The government says it considers the controversial presidential jet, the Gulfstream as a crime scene because Zambians lost millions of dollars in its procurement.

And Government has confirmed that President Hakainde Hichilema hired a private jet to attend this week’s SADC Troika summit in Namibia.

Ministry of Information Spokesperson Thabo Kawana vowed that president Hichilema will never use the Gulfstream as long as he remains Head of State.

Mr. Kawana said as far as the new dawn administration is concerned, the Gulfstream is a crime scene and that President Hichilema will never touch it.

“That Gulfstream is a crime scene and the President will never ever get close to it. Through that crime, Zambians lost millions of dollars and this is the reason we have insisted that it should be sold and proceeds returned to the Zambian people through the Treasury,” Mr Kawana said.

He was speaking on Thursday morning when he featured on Hot FM’s Hot Seat radio programme.

The Ministry of Information Spokesperson confidently revealed that there will be some arrests of key individuals connected to the procurement of the Gulfstream this month.

“We are in February, right? You will see what will happen this month, there shall be some major arrests happening this month over the same thing,” he stated.

Mr Kawana also revealed that government hired a private jet to enable President Hichilema attend a SADC Troika summit in Windhoek, Namibia.
“Yes something was paid but I don’t have the exact details,” Mr Kawana said.

He said the private jet was hired because the Presidential Challenger was in service in South Africa.

Mr. Kawana explained that the hired private jet was procured from the same entity that was servicing the Presidential Challenger.

He explained that President Hichilema had to charter a jet to get into Namibia and enable him to return to Lusaka on the same.

“Presidential travel is complex and very detailed but when you hire, the cost is reduced by far and this was a day trip so it was cost effective.”

Raphael Nakachinda says there are presidential aspirants in PF who are playing it double and hoping that they will be chosen as President Hakainde Hichilema’s running mate in 2026, amid assertions that he is not seeing eye-to-eye with Vice-President Mutale Nalumango.

And Nakachinda said he cannot work with President Hichilema because of his tribal stance of wanting to work with people from his region and his tribal cousins.

Nakachinda also said those who may want to dismiss former president Edgar Lungu for the presidency are doing so at their own peril as they do not know what the view of the Zambian people will be going forward.

Speaking with Lusaka Times news, Nakachinda said some people in PF have already compromised with President Hichilema.

“Some of the people within PF have already compromised with Mr Hakainde Hichilema. There are people who are calculating thinking that madam Nalumango because they have differed with Mr Hakainde Hichilema and they are not singing from the same hymn book he will get rid of her in 2026 and therefore he will be looking for a replacement,” Nakachinda said. “And because people are thinking from a tribal perspective they are assuming that madam Nalumango will be replaced by another Bemba. And to that effect they are actually blinding themselves or deceiving themselves to think that they would be better favoured if they can make enough noise in opposition as somebody from the North to replace madam Nalumango.”

He said he was telling “my brothers and sisters from the North” not to cheat themselves in that direction, adding that those eyeing the position were across the opposition board, with some having formed parties and even criticising President Hichilema but basically playing reverse psychology and hoping that they could put pressure on the President to call them for a discussion.

“Zooming from where I am seated I can tell those who are pushing an agenda hoping that in this situation, it’s a win, win situation. If PF doesn’t succeed in reorganizing itself and remain united they can launder themselves to UPND,” Nakachinda said. “That type of politics is dangerous. What we need right now in the country and this we must all unite to achieve, including you journalists, is to have people who are committed to an organization because they believe in the ideology of that organization and when they oppose they should not oppose from an opportunistic point of view. They should oppose because they don’t believe in the policies of those they are opposing.”

Nakachinda said he does not believe in the ideologies of President Hichilema, “even when he is my brother”, saying he did not agree with him taking a softer spot towards gay rights as that in itself was enough to say no.

“Two, I do not agree with Hakainde Hichilema because of his tribal stance which clearly suggests that he is more inclined towards working only with people that come from either his tribe or his tribal cousins. That I do not agree. And that I knew about him not now that he is President. I knew about him even when he was in opposition,”Nakachinda said. “What we need as a country are human beings, politicians who believe in a specific cause they are pushing not this opportunism that is taking place. I cannot discount the fact that there could be members of Patriotic Front, presidential candidates in Patriotic Front who are basically being opportunistic in their approach to campaigns.”

