Thursday, March 28, 2024

Elias Chipimo Jnr says the Patriotic Front government has plummeted to a new low

Share

President Edgar Lungu shaking hands with Spax Mulenga, the current leader of the biggest jerabo group in Chingola, at State House recently. In the background is Shawi Fawaz.
President Edgar Lungu shaking hands with Spax Mulenga, the current leader of the biggest jerabo group in Chingola, at State House recently. In the background is Shawi Fawaz.

Opposition National Restoration Party (NAREP) president Elias Chipimo Jnr says the Patriotic Front government has plummeted to a new low by honouring Youngson Kalobo, the infamous former leader of a Copperbelt gang of black market copper traders popularly known as jerabos who died in 2015 aged 37.

Many outraged Zambians including Chipimo took to Twitter, Friday, to condemn the move by government to honour Youngson posthumously.

Recently, during commemorations of Youth Day on the Copperbelt, Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu announced that government had honoured Kalobo, the younger brother to Wusakile independent Member of Parliament Pavyuma Kalobo, for his contribution to youth empowerment.

“Today, we handover a trophy to a gallant youth in the name of Youngson Kalobo for the contribution he had made to the emancipation of the young people in the district. The late Youngson Kalobo was very instrumental in bringing together this group of young people and through his Excellency, the President, there has been an empowerment to these young people we are calling small scale miners,” said Mpundu during the ceremony before Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Bright Nundwe handed over a trophy to the Kalobo family.

Following the publication of the story, Zambians took to Twitter to denounce government’s decision, which many described as insensitive and an insult to the women who fell victim to Youngson’s terror.

Academic and political commentator Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa ignited the discussion with a series of tweets, copied to President Edgar Lungu and senior Cabinet ministers, that soon went viral.

“He (Youngson Kalobo) did some of the nastiest, reprehensible things. Women were raped at will and all sorts of unspeakable crimes were committed by him and his armed gang, sometimes in full view of the State police. This is the man the Govt of #Zambia is honouring posthumously. Totally disgusting! He once disrupted a kitchen party of a young woman he sought to rape in Kitwe. Her boyfriend got a violent beating before she was raped. As usual, the police did nothing. This is the man the Govt of @realedgarlungu, @DoraSiliya, @VincentMwale, @HonMushimba is honouring! #Insane! He was the leader of small-scale miners known as Jerabos till his death, at 37. The Govt deemed it fit to send a representative to his burial. Now they are honouring him posthumously for his work towards ‘youth empowerment’. In the same week that President Lungu is giving a speech to Parliament on national values and principles, his government is hoisting a trophy for someone who did much to betray them, everything in the opposite direction. What message does the award send? Is it so hard for these people to see their breathtaking hypocrisy? Sometimes, to be sane in Zambia is to invite pain!’ tweeted Dr Sishuwa.

Soon afterwards, respected Lusaka lawyer and civil rights activist Linda Kasonde, Chipimo Jnr, a prominent and popular Twitter user named Miss Bwalya and several other netizens re-tweeted his tweet or joined the condemnation.

Chipimo linked government’s decision to honor Kalobo tp the upcoming by-election in Roan constituency, adding that the move demonstrated how lowly the ruling Patriotic Front had sunk.

The NAREP leader tweeted; “One really has to ask: why would public officials posthumously honour someone like this? Could it be the looming by-election in Luanshya? Are there really no depths left for the PF to plummet to?”

And ‘Distant Relative’, a Twitter user who goes by the handle LankyObserver, said Kalobo represented everything people shouldn’t aspire to.

“When your social value system plunges so low as to explore the very depths of human depravity and you elect mirrors of yourselves, that is what happens. We must come to a point where we care for the values we foster as a society. They say not to accuse a person that isn’t around to defend themselves, so will simply say Youngson represented everything we should neither aspire to nor glorify”, Distant Relative tweeted.

Youngson Ndawana, a Zambian academic and PhD student at Liverpool JohnMores University in the UK said the decision to award his namesake was a mockery to Zambia’s values and genuine heroes.

“How low does a country have to sink before it recovers it’s sense of nationhood and morality? When a nation honours thieves and thugs for political gain rather than value real heroes, such a nation is lost. This move is a mockery to #Zambia’s values. It must be stopped!!”, he tweeted.

