President Hakainde Hichilema has revealed that activist and musician Chama Fumba ‘Pilato’ reluctantly accepted his appointment as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts.
Speaking when he swore-in Mr. Fumba at State House on Tuesday, President Hichilema said he wanted to appoint Pilato into the New Dawn government earlier but the musician asked for more time.
The Head of State praised Pilato for not rushing into accepting the presidential appointment saying it was a rare trait among Zambians.
President Hichilema described Mr. Fumba as a fearless person.
He urged Mr. Fumba to focus much on reviving the art sector as he serves in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts as Permanent Secretary.
Mr. Hichilema said if harnessed properly the art industry can be a source of wealth for the country and individual artists.
“Chama Fumba, Pilato, thank you for agreeing to be PS (Permanent Secretary). Toeing around for a long time, where should Pilato go? This way? That way? That way? Huh no ba President, give me time. Very rare Zambian. Many Zambians just jump whatever you give them they just jump but he said give me time. Thank you for accepting to serve in that role. Art is your focus, leave sports. The Minister (of Sports Elvis Nkandu) is pushing well with the PS (Sports Permanent Secretary Chileshe Kangwa) currently on sports. Focus on arts, focus on talent, focus on music, and focus on film. We said there is no area that will be seen as minor. I am just coming from Washington. One, two celebrities, I don’t want to mention their name, spoke to me and said HH just to hear your words, you inspire us, American artists. I said who am I? That they become extremely wealth because of art,” Mr. Hichilema said.
“Here we think that an artist belongs to the back of the house. An artist must be in front of the house, actually ahead of most of us. That is your role sir. The talent that you have most of us saw a long time ago in our dark days and the fearlessness. I won’t say much, one time he didn’t even know we had to move him out of this country in a very awkward way. He only came to know maybe later that we played things around using our friends network just to keep him alive. Like you, let us thank God that he got us to be here. He brought us this far to be alive to serve the people of Zambia. So we wish you well,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Hichilema has asked Zambians to learn the Japanese culture of making milestones without talking too much.
He said he has been observing that the largest noise makers in Zambia are people (PF) who sank the country and have no shame at all.
“Most Zambians have already forgotten where we are coming from. Just fifteen months have forgotten where we are coming from. The people had to run across borders like him. People forget easily. I remember President Mwanawasa saying Zambians forget easily but I want to believe that your memories are still fresh that is why we must move forward and not backward. We must move forward into more civilized days. More freedoms, more opportunities. I commented about the ambassador earlier. You are going to a very strategic country. Japan is extremely strategic. The Ambassador to Zambia from Japan, we had a meeting with him and Japan gives us their support and we must build on that support. Japan is the third largest economy; people forget that, though they don’t talk too much. The Japanese have a splendid culture. They have achieved a lot though they don’t talk much. We can learn from there. Fifteen months in government I have been observing that the largest noise makers are the ones who sank this country and have no shame at all,” Mr. Hichilema said.
Well done Chama “Pilato” Fumba, well deserved appointment. The PF have always been noise and trouble makers. The best way to shut them up is to perform Mr President and let Zambians see the fruit of your labour. Otherwise, I enjoyed listening to the Press Conference. Indeed, you need to communicate more with Zambians on the status of the country. Don’t let your pompous ministers paint a bad picture of you and the government.
This makes me cry with pride. Pilato is real person. Fantastic appointment, just hope he won’t grow too fat too fast like Kabanana.
But please HH, listen to me, Anthony Bwalya is misplaced, he tries too hard to polish himself for nothing. He is good boy, but not liked, Amos Chanda way better.
Imagine Chileshe Kangwa was the Press Aid… perfect. But I wouldn’t mind a woman.
So Anthony Bwalya mwaiche, learn from Pilato say “..huh Ba President give me time, I need a humble job relating to my life”.
Yes I agree, Elvis Nkandu is doing well as minister, maybe is the only minister I see smiling.
He took over tornament of Under 17s in Malawa, as if he was Minister of Sports for both Zambia and Malawi. Anyway, wherever Zambians will be now, they will automatically be incharge!
