Excerpts from my book – One Zambia, One Nation
Presidency, governance & regionalism
The 47-year-old retired army major was the son of former President Kenneth Kaunda. Seen as a fast-rising star in UNIP, he was the party’s Lusaka provincial chairman. It was widely believed Kaunda was grooming him to take over from him as party president and eventually gun for State House. Wezi was a fearless politician and vocal critic of Chiluba’s leadership style. Although Major Kaunda was constantly a target of death threats, he chose to remain in the country his father had led to independence to offer himself for leadership of the nation at an opportune time.
One fateful night, Wezi and his wife Didre, were driving home to Woodlands, a leafy Lusaka suburb, in his impressive Toyota Landcruiser when they were waylaid by armed men in front of their gate. Assuming they were after his car, he pushed his wife out of the car and pleaded with them to have it. According to his wife, Wezi pleaded with them: “I am Major Wezi Kaunda. Please take my car, take whatever you want. I am not resisting. Spare my life and my wife. Just take the car.”
The gang confirmed knowing after which they released the trigger and sprayed bullets on him multiple times before fleeing the scene. He was still gasping for his breath by the time they rushed him to the University Teaching Hospital where he was put on life support. It is believed that strange individuals crept into his ward under the cover of darkness and suffocated him to death.
“They’ve killed my son twice,” an emotionally charged Kaunda would lament afterwards.
The car was later found abandoned with everything intact. Three senior Scotland yard detectives were brought in to help solve the murder mystery but hit a dead trail. At a much later stage, a 28-year-old Moses Mulenga, a bus driver, and Allan Mubanga, a 20-year-old taxi driver were arrested and charged with the murder of the radical politician, a theory that seemed to support the police belief that it was a carjacking attempt that had gone wrong.
Many people, of course, dismissed the explanation by the police as mere cover-up! This assertion was recently buttressed by former vice-president Nevers Mumba. Reflecting on the launch of his latest book, ‘In Pursuit of Freedom’ during an interview with veteran journalist, Frank Mutubila on his talk show – ‘Frank Talk’, Mumba was reminded of an occasion whereby former President Kenneth Kaunda invited him and his son Wezi Kaunda to a private meeting, where he warned them to watch their movements as he had received reliable information from sources within the establishment they (including KK) were targets of assassination by the state. According to him, this revelation still sends shivers down his spine.
Was KK simply bluffing? How come then the assassination came to pass…..well, at least on the part of his son, Wezi?
Prince Bill M Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
Mayeng’u, Zambezi
Article ya kusula.
This guy facts and wants the entire nation to smell. I won’t read his stupid book
This guy farts and wants the entire nation to smell. I won’t read his stupid book
Why this time?
States use death row prisoners for assassinations. These guys have nothing to lose. They are offered this assignment with the incentive that the State will look after their surviving family or they go free under a new identity after being ‘executed.’ aka- The Lazarus Project.
The other day state house media was wondering about who really funds a certain former diplomatic who has taken refuge in the USA and is also a PF presidential hopeful. Why are they deafeningly silent in asking who is championing this political and social analyst from Zambezi, Mayeng’u.
“It was widely believed Kaunda was grooming him to take over from him”.
Widely???? In which place? Your head????
Fiction!