Others recalled with pain the terror that the honoured youth inflicted on their relations.

“A trophy of honour to Youngson? Really? My young sister was one of Youngson’s many victims of sexual assault and the damage that he inflicted on her is permanent. I support EL and PF, but their move to honour a criminal who inspired Tokota Boys and other gangs will make me reconsider. It is a grave insult to my sister and our family. I am very angry about this decision”, tweeted Alfred Mubanga.

Kalidas Bwalya decried the government’s lack of sensitivity to women, tweeting “I cringed when I watched the news announcing that Youngson had been honoured… it really says a lot about how this govt views women or even what passes for ’empowerment’. Smh”.

Macnell Mufungwe wrote; “Because of this guy and his gang, the environment in Kitwe was always [that] of fear. These guys would do wrong at will and the law enforcement agencies would just watch!”.

“It’s unbelievable that a government can honour a man who committed such terrible crimes. What is the meaning of honour, someone help me please”, tweeted Douty Chibamba who added, “Those who were tormented by the criminal must watch their own government ‘honouring’ him. So, there is actually honour in crime!”

Other netizens recalled that government had previously described Youngson’s colleagues as scavengers and wondered why their leader was now being honoured.

Dr Cleopas Sambo, based at Oxford University, wrote; “After 11 jerabos died at Black Mountain in June 2018, [Minister of Mines Richard] Musukwa repeatedly described the deceased & injured as ‘scavengers.’ ‘If criminals or illegal people invade a mine site like they did at the black mountain surely that is not good cause for me to resign.” Today he’s a hero? Why?”

Sydney Sihubwa wondered what criterion was used to honour Youngson, tweeting “How then do they come up with names of who to honour? Is there a detailed explanation of what makes him deserve the honour? # Those in media, please help identify the selecting committee to give us data.”

Source: NewsDiggers

39 COMMENTS

  1. And Elias Chipimo is 100% right about that.The decay in this PF government has gotten too deep even the Brits had to ask for money back.

    • Lungu us a thief who stole K36,000 from a widow leading to him being de-barred by LAZ.

      So he sees nothing wrong with honoring a fellow thief/thug. He thinks he can hold onto power using thugs.

      But he doesn’t know that when it’s time to go, not even those thugs or PF-police can prevent it.

      PF & Lungu are a failed project. People are fed up.

    • First it was General Kanene, who was pardoned by Lungu after he was jailed for raping a child. To add salt to injury, Lungu appointed him ambassador for abused women.

      Youngson was a rapist, copper thief & brutal thug feared even by Kitwe police. It prompted RB to transfer Dr.Malama to kitwe & arrest him & other gangs.
      I have always said, Lungu is NOT presidential material.

    • Now I see that PF is not a party to vote for..please people lest open our eyes. It will be worse if they keep on in power after 2021 this is my country and am crying for it guys let’s change government….but the problem is we don’t have eligible opposition parties…Elias please prove to us that you can manage the nation don’t just site….

  2. What do you expect from PF? Other try to atleast put on a cloak of decency. These guys are not ashamed of acting shamefully. They do it openly. First they honoured “General” Kanene and made him an ambassador against GBV. A guy who routinely beat his wife and was convicted and imprisoned. President Lungu pardoned him and made him a GBV ambassador! And then he went back to beating his wife.
    What a joke.
    I would like to hear from one of you usual friends on this blog who are PF. How do you rationalise this?

  3. This is what the PF represents and no one should be surprised about it.Just look at the backgrounds of those at the helm of PF-MMD.
    Self explanatory to say the least.

  4. I only came close to Youngson once, both of us were reversing then our vehicles hit each other. He was very courteous and respectful, we resolved without any incident. I wonder about all the nasty things that they say about him. Truly, without him that mountain could’ve been in the hands of some politician or foreign entity. For all I know, Youngson was mourned by multitudes of people from all walks of life, most Christian churches were represented at his funeral. The next most well attended funeral in Kitwe was that of Willie Nsanda. Youngson wasn’t a politician. Those who still say nasty things about him, have they asked themselves why the people of Kitwe mourned him in such a manner? He had another side of his life. May God have mercy on him and forgive his sins

    • You are missing the point. The issue is about the govt honouring a known gangster who caused havoc during his time. Anyway, since you “only came close to Youngson once”, you are ignorant about what many experienced or went through at his hands, and should be grateful that others are providing a side of him that you did not know. Muleikala fye mukwai!

