Premature celebrations over Kabimba’s political demise
Fear, confusion, and uncertainty are more congenial to the mood in the Patriotic Front party. The Geoffrey Mwamba, Given Lubinda, and Chishimba Kambwili’s premature victory dance on Kabimba’s political grave could come back to haunt them because none of them know who Michael Chilufya Sata is. Having met him in the recent past, they hardly understand his mind so well as to foreknow for sure his predilection.
These three myopic men, like many in the hierarchy of the PF, do not know why Sata is surrounded by so much secrecy and intrigue. They know him simply as the epitome of hardnosed grassroots politics, and as their current savior. They, for instance, do not know the deep-rooted and convoluted relationship between him and Kabimba. They do not know the emotional stress and pain that raged in him on that fateful day when he succumbed to parting ways with his alter ego.
It can be stated that on August 28, 2014, the recuperating Sata was dragged into a dilemma against his will, a decision thrust upon him, which he could not fend off as his mind had not recovered its steadiness. Upon his return from Israel on July 4, 2014, he was under pressure from intimate bedfellows to fire Kabimba whose presidential ambitions were over the top. On that fateful day, although Sata assented to the idea, he could not bring himself to believe that he had disowned a man who for years had been the scaffold of his calamities.
When Mwamba, Lubinda, Kambwili, and other anti-Kabimba cadres around the country began to publicly wriggle their waists in celebration, Sata uncharacteristically cautioned them. He did not want anyone to discuss the Kabimba dismissal. It took those with remarkable prescient to instantly read the tea leaves in the cup. They sensed something amiss, more so when he appointed Edgar Lungu as concierge of the Patriotic Front party and vanguard of the two ministerial portfolios of Justice and Defense.
Kabimba’s exit
Kabimba, fully aware Sata chartered his course, chose a more tempered exit. He calmly retreated to his farm. As Sata’s prodigy and an inducted member of the Sata cartel, he was thoroughly convinced that Sata acted under duress. A list of his foes ran through his mind—Mulenga Sata, Alexander Chikwanda, Edgar Lungu…
As he drove his tractor, at times with fury, his mind was inundated in a plethora of questions. He did not understand how a man from whom he had learned to be insidious and perfidious, and who had recently abled him to enjoy privilege by appointing him Acting President at the most critical moment of his health, had failed to defend him.
It was during this period of seclusion that a feeling stole upon him that he was not alone; that he was still basking in the adulation of loyal cadres, sympathizers, and aficionados within the PF like Geoffrey Chumbwe, Goodson Banda, and Kennedy Kamba, and most importantly, from a member of the cartel, proprietor of The Post and “Michael’s” nightmare, Fred M’membe.
The cartel on which M’membe’s life depended had suffered a severe blow. There was a lot at stake—ZK14 billion owed to the Development Bank of Zambia; more than ZK8 billion (unrebased) owed to ZRA; business malpractices and various pending court cases and lawsuits. A petrified M’membe had no choice but to become Kabimba’s chief propagandist. It was the only rat hole left for him and his newspaper.
Resurrecting Kabimba
During ploughing intervals Kabimba took time to read The Post and relished in M’membe’s lionization of him. On August 29, 2014, M’membe decried that the sacking of Kabimba was “the culmination of a long and sustained campaign of lies, malice and all sorts of propaganda against him. It is a continuation of the campaign that we saw last year being waged against him by well-known elements.” Here he was referring to the so-called “Bemba clique.”
While hypocritically praising and portraying “Michael” as a good man, he launched scathing attacks. On August 31, 2014, he wrote: “And if Wynter was not loyal to Michael, who was, who is? Can it be the people who just a few weeks ago were going round, saying Michael is not coming back alive from Israel and were politically repositioning themselves to take over…There are many things we can say on this score. But for the sake of Michael, we will keep quiet, we will leave things here.”
In a fraught effort to resurrect Kabimba, the brazen and unscrupulous M’membe went even further as to apply “Watergate” clandestine tactics on Alexander Chikwanda that would lead to Zambia’s first phone tapping by a citizen on a cabinet minister. Fearing there were more “smoking guns,” Chikwanda turned yellow and let sleeping dogs lie.
Sataleaks
Sata was equally troubled. He too feared M’membe could hit him with damning revelations. A Sataleaks scandal was already brewing. Presidential confidential letters and memos were finding their way out of State House to M’membe and rolling into public view.
