EASTERN Province chiefs have castigated former State House special assistant for policy implementation Jack Kalala for insinuating that President Rupiah Banda was pressurised by traditional leaders from the area to purge the late president Levy Mwanawasa’s tribesmen from his administration.
The chiefs said in an interview in Chipata yesterday that accusations by Mr Kalala were likely to divide the nation and bring the name of the traditioinal chiefs into disrepute. Paramount Chief Mpezeni, Chief Madzimawe, Chief Msoro and Chief Zumwanda said they were dismayed and disturbed by the statement by Mr Kalala which they said was a total lie and misleading.
Chief Mpezeni said he was saddened that Mr Kalala was not telling the truth about the position of the chiefs in Eastern Province.
He said Mr Kalala should not try to divide the 72 tribes with his cheap political statements because President Banda was the president of all the people of Zambia.
“President Banda is the president of all the 72 tribes of Zambia and whatever this man (Kalala) said is not true and we have never talked about it as chiefs of the province,” Chief Mpezeni said. He said Mr Kalala should not pretend to speak on behalf of the chiefs of Eastern Province because he has no part to play in their affairs.
Paramount Chief Mpezeni, who expressed disappointment, said as chiefs, they would not allow such nonsense from Mr Kalala to continue because it was likely to divide the nation. He said people like Mr Kalala, should learn to talk about development rather than portraying a bad picture of traditional leaders or those in leadership.[quote]
Chief Msoro of the Kunda people in Mambwe District described Mr Kalala’s statement as total fabrication and full of lies. He said it was unfortunate that Mr Kalala was peddling lies and advised people in the nation to treat Mr Kalala’s statement as baseless because it was lacking the truth.Chief Madzimawe who is also House of Chiefs chairperson, challenged Mr Kalala to disclose the venue where the meeting took place including the names of chiefs who attended such a gathering.
He said the chiefs were disturbed by such a statement from Mr Kalala which had the potential to incite confusion and divisions in the country. “That is wishful thinking by Mr Kalala and let him disclose where that meeting took place and include names of the chiefs who attended that meeting and at what time,” Chief Madzimawe said.
He said Mr Kalala should not drag the name of the Chiefs into his cheap politicking because the chiefs had never held such a meeting with President Banda. Chief Madzimawe said if Mr Kalala had run out of ideas, he should not bring his empty political rhetoric to accuse the chiefs because the traditional leaders were not cheap but expensive who should not be dragged into the political arena.
“And let me repeat. Let Mr Kalala disclose who was in attendance and the venue where that meeting took place and when telling the nation he should be speaking the truth as a human being,” he said.
Chief Zumwanda of the Chewa people of Lundazi district expressed disappointment with what Mr Kalala said in the private media.
He advised Mr Kalala to retract the statement because what was reflected in the Post Newspaper was not a correct picture.
“I don’t remember when we met President Banda and started talking about what Mr Kalala has claimed,” Chief Zumwanda said.
In yesterday’s Post newspaper, Mr Kalala was quoted as having said that, traditional leaders from Eastern Province instructed President Rupiah Banda to purge the late Levy Mwanawasa’s tribesmen from his administration.
Mr Kalala who challenged President Banda to deny his revelations said former Science and Technology minister Gabriel Namulambe’s initial statement over the late Mwanawasa’s legacy was deeper than meets the eye.
[Times of Zambia]
these eastern province chiefs have become vocal all over a sudden,
“ibange libi says:
January 11, 2010 at 8:55 am
these eastern province chiefs have become vocal all over a sudden,“
They are Zambian citizens. They are free to practice their freedom of speech.
The issue is on timing thats why i used the term all of a sudden. did they just realise now that they have rights?
When a blind man says ‘I will stone you’- he has stepped on a stone. No smoke without fire. Waka ni wako. Umodzi kumawa. Dombolo ndi kuomolana ( Scratch my back and I will scratch yours too). The Chiefs are really behind RB in this one. He was their Christmas present too.
#3 Kalala went to the post and dared the Chiefs to deny the allegations, Do you expect the chiefs to become quiet on grounds that the timing is wrong acording to Ibange libi? i think the Chiefs are right let Kalala explain the venue and the attendance of the meeting.
Easterners you are playing a dangerous game! This will end up in tears. Political power is not permanent!
These chiefs have just become too much of a nuisense. Talk talk Lamba, Mambwe Chiti Mukulu what next iwe Capitalist? Sata is threatenen then this kalala
What is fun about how you people discuss these issues is that you always want evidence in relation to what the opposition say about MMD and never asks for the same when MMD makes outrageous outbursts about the Pact? What is all that?
Can the Chiefs in Zambia keep qiuet for once? And Can Kalala also stop pedling lies?
KK imposed Lackment Ngandu on the Bemba as Chitimukulu Chitapankwa. From that time chiefs in Zambia have become aba PABI or ordinary people.
