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ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE
Edition: #31 8 December 1997
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1. KAUNDA DELAYS RETURN TO ZAMBIA
2. MMD WOMEN'S CHAIRPERSON DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN COUP
3. DEAN MUNG'OMBA CHALLENGE TO DETENTION DISMISSED
4. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SAY POLICE TORTURE FOLLOWED
COUP ARRESTS
5. VOCAL OPPOSITION MP SUSPENDED
6. CHILUBA BLASTS FOOD RESERVE AGENCY
7. UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA LOSES DONOR SUPPORT
8. GOVERNMENT FREEZES WAGE INCREMENTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS
9. ZAMBIA SET TO HOST FIRST COMMONWEALTH TITLE FIGHT
IN TWO DECADES
Feature:
CHILUBA'S CABINET RESHUFFLE GIVES NEW LIGHT TO PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Until now, retired army Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda has appeared to be hot favourite to succeed President Chiluba as leader of the ruling party, the MMD, and possibly as republican president too.However, this bright prospect was shattered on December 2 when President Chiluba demoted Miyanda from the post of vice-president to that of minister for education.
Ben Mwila, who is one of at least four MMD members thought of as being likely candidates for presidency after Chiluba's term of office runs out in 2001, has also found himself on the wrong end of Chiluba's cabinet reshuffle. Mwila, said to be a distant uncle of Chiluba, had been Minister of Defence since the MMD came into power in 1991, but has now been moved to the Energy ministry.
This is generally being interpreted as a demotion but Mwila says he has no quarrel with his new appointment and that he is ready to serve the government at any level.Mwila had been the only minister to retain his original post since the first MMD government cabinet was announced in 1991.
Minister without portfolio Michael Sata, who is also said to have presidential aspirations, has retained his post.With Miyanda and Mwila moved to less influential positions, Sata,who is also the MMD national secretary, is now in an even stronger position to lead the race for presidency.
In the three years that Miyanda has been vice-president, he has gained respect for his tempered manner in handling issues and his ability to avoid verbal confrontations with political opponents.He has also drawn considerable support from the church which in recent months has become his platform and direction in national issues.Being a born-again Christian, as is Chiluba, many observers pointed to him as the right man to step into Chiluba's shoes in 2001.
Although Miyanda has stated that he does not have presidential ambitions, many of his supporters have publicly declared that they would campaign for him to take over from Chiluba. In the first MMD cabinet he was appointed minister without portfolio, a de facto number three position after the president and his deputy.Four years later he was appointed vice-president, to replace Levy Mwanawasa who was frustrated into resigning his post.To consolidate his position, at the MMD convention just before the 1996 presidential and parliamentary elections, Miyanda contested and won the party vice-presidency.
There are some observers, however, who say that Miyanda is not forceful enough to head a government especially with the growing pressure exerted from opposition parties.They contend that Chiluba's voiced concern about the lack of zest in some members of the cabinet was in reference to people like Miyanda.Miyanda's demotion also seems to reflect Chilubahaving lost confidence in him, and given Chiluba's influence, confidence in Miyanda by the people could also be lost.
The demotion of Miyanda has brought into focus another potential presidential aspirant. This is another retired army officer, Lieutenant General Christon Tembo.The soft-spoken but pragmatic Tembo has been minister of tourism, of foreign affairs and of mines and has also shown an interest in higher office. Ironically, at the last MMD convention, he contested the post of vice-presidency but was defeated.Today, he is in the seat at government level and the man (Miyanda) who defeated him, is his junior.
Tembo's high leadership qualities and political ambitions began to show in the 1970s during Kenneth Kaunda rule under UNIP.Tembo was army commander but after his popularity among soldiers began to grow, Kaunda dropped him and sent him into the diplomatic service as ambassador to Germany.A few years later, however, he was recalled and arrested in connection with a failed military take over of the UNIP government. The case fell through in 1991, when the then president Kenneth Kaunda granted a general amnesty to all political prisoners.
Being an ex-convict, however, could jeopardize Tembo's chances for higher office. The republican constitution disqualifies any convict from holding the office of president. Even as vice-president, Tembo faces possible legal problems as he may at times have to act as president.Some legal experts, however, argue that the presidential pardon of all political convicts erased the record of convictions.
In all this, though, much of the limelight is likely to be stolen by Sata, a shrewd veteran politician.He served in the Kaunda government before falling out of favour and is today one of the strongest critics of Kaunda and the UNIP regime. Sata is generally liked as being practical and down to earth. Being a party national secretary provides him with an opportunity to campaign throughout the country in the guise of carrying out party assignments.
President Chiluba has banned all party members from campaigning for the 2001 party elections but he has not indicated who he would like to succeed him.In recent months, however, there has been a not unnoticed regard for his relatively young legal advisor Eric Silwamba.In the latest reshuffle, Silwamba was given the added responsibility of being placed in overall charge of State House, the president's office and residence.
Silwamba, regarded as being almost as charismatic as Chiluba, is still considered a political lightweight who cannot so soon be expected to adequately handle the office of president.
Whatever the case, if President Chiluba maintains the status quo of his cabinet in the next four years before the elections, the race for presidency is bound to become more heated and possibly more dirty.This is particularly because almost anyone who wins the MMD presidency is also likely to become the next republican president considering that the opposition is virtually dead.
Stories:
1. KAUNDA DELAYS RETURN TO ZAMBIA
Former president, Kenneth Kaunda, has delayed his return to Zambia from visits to several countries amid speculation that he fears arrest in connection with the October 28 attempted military coup.
Two days before the foiled military takeover, Kaunda said there would be a major event that would shake the nation.His words have generally been interpreted to mean that he was aware of plans of the attempt to overthrow the military government.
