Friday, March 29, 2024

NDC welcomes dismissal of ZAF Commander General Chimese

Share

-President Edgar Lungu confers with Zambia Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Eric Chimese shortly after his arrival from Muchinga Province at ZAF Lusaka Airport
FILE: President Edgar Lungu confers with Zambia Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Eric Chimese shortly after his arrival from Muchinga Province at ZAF Lusaka Airport

ZAMBIA Air Force (ZAF) Commander Eric Chimese has been relieved of his duties, Minister of Defence Davies Chama has confirmed.

“Yes, I can confirm that General Chimese is no longer the ZAF Commander. It is only the President [Edgar Lungu] who can remove him,” Mr Chama said in an interview yesterday.

Asked why Lieutenant General Chimese has been fired, Mr Chama said the Constitution allows the head of State to appoint or dismiss anyone without giving reasons.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress NDC has welcomed the decision by President Edgar Lungu to dismiss Zambia Air Force ZAF commander General Eric Chimese.

NDC Secretary General Mwenya Musenge has since urged the Anti Corruption Commission ACC to immediately probe General Chimese.

“We have credible information that Gen. Chimese might have been involved in a number of corrupt activities during his seven year stay as ZAF commander,” Mr Musenge said.

“We have in mind the 62 million United States dollars contract for the supply of military uniforms that Gen. Chimese single sourced on 11 August 2017. As NDC we have information that Gen. Chimese single sourced a local firm BHB contractors to supply uniforms to ZAF at an inflated price.”

He said BHB is a local company situated at plot number 407 Independence Avenue Lusaka.

Mr Musenge also alleged that Gen. Chimese single sourced this firm to supply expensive military regalia when a Kenyan firm, PURMA was ready to supply the same uniforms at 14 million U. S dollars.

“We urge the ACC to go further and probe all the civil servants including a Permanent Secretary who are linked to the 62 million dollars scandal. Brigadier General Wilfred Mbewe was Chief of Supply at ZAF when this deal was dubiously signed,” he said.

He claimed that Gen. Mbewe and others opposed this deal but was removed from his office by Gen. Chimese.

Mr Musenge said a number of officers such as Brigadier General Chibesa who was in charge of Finance were unceremoniously retired for opposing this deal.

“Gen. Chimese has left ZAF in a mess and should be probed immediately so that his name is cleared. The NDC further urges President Lungu to fire Zambia Army Commander Paul Mihova,” he said.

Mr Musenge alleged that Gen. Mihova is involved in a lot of dubious activities at the army.

“As NDC, we have the full details of the proxy that Gen. Mihova is using in South Africa to loot Zambia Army resources,” he said.

89 COMMENTS

    • ..Asked why Lieutenant General Chimese has been fired, Mr Chama said the Constitution allows the head of State to appoint or dismiss anyone without giving reasons…….

      That is NOT democracy

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • So ZWD was right after all and Daily Mail was writing lies…we know that the General is corrupt the question is was he sacked because he did not cut Lazy Lungu in his deals.

    • So I was always right all along.
      Gay Jay gets his fake news updates from Zambian Witch Doctor. No wonder the dull unsubstantiated low calibre arguments full of bitterness.

      gay Jay eat dikc go suck on Under 5 (HH) Oxtail. dull UPND cadre quack

    • No one knows why he was fired, and why it was done silently with lies that he was on leave. Let’s not rejoice over what we don’t know. As long as we don’t know why, we also don’t know if bad conduct at ZAF will still continue.

    • The next thing you’ll hear is a goon saying: ‘ let’s roll’. Roll what? Ibange? Mumba stop smoking and that only a friendly advice, boyi.

    • BREAKING NEWS: DRC President Kabila will not stand in this year’s presidential election…but Katumbi managed to file his nomination on time!!

