By Venus N Msyani
Impartial reporting has always been a tradition for media in Zambia. Specifically independent media.
Genuine checks and balances on government in power come from independent media. It has been like that for every government in power.
As a result, all Zambian governments are always at loggerhead with independent media. For example, the immediate past government of Patriotic Front (PF) broke the record on media closure and suspensions.
President Hakainde Hichilema describes those he believes stole from Zambian people while serving under the previous government of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu clique of thieves.
He has declared that everything stolen will be recovered. Unfortunately, the recovery effort continues to hit the wall.
Hichilema is among the richest individuals in Zambia. He took part in the 1990s privatization of state-owned properties. Corruption reports on the process make some people believe the president is not clean hence not a right person to recover stolen properties.
The debate on that is being accommodated by independent media. President Hichilema believes it is a plot to suffocate his effort to recover stolen properties.
“The clique is now employing colleagues in the media to generate stories diverting our attention away from following up the money that belongs to the public.”
HH alleged at State House in Lusaka on January 17 after swearing-in the new Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Director-General.
The president should name who has been bought by the clique. Otherwise, the claim will be taken as a made-up story, which is not good for his career.
The search for the leader that would protect the integrity of media is the reason HH is the president today. He promised to protect media.
Associating media with clique of thieves (corruption) is an assault on media. It is not media protection but exposure to harm. Especially that cadres are real out there and have vowed to deal with anyone attacking the president.
The media is just doing its job. It should be left alone. The effort to recover stolen properties is failing because people are not satisfied with the explanation of HH source of wealth.
The day Zambians will be satisfied with the explanation of the source of his wealth, President Hakainde fight against corruption will start going smooth.
We have been on this path before. HH has shown us all the information on how he got what he has at present. He never store even a coin! We believe he invested properly and he is now gaining from his investment. The problem of hearsay in the media is perential. Even the old man, KK, was accused to have gotten a few coins from govt which was proved a total lie. The problem with the so called independent media is that after eating crumbs from govt, they start to parrot the silly propaganda of the leader having stolen some money here and there without proof! We now have FIC, ACC and DEC who can lead us to stolen money or dubious dealings. We should start to believe in them than making wild statements! Give facts and don’t dream about facts!
#1 He never store even a coin? That’s unbelievable, I thought he’s stored millions of coins.
BMW nikawalala.
The comment does not hold water. If one is rich through privatisation and is hiding and be labelled as a thief and a clique. No more no less. Zambians eyes to see
LT please let’s release proper articles not articles from PF carders. This chap can he explain how all these PF members suddenly became wealthy while been public officers. Let him show us what all PF members had before becoming public officers and what they have afterwards. The president salary and those of public officers are public knowledge. How does one have over 100% in 5 years with no track record in business. Leave HH alone to focus on building back the country.
He invested properly? What did he invest? Where did he get what he invested?
I am cattle farmer….I still do not understand how he accumulated so much cattle!
“The day Zambians will be satisfied with the explanation of the source of his wealth, President Hakainde fight against corruption will start going smooth…”
We have had 4 or 5 GRZs investigate the sources of his wealth………..with the help of FBI , Scotland Yard at their disposal
Still can’t find nothing……….
And you will find nothing , because there is nothing to find……..
It seems those now accusing HH of having stolen during privertisation and jealous tribal hegemonists who have now morphed into the clique he is referring to……..
You have had 4 governments to investigate him, now this government is investigating the clique for looting, wait untill 2026 for change of government to investigate him again………
H H has never explained where he got that wealth.
We are all aware that he was a very poor child going to school without shoes.
But all of a sudden from privatisation he became a billionaire.
Zambians are still waiting for the president to explain.
This story will never go away.
Theft is all theft at all levels either by politicians or non politicians.
1991 taught as a lesson. Theft didn’t start during Lungu alone, those who stole during Chiluba are still thieves to be investigated if we are fighting corruption.
Koma bantu ba lemba…..Eh!
I said it before and I will say it again. All previous presidents starting from Chiluba to Lungu benefitted from the privatisation process and therefore had no real desire to investigate HH. Investigating HH would have opened a can of worms. The privatisation scandal will only be investigated properly by the president who will rule Zambia after HH.
During privatisation of 1990s,people saw loss of jobs,loss of health,loss of income,loss of dignity,loss of loved ones, loss of bread winners,loss of families,broken families,asset stripping,slaves of poverty,adult malnutrition,begging in the streets,luanshya a ghost town,torn infrastructure…..
Article full of hatred. Your bitterness will eat your brains..
DURING THE PF REGIME HH OFFERED A PRIZE FOR ANYONE WITH INFORMATION THAT HE STOLE, NO ONE CAME TO THE FORE. EDITH ZEWELANI NAWAKWI TRIED TO DO SHE FAILED LAMENTABLY. SO IF YOU HAVE EVIDENCE STOP WASTING OUR TIME, BRING IT OUT.
Impartial reporting has always been a tradition for media in Zambia. Specifically independent media.. Venus Msyani do you live on Mars? When did Zambia ever have i,partial reporting. The so-called Independent media is always reporting half truths to annoy the ruling party while State owned media is always supporting ruling parties making sure it doesnt annoy them. I think you make a very poor analyst.
His client, the Government of the Republic of Zambia never complained. But people who were not party to the client-consultant relationship btwn GRZ and HH want to complain. Utterly strange really. In any case there are many other Zambians who provided consultancy services to the Government of Zambia. Why don’t they attract interest from this Msyani chap and his ilk?
Privatisation participants: ZPA Chairman Valentine Chitalu, Privatisation Negotiator Hakainde Hichilema, Finance Minister Edith Nawakwi, Privatisation Lawyer Edgar Chagwa Lungu(ECL). Everyone was paid accordingly and fairly as per signed agreement, upon being paid some decided to go partying and drunk all the Jamesons available(ECL), others opened butcheries across the country(Edith), others invested wisely for their future, Valentine Chitalu and HH.
The author of this article needs a brain surgery. Tell us, what is the relationship between media freedom and privatisation of the nineties. If your corrupt, theiving and violent Lungu had any evidence about HH’s wrong dealing during that process, do you think he would have let him free? Your lazy Lungu had seven years with all security apparatus to find anything but he couldn’t. This dim and empty journalist must give specific names or details of a former ZCCM mine that was privatised by a private citizen HH. This is an old and tired story, it will never stick and Zambians rejected it on 12 August. No individual can sell not even a toilet if it belongs to GRZ without government authority. Don’t parrot PF nonsense here. PF is a criminal and Gangster organisation, it will never…
Return to power finito.
What impartial journalism does the DAILY NATION NEWSPAPER PRACTICE? What can an ex convict tell us in an objective manner?
The elder brother to this man got how many results Edwin sakala? Daily Nation what does it do in Zambia?