proper checks and balances like what all do in opposition. You are not Republican President!
Great legacy by South Africa. Democracy in Africa is fragile. It must be protected and preserved.
Not to mention in upnd
HH must wake and face reality. All these talks are useless cause even a new Political Party with a focused leader on issues affecting Zambians can take over from PF anytime. I am saying so because PF is already week but has no serious challenge from UPND. HH is making ECL strong and looking more focused due to the petty issues he talks about home and outside the country. Talk to Zambians who will vote for you and convince them that misbehaving is now normal for politics in Zambia.
How do you up hold democracy when you have not allowed such in your party? charity begins at home sir!
How MPs are conduct business in SA parliament is NOT conducive because they are just obstructing business that is not good. Its not good to disrupt the President speaking. It is an embarrassment if you listen to the MPs discussing. They are just making noise. How can they disrupt the President addressing the parliament?
thats africa for u
Just why in south africa big?
Kikikikiki HH is indeed a lunatic!! Ati “let me apologise to Maimane on behalf of the 16 million Zambians”,ARE YOU SURE KAINDE?Please never include me and all my family members,even other millions in 6.5 provinces who hate HH’s upnd with a passion!!!
Moreover,why incite South Africans to start involving themselves in Zambian affairs?COME ON KAINDE-GROW UP AS THAT WONT HAPPEN!!!dictatorship is only in your head because many of us are happy with Edgar Lungu’s PF!!
PAINTING ZAMBIA BLACK BY HH TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD WILL NEVER WIN UPND ANY ELECTION!!we simply dont like hh and his upnd,so come 2021,upnd shall lose again.
WHY DIDNT HH TELL THOSE SOUTH AFRICAN WHITE MPS THAT HE HAS BEEN A UPND LEADER SINCE 2006 MINUS CALLING FOR ANY CONVENTION?HH must be a last person in Zambia to teach…
wow, its 2017 and u still see color, how backwards. No wonder things are so bad in zambia
Iwe Ka njimbu
Why are you screaming like a girl ?
6.5 provinces that HH does not believe belong to Zambia.
“I was made to answer the call of nature using a bucket” The mines that were supposed to bring income for the govt to build proper flushing toilets were privatised and we are told HH was at the centre of privatisation for which the govt got peanuts. How does he (HH) expect to be treated different from other criminals? Today he bosts of being the wealthiest man in Zambia but his wealth is questionable. HH is not speaking for me he is speaking for his suppoters, some of us do not support his political schemes.
This guy has taken his campaighn to SA, he forgets that his electorate and employers are back in Zambia. After loosing the elections so many times the only fire he can light up is to accuse ECL of dictatorship-shame.
HH is becoming an international darling real fast my goodness.Lungu you set in motion the law of unintended consequences and now HH is reaping the fruits.
Are there two Zambias in Africa? Why do I ask? The HH who was arrested in the Zambia I know was obstructing the presidential motorcade but this one speaking above its like the police just felt like arresting him and they did so.
Is that what UPNDonkeys call a great speech? Come on you guys, sorry I mean Donkeys, we don’t write speeches like that, sounds like a grade 7 pupil in a rural school reading from a primary school dictionary. Great leaders have a way with words to give them punch. I bet this “speech” was a great disappoinrment to the DA MPs particularly the white ones. The “speech” has no prose, the underfive has no figurative ways of presenting himself, and probably did not even give himself time to prepare.
Worst of all, the underfive boy is exposing himself to legal challenge because of his thoughtless way of presenting himself. Mark my words, at this rate the boy is going back to Mukobeko very soon, his lawyers must be disgusted with his behaviour. Underfive and his lawyers could even go in for…
Foolish! this guy should consider firing his advisers… whatever they smoke will always cost him when it matters during elections.
……Worst of all, the underfive boy is exposing himself to legal challenge because of his thoughtless way of presenting himself. Mark my words, at this rate the boy is going back to Mukobeko very soon, his lawyers must be disgusted with his behaviour. Underfive and his lawyers could even go in for perjury for the lies tendered to the Magistrate court about 5 days sick off. I would be very surprised if when underfive returns to Zambia he is dricen home instead of Chimbokaila. UPND onkeys would only have themselves to blame for their failure to advise the boy appropriately.
I thought you PF rats were celebrating that you had finally silenced HH ?
Which on behalf of 16million Zambians iwe ka HH?? Dont count me kufwabjpuba bobe ai! Am not your supporter even in my coffin can vote for you. I used to have some reservation for you bit now I see you are just after power using all means.
Remember me and my five members of my family never supports you so Dont say on behalf of 16 million. For us what they did to the person you addressing was fine and we Dont owe any apology to that DA leader. Hope those south Africans will vote for you as chairman for confusion in their party. Here in Zambia never will we vote for you to be president even if am tied with ropes can’t waste my vote on you. Get a life HH man of confusion unlike addressing outsiders painting a picture as if we like you back here in Zambia.