Nakachinda said the country was now in a place of uncertainty, saying the recent reduced load shedding was manipulated on account of the foreign dignitaries who were coming into the country, saying President Hichilema did not want to portray reality in order to push a narrative suggesting that he is a savior and therefore everything was okay.

He said President Hichilema has taken a dangerous route of aligning himself with the west against the non-aligned position which gave the country latitude to be friends of everybody, saying the President is stuck and has been made to spit in China’s face by the west.

Nakachinda said that was why debt renegotiation was proving challenging, saying China became the most lucrative destination for getting infrastructure support in terms of financing with their outlook towards being helpful towards the development of other countries.

Nakachinda said President Hichilema, however, bought into the western story.

“And because he was desperate to become president at all cost he laundered himself, committed himself to silly things like the so-called human rights. He laundered himself and committed himself to silly policies that favour the interests of the west. For example he committed himself that he will accept the legalization of gay rights, lesbian rights and all these things,” Nakachinda said. “He also committed himself that he will distance Zambia from China without realizing that we are in an era where the economic super power, including militarily is shifting from the west led by the US to the east led by China.”

He said all the sufferings Zambians were facing was because of the IMF conditionalities and that was why President Hichilema “was sweating in community house.”

Asked if there was opportunity for president Lungu to come in, Nakachinda said it was not the position of PF to start toasting individuals as they have a record while in government.

He said it would be important for PF members to listen to what every Zambian is saying, saying “we are not going to choose a leader for Patriotic Front because he is a favourite of PF cadres. No! A leader must be chosen because he is a favourite of the general populace of Zambia.”

He said if for example, President Lungu was not favoured by Zambians to lead the party the “highly respected president” will be advised as such.

“But I also want to put a rider under the circumstance where we have had also situations in other countries where the populace and the Zambian people, because we are a democracy, the populace demand that no, we need an experienced hand to deal with the disaster we are in, you and me have no choice but to succumb to what the people of Zambia are saying,” said Nakachinda. “So to that effect anybody that wants to propel president Lungu will be doing it basically out of selfish interest. But again those that may want to dismiss president Lungu will be doing it at their own peril because we don’t know yet what the Zambian peoples view and where they will settle will be as we go forward.”

Opposition Economic and Equity Party (EEP) President Chilufya Tayali has expressed his relief after being released from detention on Police Bond as he awaits court appearance.

Police in Lusaka last week on Friday January 29, 2023 arrested Mr. Tayali for the offence of Hate Speech Contrary to Section 65 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crime Act No.2 of 2021.

Mr. Tayali, 48, of House Number 38 Ngwezi Road in Roma Township, Lusaka was on Wednesday released on Police Bond awaiting court appearance.

According to Zambia Police Service Deputy Public Relations Officer Danny Mwale, Mr Tayali’s arrest was in connection with the recent remarks he allegedly made and posted on various social media platforms where he mentioned some traditional Chiefs and some Commanders from the Defence and Security wings between January 1and 29, 2023.

Commenting on his release, Mr. Tayali said the experience in Police cells is painful and torturous regardless of how many times one has been arrested in the past.

He thanked people that advocated his release from Police detention among them Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe and PF Presidential aspirant Brian Mundubile.

“No matter how many times you have been in cells, the experience is painful and torturous, so when you come back home you feel so relieved. I am grateful to all of you who stood with me, I appreciate every comment and article written for me or indeed anything you did for me. I am exceedingly beholden to all those that braved the long distance and traffic to come and see me in cells at Westwood police station, 40Km from Force Headquarters where I was arrested. Brian Mundubile you define friendship and loyalty as it should be, you are never too big or busy to drive to wherever I am locked up. You have done this not only for me but others, as well, which shows natural leadership in you. Fred M’membe Bakalamba I am highly indebted for continuous support for justice in our Country. You have spent almost your whole life on this. I am also grateful for your compassion as well as generosity to people facing injustice. Thanks for your presence,” Mr. Tayali stated in a facebook post.

“Apostle Kunda, you are my anchor in my journey, to uplift me spiritually and physically when I find myself in difficulties. When many people are scared to come near, especially those spiritual fathers and friends, you defy the odds and come to see me. To my daughters and their only man Andy, I am grateful for always running to my aid and ensuring I am okay regardless of wherever they take me. To my wife, thank you for your support albeit your antipathy to politics, but you do it for me. I am highly indebted to you. To my lawyers, I am sincerely obliged; you fight for me inside and outside the court. I know that today you were also in court battling it out for me in the assault case which has been adjourned to 20th March,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tayali has promised to address President Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday night.

“To the police, I expressed myself to some of you directly and I will not bring it here. I also promised to keep engaging so that we have an understanding, because one day will certainly be in a position to make your life better instead of making things worse. I don’t want bitterness. To those in Government, particularly President Hakainde Hichilema, I will address you tomorrow at 20:00 HOURS,” he said.

Mr. Tayali was last November detained by Police for four days on charges of bringing the name of President Hakainde Hichilema into disrepute.

He had been arrested earlier in April and May 2022 on assorted number of charges.

Socialist President Dr Fred M’membe has issued yesterday issued a statement on his Facebook page addressing the ongoing debates surrounding tribal politics in Zambia. In the statement, Dr M’membe sheds light on the accusations being made against Mr Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND over tribalism and the recent debates around the issue.

Dr M’membe points out that the reason for these accusations could be the promises made by Mr Hichilema and the UPND to have a tribal and regionally balanced and representative government.

However, as Dr M’membe notes, critics are now asking whether what they are seeing aligns with what they were promised. He goes on to list key positions in the government and key state institutions, including the judiciary and key government ministries, and highlights that the Tonga and Lozi tribes appear to be heavily represented, with very little or no meaningful participation from the rest of the tribes in the country.

Critics are questioning the representation in key positions of the government and justice system in Zambia. The President, Vice-President, Speaker, Chief Justice, Acting President of the Constitutional Court, Attorney General, Solicitor General, and Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission are either Tonga or Lozi, with very limited participation from other ethnic groups. The same pattern can be seen in the key government ministries, with Tonga and Lozi holding the majority of the positions.

The situation is even more pronounced in the defence and security agencies, where there is a lack of representation from the East and North regions, despite promises of a balanced representation from the political leadership. The Electoral Commission of Zambia also reflects this trend, with the chairperson and vice-person being Lozi and the remaining commissioners being Tonga, Lozi, and Lunda, with no one from the East or North.

Critics argue that this concentration of power in the hands of just a few ethnic groups undermines the diversity and fairness of the country’s institutions and justice system. They are calling for a more equitable distribution of key positions across all regions and ethnic groups in order to ensure a balanced representation and a just society.

Dr M’membe also raises concerns over the representation of tribes in key defense and security agencies, pointing out that there is no one from the East or North in these positions, which is not in line with the political leadership’s promise to keep the tribal and regional balance. Similarly, Dr M’membe raises concerns about the lack of representation from the East or North in the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

As Dr M’membe notes, these concerns are being raised, but the response has been to label those raising them as tribalists and divisive elements, and to prosecute or persecute them on charges of tribal hatred. He states that this is putting the multiparty political dispensation back in the spotlight, as the concern is no longer about the lack of political pluralism or diversity but about the hijacking of the political processes by tribal politics.

Dr M’membe notes that the challenge to the multiparty political dispensation is not the prevalence of ethnic diversity but the use of identity politics to promote narrow tribal interests. He argues that the African experience over the past six decades has shown the dangers of ethnic competition and underscores the importance of building nations around ideas rather than clan identities.

Dr M’membe points out that in the absence of efforts to build genuine political parties with clear ideologies that compete on the basis of ideas, tribal identities have become the foundation for political competition. He argues that leaders are often exploiting tribal loyalty to advance personal gain, parochial interests, patronage, and cronyism.
Dr M’membe argues that tribal practices are occupying a vacuum created by the lack of strong multiparty democratic institutions and that political parties are unable to find common ground through coherent party manifestos and ideological positions. He notes that many members of the political parties often don’t even know that their parties have manifestos, which are only issued just before the elections as much of the effort goes into regional manoeuvring and building tribal alliances.

Dr M’membe notes that tribal politicians are clever and calculating, quick to dress in the latest fashion and co-opt emerging trends to preserve their identities. He argues that their sole mission is self-preservation, with the side effect of subverting multiparty democratic evolution.

The way forward, according to Dr M’membe, lies in concerted efforts to build modern political parties founded on strong ideological foundations, clear development ideas, and not tribal bonds. He argues that political parties must base their competition for power on ideological and development platforms and that defining party platforms will need to be supported by the search for ideas, not the appeal to tribal coalitions.

Dr M’membe concludes by stating that political parties that create genuine ideological and development platforms will launch initiatives that reflect popular needs, while those that rely on manipulating ethnic alliances will bring sectarian animosity into government business by appointing people from their tribes and allied ethnicities to key government positions.