THE FATHER OF THE NATION
Kenneth Kaunda was the first president of Zambia. He was born on 28 April 1924 at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali. (In what was then Northern Rhodesia.) He was the youngest of eight children. His father was a minister and teacher who had left Malawi in 1904 and his mother was the first African woman to teach in colonial Zambia. Initially, the young Kaunda followed in his mother’s footsteps, becoming boarding master and then headmaster at Lubwa Mission from 1943 to 1945. He worked at Salisbury (which is now Harare), at the ‘Salisbury Bindura Mines’. In 1948 became a teacher in Mufulira, for the United Missions to the Copperbelt. But he soon began to show an active interest in politics. In 1949 he returned to Lubwa to become a part-time teacher, but resigned in 1951 and became Organising Secretary for Northern Rhodesia of the: ‘Northern Rhodesian African National Congress.’ In 1953 he moved to Lusaka, to take up the post of Secretary General. In 1958, Kaunda broke from the organisation and formed the Zambian Africa National Congress (ZANC). In 1959, Kaunda broke away from the ANC and formed his own party, the Zambian National Congress (ZANC). ZANC was banned in March 1959 and in June, Kaunda was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, which he spent first in Lusaka then in Harare. Kaunda was released in 1960 and elected president of the United National Independence Party, the successor to ZANC. He organised a civil disobedience campaign in Northern Province, the so called Cha-cha-cha campaign, which consisted of burning schools and blocking roads. Kaunda started playing a continental role in 1963 when he became President of the Pan-African Freedom movement for East, Central and Southern Africa. In 1964 he was appointed Prime Minister and, later the same year, became the first President of independent Zambia. In 1966, the University of Zambia was opened in Lusaka and Kaunda was appointed Chancellor. He extended his influence to the global level after Zambia’s independence, serving as chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity from 1970 to 1971 and from 1987 to 1988. A great friend of the South African liberation struggle, he was close to veterans of the liberation movement such as Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chris Hani and others. He maintained his support for the liberation movements despite Pretoria’s policy aimed at destabilisation of governments in the region. In the 1980s he focused chiefly on Zambia’s huge foreign debt. He allowed several African liberation organisations, including ZAPU and ZANU of Rhodesia and the African National Congress, to set up Headquarters in Zambia. Kaunda left office when he was defeated by Frederick Chiluba in multi-party elections in 1991. He retired from politics after he was accused of involvement in a failed 1997 coup attempt. Since retiring he has been involved in various charities with much of his energy going into the fight against the spread of HIV/Aids – Kaunda lost a son to the disease. Kaunda received the 2007 Ubuntu Award. (The aim of the awards is to recognise organisations or individuals who have, through excellence, innovation, creativity, inventiveness, social responsibility or patriotism, distinguished themselves as true ambassadors of South Africa.) Since 1991, he has founded the Kenneth Kaunda Peace Foundation. They are dedicated to the establishment of peace and conflict resolution on the Continent. KK, as he is fondly known, now devotes his life in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. He has several Roads and a Municipality, named after him, in South Africa and Windhoek. The Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, in the capital city Lusaka, also pays tribute to Kenneth Kaunda. A Famous Quote by Him-“There was a real danger of attack; South Africa was training Zambian dissidents to destabilise the Zambian government and mounted a series of bomb attacks on ANC members in Lusaka. But President Kenneth Kaunda stood firm.”– Kevin Ritchie, Sunday Independent. A Quote by Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa-“There was a real danger of attack; South Africa was training Zambian dissidents to destabilise the Zambian government and mounted a series of bomb attacks on ANC members in Lusaka. But President Kenneth Kaunda stood firm.” He died on the 17th of June 2021, in a Military Hospital in Lusaka, at the age of 97 years old. He he was being treated for pneumonia.
