Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Permanent Secretary, Howard Sikwela, has died.
According to reports, Reverend Sikwela was unwell and admitted to Maina Soko Medical Centre where he has been receiving treatment.
Reverend Sikwela will be remembered for his tumultuous political journey that started when the Livingstone High Court nullified the election of a Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD)’s Lukulo Katombora following irregularities after both UPND and PF candidates petitioned the election results.
A by-election was set by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for July 5 2012 and Reverend Howard Sikwela, running on the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) ticket, emerged winner after beating his closest rival, PF’s candidate Josephs Akafumba.
Two years later Reverend Sikwela faced persecution from his own party when he was captured at the event to launch the link Zambia Project with PF leadership. The persecution within his own party forced him to resign and force another by-election in January 2013.
At the time of his resignation from UPND, Reverend Sikwela attributed his resignation to the UPND’s hostility towards the government, tribalism within the party and failure by the UPND to adequately support him when his election was petitioned by the Patriotic Front
“It is with a heavy heart that today I have to announce my resignation as Livingstone Central Member of Parliament and I further announce my resignation from the United Party for National Development (UPND),” he said.
“I must confess that I failed to practice the culture of being hostile to government and hence my pronouncement in September last year, to work with government for the development of Livingstone but this provoked a lot of insults and animosity from UPND members,” he said.
“I have refused to be an MP who is like clouds without rain and strongly believe an MP should think, talk and dream development,” he said.
Reverend Sikwela said he could not be a party to this attitude as an MP needed resources from the government of the day and as such needed to work closely with them.
“I have refused to be an MP who is like clouds without rain and strongly believe an MP should think, talk and dream development,” he said.
He also advised the UPND to desist from the ‘bantustan syndrome’ and dependence on its strongholds and instead concentrate on rebranding and repositioning itself if it expected to have national representation.
Reverend Sikwela said this could be achieved if advisers surrounding UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema built him up by being sincere with him.
After resigning from politics Reverend Sikwela went on to serve in the PF Government as permanent secretary in various ministries, a post he held till his death.
As far as reasons for resignation go, this was a good one. Another soul lost to covid.
A very painful death from a man of integrity who was not afraid to call out the tribalism in upnd. A principled man. RIP you great man. I will miss our chats pa WhatsApp where we shared powerful business ideas.
Tiyende pamodzi continues.
21 days ipiteko fast, otherwise bazatitengela na ba Mwine.
VERY SAD INDEED AS ALL DEATH ARE
BUT BRINGING POLITICS INTO IT IS SICKENING
AND AS FOR THE I D 1 O T SHARING IDEAS WHAT NONSENSE HE HAS NONE !!
PAID TO BLOG WHAT A PROFFESSION
I remember him with his unique grey hair…very smart and distinguished MHSRIP
What treatment was he receiving at Maina Soko? Just tell us he died of covid-19…why hide if you really want people to take this virus seriously? Alot of venerable people and elderly are dying…these are the people who should have qualified for the handful of vaccines donated. Up to now this govt under this inept leader Edgar have not procured any vaccines with its own money.
Where is Lazy Lungu? Let’s check where the Gulfstream Jet or Challenger flew to in the past 7 days
Tarino why wish covid on a friend. You are useless
Computer…..- Maina Soko is a covid-19 treatment centre…stop this stigma of hiding it. There is no shame in stating that covid-19 was the culprit….I too was grounded by the virus around this time last year.
Rest in Eternal Peace Ba Reverend HOWARD SIKWELA, you fought the Good Fight, Finished the Race and kept the Faith. 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
You were very Humble and Highly Dedicated to the work of The LORD. I will always remember your Preaching at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium during the 2014 JUBILEE Celebration and the BIG Sunday Fellowship at Peoples Church in Itawa Ndola.
Your Labour in The LORD is not in Vain. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 58
May The GOD of Mercy and Compassion Who knows how to Comfort us in all our troubles, comfort our Nation during this trying moment
Mhsrip
Instead of reporting on what caused his death; how old was he and what family he left behind, they are busy talking about his resignation from UPND as if that’s what caused his death… what mediocre! What a country!
Let’s tell Zambians what our leaders are dying from as this will make them feel corvid
Is real.Otherwise they take is as flu and make
Them not take it seriously.
Pf out
We want change
I have known Howard for years. He was a very humble man indeed. He was a teacher by profession. He was a Headmaster at Choma Secondary School and then Principal at David Livingstone Teachers College of Education before he joined politics. I met him when he was studying theology at Kansenshi Theological college in Ndola. The past two weeks have seen the demise of many prominent Zambians, Dr Kaunda, Irene Mambilima, Friday Ndlovu and Ephraim Mateyo. What has hit Zambia all of a sudden? Corona virus! Are the politicians to blame for ignoring social distancing? Or is it something we have no control over?
Rest in Peace Howard.
A very sad development indeed, while reading I nearly forgot about the death due to too much reporting on his departure from the opposition UPND. However, it is of no point politicising his death. May Jehovah grant the family some solace in these terrible hard time. MHSRIP
UPND shoud be a “national political party” and we should support it as much as possible, but we should resist a leader that espouses tribal politics. I like HH for having risen as a leader, but my question mark arises from his inability to quickily stem the tribal instinct of human beings including himself. Simply replacing his deputies from diferent tribes is not enough. What HH should have done if he was not a tribalistic and egocentric leader was to go all out with all resources at his disposal to not only speak but act as a non tribalistic leader. This, he has lamentably failed and in many instances cost him votes. The notion that he has lost because he is Tonga is a very very lame duck excuse a lot of us love HH as a Zambian but the tribal inclination works like a repellant…
… The notion that he has lost because he is Tonga is a very very lame duck excuse a lot of us love HH as a Zambian but the tribal inclination works like a repellant. The economy does not have to be bad to be voted into power. Micheal Sata (HSRIP) won when the economy of Zambia was very strong. If HH had done his homework and learnt from his own character he would not be so desperate for presidence because people would have long chosen him, his character is his worst deterent to plot one.
@MacGyver,you are the only person that has said anything tangible regarding our late brother Reverend Sikwela. Everyone else is just making noise.I thank you for your sincerity.May our brother and friend in Reverend Sikwela and others that have died in the past few weeks and days rest in peace.As for anyone wanting to ask about their causes of death, as africans much as we have learnt information technology, we still respect our traditions. Start with asking how your parents and family died before you ask others. Maina Soko is a military hospital not only attending to COVID-19 patients,but others. It has always been there since Dr Kaunda had it built. If we are going to politicize everything, just wait until it death comes knocking on your own doorsteps. Lets mourn everyone in peace…
Covid is here accept it, you can pray to god until the cows come home but god will not save you, washing your hands, wear a mask, social distance and stay away from large gathering will save you, along with getting the vaccine when available.
There is a standard obituary presentation that is now lost in Zambia reporting. Simply here is what typically works: what caused death, what was going on in the person’s life, what years they survived, and who has survived them. Is this too much to do?