    • WHY SHOULD WE BE GETTING SUCH EXPENSIVE MILITARY UNIFORMS INFLATED OR NOT?
      ZAMBIA DEPENDS ON AID FOR GOODNESS SAKE

    • Lungu will use you & dump you like a cond.om.
      – Chimese thought he was clever when he blocking opposition rallies whenever Lungu was in a province
      – zaf planes were used to transport JK, his dancing queens, other musicians & pf00lish cadres.
      – Then when vote counting started, zaf was at the centre of rigging ballot boxes during transportation. Mwaliteta was imprisoned for effecting a citizens arrest on Kaizer after catching him red-handed with stuffed ballot boxes after disembarking a zaf plane at City Airport.
      Today Lungu has dumped chimese like he dumped Kambwili & others

  1. Essentially the corruption cases will go un-pursued ECL thinks Chimese has given himself benefits …eventually the Kingsland city deal was going to catch up it was already raised in the unedited version of the AG report which was removed after passing it through statehouse. The issue is that ECL is involved in some army deals and he thus won’t allow corruption cases to be pursued a lot may come out … Kingsland and Army uniform deals. SHAME!

    • Twin Palm deal is another rotten one dont without approval of ZEMA…its no surprise Chinks are driving ZAF cars all this is the tip of the iceberg because when it comes to ministers and State House officials its even worse.

  2. WOW NDC MUST BE HEAD OF INTELLIGENCE IN ZAMBIA THESE PEOPLE HAVE DATA SO THE CONSULTANT IS DOING RECOMMENDABLE JOB AT NDC BUT ITS HIGH TIME U START WINNING SEATS FROM BY ELECTIONS ECL NOW IS LISTENING TO U THAN UPND , THOUGH ON ERIC CHIMENSE IT COULD BE THAT U BID FOR THE SAID CONTRACT AND LOST HENCE SPILL THE BEANS

    • Yes Laban Mwenya Musenge can only know so much because he might have been out bidden. Overall it’s an important revelation of how corrupt people can be.

  3. It appears these Military generals in Zambia never learn. Can’t they draw lessons from past generals who were jailed for corruption? Reliable information suggest that this Chimese has built over 200 houses from proceeds of corruption in posh areas such as Baobab. How much does a zaf commander get paid to accumulate such vast amount of wealth? Stories have been told how this man has used his position to fire colleagues in zaf. As a result of his looting and bad leadership, many brilliant minds have resigned from zaf in search of greener pastures. Civil servants and public officers should take a leaf from Kapoko and Chimese and learn to live within their means.

    • These generals are just like their appointing authority the politicians, they don’t learn any thing ,always thinking they are above the law or that they are more clever than the reast of us…

    • If he’s built 200 that’s a very good thing because the government will have solved it’s accommodation problem by repossessing these homes and allocate them to government workers. It’s better than putting money in foreign accounts because we cannot recover that money. In addition Mr Chimese must be made to work for the money he’s alleged to have pocketed by being sent to Chimbokaila.

    • High level Zimbabwe military sources at Chirundu Border post have told ZimEye that MDC Alliance Principal Tendai Biti has been arrested.
      Biti, they said, was arrested at just before 8am Wednesday morning. He was in a white Toyota Fortuner with South African registration numbers, they said.
      “He was about to cross over into Zambia at the time seeking to get his passport stamped,” the sources said. 
      As the wave of repression on opposition political party supporters continues following the announcement of election results (Friday), Alliance partner, Tendai Biti’s security personnel escaped a freak accident by a whisker after four cars gave chase to one of their vehicles in Greendale Harare on Sunday.
      One of Biti’s boys told ZimEye that he believes that the men who were on their trail and…

    • Continued
      One of Biti’s boys told ZimEye that he believes that the men who were on their trail and wanted to abduct them are from the military.

    • I bet you Lazy Lungu is only concerned about whether the inauguration ceremony will go on not arrests on Zambian soil.

    • African politicians are strange creatures they steal, lockup and kill there own relatives. Then expect genuine foreigners to come and trust them with their investment.

    • Ndanje Khakis, Zimbabwe never left the heat, the still kept Zanu-PF it is like having Mugabe with no grammar skills now.

  4. So what exactly is the duty of staff at Defense HQs other than paying salaries? Why doesn’t the purchase orders at ZAF, Zambia Army and ZNS go through permanent secretary? This thing of hiding in the name of security is making these generals to be big time thieves.Use technocrats not these generals without any affiliation or certification from regulatory bodies like ZICA for accountants, and Zambia institute of purchasing and supply (ZIPS) for buyers and so on.They just do chipante-pante thing.Who doesn’t know those plots and flats these generals buy in Ibex?