“ Fifteen months in government I have been observing that the largest noise makers are the ones who sank this country and have no shame at all,”—/ yes Mr President those PF thieves have no shame atall!
Hahah is that supposed to make him feel better about picking money over Checks and balances? Whether it took you two minutes or 5hours to decide doesn’t change the situation.i would rather someone makes a decision in 1 minute because it shows confidence. Fuseke. Welcome to govt payroll. You will now be quiet and eat in silence. Chicarla
So what happens to Chileshe Kangwa? Are you telling us that Ministry is going to have two PSs for what? We objected to return of Deputy Ministers now HH is using civil service as a way to reward cadres and silence the activists like Pilato and Miti.
The UPND leadership has identified sports and arts as potential money spinners for zambia…………
Now sports and arts are different fields all together………….
Better served by different people………
The UPND highcomand has identified sports and arts as potential money spinners for zambia…………
Now sports and arts are different fields all together………….
Better served by different people
Spaka – You are not communicating with toddlers at Sunday school what moneyspinner would Arts and Sports have for Zambia? FAZ oversees the biggest sport in the country and fails to bring in revenue…what is Pilato going to do is he a business mogul..please stop this drumbeating you are just making yourself look like an absolute tool.
TO
Stop being a Karen……….
You never stop complaining and seeing negativety in everything zambian ……..
What makes you think FAZ can not, with the right mind set , can bring unlimited revenue and feel good factor for zambia ????
Pilato is an artist, not a sports man , better to serve the arts………
And so what if pilato is a business mogul ? Can’t he be patriotic as well and serve his country ??
Look how much revenue nollywood brings to Nigeria ??
Wake up and stop complaining and wingining 24/7 like a old sad Karen……have some faith in zambia
Stop trying to justify stupidity you are turning into an absolute bootlicker…why can they just find a PS who can perform both roles to kill two birds with one stone. Stop trying imagine your own explainations for everything when its clear this is excessivness of expenditure.
TO
You don’t stop complaining……….
You are always complaining about something………….never happy with anything……….
Karen……
Zambia is in safe hands………
Typical misuse of the civil service. Unlike ministers, Permanent Secretaries are not appointed. They are supposed to be promoted. Meaning they rise from the ranks of the Civil service not appointed by a politician. When the Civil service is used as a reward scheme for political actors its professionalism dies because the appointees will not be the needed experts for serving the masses. The Zambian opposition never wants to criticise these political appointments because they envy being in a position to misuse power. They yearn to do the same
One aspect of RB’s regime back in the MMD days is that he had respect for professionals in the Civil Service hence the reason why Zambia was able to attain middle income status. Today the Secretary to the Cabinet is just a rubber stamper who fears for his job.
Bloated civil service coming back again. You should have fired that kabanana guy who failed the zambian athletes when they demanded for their allowances and replaced him with pilato just then thereby keeping only one PS at the ministry.
Mewhile you are being told that subsidies are removed to pay back the debt but they are doing the opposite and this is not just this ministry in Health …you will find the Minister is slowly surrounding herself with cadres.
Pilatus hs a big mouth, HH jst want to shut him off, this appointment hs nothing bt to buy him. Bcos he hs done nothing, better he shut him off, b4 he be loose.
Congratulations Pilato……
As the president says……
Let’s see what you can do for the arts in zambia……….
So you support the idea of Ministry of Sports having two PSs? Its laughable and waste of percious resources HH was in the forefront to condemn old man Sata when he was undertaking such appointments. What is Chama going to be doing from Monday to Friday? Reading newspapers then working over the weekend.
TO
Ministry of arts and sports and culture to too wide for one person……….
The president is right to leave sports to one person and the arts and cultutre to pilato……
If Sports Ministry is to have two PS because its too wide as you put then Commerce, Trade and Industry should have three, Green Economy and Environment should have two PS, Water Development and Sanitation should two…Defence should have 5 PS. Dont you relies that there are Deputy PS at these ministries?
Tarino
Trade is trade………Water and situation is water……..defence is defence………….those convene.
I agree with the president, sports is completely different from the arts.
Better served differently.
Sports can bring immense feel good factor to the country as well as revenue………..