More than half of the voting public in Zambia voted for HH , that is why lungu was afraid of the petition…..
People we need to grow up and open our eyes. The problem is bigger than HH or UPND, ANC parliament or DA. people are complaining about ills and injustice. The problem is what needs to be looked at. Prison system, inhuman conditions, false arrests, etc.
All it takes for evil to prevail is good men and women to keep quiet and do nothing.
Instead you people are insulting one another on blogs…
HH should stand for elections in South Africa where he has a large support base. Back home we regard him as a traitor desperate for power by all means necessary. He should speak on behalf of himself and his party. We only have one president in Zambia. I salute KK for one party state. He made sure the imperialists did not stand a chance in destabilizing Zambian in the name of democracy. African opposition leaders are setting a very bad precedence which could play into the hands of the colonialists.
More than half of the voting public in Zambia think HH is a hero ? Lungu had to rig those elections
Well said HH, to lungu and the PF try to concentrate on creating jobs not creating dictatorships
Kiki ati well said. Campaigning to wrong audience ati well said. If you don’t know Zambians very well go and insult their intelligence outside and they will prove to you that your support belongs there. He told you that you win elections after so many attempts. Elections are not the same as exams where you clear after attempting sup exams.
Ask lungu why he had to use all the violence and was accused of rigging even after he spent $10billon on developments
If lungu won those election All this HH thing , commonwealth warning lungu and IMF holding out would not have happened, if lungu won he would have simply said let their petition be heard…like Kenyatta is doing, because he knows he won…
there is nothing wrong for HH to tell the world the truth of what he went through because there is no media to cover him in Zambia
War is coming better use knees to pray and repentance. I dont belong to no party. After lungu ,therz another president coming not mr Hh.God have mercy with us zambian.
I do not understand what HH is doing, he went to church where the men of God layed there hands on his head do that he can forgive and forget, but then what is he trying to do in South Africa?Let him remove this vocabulary “brutally arrested on the 10th of april 2017 as the police brutally tortured us on the very day from 21:00 hours to about 04:00 hours Zambian time. Over 200 police brutally attacked us, and vandalised our residence and tortured us for no reason but later arrested us for treason, a trumped up charge which we did not commit” from his mind if he wants to preach peach and reconciliation. HH is still bitter though he goes around and saying lets forget what ever happened.
I stand to encourage HH to be realistic and passionate enough if he is to be president of the republic…
That’s what the truth does, it hurts. If HH is telling lies why should it bother anyone? I’m sure he’s able to prove everything in that speech. The late Sata used to do the same to Mwanawasa and government when he was in the opposition. So HH’s speech will either hurt you or make you happy. It depends on which side you are. Me am neutral
IS THERE ANOTHER ZAMBIA SOMEWHERE ELSE THAT HH IS TALKING ABOUT… IN RESEARCH THEY WILL TELL, YOU CANNOT GENERALISE YOU FINDING WITH A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. WHAT HH IS TALKING ABOUT, AND OF COURSE HE IS NOT BEING FACTUAL AND SINCERE IN SOME EXTENT, ARE SMALL ISOLATED INCIDENCES. THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY. HE SHOULD HAVE STARTED BY SHOWING THEM THE MONGU VIDEO WHICH OBASANJO DESCRIBED AS ABNORMAL…HE SHOULD HAVE TALKED ABOUT POST NEWSPAPER AND TAX FRAUD…THEN HE SHOULD CONTINUED DELIVERING THAT SENSATIONAL SPEECH.
Every person has an opinion and people sometimes view issues differently. HH has spoken his and many commentators will try to replace his views with theirs but the truth remains you know what he thinks about his country and what needs to be done for his view to change. The good thing is to the ‘bad things’ some people say he said, he has added a call for remedy. Basically I think the truth hurts, but we have to address our ills to avoid the truth hurting us any further. Enjoy the day and arguing.
HH should just speak for himself and not the Zambian people at large, off course he can also talk on behalf of is supporters. Count me out HH doesn’t represent me in anyway whatsoever so saying the 16 million Zambians is an insult to me period.
hh should have told his friends what his cadres did to non tonga speaking Zambians in Namwala, how he has been preaching ammargedeon before we even went to the polls in 2016, that his party can never be lead by another tribe and he is president of upnd for life. Where is the democracy if there is no convention in upnd
Hh’ s pathetic speech to the opposition DA MPs proves that he is a frustrated and hopeless draconian who is trying to fake the love for Zambia. He does not realise that Zambians don’t forget his mischievous activities in the mining sector during the second republic. He forgets that Zambia is a beacon of peace and therefore uphold a rule of law. If any one disrupts peace then he is an enemy to Zambians particularly me. HH, you dared with the gvmt trophy # HE ECL the president of Zambia, legitimately voted for by Zambians and insinuated the office through legal channels. Your behavior stinks and pray that the 16 million from DA party will vote for you to be the next opposition SA. That’s how far you can go with your dullness.
Do not talk on my behalf HH. It is a GRAVE insult. You arsonist.