    • Whereas everyone saw the black mountain as an eyesore, Youngson saw value in it. People with PhDs looked else where whenever they reached 16 feet but the geraboo saw the black mountain as cash cow.

    • At least he’s the first criminal to be honoured, you want to despise him because he wasn’t a white collar criminal like Hichilema and Chitotela? He has left a legacy, there were Reverends, Women Groups, church choirs and many Christians at his funeral. All those didn’t go to mourn a rapist. You can hate Youngson but God knows who he was, some of you have never done anything your lives except to insult people you least know. Get a life!

  5. Another bitter stooges in the name of news diggers. Your desperate for plot is making you big *****s in full commas.
    Who can rape a woman in full view of the people, policemen etc.The hate which you have for Edgar. Don’t don’t expect his supporters to love you.you are deceiving yourselves big time.
    Otherwise if you don’t know you are just dividing the national with this bitterness in your hearts.
    Some of you guys you better die because of you are extremely bitter.

  6. Sometimes post things the way they are not this cheap propaganda.You can rape a woman while people looks on?
    Bitterness will not pay you at all. Do something news diggers and Chipimo people will remember and honor you.

  7. Look at Lazy Lungu in photo and compare him to photos with ambassadors…he is more comfortable in the presence of kaponya and thugs

  8. “Recently, during commemorations of Youth Day on the Copperbelt, Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu announced that government had honoured Kalobo, the younger brother to Wusakile independent Member of Parliament Pavyuma Kalobo, for his contribution to youth empowerment.”

    The president needs to start letting some of these imbeciless go. What type of dull DC, like the PF secretary general Davis Mwila is this creature Binwell Mpundu?

  9. These are the people Lungu needs to terrorise marketeers and general public to vote for him and PF , criminals.

    Infact satas support base was that of all the crooks in Zambia elinated by mwanawase.

    This trend has continued only now lungu is the most corrupt person in Zambia. He does not even dare deny this.

    • I remember Maureen Mwanawasa being chauffeured in a hummer owned by Shawi Fawaz when she visited the CB. I remember her front page picture in the post walking side by side with jailed criminal Mohan Mathews. But anyway it’s Mwanawasa-IT’S OK…..

  10. I am surprised that no one has mentioned that Kambwili used to hero worship Youngson. Of course they can’t because Zambians “forget easily ” when it suits them.

    • The issue here is not Kambwili. It’s the government of the day giving state honours to to criminal. Let’s not try to deflect the issues. This is the kind of reasoning that kills Africa. Are you saying because kambwili supported this thug, then it’s justified for PF to give state honours to a known criminal and thug? Are you saying it was proper for President Lungu to pardon a child molester like Kanene and make him a GBV ambassador? Guys let’s be serious.
      Don’t just support anyhow. Have a conscience. Fear God.

    • Journeyman you’re missing the point. It’s not like I am supporting anything here. I’m just reminding you that the person you have embraced, a person called Kambwili, a person you cherish so much, a person you want to use to dismantle the PF is actually the architect of the cult surrounding this issue. You can’t use Kambwili but fail to “see ” his real side. With such mentality Zambia will just continue moving in circles. Bad is bad. But like I said you’re ready to pretend it never happened. Remember if it happened it’s most likely to happen again.

    • Ndanje…I have never and will never support Kambwili. He is one of the worst politicians this country has ever had.
      All am saying is that we must be honourable and condemn what is wrong regardless of who does it. That us what it means to be just. My query with you is that you are bringing in an issue that is irrelevant. There is no way this dead thug should receive state honours. Even you must admit to that. And you must speak out. You are a member of PF and I would like to think you are also a patriot. You must speak against what is wrong. Go to you leaders in the party and tell them this is wrong. As a patriot you must put country ahead of political party. We only have one Zambia and we must not sacrifice it at the alter of political expedience.