The arts , just look at how much nollywood or bollywood brings those countries ? Millions. Who’s to zambian film can’t do that ??
I would support aslo 2 different PS for trade and industry…………
Yet this same chap objected to Deputy Ministers….its just luck that the opposition in Zambia is distracted with other trival issues like sale of a Presidential Jet.
I think the president is speaking from his experience: Many Zambians just jump whatever you give them they just jump.
These are the Zambians that he has so far appointed. Now we know them
THe fact of the matter is that he has accepted the job, 12 months from now you wont say Pilato was hesistant to accept this job and took time to consider…really laughable ….this is politics as far as the politicans are concerned they have him in their tent and muted him; its one less noisy activist…remember that chap Father Bwalya with his red cards.
The president does not care about critics…………
He is looking for the best people to fill some roles……….
Pilato is an artist and ati corruption crusader , if he was appointed to say agriculture, then that would be wrong………but arts , give the man a chance.
Good appointment Mr president…..
Spaka – You are just a blind Drumbeater…Lazy Lungu didnt also care about critics look what happened to him!!
TO
Lungu was an act on himself……..
even if you tried to fail, you can’t beat lungus record
As the president dividing and covering a few vital posts with 2 people , so be it…………
Sports and arts and culture will be covered by 2 people………
Whether you like our not………tough
That is how it is going to be………
A Permanent Secretary is the Chief Executive Officer of a Ministry. He’s supposed to be promoted among the Ministry’s Technocrats. While this is good for Pilato, I don’t think this is appropriate. No wonder Zambia is were it is, appointments are not merited, it’s about which loud voice can we shutdown.
Very true. Here where I work as a civil servant that post will usually be advertised. Its not something the president to reward a cadre with
Very true. Here where I work as a civil servant that post will usually be advertised. Its not something for the president to reward a cadre with
Government of trial and error. Chipante pante. Pf will be back. Watch
Pilato has turned koswe mumpoto.
The chap can now rest from his childish music.
This is Zambia.
The carder rewarded.
He can now not speak.
It’s tough making it using the mic these days.
Once a koswe mumpoto always one pilato punka.
Remember, we are saving by not serving farmers.
Pilato was never a cadre just because he detested the injusties under PF it does not make him a cadre but now he has crossed the line as his colleague is Kangwa Chileshe in that ministry. Its time for a new generation of activists to step up…its not easy to be one in Africa as you are practically black listed.
And Madam Imenda will be blaming the civil servants for the poor economy. He should have flatly refused the appointment not reluctantly accepted because the bottom line is that he accepted it….who knows whether he was pretending or maybe the president is trying to make it look like he is trying to silence voices by way of giving them jobs.
the only way government shut peoples who speck for the voiceless is to give them government appointments, so with pilato he has been shut never you beat a finger that feeds you. yes 15 months in office still pointing at the PF it seems late mwanawasa he was right zambians forget easily coz even him seem he has forgotten the tuning around the economy within 24 hours, no carders in GRZ offices, so now the ministry has two PSs in the mid of a crisis ( zambia has no money we are told by politicians the PF ba naba ) and the question WHY HAVE A PS for SPORTS and a PS for ARTS ? i strongly believe they are ministries yes which need to have two PSs like the ministry of HEALTH , EDUCATION
Imagine he just came from D.C begging for money and debt restructuring to go and create another high level senior position…this is the trend in Information where the is now a Director for media, in Health a PS for Special Duties. Remember there is also an army of Deputy PS below them who are seasoned civil servants these too are being kicked out.
Agriculture should be our biggest ministry with two PSs
We thinks industries of sport and the arts are of vital importance to to vibrant economy………
Congratulations Pilato……
As the president says……
Let’s see what you can do for the arts in zambia
And the wheel continues to turn, grinding at the core…
The industries and feel good factors associated with sports and arts are cherished and natured in developed countries…………..
African and other 3rd world countries overlook these sectors of the economy……….
With the exception of Nigeria and their nollywood, where millions in forex are realised, Africans need to prioritise sports and arts like other developed countries
Upnd cadres… hichilema said he will appoint people on merit, so he lied to the people of Zambia, iam not seeing people being appointed on merit. A lying spirit is deadly.