  5. While these revelations by NDC may be true on Chimese and Mihova, as@3Shameless has observed, the CORRUPTION TAKING PLACE IN HIGH PLACES SEEM TO INVOLVE THE PRESIDENT! If these officers have the audacity to commit such crimes is because on some deals they have dealt with the appointing authorities! It may just be the POWERS THAT BE, MIGHT HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT ON SOME DEAL TO SHARE SPOILS OR WERE “NYUNYAD” ON SOME DEAL AND THUS GOT BITTER TO WISH TO SHOW THIS CHIMESE WHERE THE REAL POWER IS!! It could also even be true that this Chimese might have aligned himself to Kalaba as we are hearing and Lungu wants him to pay the price! Otherwise the REALITY IS THIS GROWING CORRUPTION IS ON THE SPATE OF “FOLLOW THE LEADER”!!

    • Imwe naimwe why do you have to speculate on everything? Your Kalaba claims that the corruption in government is what made him resign his ministrial position. Now if what Musenge says is true about Chimese so what does that make Kalaba? It makes him a rotten corrupt maggot. By the way I just came back last Sunday from Mwense and for your information people there don’t know who this Kalaba is. For now I believe going by your speculation Kalaba is just as corrupt as he accuses others.

    • Ndanji.

      “..Imwe naimwe why do you have to speculate on everything? ”

      If lungu and GRZ keep silent what do you expect people to do ? Not enquire ?

    • @7.1 Ndanje Khakis.. We are all speculating from what we read unless you are an insider! My post NEVER put Kalaba as a CLEAN POLITICIAN unless you believe we all need to take sides in this whole debate. But as long as Kalaba has called the Government as corrupt and NO ONE has taken him to task, we can take it that what he is saying is true and since no one has raised a corruption allegation against him, then we consider him clean!Mwense is a big area so I wonder how the whole district would say they don’t know someone who was there Foreign Affairs Minister! But one thing is sure, the current government is corrupt as could be deduced even from recent World Bank Report on the Eurobond and Road Construction.

    • zambiaisours

      [email protected] Ndanje Khakis.. But as long as Kalaba has called the Government as corrupt and NO ONE has taken him to task, we can take it that what he is saying is true …”

      Well said ,
      Ndanji , with normal people, being labelled and called a corrupt theif is serious defermation of character and there are laws to be called on if you are not a corrupt theif…

    • Spaka our law assumes every suspect innocent until proven guilty. The president can’t just wake, read allegations on ZWD and fire someone. Have even bothered to read the part on Kalaba? Of course not because you want him to be an angel.

    • Spaka I’ve corrected you before. ..there’s no corrupt thief. .a thief cannot be good or nother corrupt . ..he’s simply bad and corrupt he cannot be good or clean.

    • Ndanje Khakis, Zambia got independence in 1964. So we understand what integrity is. We had the likes of KK, how many mines, mansions, cars, or bank accounts does he have. He left office with only $6,000. Levy come, there was discipline in the civil service.

    • BaLazo forget Levy Mwanawasa. The guy was just triblistic bully. Someone has mentioned a general who stole but never went to jail. What came out of FTJ investigation. ..you spent more money on investigations and Lawyers than what was recovered. How was a key witness Attain Shansonga allowed to leave the country and no international request was made to bring him back. What about Mmembe and Nchito uncontrolled loans from DBZ. How did this duo become owners of Zambian Airways and hound out qualified directors. Please be fair.

    • Ndanji

      “…What came out of FTJ investigation. ..you spent more money on investigations..”

      Sanity In GRZ is what came out……

      what you are saying is like saying

      ” we are waisting money having a police force because we still have robbers….”

  6. I would love to know to why the general was fired? What wrong did he do for him to be fired just like that? Where is democracy in Zambia now? Where are we going as a nation? Anyone who is being fired, reasons are given to why is being fired. But in this situations, nothing is being reviewed here. We all the corruption going on in our government to day, we need facts and not just stories.