The chiefs can not keep mute coz us the subjects who are dragging them into such cheap politics. Kala should keep quiet and just accept that he lost a job. Kalala should know better that RB or any that becomes President will work with a team that he feels confortable with. If Levy appointed people coz they were relatives (family tree) then Kalala should not expect RB to maintain them! Those who were appointed on merit and are doing there jobs professionally RB will allow them to continue. So Kalala talk about real issues and do not drag Chiefs into such cheap politics. Anyone appointed on tribal lines and wants to continue to be royal to the dead even myself can not waste a second to fire such a one! Zambians in general and those that think Levy was theirs accept reality.
Indeed, this issue has the potential to plunge Zambia into a “Rwanda” kind of situation. This is why the president himself should take lead on this and put a stop to all this madness. The problem is, he is so quiet about all of this. He only shows up when the “shoe is on other foot.”
Why can’t the president take a leadership role on this and nip it in the bud!! When are going to have a “UNITER” in that office for a change? We are tired of the TRIBAL BULLCRAP!!!!!!!!
Kalala is bitter about loosing his family tree job, but dragging chiefs into his troubles is unacceptable. Ba Kalos2020, chiefs have to speak now because they are responding to Kalala who was quoted only recently, its not rocket science sir.
sorry i meant to respond to ‘ibange libi’ in above post
President Banda ia absolutely right in not responding to these nonsense. They are just fabrications by the Post to try and provoke the President. It is an old tactic well known in Politics. People wake up! Pres. Banda thanks for showing your skills. Do not respond to a fools and their foolishness.
Meant to: Do not respond to fools and their foolishness.
I think that the Post is playing a very dangerous game now. First they tried to tarnish Banda, then moved on to Kunda and now it seems that they are against the poeple of Eastern province. Next they will be refering to easterners as ‘cockroaches’. This is clearly designed to turn other Zambians against the people of Eastern province. Is Fred Mmembe ready to have the blood of innocent people on his hands? He is turning into the greatest threat to Zambian peace and stability that this country has ever seen.
The Eastern chiefs have been exposed, chapwa. They are a shame, these chiefs, even to us their subjects.
The true position is that ICHIPOWE CHAINGILA in the family tree, since the demise of the soulprovider who supported their personal economies and indeed he was a family man, beneficiaries are now feeling it as they’re left to hustle for survival. So, all this talk is a cry for help. PLEASE UNDERSTAND.
ala imfumu shakwa RB sha shupa pa Zed
#18 Would be more inclined to agree with you if any form of evidence besides hearsay was provided. Why would they suggest that any of Levy’s people should be taken out of the cabinet given that Levy had a good relationship with easterners hence his appointment of RB as VP? Additionally, the fact that RB has appointed Gladys Lundwe into the cabinet would suggest that RB is not heeding the advice that the eastern province chiefs supposedly gave to him. This story is malicious and designed to be divisive. Another attempt by the Post to forment anarchy in our country.
Can you imagine the circus we are in? The whole province’s royalty responding to one man. Why can’t it be the paramounts’ spokesperson, am sure he has one. Or is it that the truth hurts??
Hi fellow bloders!
Ifwe kuno tulelya ibondwe, katapa, ubowa, ka chisha, chimpapila no musalu wa nyagu. Pa zedi ni best
#23 I meant bloggers
Well, this has been common knowledge and these silly “animals” like Sata said should just shut up and enjoy hussling mbeba because come 2011 Kamwendo Munjila will be grounded and Zambia shall cede the eastern province to become a prefecture of Malavi.
Easterners and your pety chiefs you bury your heads in the sand for the shameful things you have done when banda is president because never again this is your first and last during our time
The chiefs are in order to respond. Its not bout RB. There are no chiefs in the country who would noy have responded to such an allegation. Kalala was rather s.t.u.p.i.d to say this and my biew is the post is playing as dangerous tribal game. trying to promote an outcry from the Lamba’s
From the way people are blogging on this matter it is clear that Zambia is slowly becoming a tinderbox. I am really worried. Every Zambian should work hard to defuse the potentially volatile situation. What happened in Rwanda should not be allowed to take place in Zambia. Those in power and the citizenry should be reasonable in all their dealings.
Kalala was not given any job after LPM died and he has some sour grapes, he for sure hates RB for this.
so surprising tha ****** is not summoned by the Chief Mpezen but only sata ….can one explain to me why?
did Levi ever think that RB would be president, or he was only using him to calm some tempers from the north, as he used Nevers to quenc that fire he ignited when he insulted the bembas,, suerly Levi was a crook
#31 sorry I cannot make sense of your posting. Why would levy want to calm tempers from the North by appointing someone from the East? Are you suggesting that the East has already been swallowed by the North?
I wonder what RB is telling these chiefs. RB is always attending traditional ceremonies left, right and centre so I guess these are the repercussions.
Who said “you should vote for wampuno ikulu,” Paramount Chief Mpezeni, to remind bloggers with short memories like Observer. It is possible that even such could have been discussed. Further, during the campaign, Ba RB said those who deosn’t hail from here (Eastern) should be chased away . This is one plus one