By keeping quiet over such matters, Sata continued to unveil his vulnerabilities. The anti-Kabimba faction that included Mwamba, Lubinda, Kambwili, and others expected Sata to immediately expel Kabimba from the party and put him under some sort of house arrest, pending investigations. They also hoped he would revoke his protection for Mmembe and make him answerable for his crimes. When this was not happening they began to see the full extent of Sata’s relationship with Kabimba and M’membe, and some like Kambwili could not bear the spectacle. In fact, it is this that has caused Kambwili to lose his mind and appoint himself de facto president.
Something else was emerging: The delay to appoint a Minister of Justice or Defense was tormenting people like Lubinda and Mwamba who are itching to bounce back. Why would the president award two ministerial posts to one man? Speculations began to fly around—he does not trust anyone anymore; he is suspicious of the Bemba clique; he has forgotten names of his Central Committee; he wants to bring Kabimba back; he is about to promote his son Mulenga to cabinet level, appoint him Minister of Defense so he can act president, and succeed him should he retire.
Grooming Mulenga Sata to take over presidency
Frank Hofmann (right) at Chrismar Hotel in Livingstone during the launch of a book titled 50 years of local government in
Zambia.
The Mulenga speculation must not be trashed. It is an adroit political move that could see him succeed his father before we realize it. Like fireflies, indications of Sata grooming his son are conspicuously flickering and attracting gullible prey in a colony where 80% of the population can be easily swayed. Mulenga himself is at work creating a suitable resume. Lately, he has moved from been a reclusive and introvert to a gregarious fellow, always engaging the PF crowd and behaving like the anointed one.
When the international media reported that his father had died in a New York hotel, he took upon himself to hold a press conference at the Civic Center and spoke like a head of state: “I wish to inform the nation and the world at large that His Excellency the President Michael Chilufya Sata is well in New York contrary to the online and international media reports insinuating that the president had been hospitalized.” By doing so, Mulenga had steamrolled over the Acting President Edgar Lungu whose duty it was to inform the nation.
Prior to that, Mulenga had flown to South Korea on a so-called business trip to “woo” Koreans to invest in Zambia. He did this without the knowledge of the Acting President Wynter Kabimba. It has become clear that during both the Lungu and Kabimba acting periods, Mulenga has disrespected and disregarded their roles, and laid bare his desperate desire to succeed his father.
Mulenga knows that a debilitating illness is weighing heavily on his father and causing him unsteady leadership. As of now, Sata has done more than leave a gaping hole in the leadership of his party and the country.
The party is embroiled in a crisis. Each day that passes, PF cadres are becoming more confused than committed to Sata. Some are sitting on the fence waiting to see which one among the lame ducks can stir them out of the quagmire. Mulenga is fully aware, and so is Kabimba, Scott, Kambwili, Mwamba, Lubinda and all those with presidential aspirations. In other words a free-for-all battle is raging.
Kabimba -the trigger that will detonate PF
In all this kerfuffle, Kabimba is the time bomb. In a party of egoistic, envious, vengeful, ambitious, violent, greedy, and fanatic people, Kabimba can cause havoc that is if he is not already. Among all the aspirants, he is the most strong-willed, imaginative, and opinionated. Even after being flushed out of office, he has remained a dedicated member of the party, simply by sheer of force of determination. Many within the PF, including those who ran on the street to celebrate his removal, are beginning to have second thoughts. His message to them sums it all up:
“Good morning comrades. Thank you for keeping in touch. I’ve been at the farm where I’m doing some work, and thought of sharing some pictures. I wish you a productive week ahead. God bless you.”
With these words the die is cast. Wynter Kabimba has crossed the Rubicon and is about to blast the PF party into splinters. As evidenced by a recent fight among PF cadres in the presence of Edgar Lungu in Livingstone, Sata’s party has become a good target for bombardment. A disembodied hand has appeared and written on the PF wall the words, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.”
By Field Ruwe
Ruwe sir
I like the end of your article, the “Mene, Mene…” part. This is to say, the party has been weighed in the scales and found wanting, and their days are numbered. However, your pointing to the fact that 80% of the country can easily be swayed by demagoguery and sheer skulduggery is what is likely to keep the PF boat afloat in the foreseeable future. On the overall, very good and entertaining choice of words and analysis.
Wynter is stack and knows that it was catastrophic to be fired he also knows that if he makes another mistake by choosing allies in public, that will be the end of him most probably.
You don’t kick a man who is down Field.
Thanks
I knew it!!
The first paragraph took me straight to Utopia.
I read half and wanted to confirm who the hell is risking his arrest, and I KNEW it ….. it is Field Ruwe at it again.
Even Kabimba himself can sure and beat hell out of Ruwe, because it all sounds like Kabimba is planning come-back with a militia.
Field Ruwe can continue hallucinating. We has stopped with the PF to talk about this chapter. It’s closed.
I totally disagree with Ruwe’s view on Kabimba. He seems not understand Sata very well. Sata is cunning. The more you do as he tells you, more he will plan to get rid of you because by then you know too much of his secrets. Kabimba is lucky that he is still alive and Sata is too sick. Thats why Mmembe praises Sata in fear.
Next on the chopping board is Kambwili. If he finishes this year he will be very lucky. Sata does not want people who try to do things on his behalf without his authority. If you really want to understand how he operates try and revisit his reign as MMD SG, the period in which he literally purged all his supposedly allies and got some sent to their graves early.
For now Kabimba is finished in PF. He will only gain some traction after PF loses elections in 2016.
Wynter will bounce back. The fake emails that were used to deceive Sata wont keep him out for long. I feel sorry for those that were publicly dancing after Wynter’s dismissal. He has handled it much much better than Lubinda did his.
@Wanzelu: Sata himself is not invincible. The more political enemies he creates for himself within PF the more vulnerable he becomes. That he has practically ignored the trio: GBM, Lubinda and Kambwili seems to suggest he is eying them with suspicion. Meanwhile, Kabimba still appears to be a wild card within PF. We can’t ignore the strong roots and ties he has with the president.
@Wanzelu: The circumstances under which Kabimba was fired remain invariably suspect.
Excellently written mate… i rarely take time to read full articles…
This is true Kabimba is a time bomb to PF and those cerebrating his firing will regret when the man will come back with a bang Go go Wynter me am behind you with Dr.Scott ,Inonge Wina, Sylvia Masebo, Wilbur Simusa,Chumbwe, Kamba, Munkombwe and most of the DCs are all behind you
There is profound truth in this commentary which will be brushed aside by PF fraternity until the bomb shell blasts them asunder.
Another unbelievable bunch of daft drivel from FIELD RUWE.
PLEASE leave Wynter Kabimba alone. Why is it that all i.d.i.o.t.s are so dull they can’t write anything without including Kabimba in it, even after he has left. LEAVE HIM REST ALONE. Where have you heard him scheming anything? Why don’t you concentrate on your naturally-born dull bemba cousins in government who are now openly fighting each other in public right in front of the acting president….PF is dead.
kabimba used to penetrate satas smelly bottom and guy scotts moist one with full force until it started bleeding; from what I hear he has now moved on to penetrating cows and buffaloes par-time in order to practice his stamina. evans mfula at evaduco reporting live from lusaka
Kabimba does not have followers he lost in his own village. Which province does he command. Anyone without support in Eastern, Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, Central, Coperbelt, and Lusaka provinces cannot be a president of Zambia.
Very entertaining and informative article Mr Ruwe. Your prediction will definately come to pass. Our God is great. Good will always triumph over evil. The PF is a self destructive robot which was created by a mad scientist called Sata.
The best that can happen to Zambia is for PF to self-destruct and just varnish from the scene, it’s an embarrassment. People in future should be very careful what they drag into state house.
This one; of the numerous of Field Ruwe’s contributions to the key question of who actually owns Zambia today is a Landmark Contribution. Please pay attention to Key word: Edgar Lungu is concierge; Kabimba chose a … tempered exit. Kabimba … Sata’s prodigy … member of Sata cartel. The rest of the key words are for political analysts to discern. What is for sure is that Ruwe has a substantive message in this one for all the fifteen political parties; at least for those who have ears.
Also, look at the political alert of Daily Nation. The two digested together gives you a lot strategic options if you were pro HH
It was stupid of GBM, Kambwili and Lubinda to start celebrating. You only celebrate if your enemy has been defeated and has surrendered. In this case Kabimba has not surrendered. Keeping quiet means strategising next move so that when you counter attack, your enemies are taken by surprise. Without Sata, Kabimba can out manourveir GBM, Kambwili and Lubinda. The tribal tag that was used was one of the tactics and Kabimba surely will come back.
Seriously, Field Ruwe, whom do you hope to entertain as you mix your natural observations with your imagination? Any normal person that is seriously analysing the current Zambian Political landscape will shelf your report as trash seeing that it mostly portrays that which is going round your blinkered brain. With you, I trully believe that there exist some educated c00ls in this world.
An article worth reflecting on.
You can only reflect on if Kabimba was popular in Northern, Luapula, Eastern, Central, Muchinga, Western, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces. But alas he is not popular.
@Njalamimba Musonda: It’s the essence of the article you may have missed. A cardinal issue being raised by the author is that, contrary to expectations, president Sata seems to have ignored GBM, Lubinda and Kambwili and piled ministerial positions on Lungu instead. So what standing do the dissident trio: GBM, Lubinda and Kambwili have?
A second issue worth reflecting is that the president may have been too sick and under duress when the decision to fire Kabimba was made. Thirdly that Kabimba could still be in good books with the president and the vice-president, Dr. Guy Scott. Anyone who wants to rule him out completely, may only to do so at his or her own peril.
am sure mmembe has been hit below the belt. This kabimba issue has exposed mmembe’s lack of judgement, reasoning, tact, wisdom,intellect
There will be a blizzard in PF; and it will be freezing cold when Wynter returns.
He can bounce back but is he popular enuf to win presidency with some unpopular but viable policies PF has embake on? It will be another UPND. mutesa,magande ,kabimba and HH are in the same basked good leaders but difkot to sell.Think about Lubinda or mutati
“Was equally troubled…” my foot. How can the entire President be troubled by a yapping fool like M’membe? The way to treat a yapping fool is to let them yap until they get tired, just like uncle Lex has done.
It may be easy to dismiss Field’s analysis as fanciful especially if one is a hare brained simpleton in the mould of Kambwili and most other PF demagogues. Easy but unwise. In a party full of persons with the minds of toads, M’membe, Kabimba et al constituted the brains trust of the PF which has now been lost leaving the likes of Kambwili and Nsanda, political midgets not capable of sustaining a political fight against a seasoned formation. For all his faults, Mmembe is a seasoned political fighter who even now while on the floor is daily hammering and undermining them while they watch. Even their ‘heavyweight’ Chikwanda is scared to take Mmembe on directly preferring to dodge blows and running for cover instead of fighting back the onslaught he is facing daily from the Post.
For sure, Mmmembe cannot be taken lightly. Only those who were able to read a news paper prior to the defeat of KK would know where Mmembe has come from. He is a formidable opponent thus the reason Sata is queit. The Battle is not yet over for the soul of PF. Kabimba just like his mentor Sata are cunning individuals and you are yet to see their flip side.
Good People; Please think and reflect:
Sakala’s yester Political Alert in the Daily Nation draws attention to the land grabbing issue and we know that a draft legislation is on the table for this session of Parliament.
We also know that when the keeper of the Castle is incapacitated; you have a situation of Macbeths; whose preoccupation is TO BE OR NOT TO BE. Power hates a vacuum; but we have one now
A terror he was among them and a terror he remains. Thanks to a louse celebration they pre-maturely staged, an empty casket their poll bearers carried and a fake funeral that never took place. It’s only in PF that one still finds such dark and dirt pre-historic politics.
Luxurious writing style. It ebbs and flows, winding along its course taking time to sweep across pebbles on shallow paths.
If he sent this to a publisher with a proposal of a political Novel, he would definitely get the book deal with a generous advance cheque.
Sadly, as a real life political observation, it has too many personal observations and not too objective. I am left non the wiser on the real status of Kabimba, BUT nice pics!
Kabimba is real smart to walk away and stay silent. A sinking ship will sink regardless.
Kabimba’s silence could be the key to his strength.
IT’S AMAZING HOW FIELD RUWE CAN WRITE SUCH A LONG ARTICLE WITHOUT MENTIONING HOW AND WHO SAT ON THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION FOR HIS BENEFIT. ANYONE WHO’S GONNA WRITE ABOUT WYNTER SURELY WILL WRITE ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION IN CONNECTION WITH WYNTER. RUWE, CLEVERLY, (but in a f00lish way) CHOSE TO IGNORE THIS FACT. ANYWAY, RUWE HAS TO WRITE MANY ARTICLES IF HE IS ON A PhD RESEARCH PROGRAM AND THE ONLY FREE COUNTRY HE CAN WRITE ABOUT THOUGH HE IS ONLY A ZAMBIAN BY MARRIAGE IS ZAMBIA. NOT EVEN CAN HE WRITE ABOUT MALAWI OR THE STATES. ZAMBIANS CELEBRATED ALL OVER ZAMBIA. HE SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN WHY IT WAS SO, TOO.
Well spoken. This sounds true. God bless Zambia
I still fail to see the purpose of writing all this. Is it kabimba writing or is someone helping us see your dislike of these three; Mwamba, Lubinda, Kambwili
Mushota, you dim twit; you miss the concept of Field Ruwe s message, he is not putting down Kabimba, but simply saying that Kabimba has the power to destroy the PF; Kanshi; what grade did you reach?
Very interesting!
And who did you say were your sources?