    • Correction Journeyman, I am not a member of the PF. At least I once bought an FDD membership card, otherwise I am a free Lancer who doesn’t spread hatred or false news.

  11. Like mixes with like! Birds of a feather flock together! A bunch of gangs will mix with its like!
    Not surprised!
    When you give your precious possession to a gorilla, don’t expect to get back your possession without a fight! There is nothing worse than a Lawless Lawyer!

    • I remember Maureen Mwanawasa being chauffeured in a hummer owned by Shawi Fawaz when she visited the CB. I remember her front page picture in the post walking side by side with jailed criminal Mohan Mathews. But anyway it’s Mwanawasa-IT’S OK…..

    • The issue here is not Maureen Mwanawasa or Kambwili. It’s the government of the day giving state honours to to criminal. Let’s not try to deflect the issues. This is the kind of reasoning that kills Africa. Are you saying because Maureen was driven in the Hammer of a criminal, then it’s justified for PF to give state honours to a known criminal and thug? Are you saying it was proper for President Lungu to pardon a child molester like Kanene and make him a GBV ambassador? Guys let’s be serious.

    • My point is we make so much noise over useless things. If the people of Kitwe see Youngson as an empowerer, i think it must be respected. Westerners have even honoured pirates; did Young son ever kill anyone?? In USA soldiers who slaughtered Indians are honoured. In Africa gallant generals who save people’s lives are called rebel leaders being monitored by ICC and we support it. What kind of slave mentality do we have???2

    • Citizen again your logic is flawed. Should we honour a thief because the Americans honour soldiers who murdered Indians? Should we honour a rapist because the British honoured pirates? Come on man. Wrong is wrong regardless of who is the perpetrator. How can calling wrong out be a slave mentality? I think trying to defend what is clearly wrong is where the problem is. It’s cadre mentality.
      Right and wrong is an absolute not relative. It doesn’t matter if people in kitwe or all over the world consider this thug an angel. The fact is he was a thug. No amount of honours will change that. He was a scumbag

  12. Let me tell you what I fear most for the future of this country, the criminality in the PF. That is why I hate these trib.als masquerading as opposition party. Clearly upnd trib.als are no option to govern this country, they are just as bad or worse than PF. What we need is a credible party yo.be born and take over from PF. This SHALL happen sooner or later but not with trib.al Hacks and his trib.als.

  13. It’s now fashionable to think one is a politician by criticising the PF. But what does NAREP offer and what have they achieved?? That’s what’s wrong with our politics. We have parties whose preoccupation is attacking PF while they fail to convince voters to give them representation so they can provide alternative policies.

  14. Everything seems to be going wrong in this government. I curse the day we voted this government into power

  15. Tweet re-tweet!! So what. It’s the reason the likes of Chipimo and the opposition can’t get power. Sounding like the white settlers and fearful blacks condemning the antics of Kaunda and Kapwepwe to gain freedom for the masses.

    You like it or not, Youngson Kalobo represented a group left out by the concentration of natural resources in a few. We mined copper before the Imperialist came. Youngson fought that we start again. Never again will mineral wealth be the preserve of few foreign interests and their local lackeys in the tweeter frenzy. Turn the tweets into votes. They will still pale to those from Youngson followers. Get real to get power. PF.

  16. Two men looked outside through the same window and when asked to state what they saw, each mentioned different things from the other. Paradigms. Paradigms is a fixed way of thinking based on our preoccupation and assumptions. We all have them without necessarily being aware of it. There are some who may not like your deeds but waiting for an opportune time to say it like you have. Others shall still love you. We believe that the way we see things is correct but assumptions can lead to wrong or even fatal decisions. Some drivers, for example, hoot for the one in front to move while he is supposed to make his own judgement as when to move and when not to.

  17. Youngson, can not be sumed up only on the so called bad things he did of which he was never jail or found guilty of, all you haters take your time to check facts. Youngson was a helper and giver ask yourselves what you have done or doing to add value to people’s lives. Chipimo, you have a very rich political background by way of your father, honorable and hard working, can’t try and walk in his footsteps? Join up with ECL were your strangth will be useful. You are losing it by teaming up with individuals who only see bad in everyone and everything in the country.

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