    • You are asking very hopeless questions Netor, the military is not treated like a civilian unit in cases of this nature because of issues of security. First, these Generals have overstayed in their positions – not good for a military. Secondly, it seems there are issues of corruption involved – it doesn’t matter whether superiors are involved.

    • There goes the under5s with fake speculations. You think a nation is run like child play. Because you didnt give me a lolly nakupata. Kiki these kids never fail to amaze me. Jj grow a brain.

    • Oval head

      Since lungu is hiding from us as to why he fired Eric , we thinks lungu was left out on many corrupt deals…..the fact remains , if lungu tells the nation Eric was fired for corruption , Eric will spill the beans on lungu. So lungu will not tell.

    • Any appointee serves at the mercy of the appointing authority and especially the president is not obliged to give any reasons when he relieves some one of their duties just as he explains to no one when appointing someone. However if Chimese committed crimes during the line of duty, he should be reported to necessary govt departments.

    • OVAL HEAD – if this nation was run by serious people …the Head Of State would have hosted a press conference by now instead of cowering behind the barman’s counter at State House.

  7. NEXT ONE TO BE DISMISSED IS INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE/KANGANJA.A LOT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE HAVE DIED DURING THE ELECTION COMPAINS MORE ESPECIALLY THE OPPOSITION PARTIES…LOL

    • Lazy Lungu would never dismiss anyone for that…only dismisses people who are a threat to his leadership and officials who dont give him his cut of the rotten deals.

  8. To curb corruption,Let all Government tenders be evaluated by the opposition parties and payment done by the ruling party.This will bring checks and balances among the Politicians.

  9. Nothing will happen to him. Noise will be made but it will fade away. Was a certain Musengule ever in Chimbokaila?

  10. This general was not cutting lungu in on these deals through his gang of thugs at state house……if eric was sacked in part for the $65 million ZAF uniform deal lungu was not given anything , unlike 42/42 where no one was sacked because lungu got $5 million…..

  11. So I was always right all along.
    Gay Jay gets his fake news updates from Zambian Witch Doctor. No wonder the dull unsubstantiated low calibre arguments full of bitterness.

    gay Jay go suck on Under 5 (HH) Oxtail. dull UPND cadre quack

  12. This is where lungu draws sustained fire to himself…..always doing things in darkness or in corners……he is called a corrupt theif everyday…..he choses to remain silent, he never holds any press conferences to answer press questions to reassure the nation , he fires the airforce commander with out giving reasons ??

    We shall make up our own conclusions as to why you fired him based on ruhmers….

  13. Let’s not mix politics with defence forces. Anyone can be fired as he/she is appointed. Politics cannot drive the Zambia Army, ZNS etc

    • The problem with Upnd members is that they don’t know what they want. They want Lungu to fire corrupt officials and when he fires them, all nonsensical innuendos such as the guy didn’t give a cut of his loot to state house. At least here Musenge has given a level headed analysis instead of the hystericals associated with him.

    • Ndanje Khakis

      “…The problem with Upnd members is that they don’t know what they want. They want Lungu to fire corrupt officials and when he fires them, all nonsensical innuendos such as the guy didn’t give a cut of his loot to state house…”

      Are you lungus spokesman ?
      If the appointing authority will not tell us why he got fired , are we not at liberty to make our own minds up as to why ?

  14. As much as we must expose and arrest all criminals I think we as Zambian have the DNA of stealing. Its just a matter of yours and my turn. Given an opportunity to go the same way. Although there are exceptions to the rule I think we need to change. I think the UPND people are worse because tribe is the pass to anything for them be it jobs, school, deals as long as you have the right surname and accent you are in. I’m generalising but I have never heard a Nyanja greet another ati Oh you are also a Nyanja kambani… say the same in reverse its normal with Tonga, well, and Tumbukas too. I loved Chimese but he did to me what Chiluba did, disappoint

  15. Does anyone know who the owner of 360 CONVENTION CENTRE is, just opposite ZAF Twin Palm complex? Furthermore, does anyone know the owner of that complex at the turnoff to APOLLO Military Base on Old Mumbwa Road? I am just asking.