THE DAPPER HEAD OF STATE
The pioneer of a democratic Legacy that usurped a 27-year rule by Zambia’s founding father and first republican president, Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda. Having risen from the commuter’s hustle as a bus conductor and the youthful plight of trade unionism where he was the chairperson of Zambia Congress for Trade Union, Dr. Frederick Titus Jacob Chiluba won the 1991 general elections by a 75% landslide having contested under the Movement for Multi Part Democracy (MMD), a party he had form and ending the rule of UNIP and making him the country’s second republican president. On the 2nd of November, he was sworn into office as president elect. No sooner had he assumed presidency than his quest for economic and political reform ensued. Barely a month in office, on the 29th of December, FTJ declared Zambia a Christian nation, a move that has since made him popular and considered, by certain sections of society, as the pillar of the Christian movement in Zambia. This declaration went on to characterize the preamble of the republican constitution and a key principle to the dispensation of matters relating to morality in the country. Despite this declaration, the constitution of the countrymaintained tolerance for the existence and free practice of other religious groups such that no one religion would appear superior to the others. He enacted a constitution that brought into practice multi party politics and enabled what was then a rare practice of press freedom. With these pertinent moves, the country’s democracy had been set to grow pending more reforms that would soon revolutionize the economy. His engagement with the institutions of Bretton woods opened the country to a free market economy, and fostered the privatization of state-owned enterprises that had proven to be inefficient due to the rule by the previous regime. However, his economic reforms were short lived as mismanagement and corruption had sky rocketed and the mishandling of 250 state-owned companies that were privatized, together, crippled the advances made. Furthermore, his press freedom grant had soon become questionable as prominent journalists as well as opposition party officials had become victims of arrests on trumped up charges. Eventually, what had started as a hopeful regime had become a rule many frowned to. In 1996, he was re-elected as republican President despite a lawsuit that questioned his eligibility for the presidency. The challenge was pursued by a number of candidates who contested the 1996 election where they claimed that he was born in Zaire. Prior to that election, Parliament introduced a parentage clause to the constitution that barred anyone with foreign parentage from contesting the presidency. This move has since been considered a ploy to prevent Kenneth Kaunda from contesting the presidency again, therefore, disqualifying him from the presidential race. This ploy went as far as an attempt to deport Kenneth Kaunda on grounds that he was a Malawian. However, this attempt failed as his citizenship was affirmed by the 2000 Supreme court case of Lewanika and Others vs. Chiluba. President Chiluba’s rule was without conflicts. A year after his re-election, he survived the infamous coup d’état attempt that was led by two Zambia Army Captains Jack Chiti and Steven Lungu is famously known as ‘Captain Solo’. His squadron of soldiers had, earlier that day, broken into an arms depot, assaulted some army officers and went on to seize the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), a state-owned broadcaster, where he announced that he had taken over the country and that he had dismissed the police and army chiefs and would give president Chiluba until 9 A.M to surrender or be killed. This attempted coup was short lived as he and 54 others were arrested 3 hours later by the special government. This was not the only coup attempt in Zambia. On 1 July of 1990, a Zambia army Lieutenant Mwamba Luchembe, announced on national radio that the military had taken over the affairs of the state due to the riots that had taken place which saw the death of 27 people. Having been, himself, against third party re-election, he attempted to contest the third time, but stepped down due to the opposition he received from other party aspirants who heavily criticized this attempt. President Chiluba was also known for his dapper dress code which later became a heavily debated topic during investigations for corruption allegations arising from the alleged, stolen $46 million in the Mwanawasa regime of 2007. In a London High court trial, the prosecution alleged that FTJ owned designer suits, shoes and customized neckties for his sartorial elegance which costed about $500,000 purchased from a single boutique Basile in Geneva. These cases caught the eye of international media and many international organizations saw it as a determinant for future cases involving corrupt African leaders. Then University of Zambia professor in the school of Law, professor Alfred Chanda said “Future presidents will have to take care, not to steal public funds. So I think that Is the important message being sent out that no matter how powerful you are, you are still accountable. At some point, you will no longer be in office and the long arm of the law will catch up with you.” Initiating pursuits was his own successor, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, whose stance on the fight against corruption led to the prosecution of Frederick Chiluba by appointing an anti-corruption task force targeting his predecessor. President Chiluba was acquitted of all charges in 2009 after a six-year trial which undoubtedly, was to be Africa’s landmark case against former heads of states had proven to be an anchor to the myriad of possibilities that await the fate of African leaders who were found wanting and was the hope the continent needed to set a precedence that would be the bedrock to the prosecution of former corrupt leaders. On the 18th of June, 2011, Emmanuel Mwamba, who, then, was President Chiluba’s spokesperson announced the passing of second republican president of Zambia after suffering from acute heart problems. He will forever be
