A rude shock awaits opposition MMD leader Nevers Mumba as the National Executive Committee is strategizing his early exit from the party, expelled national secretary Richard Kachingwe has disclosed.

Reacting to Dr Mumba’s statement that his expulsion was part of the rebranding process of the MMD, Maj Kachingwe said worse things awaited Dr Mumba in the party.

“My expulsion is part of his destructive moves and not part of his rebranding, like he claims,” Maj Kachingwe said.

Maj Kachingwe accused Dr Mumba of causing serious divisions in the party, which the NEC should raise to the occasion of defending the party’s Constitution.

“The NEC is not happy with the way he (Dr Mumba) has hijacked the party, and I will fight him until he goes. I have reliable information that the real NEC is working and planning his eventual exit, I am in touch with NEC members and I know what is happening,” Maj Kachingwe said.

Maj Kachingwe said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that time was now for the MMD’s NEC to take decisive steps and get rid of Dr Mumba before it was too late.

Maj Kachingwe said Dr Mumba used his nominated NEC members to force his exit and wondered how NEC chairperson was failing to take a strong stance and guard the opposition from collapsing further.

“I am disappointed with the manner the NEC has failed to come out and condemn what is happening in the party and it is failing the party because they have to come out and condemn Dr Mumba. Whatever happens, if the NEC doesn’t take decisive steps to address this issue, they will not be forgiven by the general membership,” he said.

He added that Dr Mumba had failed to avoid the collapse of his two parties namely, the Reformed Party and National Christian Coalition, and questioned the leadership that he would bring to the MMD.

“I have stood firm against Dr Mumba and he knows it, I stopped him engaging in early campaigns for 2016 and I told him, he was not going to re-contest the position at the next party convention, I told him and as national secretary I had a duty to protect the party from infiltrators and that is what Nevers Mumba is, an infiltrator and a destructive person, look at what he has done in his two previous parties.

“I know people will say that, why did we allow things to go this far. I can only say that, at the time Dr Mumba came to the MMD, he was from the Foreign Service and we assumed as a former envoy, he would be a person of credibility and would not con his way into the MMD, but this assumption was wrong,” Maj Kachingwe said.

He added that the rebranding the MMD leader was embarking on was not yielding any positive results but aimed at being destructive.

“He wanted to bring the Zambia Shall be Saved slogan in the party, but we refused and told him that, we were not his flock,” he said.

He reiterated that Dr Mumba was surrounded by church pastors that were issuing orders on the running of the party and “they are the ones controlling the kite’s movements”.

“He is surrounded by pastors that are issuing instructions that is how things have seriously gone wrong. Nevers Mumba is just like a kite, and other people are controlling the strings, they are issuing instructions to party organs, if he challenges I’ll damage him,” he said.

[Times of Zambia]

MMD President Nevers Mumba remains defiant and he is in high spirits after spending a night in detention at Kitwe’s Nkana East Police Station, his aide has revealed.

The opposition leader was arrested late Monday afternoon after paying a courtesy call on Chief Nkana at this palace.Dr. Mumba along with four MMD MP’s was scheduled to pay another courtesy call on Chieftainess Shimukunani when police officers intercepted them on their way back from Kalulushi and ordered that they drive back to Kitwe for questioning.

The four MP’s include Howard Kunda (Muchinga) Anne Chungu (Lufwanyama), James Kashiba (Kafulafula) and Mike Katambo (Masaiti).They were detained for allegedly committing unlawful assembly.

[pullquote]They are using every trick in the dictators manual to kill democracy and Zambians must stand up and say no[/pullquote]

In an interview Tuesday morning outside Nkana East Police Station, Dr. Mumba’s aide Raphael Nakachinda said the opposition leader remains in high spirit despite the detention.

“He knows that this is the price that he has to pay on behalf of all Zambians and he has taken it well in his stride. We are here at the police station still waiting for further instructions as to whether we are proceeding to court or not.”

Nakachinda however denounced the dictatorial tendencies that President Sata’s government is using to silence the opposition.

“They are using every trick in the dictators manual to kill democracy and Zambians must stand up and say no,” Nakachinda said.

Bank of Zambia (BOZ) has now joined the bandwagon of institutions demanding money from former ruling party, Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). BOZ is seeking to recover over K4 billion which the former ruling party owes.

The Central Bank has on numerous occasions written to the MMD demanding the settlement of a total K4, 044,049,420 but the former ruling party has not responded to the demand.

This is according to a letter obtained by the Times of Zambia dated October 18, 2011, by BoZ Assistant Director – Regulatory Policy and Liquidation Norbert Mumba and addressed to the MMD National Secretary.

The BoZ is demanding for the K4, 044,049,420 owed to it in respect of MMD and MOPED Investments Limited, Commerce Bank Zambia Limited (CBL) and Meridien BIAO Bank Zambia Limited (MBBZ) both in liquidation.

“We write to demand settlement of outstanding debt owed by your party amounting to K4 billion. The breakdown is as follows, MBBZ K 2,801,150,684.93, Moped Investment Limited debt (MBBZ) K 798,348,493.15, CBL K444, 550,242.37,” the later read.

[pullquote]The BoZ is demanding for the K4, 044,049,420 owed to it in respect of MMD and MOPED Investments Limited, Commerce Bank Zambia Limited (CBL) and Meridien BIAO Bank Zambia Limited (MBBZ) both in liquidation.[/pullquote]

The letter was also copied to the Deputy Governor Operations, Director Bank Supervision, Liquidation Coordinator-Meridien BIAO Bank Zambia Limited and Liquidation Coordinator-Commerce Bank Zambia Limited.

The letter further stated that the MMD needed to make a prompt settlement of the debts and that it could call on Mr Mumba the BoZ official.

“You are no doubt aware that the Bank of Zambia and the former Liquidation Managers have on several occasions written and contacted your party seeking settlement of the debt but to no avail,” official correspondence between the BoZ and MMD further read.

But MMD vice president in charge of politics Michael Kaingu said he was not in receipt of the demand letter and charged that the Government wanted to ensure that the former ruling party was wiped out.

It was not clear whether the MMD would settle the over K4 billion debt as it had struggled to pay K400 million it owed the Registrar of Societies. It had so far only paid K300 million towards the debt.

Last week, the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) filed a law suit demanding the payment of over K90 million for failure to refurbish its former headquarters at the NAPSA Lusaka House.

The party had since been given a seven-day ultimatum in which to settle the outstanding amount.

[Times of Zambia]

Former Works and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti has promised to provide stiff opposition to the ruling Patriotic Front once his political party which is in the offing is finally launched.

Mr Mulongoti said that his party will strive to keep the PF Government in check by providing the necessary checks and balances on behalf the Zambian people.

He said that the same way the PF kept the MMD in check when they were in the opposition will be the same way his party conduct opposition politics.

He said that his party will not spare the PF government but will question every dubious deals government engages.

Mr Mulongoti added that the PF has failed to govern the country, and has challenged them to tell the Zambian people what they have done since taking over government last year.

He was speaking on MUVI TV’s the Assignment.

QFM