Tuesday, April 23, 2024

What really happened at the Nc’wala traditional ceremony?

Share

By Sishuwa Sishuwa

• Was Given Lubinda ordered to leave the Nc’wala traditional ceremony?

Lubinda was advised to leave the VVIP pavilion reserved for dignitaries, not the ceremony. The decision to leave the ceremony was independently made by the PF leadership, perhaps in protest at being asked to go and sit elsewhere.

• Who ‘chased’ Lubinda?

It was members of the President’s security detail. Hakainde Hichilema was not personally involved in the decision to remove Lubinda from the VVIP area. In fact, when he was briefed about what had transpired, the President reportedly expressed shock that his security detail could do such a thing. He even offered to meet Lubinda during the ceremony but was informed that the acting leader of the main opposition party had already left.

Since the President cannot escape responsibility for the actions of officers whom he appointed and who report to him, the buck ultimately stops at him.

• Wait, who is a VVIP?

Well, tags like VVIP, VIP or ordinary persons are not permanent. They are determined by event organisers. Any person, depending on the event and its organisers, can find themselves as VVIP or ordinary on a given day. Being a cabinet minister, for instance, does not automatically make one a VVIP or VIP. This explains why we have seen international events where ministers do not even make the list of those classified as VIP (forget VVIP). As stated, the event and its organisers decide who is what for any event based on the criteria set by themselves. Lubinda, in this case, was considered a VVIP by a member of the organising committee of the Nc’wala traditional ceremony.

• So, what triggered the incident?

It may have been the overzealousness of the President’s security detail. Note that Lubinda was properly seated, having been ushered in the designated area by a member of the Nc’wala organising committee in recognition of his position as leader of a political party.

28 COMMENTS

  1. The President is not responsible for his secruity that lies with OP…if there are any issues forward them to the Police commisioner at State House. Why do we always want to overshadow traditional ceremonies with political party petty differences.

    6
    19
  2. Imagine I come to an event, I seat at the back bench, organisers notice my humbleness and move me to the VIP lounge. Later some over zealous security man ( officer D Mwana) comes to make me move back to the back roll bench. It only means am not needed there. This is an embarrassing ejection from my vantage point and the entire ceremony!

    16
    2
  3. Fighting over useless things. Lubinda you would better off doing something else instead watching people drinks raw blood. This thing of trying to equate oneself to a sitting head of state is what put someone in prison… don’t forget.

    8
    10
  4. Being asked to change sitting position can not make someone wanting to quit unless if they’re not emotionally balanced.
    Otherwise as an opposition or someone who has been in government before. Knows too well how sitting segmentation is done. And he can not mistake a place meant for ministers with that one meant for other stakeholders.
    So stop lying and just apologise to the man.

  5. # Deja Vu………

    Totally agree with you………

    Lubinda should instead show he is not a crybaby trying to make capital where he has none……….

    What we are seeing now is PF trying to rely on the court of public sympathy to stay relevant………

    5
    8
  6. Mulongoti Machayi – If you come to my event and sit where you are not supposed to sit I will personally move you I dont care whether you are the Pope…the problem with PF is that they seem to think they have those titles. PF needs new blood…not these clowns like Lubinda

    5
    18
  7. Like him or hate him, the bottom line is that Lubinda was not treated well. One very good friend of Tyson Jere (now Chief Nzamane) confided in me that the Ngoni royalty was outraged by the way Lubinda was treated.

    18
  8. Tarino Orange:
    The event host knew who they invited and where every individual was supposed to sit. One Mwanza sees it fit to rearrange the sitting order. Even the Pope would have his own sit reserved for him at that Ncwala.
    Do you know why mostly president Hakainde was shunning such and similar events organised by previous governments? We see opposition leaders as nothing more than trash.

    Tarino, the event was authored by Ngonis. The president and ” these clowns like Lubida” were only invitees who had nothing to do with the programme. How can the invited start chasing other invitees? Don’t miss my point by clouding my comment with feelings instead of objective reason.

    14
    1
  9. The president is not wrong neither Given but there was miscommunication between the organizers and the op. When the president is attending any event the op must know who is supposed to attend. Did Given go there by invitation or as a tourist? If he was invited he must have had his chair secured and were was it? If he was not invited the organizers are at fault.

    2
    2
  10. Actually Lubinda must be charged of treason for trying to endanger the president’s safety! I mean, was it not these same PF fools who charged HH of treason for the Mongu incident, let them have a taste of their own medicine.

  11. The ceremony organizers are responsible for the mess. They know the president and his entourage can not be in the same sport. Why should Hon. Lubinda sit next to hh. How does that work

    2
    5
  12. There is no any other way to have asked Hon. Lubinda to leave the sport for Hon Nkombo. He chose to leave instead of sitting where nongovernmental people were seated. To hell with Hon. Lubinda, he chose to leave.

    2
    5
  13. Ok he claims to have been mistreated? Was he made to frog jump from where he was seated? What sort of mistreatment was it? If he told to move, so what? Move and go and seat elsewhere. He should have joined those impis, besides he likes dancing. Why not join those young girls and admire their mammary glands!!!

    1
    2
  14. Clearly there was a mix up, and the issue lies squarely on the authority of the ceremony in this case the organizing committee, stop your usual ping pong politics of apportioning blame to one another , if there is an apology to be rendered in case Given Lubinda was not treated well it must come from the organizing committee. Please stop blaming the President unnecessarily

    2
    1
  15. Another small issue which the PF and “Unsure Unsure” want to capitalize on.
    We have bigger problems to worry about like the escalating price of crude oil which will affect our economy.
    PLEASE GROW UP.

    2
    3
  16. PF should just disband, always complaining, August 12 defeat – complaint, Kabwata defeat – complaint, Ncwala sitting arrangement – complaint

  17. So all of a sudden this Sishuwa is out their to correct negative perceptions that may be created about his friend Hakainde. I thought this chap was a researcher. The more you defend HH the more you bring yourself into mediocrity. Sishuwa let the politicians correct the perceptions about themselves, you seem to be an academic person rather than a politician. The more you defend politicians the more you expose your level of bias.

    1
    1
  18. Why should anyone be surprised at the treatment of Lubinda? This is the hangover from the Lungu presidency who “knew” how to treat opposition leadership! Who doesn’t know that Kumawa people are slow to adopt and adapt to change? I concur with the reasoning for failed coordination between the presidents security detail who have a norm for treating opposition political leadership at whatever function the sitting president attends and the function organizers in this case who still accord the status they bestowed on PF when gracing this historical and national function! Politics aside both HH and Nkomo would have not fretted had Lubinda been left where someone guided him! Problem is the politicization of everything attended by politicians and government officials

  19. Thanks to Shishuwa for this highlight, no wonder you are a very educated person. Instead of learning from what you have written, some lunatics are attacking up, these closed up minds.

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