A STORY OF INDELIBLE RESILIENCE
Zambia’s very own paragon of anti-corruption, so appalled by it that at ascension to power, he appointed an anti-corruption task force that investigated and prosecuted his predecessor. His entire reign was characterized by unmitigated effort to end the scourge of corruption and demonstrated true patriotism and observance of the rule of Law. This was, perhaps, because he read law at the country’s highest institution from 1970 to 1973 and later became an assistant at a law firm in Ndola in 1974. Born in Mufulira of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, on the 3rd of September, 1948, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa had his early education in the Copperbelt province of Zambia before qualifying into the school of law in1970 at the Lusaka based University of Zambia. He qualified for the Zambian bar in 1975 after which he formed Mwanawasa and Co. and served in private practice in 1978. His leadership prowess, later saw him rise to the ranks of Vice-chairperson of the Law Association of Zambia and later served as Solicitor General. During his legal practice in 1989, he defended Lieutenant General Christon Tembo and others in what was one of the biggest lawsuits of his career where the defendants were charged with plotting a coup against the president at the time, President Kenneth Kaunda. His record in the practice became a well known and respected name that many people got to know him. And in 1990 after the country reverted to multi party politics, Levy joined the new Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) party under Frederick Chiluba. He started out representing Ndola constituency as a member of parliament, after which he was appointed vice president and leader of national assembly. Barely a month in service, he was involved in a car accident in December of 1991 which took the life of his first aide and affected his speech. However, this did not impede his aspirations of leading his recovery saw him return to service as vice president. But in 1994, he resigned on grounds of sidelining by then president, Frederick Chiluba and returned to his law practice. He later went ahead to accuse the Chiluba led government of corruption and in 1996, Mwanawasa challenged Chiluba for party President which he unfortunately lost. His resilience saw him come back for the position after Chiluba’s attempt to contest for a third term failed, and in 2001, he was duly elected as president of the republic of Zambia and was sworn into office on the 2nd of January, 2002. After being sworn into office, one of his maiden influence was to have the immunity of his predecessor removed so as to face corruption charges in a series of law suits that lasted 6years. This step was one that had never been seen in African politics especially one where a successor had pursued his predecessor. The international community saw this move as a lesson to other African leaders to not lean so ardent to a position that would one day be taken from them where they would be exposed to similar corruption charges. Levy Mwanawasa anti-corruption campaign not only got former president probed, but it boosted investor confidence, together with his fiscal policies anchored by hiss then finance minister. This appealed to Western donors and attracted lots of foreign investment which resulted into economic growth and at the apex of this growth were minerals which drove said development. This lowered the country’s inflation rate and economic growth was at 6% per year. Tourism equally experienced a robust effect in respect to the migration of white farmers from Zimbabwe to Zambia. Zambia received a large amount of aid and debt relief thanks to Mwanawasa’s efforts to realize liberalization. Furthermore, despite the many squabbles that existed with his political opponents and those that criticized his health, in what he coined “national reconciliation,” he appointed opposition parliamentarians to his cabinet which included Dipak Patel of the FDD as minister of Trade, Commerce and Industry(after being quoted as having called Levy a “cabbage” by ,then, leading private newspaper, The Post) and Sylvia Masebo of the ZRP as Local Government minister. Other opposition members opposed this move and even threatened to file lawsuits for them. A rare set of attributes by African leaders. In 2006, he was re-elected, having beaten his closest rival Michael Chilufya Sata by a small margin, however, he experienced his first stroke in April of that year. This aroused talks about his ability to continue leading the country in his condition, but once more, his resilience saw him come back to continue serving the Zambian people. However, this condition would 2 years later, come back and claim his life. On the 19th of August, 2008, Vice-president and acting president, Mr. Rupiah Banda, announced that Levy Patrick Mwanawasa had passed on after suffering another stroke while attending a, African Union summit in Egypt where he was later evacuated to France. This was the very first time the country had lost a sitting president, and immediately, Rupiah Banda declared a 7-day national mourning which he later extended to 21 days. He left behind a wife, Maureen Mwanawasa who he was married to for 19 years and 7 children. His outstanding law practice earned him a honorary doctorate from the Harding University in the United states of America. In accepting this doctorate, Mwanawasa dedicated the degree to Zambian boys and girls who were still struggling to find their rightful position in society. An indication of how much he thought about his citizens back home, and perhaps the main reason why he tirelessly dedicated his life to better. A legacy of selflessness and dedication to curb what is perhaps Africa’s biggest problem in as far as political leadership is concerned, corruption. His endemic fight against corruption remains the most revered attribute about his leadership and will go down “Ascension by inheritance,” is the phrase that would best characterize how veteran politician, Rupiah Bwezani Banda, assumed the highest office, after taking over from the first sitting Zambian president to have passed
