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A parallel church umbrella body known as the Apostolic Prophetic Network (APN) has been formed and launched in Lusaka.
Founding president Dan Pule said the vision of the network was to speak on and partner in matters of national affairs.
Dr. Pule said the APN will among other things provide apostolic supervision, counsel, fellowship and networking to all churches from both local and international.
He has since called on churches, religious ministries, individuals, business and national leaders to join the network in order to promote Christian values in national affairs.
He said this at the launch of the APN at Dunamis Ministries in Lusaka today.
The formation of APN adds to the already existing church mother bodies in Zambia.
These are the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ).
Meanwhile, Dr. Pule has said although the country has experienced growth in all sectors of the economy, there was still need to provide quality leadership, mentoring and networking in all the areas so that they can be fully sustained.
He further said the church has also experienced growth as a result of new emerging churches, ministries and leaders that had a greater zeal of fulfilling God’s given mandate of evangelising the gospel.
The APN executive comprise of Dr. Pule as its founding president, Prophet Israel Chelelwa as the first vice president, Bishop Alick Mbewe as second vice president and Bishop Edward Mbaso and Bishop Andrew Nyoni as Directors.
File: Some women marching during the international women’s day in Lusaka-2009
Flashback – March 1997
A couple of weeks before March 8th 1997 the international women’s day, several women were angered by some letters published in local newspapers. The authors of the letters were men. They charged that women could, and would never, capably take supreme authority over men. The authors argued that women, especially those in Zambia, will always have to depend on men to succeed in whatever goals they hoped to achieve. The chain reaction that followed saw some men agreeing with the argument while many women regarded this as one of the major reasons why women were perpetually down-trodden.
On March 8, the argument grew more intense as some women turned against each other.On that day, thousands of women in various parts of the country organised marches to commemorate the day with general calls for equal opportunities.Many of them cast aside their political differences and walked side-by-side in the quest to talk with one voice to prove that what women were demanding went beyond the artificial barriers of politics.
In Lusaka, the march was crowned by a speech by Nakatindi Wina, the chairperson of the women’s affairs committee in the ruling MMD party. She said the occasion was important to remind people of the continued fight by women for equal rights, international peace and social progress. Some women also called on government to declare the day an annual national holiday.
Edith’s Nawakwi’s response to marching on Womens Day
But, not all women saw the need to mark the occasion by marching on the streets or to be addressed by some dignitary or other. Thousands of other women were either ignorant of the occasion or chose to ignore it by going about their daily business. These included street venders, women who crush stones on road sides and women who do the cooking in makeshift restaurants. So it could be said that the women taking part in the marches were the more enlightened ones.However, among the enlightened women who chose to keep away from the occasion was Zambia’s only woman cabinet minister, Edith Nawakwi. She chose to spend the day working on a farm. Nawakwi, who was Agriculture, Food and Fisheries minister, condemned the tendency of women to mark women’s day by marching in the streets rather than working. She contended that “Zambia lags behind in development because of such attitudes, by not finding a positive manner in which to mark the day.”
[pullquote]For many women, however, political positions are not the issue. All they care about is being able to raise enough money to buy food for their children and to send them to school. [/pullquote] Nawakwi was a guest at a Field Day organised by 65 women engaged in agriculture production who chose to celebrate the day by demonstrating what they were capable of achieving in the field.Nawakwi’s condemnation of the march drew a sharp reaction from Wina and other women. Wina referred to on Nawakwi’s remarks as “indiscipline” and said she would table the issue before a national executive committee meeting of the MMD, to which both belonged . But, Nawakwi’s remarks also drew support from other women, who said that she was right in calling for a new perspective by women in commemorating their day.
Such bitter differences among Zambian women are not new. In 1995, Zambian women were split on similar lines when they differed over how to present their case and on who was to lead their delegation to the Beijing Women’s Conference.Zambia ended up having two delegations, each travelling separately with its own agenda. Against this background, and two years on, the one point all women seem to agree on is that the status of women has not improved.
As Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) committee secretary Judith Chomba said, poverty and unemployment had risen while economic and political power is still concentrated among men.The 150-seat Zambian parliament has only 13 women, with Nawakwi the only minister. And, although virtually all political parties proclaimed in their manifestos that they would strive to enhance the status of the woman, this was not reflected in practical terms.
What women really want
In the previous November’s parliamentary elections,the MMD fielded no more than 20 female candidates. The highest figure was fielded by the Zambia Democratic Congress with 25.For many women, however, political positions are not the issue. All they care about is being able to raise enough money to buy food for their children and to send them to school. It is the inability of some of their husbands to support their respective families, that has forced many of them into such jobs as stone-crushing and the street vending of foods. And, despite AIDS and the renewed efforts of the police to curb prostitution, for some women, this has become the solution to their money needs.
The then Deputy Minister of Health, Professor Nkandu Luo, believed that despite the harsh economic climate, women could still find a “decent” way in which to earn a living, and that women should be seen to be helping their fellow women.Professor Luo, Zambia’s first female professor of medicine, is a founder of a prostitute’s rehabilitation centre.Organisations like the Women’s Lobby Group, contend that one of the solutions for inequality is ensuring that girls are given the best of opportunities and incentives for being in school. Girls’ pass marks in government schools are lower than those of boys, as a deliberate government policy to ensure that more girls advance in school and eventually get into college or university.Some principals of privately-owned schools, however, argue that setting lower pass marks for girls could eventually work against the same people in the future because they would be advancing through the stages without being fully prepared for an independent and competitive life.Others, however, argue that more should be done for the female pupil saying that government should also protect girls from early marriage.
In rural areas,many girls are married before the age of 16.For women like Cecilia Makota, however, the solution lies in farming. She noted that most women in the rural areas of Zambia are already engaged in farming and that this is what should be enhanced to improve their status. She contended that mere talk or “walking the street in marches” would not draw the support and sympathy of the government. Ms Makota, a successful farmer and business woman, says that if women are seen to be making personal efforts to succeed, government or foreign support would be easier to source.Cultural barriers have also been identified as a major drawback in efforts to enhance the status of the Zambian women. In virtually all Zambian tribes, the woman must be submissive to the man. This often means that the woman does not have much, if any, say on issues like the number of children a couple is to have. Organisations like the Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ)has been lobbying government to pass a law that would limit a couple’s number of children to four. The effort has so far drawn a minimal response. Zambian women have evidently identified areas they would like to tackle in an effort to bridge the gap between themselves and the men. In some cases they have also offered steps that could be taken in getting solutions. In many cases, however, implementation of the proposals has been slow. And now, given what could be seen as this problem of differences amongst themselves, some men could just take advantage and reiterate that women will always need the guidance of men to achieve any goal.
The Zambian High Commission in South Africa has accused some sections of the international media of embarking on a systematic attempt to paint a bad image of Zambia.
Press Secretary at the Zambian High Commission in Pretoria Patson Chilemba contended that there seems to be an attempt to paint a negative image of Zambia by some international media.
In a letter sent out to the Business Day newspaper in response to an article published on March 12 headlined “Incoherent policy will undermine Zambia”, Mr. Chilemba pleaded with the newspaper to uphold the tenets of fairness, truthfulness and objectivity, which he said are some of the important hallmarks of journalism.
He said the newspaper alleged that there is growing political intolerance and impressions are that President Michael Sata’s government does not have a coherent development policy, which will undermine the country’s investment credentials and economic growth.
Mr. Chilemba also recounted that the newspaper alleged that there is a sustained assault on opposition leaders and the seizure of several private businesses sold to foreign investors by the previous administration which has raised questions about Mr Sata’s commitment to the rule of law and protection of investments.
He said the newspaper further stated that over the past several months, Mr Sata’s government has taken control of Zamtel, Zambia Railways, Finance Bank and the Collum coal mine.