Recently, one of his sons, Major Wezi Kaunda, reportedly said that his father would delay his return because of fears that he could be poisoned by state agents.However, Kaunda's press aide has said that the former president was not afraid of returning to Zambia.He said Kaunda would return when he completed his tasks that have taken him to Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Britain and the United States.He is also due to pass through Malawi to offer his condolences to President Bakili Muluzi on the death of former head of state Kamuzu Banda.
2.MMD WOMEN'S CHAIRPERSON DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN COUP
Two coup suspects have revealed through their lawyers that police have been pressing them to link the October 28 coup attempt to the influential MMD national party chairperson Nakatindi Wina. An army major, Musonda Kangwa, and a member of UNIP, Fredrick Mwanza, said that during interrogations, police accused them of having held meetings at Wina's home in Lusaka to plan the coup.
Both have denied that they met.Wina, appearing before a habeus corpus hearing in which Kangwa was challenging his detention, said that she too denied any involvement in the coup attempt saying that as a member of the ruling party her loyalty was with the government.Her husband, Sikota Wina, who is MMD chairman has also dismissed the allegations saying that he could not plot a coup against himself.
3. DEAN MUNG'OMBA CHALLENGE TO DETENTION DISMISSED
A Lusaka High Court has dismissed an application for habeas corpus lodged by Zambia Democratic Congress president Dean Mung'omba who is challenging his detention in connection with the attempted coup attempt.In delivering judgement, Justice Timothy Kabalata said the police had reason to believe that grounds exist for a presidential detention order.Mung'omba was arrested soon after the coup attempted was crushed
Meanwhile, Mung'omba's wife Rose has dropped an assault charge against her husband.The two had been apart, but in the wake of the coup attempt and the arrest of Mung'omba, she has decided to return to her husband.
4.HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SAY POLICE TORTURE FOLLOWED COUP ARRESTS
A recently constituted Human Rights Commission has revealed that seven of the over 40 people detained in connection with the attempted coup were physically tortured by the police.The commission observed that this was a violation of the United Nations minimum standards of treatment for detained persons. Commission chair-person Justice Lombe Chibesakunda said there was evidence of torture and that the commission would make follow-ups and recommend that those responsible for the torture be punished
The commissioners did not name the seven who have been tortured but Captain Steven Lungu, who is believed to have been the mastermind behind the failed coup attempt, is said to have swollen legs as a result of torture.His wife was recently quoted as saying that Captain Lungu looked pale and that his feet were swollen, allegedly because of torture.
And President Chiluba has said that government will respond accordingly to the revelation of torture.He said the commission was doing a commendable job and its work would help reduce inhuman treatment of detainees.
5. VOCAL OPPOSITION MP SUSPENDED
A leading opposition party member of parliament, Ludwig Sondashi, has been suspended from the house for four months for breach of oath and allegiance. Sondashi, the National Party secretary-general, was quoted in a local paper as saying that coups could be positive or desirable.This is considered a breach of the oath to the constitution to which MPs swear.
In his ruling, based on recommendations of the standing orders committee, deputy speaker Simon Mwila said that the offence committed was serious and that it carried a maximum sentence of expulsion.He said, however, that the committee exercised leniency because Sondashi had unreservedly apologized.
Sondashi is a veteran politician who served as a cabinet minister in both the UNIP government and in the MMD government.
6. CHILUBA BLASTS FOOD RESERVE AGENCY
President Chiluba has castigated the Food Reserve Agency for importing maize grain, Zambia's staple food, while thousands of tonnes of the crop was still lying uncollected around the country.He accused the ZRA of creating an artificial shortage of maize to justify their decision to import the crop.
Chiluba said it was unacceptable and illogical that money should be spent on importing a crop that was already readily available in the country.He noted that some farmers were now exporting their produce to get out of their market quagmire.
The Zambia National Farmers Union has welcomed Chiluba's concern but they have also called for an improved crop marketing system.
7.UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA LOSES DONOR SUPPORT
The scandal-hit University of Zambia is losing financial support from donor agencies and countries because of alleged mal-administration.The latest pull out of support has been made by Sweden.
An embassy spokesman said in Lusaka that the Swedish government has been dissatisfied with the lack of accountability.Sweden, which has been funding various programmes at the university for the past 20 years, will formally end its support on December 31.
The pull out by Sweden comes barely a month after the Netherlands also made a similar withdrawal of support.The United States Aid for International Development (USAID), and Norway, have also expressed dissatisfaction with the running of the university.
8.GOVERNMENT FREEZES WAGE INCREMENTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS
The government has decided not to give any wage increases to Zambian civil servants next year and has also announced that 59,000 civil servants will be retrenched by the year 1999.The pruning exercise of the about 140,000 civil servants starts this month when 7,000 will be retrenched.Another 8,000 jobs will be phased out by April, 1998.The government contends it needs only 80,000 workers in the civil service.
The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions has condemned the freeze on wage increments, saying the issue should not be imposed but discussed with the union. ZCTU deputy secretary general, Alfred Mudenda also said that it was unjustifiable for government to keepsalaries low when prices of virtually all basic needs were going up.However, out-going labour minister Peter Machungwa said government would not rescind its decision on the freeze and that it would go ahead with its public service reform programme of cutting down on its staff. 9.ZAMBIA SET TO HOST FIRST COMMONWEALTH TITLE FIGHT IN TWO DECADES
Zambia's national light-welterweight boxing champion Felix Bwalya challenges for the Commonwealth title against Britain's Paul Burke in Lusaka December 13, amid excitement at the prospects of getting a major international title.
There is also excitement that Zambia is for the first time in two decades, hosting a Commonwealth title.
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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Date: Mon, 08 Dec 1997 18:43:37 +0100 Subject: ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE #31 Message-ID: <1262354431.20567930@inform-bbs.dk>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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