KENNETH KAUNDA | AN AFRICAN LEGACY
Contributors Amon Nakwambwa | Chibamba Kanyama | Chimweka Chileshe | Greyford Mwase | Zam vibes & Coolville Media | Patience Mupe Current Affairs Talk of the Month Education We mean Business Lifestye 1. CURRENT AFFAIRS A BUMPY DRIVE TO PLOT ONE The campaign period for Zambia officially commences three (3) months before the second Thursday of the month of August. The second Thursday of August is the polling day, therefore 2021 polling day is August 12 and 3 months before this was May 12. Billboards already started being put up as soon as the campaign period commenced, but political parties only officially launched their campaigns about two weeks after, with the Patriotic Front (PF) leading the way, launching theirs on the 26th of May, 2021. Political parties like the United Party for National Development (UPND) and the Socialist Party did not launch their campaigns as planned following the advise of the police. Regardless, with time, all political parties found a way to still continue with their mobilization and campaigns. The challenge in launching the party campaigns turned out to be the launch of the bumpy road to getting into State House, popularly known as “plot one”, at least after the campaign period commenced. No driver on this road to plot one has had an opportunity to use a shortcut with a smooth road, especially with the spike in Covid-19 cases as the Ministry of Health confirmed the country being in the third wave of the global pandemic. This required stiffer measures and subsequently leading to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) discouraging public rallies. Before we knew it, the ECZ suspended public rallies and encouraged other forms of campaigning such as door-to-door campaigns and road shows among others. Some political parties didn’t totally comply to this directive by ECZ as they still pulled and entertained crowds of people who showed up to see them. Because of the crowds being pulled, this led to another obstacle in the campaign period – electoral violence! Unfortunately, supporters of political parties who could not tolerate the sight of rival groups got physical, either by attacking or as a form of defense. Political violence is nothing new in Zambia, but this year, the ECZ do not seem to be having it! In response to reports of violence in Lusaka, Mpulungu, Namwala and Nakonde, the ECZ suspended the campaigns for the two parties identified in the violence, namely the supporters of the PF and the UPND, despite each of the parties feeling like they were victims of the violence and not the perpetrators. Eventually the suspension was lifted in three areas (Namwala, Mpulungu and Nakonde) while it was partially lifted in Lusaka, where physical campaigns were still banned, meaning that two political parties had to resort to other means such as the media to get their message out. Speaking of the media, billboards have also been torn and burnt down. Again, the PF and the UPND have been the main victims of this, with each one of them pointing fingers at each other as suspects behind the damaging of billboards. Other political parties such as the Socialist Party have also started being victimized in the damaging of billboards. The Socialist Party has put up tailor-made campaign messages to de-campaign both the PF and the UPND, so it may be difficult to really know who their most agitated enemies could be before they point fingers at who they think are suspects. Could the PF supporters consider them that much of a threat to damage their billboards or could the UPND be frustrated by the Socialist Parties efforts to ‘split the opposition vote’ as some political analysts put it. These are but some of the challenges that have been faced by aspiring leaders considering that no election has been held under such conditions. The Covid-19 pandemic has really changed how things are normally done. Keeping in mind that other countries, some of which have recorded higher numbers of Covid-19 cases, have still successfully had elections, this is somewhat encouraging many people involved in this election that the situation will be manageable. Despite the challenges faced so far on this road to plot one, what is motivating is that the candidates still keep driving without turning back. The nature of the road now may have slowed down the pace at which the candidates planned to drive at, but it’s also important they follow the rules of the road. The hope is that the driver who gets their first will be accepted peacefully and furthermore, the hope is that this driver will drive the country to further development. 2. TALK OF THE MONTH As the presidential election campaign period started 3 months before the polls, all candidates and supporters are expected to engage in a fair campaign as outlined in the Electoral Commission of Zambia. As all stakeholders must work toward building trust and confidence in the election process, it is hoped that the campaigns will provide the Zambian people with sufficient information and understanding for them to exercise an informed choice for their next president. The media plays a particularly important role in the elections process, just as all Zambians should play their part in creating and ensuring an equitable and peaceful campaign period. Registered voters are encouraged to participate in the elections to enable the Zambian people, including women, to express their democratic will. All parties should be cognizant of their obligations under the law, including presidential decrees on non-interference by public officials and security forces in electoral affairs: All government officials are legally bound to separate their duties in government from campaigning or conducting themselves in a manner that would benefit specific candidates. General elections will be held in Zambia on 12 August 2021 to elect the president and National Assembly. THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM The President is elected via the two-round system of the 167 members of the National Assembly, 156 are elected by the first-past-the-post system in single-member constituencies, with a further eight appointed