“In our press statement sent to your staff reporter we gave various reasons for this. However, it seems our response to those cardinal issues has been ignored so that an impression could be sustained that the Zambian government was unilaterally seizing private businesses sold to foreign investors by the previous government,” he stated.
He continued: “The fact that the Zambian government, under the leadership of Mr Sata, managed to secure $750m via a eurobond — which was oversubscribed 24 times — is a sign of confidence in the administration.”
Mr. Chilemba added: “You mention that the Zambian economy will expand by 7.3% this year, from 6.9% last year, driven largely by demand from China. It is also worth noting that the economy is expected to expand mainly because of the sound economic policies of the Zambian government and the expected foreign direct investment into the country.”
He said: “Apart from raising issues in the article in question, you also published an opinion (Reversing Zambia’s democratic gains, February 22) in which you accused our president of stepping back from the democratic ideals.
While we appreciate your freedom to free expression and to cover events in Zambia, we plead with you to uphold the tenets of fairness, truthfulness and objectivity, which are some of the important hallmarks of journalism.”
The hotel, catering, tourism and allied workers union of Zambia (HCTAWUZ) has cried foul over the preparations to host the forth-coming United Nations World Tourism Organisation conference in Livingstone.
The union says that there is need to see tangible preparations in the tourist city as the country draws close to co-hosting the event with Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls town in August this year.HCTAWUZ Secretary General Michelo Chizyuka is worried that the bed capacity in Livingstone remains the same and has not increased for a long period of time.
He said this in an interview with ZANIS in Livingstone last week.
Mr Chizyuka wondered where the money for the preparations had gone and what it has been used for as works on the ground cannot be seen with only a few months to go before the hosting of the global event.
[pullquote]The only thing we have seen is that permanent secretaries have been touring and their tours have had no results or impact[/pullquote] “We want to see tangible preparations, I have been away but each time I come back I don’t see the impact of the preparations being talked about and the roads are still in a bad state as though the town is not preparing for the UNWTO general assembly,” he said.
He has bemoaned the lack of the union involvement in the preparations saying it should have at least 50 per cent involvement in the preparations of the conference.Mr Chizyuka said that the union feels sidelined by both national and local organising committees.
“The union is supposed to be part of this issue, 50 percent is our take in the preparations, we are able to pass on the basics that the tourists expect,” he said.
He claimed that the media reports were misleading the people as they were portraying that Livingstone is fully prepared to host the prestigious UNWTO when in fact not. He said that the biggest problem was the lack of coordination for the preparations noting that the UNWTO should have been the stepping stone for the development of tourism for Livingstone.
“The only thing we have seen is that permanent secretaries have been touring and their tours have had no results or impact,” he said.
[ZANIS]
Patriotic Front (PF) Southern Province youth chairperson Peter Msoni has died in Mazabuka a traffic road accident.
Both Southern Province Commissioner of Police Charity Katanga and Mazabuka District Commissioner Eugene Munyama confirmed the development in separate interviews.
Mr Munyama said Mr Msoni died yesterday (Monday) morning between 08 hours and 09 hours after his vehicle hit a pothole and overturned around Nyati Milling in Mazabuka as he was driving to Lusaka.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Mr Munyama said the Government and the ruling party was saddened over the loss of the provincial youth chairperson.
“We are extremely saddened as Government and PF to lose an energetic young man in the name of Mr Msoni.
What happened was that he was driving to Lusaka alone in his vehicle yesterday morning. He died after his vehicle hit a pothole and overturned,” Mr Munyama said.
He said the body of the late Mr Msoni was taken to Mazabuka Mortuary awaiting burial arrangements.
The late Mr Msoni, who was staying in Mazabuka, was part of the PF campaign team during the just ended Livingstone parliamentary by-election which was won by Lawrence Evans.
The Patriotic Front in Northern Province has sought the intervention of party secretary general Wynter Kabimba to resolve the alleged standoff between local party officials and Defense Minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba.
Party officials in Mr Mwamba’s constituency Kasama Central and other district and provincial officials yesterday held a media briefing were they accused Mr Mwamba of neglecting his constituency and refusing to work with established party structures.
PF provincial secretary Everest Chella who chaired the media briefing also produced correspondence written on December 12, 2012 by party officials addressed to Mr Mwamba inviting him for tête-à-tête.
But Mr Chella said Mr Mwamba ignored the said letter and did not respond to the invitation.
He said the inability by Mr Mwamba to meet constituency and party officials had derailed continuous party mobilisation.
And according to the letter sent to Mr Kabimba, party mobilisation in Kasama Central needed to be done in close collaboration with the area MP (Mr Mwamba) who had shown unwillingness to participate in party programmes.
“Sir we know that the MP receives constituency allowance and has transport that could be part of the mobility solutions that we are faced with in party mobilisation in our area. Honourable G. B Mwamba has in short decided to dump his constituency after he was elected.
“It is for this reason, that we wish to petition our party secretariat to help us resolve the impasse,” the letter read in part.
The letter authored by Constituency officials and copied to among other Mr Mwamba himself, the provincial executive committee extended another invitation to Mr Mwamba “to find time in his busy schedule to visit the constituency” to rejuvenate party activities which had come to a standstill.
Mr Chella however, said the provincial executive committee’s duty was not to harangue any MP and the decision to petition Mr Kabimba was not based on vendetta.
When contacted for comment Mr Mwamba’s mobile phone went straight to voicemail while Mr Kabimba’s mobile was unavailable.
Efforts to give Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) a face lift are on course, chief executive officer Clive Chirwa has said.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Professor Chirwa said rehabilitation works at the firm were progressing well.
“The rehabilitation works are going on pretty well. There are just a few things to do,” he said.
Prof Chirwa, however, said it was unethical to disclose what was currently being done, but assured that the nation would know “very soon” once the process had been concluded.
Government recently released a US$120 million grant to ZRL to enable the firm to rehabilitate the railway network.
Prof Chirwa also said the rift between middle management and unionised workers which almost resulted in demonstrations last week had been addressed.
He said the matter was finalised last week on Friday, adding that middle management staff would be getting far much better perks than was the case where it was the opposite.
He, however, said he could not disclose the percentage involved now before engaging the board.
He said the ZRL workers’ conditions of service were going to be better than those that existed before Government took over ownership of Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ).
Meanwhile, Management and representatives of workers at the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) have met in Dar es Salaam for a consultative meeting.
The consultative meeting is aimed at mapping out a collective approach in view of the looming transformational changes.
The workers were represented by the Tanzania Railway Workers Union (TRAWU) representing TAZARA workers in Tanzania and the Workers Union of TAZARA (WUTAZ) representing the workers in Zambia.
The two unions met the Executive Management Committee of TAZARA at an extra-ordinary consultative meeting to confer on various directives by the Council of Ministers and Board of Directors.
This was disclosed in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today by the Head of Public Relations in Tanzania, Conrad Simuchile.
Mr. Simuchile disclosed that both parties acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of the two governments in their attempts to revive TAZARA and agreed that the call for change was timely, appropriate and in order.
He said the parties also resolved that it was necessary for management and the workers’representatives to undertake a line tour in the two regions to explain and sensitize all employees on the directives of the Board of Directors.
Mr. Simuchile said management and the two unions agreed that there was need for a complete change of mindset of employees who may not be aware of the introduction of performance-based contracts in the company which was a paradigm shift and a wake-up call requiring everyone to sit up.
“It is no longer business as usual, everybody has to sit up. Everybody must know that they either perform to expectation of the performance contracts or get out,”said the Acting Managing Director, Damas Ndumbaro in the same statement.
The statement further quotes Dr. Ndumbaro saying that the company will undergo remarkable changes as it was the desire of the shareholders to transform it into a catalyst of development in the region as was originally envisioned by the founders of TAZARA.
“So far, the two regional general managers for Tanzania and Zambia have been made to sign performance-based contracts and all managers are also in the process of signing the contracts. Therefore, we expect a change in the working culture because henceforth everyone has to be result-oriented. Whoever does not perform should either leave voluntarily or be forced out,” said Dr. Ndumbaro.
Dr. Ndumbaro added that the two Governments were serious as can be evidenced by the injection of huge amounts of working capital into the operations of TAZARA.
“What we are witnessing in the history of TAZARA is a precedence as never before has there been so much attention given to the affairs of TAZARA, so we need to reciprocate. We need to play our part by delivering to the expectations of the shareholders and the public in general,” said Dr. Ndumbaro.
The Acting Managing Director also announced the formation of the TAZARA Master Workers’ Council, a new organ in the governance structure of TAZARA.
Dr. Ndumbaro informed the workers’representatives that the formation of the Master Workers’ Council had been approved and the organ was also endorsed by the Council of Ministers, the highest policy organ of TAZARA.
VICE President Guy Scott confers with Indian High Commissioner to Zambia Ashok Kumar (left), Indian Business Council of Zambia (IBCZ) chairperson Ayyub Nagarseth (centre) and Gender and Child Development Minister Inonge Wina shortly before an IBCZ luncheon in Lusaka
Vice President Guy Scott has met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in India today and held a closed door meeting.
ZANIS reports that Dr. Scott, who arrived at the parliament house at about 16:00 hours Indian time today, was in the company of other African dignitaries who are also attending the ninth CII-EXIM BANK Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership which officially opened on March 17, 2013 in India.
The Vice President was given Indian police escort which combined efforts with their Zambian counterpart.
There was tight security at the entrance of the parliament house as the Vice President was being driven in the premises.
Journalists covering the Vice President were not allowed to enter the premises.
The journalists, who were looking forward to capture the Prime Minister’s official office, could not be given the opportunity to do so but ended up capturing only the outside of the building premises.
After half an hour, Dr. Scott and other African dignitaries left the parliament house.
The parliament house in India is located within the India Gate, that country’s famous tourist attraction because of the freedom fighters who were fighting for the independence of India during the Second World War in 1947.
It is estimated that 90, 000 soldiers died during the struggle.
It was built in 1932 as a memorial site for the soldiers who died for that country’s independence.
The parliament house in India, which is also called the Sansad Bhavan represents the seat of the two houses of that country’s legislature.
The two are Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, Dr. Scott held a one-to-one chat with his Ugandan counter Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi.
Some Kabwe Municipal Council (KMC) employees have raised concern over their unpaid salaries describing the situation as long overdue and demotivating.
The workers have not been paid their dues since January this year and are leaving in fear of eviction from landlords as well as not being able to settle their utility bills such as ZESCO and water.
“Apparently, most of us workers are living in rented houses and therefore, you can imagine the tension that is there between us and our landlords, seeing that we have paid neither the water and electricity bills nor the rentals.”
Speaking to ZANIS in a telephone interview, Kabwe Municipal Council Public Relations Manager Annie Mumba confirmed the development to ZANIS.
Ms. Mumba further confirmed that most council workers live in rented houses but have not paid their bills and rentals for the past two months owing to the late disbursement of salaries.
Meanwhile, efforts by ZANIS to get a comment from Kabwe Town Clerk, Mbaimbai Mukomambo, proved futile as he was not in his office by press time.
Fwayo Tembo has joined the Zambia camp in South Africa.
The 23-year-old striker from Romanian club Astra Giurgiu arrived at Zambia’s Johannesburg training camp on Sunday.
Fwayo returns to the fold for the first time since October, 2011 when he played for ex-Zambia coach Dario Bonetti.
Also in camp is defender Aaron Katebe of FC Platinum in Zimbabwe who has been recalled for the first time since August.
Also in camp are the seven home-based players who flew from Lusaka on Sunday.
They are Racha Kola, Roderick Kabwe, Fackson Kapumbu from Zanaco, the Power Dynamos trio of Kennedy Mudenda, Mukuka Mulenga and Joshua Titima plus Nchanga Rangers defender Bonwell Mwape.
They were accompanied by midfielder Isaac Chansa and the TP Mazembe duo of Stopilla Sunzu and Nathan Sinkala.
Southampton striker Emmanuel Mayuka and FC Porto reserves defender Emmanuel Mbola arrived on Monday bringing the total number of players in camp to 23.
Meanwhile, Captain and striker Christopher Katongo of Henan Jianye in China is due to arrive on Tuesday.
2013 CAF Champions League First Round, First Leg
16/03/2013
Chipolopolo deputy coach Honour Janza has predicted a tough game when Zambia face Lesotho in this weekend’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier away in Maseru.
Janza said Zambia, who set up camp in South Africa on Sunday, are wary of Lesotho ahead of the Group D fixture.
He said Chipolopolo must be focused as they prepare for this match.
Janza disclosed that the former African champions are targeting a good result in Maseru.
“It will be tough. No team shall give Zambia a chance to win. All the games will be tough,” he said.
“We have to remain focused as a team and the boys know what is at stake,” Janza added.
“All the time we look at getting good results, we have to ensure that we get positive results.”
Zambia leads Group D with six points while second placed Ghana have three points. Lesotho and Sudan sit on a point each.
A 22 month old baby has died after being electrocuted in Lusaka’s John Laing compound.
The incident happened when the mother left the baby alone in the house and went to buy some vegetables in the neighbourhood.
Police Public Relations Officer Elizabeth Kanjela disclosed this in a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
Ms. Kanjela said when the mother returned, she discovered that her child had stepped on a naked electric wire and was lying lifeless on the floor.
The incident occurred on yesterday at around 19:30 hours and police have since launched an investigation on the matter to try and ascertain if there was an element of negligence on the parent’s side.
The body of the deceased baby is lying in the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) mortuary awaiting post-mortem.
Former President Rupiah Banda will again appear for questioning tomorrow after a joint team of investigators failed to conclude their work today.
A relaxed Mr. Banda emerged from the DEC Headquarters under tight security around 13:37 after a three and half hour grilling by the investigators from the ACC, DEC and the Zambia Police.
Mr Banda was flanked by some MMD senior officials including MMD leader Nevers Mumba who was allowed to accompany the former Head of State inside the DEC offices for questioning.
And in interviews with Journalists, Mr. Banda appealed to MMD cadres to be calm.
Mr Banda also emphasized in a brief address to his sympathizers on the need for Zambia to remain peaceful and united.
“May I ask you to please, please remain calm. We have a duty and a responsibility to keep our country together and peacefully, even under provocation we must remain calm,” Mr. Banda said.
[pullquote]“This will give me chance to speak to the various authorities and as you know, we are going to go to court, this is going to be a prolonged affair and if necessary we don’t burn ourselves out. Please once again, may I say thank you and may God bless all of you.”[/pullquote]
“This will give me chance to speak to the various authorities and as you know, we are going to go to court, this is going to be a prolonged affair and if necessary we don’t burn ourselves out. Please once again, may I say thank you and may God bless all of you.”
Joint Government Investigative Team Spokesperson Namukolo Kasumpa told journalists that Mr. Banda’s questioning will continue tomorrow at 10 Hours.
Mrs Kasumpa also revealed that no charges had been laid on Mr. Banda as the investigations are still under way.
She however could not state if there will be any charges that will be placed against Mr. Banda.
And Mr. Banda’s lawyer Sakwiba Sikota refused to comment after his client was allowed to leave and appear again tomorrow.
Scores of MMD and UPND officials and their cadres surrounded the DEC Headquarters to give solidarity to the former President.
Former President Rupiah Banda has arrived for questioning at the Drug Enforcement Commission Headquarters.
Mr. Banda arrived in the company of his administrative assistant Mitakazo Wakumelo and several sympathizers at about 10:20 Hours.
MMD and UPND cadres sang songs of solidarity of the former Head of State.
Security is tight and the road leading to DEC offices has been sealed by armed police officers in riot gear.
Mr. Banda’s lawyer Sakwiba Sikota was the first to arrive at 10 Hours while MMD senior officials among Brian Chituwo, Kenneth Chipungu, Chembe Nyangu, Maxwell Mwale and Geoffrey Lungwangwa were denied entry into DEC offices.
And Mr. Sikota said President Michael Sata’s government is being vindictive by persecuting the former leader as part of an effort to weaken opposition parties by harassing and intimidating their leaders.
Mr. Sikota said there is a contradiction between the summons letter from the country’s anti-graft body and a statement to Parliament by Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba.
He said, “In their letter they said they want to invite Mr. Banda for interviews, in other words for purposes of investigation.
This seems to be quite different and in contradiction with what the Minister of Justice said in the house.” The Justice Minister said they had finished their investigation and that there were no further investigations to be done.”
Parliament last week lifted Banda’s immunity from criminal prosecution after the government urged the legislature to do so, claiming it will enable officials to investigate cases of corruption during the former president’s rule.
The removal of the immunity allows the government to prosecute Mr. Banda for financial impropriety he is alleged to have committed from 2008 to 2011.
File: President Sata serves lunch to former president Rupiah Banda at State House.
THE POLITICS OF PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY LIFTING IN ZAMBIA
On Tuesday, July 16th, 2002, the Zambian Parliament did what then was hailed a victory for people power, lifting late President Chiluba`s immunity. On Friday, March 15th, 2013, just over ten years after the fact, President Michael Sata`s Patriotic Front (PF) have lifted former President Rupiah Banda`s immunity.
There are very good reasons why former presidents should be prosecuted. The best reason is when there is provable evidence that they egregiously abused their office or they were involved in high level corruption, especially political corruption. This should, majority of the times, be accompanied by evidence that such alleged abuse of power or high level corruption be linked directly to the obtaining poverty levels of the people on the ground. Lifting of presidential immunity, in the absence of economic benefit to the people, becomes both a political gimmick to lure the people away from the failures of the incumbency and a ruse for political blame game.
Has Zambia become a better country democratically and economically after lifting Late Presidents Chiluba’s Immunity?
The fundamental test of any immunity, in the case of Zambia for example, is whether from the first immunity lifting of late President Chiluba Zambia has become a better country democratically or economically. In democratic arrangements, immunity lifting must be undertaken against a clearly established evidentiary corpus, and not based on baseless allegations alone. Failure to deduce evidence pursuant to which a motion may be laid for immunity lifting, a ferocious precedent is set which would render the nation`s constitution a non-robust, political document or a weapon against which mild dictatorships may ingratiate themselves into full-blown demagogues.
[pullquote]If Zambia continues to be ruled by such mediocre leaders, the future of this great nation is in danger.[/pullquote]
Zambia is not the most corrupt nation in Africa, and despite that fact, Zambia is the only country to lift the immunity of two of its presidents in the 21st Century world of nations. The shame of it all is that this happens despite the guarantees of article 43 (3) of its constitution.
There is no denying for Zambia that the incumbents have lifted former presidents` immunities in bad faith. Any argument to the contrary must be weighed under the magnifying glass of reasonableness, as well as under the truth of the resultant experience. The lifting of the Chiluba immunity, for example, did not benefit the nation in anyway. On the other hand, it enriched commissioners and task-forces created to investigate and prosecute the alleged perpetrators. The Zambian people still remained disillusioned and poor. The argument oft-advanced by proponents of immunity-lifting is that it serves as a deterrence to would-be perpetrators. However, if that thesis was efficacious, today, Michael Sata would not be calling the shorts on his predecessor, Rupiah Banda. If immunity-lifting, indeed, serves as deterrence, and even as a just determinant of future administrations, in Zambia, it is a complete failure.
There are three reasons why the lifting of former President Banda`s immunity is inimical to Zambia`s future and current political nuance.
It was unwarranted. Unless the PF is hiding details from the public, the immunity clause should only be removed for serious offence, usually repeated offences the president committed while in power. If allegations are only trivial, then no president in the world is safe, because by its nature, the presidency is a high risky office.There is hitherto no evidence to suggest that Banda indeed abused the instruments of national governance. If the PF argues that Banda`s campaign money were stolen moneys, then the PF should also be to blame. Under the mantra of Donchi Kubeba, the PF encouraged its supporters to accept the so-called kickbucks alleged handed out by the MMD. The morality of such behaviour anywhere does acquiescent the PF to be blamed. Moreover, even under the Chiluba immunity, Sata himself was shielded from blame even when for the balance of Chiluba`s rule Sata benefitted from all the alleged corruption proceeds; Michael Sata was MMD`s CEO and chief executive mastermind. And if the PF had a case, they would themselves follow solidly-led legal protocols in the lifting of the immunity. In this case, a motion tabled in parliament lasted barely a day to pass, and that against well-designed legislative conventions. This, in itself, is a bad precedent for Michael Sata – it opens doors for his own immunity being lifted and prosecuted for this omission in future!
Such immunity lifting is a mark of cowardice on the part of the PF government. Since he came to power, Michael Sata has demonstrated in no uncertain terms that he is leading Zambia into autocracy. Within less than two years in power, he has isolated the opposition, bribed them with ministerial or semi-ministerial positions, and imprisoned two of the leading opposition leaders. While he is busy dealing a dearth blow to our young democracy, the economy is still lagging and instead of “more money” into their pockets, the people now have “no money” into their pockets. Zambia is not better than it was under Banda a year and few months ago.
[pullquote]The best we have built in Zambia may be getting destroyed before our own eyes[/pullquote]Such lifting of immunity is a ploy to dodge from being answerable to the people on economic or democratic dealings of the PF. It robs the nation of the needed opportunity to access the PF governance on merit. It defeats the social and political ethos of national solidarity and engenders a dangerous precedent to future regimes.
Since independence from Great Britain in 1964, Zambia has only been ruled by four presidents; Michael Sata is the fifth. There is need to emphasize that Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia`s first president built the nation`s structures. Second president, Frederick Chiluba, built the democratic foundation upon which Zambia thrives today. Third Republican President, Levy Mwanawasa, introduced to Zambia a multifaceted approach to tackling corruption. Rupiah Banda, fourth president of Zambia, consolidated Zambia`s economic gains. And the fifth president, Michael Sata, within the shortest period of his presidency, is erasing all the pluses Zambia has won across the years. The precedent he is setting is both injurious and inimical to his own legacy; what would preclude adjoining regimes from removing his own immunity and prosecuting him for all the undemocratic tendencies he has iced on the Zambian decaying cake!
I submit that Zambians must awake and demand that this government rule according to the rule of law, not to the rule of a man; Michael Sata. I further submit that immunity lifting on our two presidents has ceased to be “historic”; it has become “barbaric”. We are prying to the ferocity of political machination rather than to reason and facts on the ground. If Zambia continues to be ruled by such mediocre leaders, the future of this great nation is in danger. The democracy and peace we have thus enjoyed may be a thing of the past. We must guard against hero-worship of leaders like Michael Sata and speak out loudly with all the authority our constitution has accorded us. We should not bask in the shadows of the ruling machine; Zambia is the people who choose governments. If the people must desire, they can change the government in power at an earliest election. The best we have built in Zambia may be getting destroyed before our own eyes. Where is a new generation of Zambians who should stand up to those currently dragging our beloved nation into a nation of fear and intimidation? Where is a breed of Zambian leaders who will stand up for democracy, and win?
By Charles Mwewa Author: King Cobra Has Struck: My Letter to President Michael C. Sata [2012]