  16. Good News. A glass of wine will do. He was the one AIR RIGGING the 2016 elections. He is automatically in opposition now.

  17. Stealing simply means taking something that is not yours and not given to you. Given this broad understanding of what stealing means, I believe that nearly every human being is a potential thief. Only fear of consequences prevents a lot of humans from stealing. But, given a chance, almost every human being is capable of taking what has not been given to them – thieving. This does not in any way give an approval stamp to any form of theft, be it corruption, bribery, abuse of authority of office, etc.

  18. ” Ubomba mwibala ,alya mwibala “…and so Gen Chimese learned from Edgar Lungu how to eat from within . Lungu should be dismissed too.

  19. @BaLazo, it’s not African leaders alone who are involved in misrule….South and Central America have their Ortegas, Maduros etc. Asia has its own share so has eastern Europe including Russia. The western type of democracy has failed to take root in these countries due to various reasons. How many times have we raised hope in a newly elected leader only to find out that he’s worse than the predecessor?

  20. But all along the defence minister was denying that he was tired saying it’s just normal leave. So this means defence minister has no clue as to what goes on in his ministry or is not even consulted. If He is irrelevant then fire him also if not for anything else than for lying publicly.

  21. At 38yrs Eric Chimese might have been the youngest Commander that ZAF ever had, and to have served for 7yrs he be longest serving Commander after Generals Simbeye and Chisuzi. I hope it’s not on a disciplinary matter, otherwise he was due for retirement

  22. Chimese deserves to be shot in his gurumutu until he is pronounced dead by sangoma Sansakuwa! It’s such a shame there so called Generals are denigrating the same combat and offices that gallant sons of the soil like Gens Chinkuli, Dingitswayo Zuze, Mibenge “Mwaiche”, Masheke “Zoz are Zoz”, Tembo “Old Chap” ever wore and held. The only punishment commensurate to this treacherous crime of treachery and looting is capital, life itself! Shoot the goofy fat bastard!????

  23. Lt Gen Musengule and his co-accused Amon Sibande were convicted in the magistrates court, they appealed to the high court where they were convicted again, they appealed to the supreme court where Amon Sibande appeared alone because Musengule had died while on bail. I have seen a stupid, uninformed posting that Musengule had escaped justice. Sibande it would seem has either served his sentence or was pardoned by ECL. I have no problem with that because Lungu has those powers and Sibande is an old man now since he has hit 70. Sibande now denounces Mwanawasa in a weekly column he writes for one of the newspapers under a pen name.

    • General Georjago Musengule is alive, he recently sold his Club LJ to the Chinese in Matero so he’s no longer found there

    • Ayatollah: I am quite sure misinforming people appeals to you. Go to the supreme court of zambia under judiciary of zambia website. Check for judgements of June 2017 in the case Musengule and Sibande vs The People (wrongly entered as Musengule and and Another Vs Sibande. The judgement clearly says Musengule died. Read it and come back if you are serious with what you say on this site. Sibande was convicted alone.

  24. imwe guys, you who support hh and upnd, should be happy coz you were busy saying the 2016 was rigged using zaf. so apa eric can be to your advantage.
    but the sad truth is that not kambwili, kampyongo or any of these corrupt pipo who have run away from blazing ECL has ever said anything about rigging.

    • Eric can not say anything about rigging because the deal is , he won’t won’t go to jail for grand corruption.

      We dare lungu to tell the nation why he sacked Eric and to have him prosecuted and he will spill the beans on rigging….

  25. In this PF government evryone is corrupt, I know of a certain minister who is busy buying very posh cars for his family memebrs, mother , sister, brother etc and the wife to this minister is very close to the 1st lady!

  26. Zambian defence personnel top brass is full of inept officers…We need to know how public funds are being used to source for military resources…

  27. This is why corruption cant end…the ZAF General was used in elections time, unexplained flights for non govt trips now that yaluka first to be axed ….Lesson anyone whether the president tells you to do something illegal politely refuse even if it will make you money for 7 years like the General. The end of the race is better that the beginning………..Everyone knows from KK time through to EC that politicians or not have been unceremoniously been removed from their respective positions, why do we continue the same path

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading