President Edgar Lungu says he will not hesitate to dismiss underperforming ambassadors and high commissioners representing Zambia in other countries.
President Lungu says he has observed with concern that some diplomats were not equal to the task of serving and representing the country in foreign missions where they have been accredited.
He says he is still monitoring the ambassadors and was not in a hurry to remove them due to cost implications involved in recalling them.
The President was speaking at State House in Lusaka today when he swore in Winnie Chibesakunda and Walubita Imakando as ambassadors to the People’s Republic of China and the Federation Republic of Malaysia respectively.
President Lungu also swore in Joseph Mukupa as Chief Analyst for Project Implementation and Monitoring.
Mr. Lungu has since challenged the new diplomats to apply their qualifications and vast diplomatic experience which they gained as career civil servants in the foreign missions in order for the country to benefit from the bilateral relations it has with the countries they are accredited to.
President Lungu said he had taken time to appoint the two diplomats and was convinced that they will ably represent the country and vindicate his choice from his detractors.
He pointed out that China had become a scramble for diplomats and hoped that Zambia will benefit from the bilateral relations.
Mr. Lungu noted that Malaysia had turned around its economy and advanced in information and technology and hoped that Zambia will draw lessons from the Far East country.
President Lungu has meanwhile urged Mr. Mukupa to emulate Mr. Lucky Mulusa’s work culture in ensuring that projects are implemented per schedule and according to quality standards.
Mr. Lungu said it was sad that Zambians have a propensity of not taking an interest in the implementation of projects until at the last minute when things have gone wrong.
He said Mr. Mulusa, who is his Special Assistant for Project Monitoring and Implementation, has been working alone but tirelessly monitoring the implementation of developmental projects across the country.
President Lungu told Mr Mukupa that he had joined the state house family of hard working people who are not bound by time in the discharge of their duties.
And Ambassador Chibesakunda said she will strive to reinvigorate business linkages and joint ventures for Zambian businesses with Chinese companies.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Imakando said he will work towards ensuring that Zambia learns from Malaysia’s prudent economic management, natural resource value addition and investment in information, communication and technology.
There is nothing new Edgar is saying. We have always known that most of the diplomats were appointed on nepotism basis but so are many Permanent secretaries, Chief executives on parastals and senior govt officials. I wonder id Lungu has enough time before the next general election to rectify this problem….by the way Miles Sampa is more qualified to be Minister of Commerce than that lady with a fake accent Margaret Mwanakatwe…perhaps Lungu should start bt fixing this anomaly
Congratulations bo Walubita and Natala. How I wish one of you was JUST replacing this Mwamba chap. Kansi, why do politicians protect themselves like that? On a more serious note, I personally get very WORRIED when the President can continue to protect people like this Mwamba. He may have campaigned for you sir but if he is unclean as reported in the Watchdog, you owe it to the Zambian people to fight corruption and grime. You are the No. 1 anti-corruption officer sir!!! When you allow such people as Emmanuel Mwamba and PF SG Chama to get away without firm disciplining, Oooh, what can little Mrs Wandi at ACC or Stella at ZP do? Please, please.
Why do we have the same names
these chibeskunda are everythwre and in every government ever formed in zambia, just like the lewanikas, the mwanakatwes, etc. are we forming a bourgeoisie ruling class sure. we have had it with these chibesakundas!!!
We will do a boko haram on you all. Drag your arses in the streets while macheting you and your families. we wont have mercy on your kids because you didnt have mercy on our kids while you kept appeasing yourselves with appointments of the same people/families in your governments. mwanya!!!!
when did it ever become expensive to fire someone for incompetence? What kind of excuse is that? Where you sober when you said it?
You are destroying our country with such practises.
And your appointments are questionable.
“President Edgar Lungu says he will not hesitate to dismiss underperforming ambassadors and high commissioners representing Zambia in other countries…
He says he is still monitoring the ambassadors and was not in a hurry to remove them due to cost implications involved in recalling them.”
sounds contradictory in the same speech
He won’t fire anyone because it’s expensive. But its very silly to issue a threat you can’t execute.
You didn’t expect much, did you really? For him it this looks like he is doing good work.
In political appointments, you just hear the same names: Chibesakunda, Mwanakatwe, etc.
Winnie Chibesakunda is Winnie Ntala a tonga and seasoned diplomat walubita is Lozi so what Bemba are you mouthing on about?
Mr. Saulos, Its unfortunate that you see “bemba” in my comment even when it is not there. Learn to comment appropriately, that is if you are capable of doing so. My comment was about same names (not tribes, as you are prejudiced) in political appointments. It is the same famous names irrespective of tribe.
But how can Edna Chilungu fire any diplomat or indeed any minister for under performing when he himself is more useless than them.
Edgar Lungu is the most useless president to have ever been in state house of Zambia.
Sata cannot be beaten for the title of most useless!
He failed to do even ONE of his 90 day promises.
He bankrupted the country.
He never even gave a press conference.
That is a hard record to beat!
It seems he Kachasu Man loves that woman in suit more than he loves is wife.
The consequences of having a prostitute for a president.
All you f00ls above me go hug a transformer….you are very bitter..always insulting and complaining as if uv achieved anything. Your bitterness can surely light up an off zesco transformer. You just wait for the name Lungu for you to start whining.
Lets be real people
@1.Are u sure miles sampa is more qualified than mwanakatwe?miles does not hold a masters like her,miles has attended some programs at havard univ,and leadership seminars in uk.be in mind that the two courses are mere seminars and didnt meet the credit requirement of Havard bsc.but for the her its not earsy to the head of bankclays.one thing for sure she is not a politician but a leader.
It’s a misnomer to compare Miles and Magret academically he is just an economist she is a chartered accountant and holds an MBA, she has headed the investment centre, been MD for Barclays held portfolio in Ghana and France Miles highest position was director treasury for a bank with a poor governance and regulation……
A kettle calling a pot black or is it the other way round, we better fire him NOW
We are waiting, they Re a lot of them, ambassadors who don’t perform, what is the point of mentioning them, if you cannot fire them, just wasting your energy and time bwana president.
Same old system and families ducking Zambia dry. These Kaunda, Chibesakunda, Mwanakatwe people are educated but feel entitled to ‘serve’ Zambia. Parasites.
You are right Mr president, a lot of ambassadors are not performing at all but just wasting tax payers money. There are few missions that we follow with interest because the are active, like Turkey, South Africa, Washington, Germany and France. These work for mother Zambia while others are on long term holiday.
What yardstick is used to ascertain a diplomat is doing his job? You have no standards, you do not train them to the standard of Vernon Mwangas and Mainza Chonas…you simply hand-pick silly cadres. Its up to the central government.
Its 2015 even mere PDA forms for Passports is unavailable for printout online, you have to ask relatives to post out from Zambia and as for UK embassy their lines are open from 9 to 16:00hrs what a relaxed schedule for UK standards.
Edgar is no position to give lectures the bum was simply hand-picked by the corrupt elite when old man Sata passed away.
Point of order directed to the president! Here in the UK, please fire all these diplomats who just came to warm their chairs and not even engage with the community in any way. It’s so embarrassing to notice the absence of Zambian official at events where other African countries send representatives to support and engage with their community… Fire the entire lot and bring in those interesting in engaging and representing Zambia effectively… Please take note
Lungu aina! State House must be recommend for making sure he eats as he drinks!
Reading this article one can not tell whether Edgar was drunk…the man’s mindset is so warped and myopic that its not funny; he would have an incompetent person in the UK and will not fire him because of the cost implications…what folly. Its no wonder we have recklessness and bloated cabinet by these empty tins.
it does not make sense at all, he calls the family at State House hard working when they is nothing tangible to show for …only their bank balances and personal worth ie expanding property portfolio, as for his lazy self he is happy to go globetrotting.
What have we done; we have put a visionless reckless bum in State House…I just hope no other Eurobond is issued under his presidency, he is clueless and does not inspire confidence…no leadership qualities.
I am not PF but I must commend President Lungu for broadening the spectrum of appointment of Ambassadors; during Sata’s time we saw this being restricted to folks from one particular region.
I know of one already, mr edgar. Go to our embassy in sweden. Absolute dead wood.
I wonder why u complain that they are not performing. What do u expect when u send clueless and empty headed cadres and relatives as ambassadors? You dont need to blow out in public about how useless many of your diplomats are, just fire them. But can u? Some of them helped u to rig the elections in yo favour like Emmanuel mwamba.
MR PRESIDENT WHILE YOU ARE BUSY PARADING YOUR PUPPETS AND MAKING STATEMENTS THAT MEAN NOTHING IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, WE HAVE A MOJOR CRISIS GOING ON AT CBU AND YOU ARE QUIET ABOUT THAT. PLEASE ADDRESS THE NATION ON WHAT YOU ARE DOING ON THIS ISSUE. WE DONT CARE ABOUT WHO YOU CHOOSE TO REWARD WITH THESE DIPLOMATIC PORTFOLIOS THAT WILL NOT HELP THE POOR PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA ESPECIALLY NOT THE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AT CBU AND THEIR FAMILIES. STOP THIS SHOWMANSHIP AND FACEBOOK PICTURE PRESIDENCY AND TELL THE NATION WHAT YOU ARE DOING ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT MATTER
well said mr BILLY MUPASHA KAPINGA.
Do these people being appointed have actual skills and education for the job? I see the name Chibesakunda and does that not raise alarm? The diplomat in Namibia is Sata’s niece who has not completed grade 12. Edgar Lungu should not fool people because this will come and nip him in the behind. Why not hire UNZA graduates with a real degree who have learnt the current education which will benefit the economy. You have people who are old ministers with 1970’s education when the world is changing everyday. People in their 60 and 70’s should retire than hold on to power and are hindering succession of bringing young and innovative students with fresh bright minds. This is what is killing Zambia and we need to move past that. Old folks can’t run a successful economy like fresh graduates.
Congratulations to Mr. Imakando, I have worked with him and he’s an exceptional diplomat, very professional and has undisputed integrity. Winnie also deserves the appointment. The other man I’m not sure, never heard of him before!