A group of wealthy South African mining interests and an arms dealer have been secretly aiming to exert their influence to fix the upcoming presidential by-election in Zambia, according to an article published this week in African Confidential.
The article, entitled “Foreign boost for opposition,” highlights an alleged conspiracy hatched by Brenthurst Foundation – an institution backed by the multi-billionaire Oppenheimer mining family dynasty to organise the installation of Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party of National Development (UPND) as the next president.
These South African mining interests were apparently motivated to undertake this scheme to install Hichilema in order oust the Patriotic Front, which they viewed as “anti-business,” and put in place a president that would be more obedient and willing to reduce taxes and tariffs to allow the mining companies to extract greater wealth from Zambia.
This same group of foreigners was allegedly behind the effort the fix the elections in Kenya as well to install Raila Odinga as president, however that particular effort failed. Sources say they are involved in fixing a number of elections across Africa.
According to the article published by Africa Confidential, the mining companies along with a powerful South African arms dealer originally sought to bring together a coalition of Hakainde Hichilema and and former President Rupiah Banda, using the former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo as a mediator. However, when former President Banda refused to be part of their plans, they then brought in the then-President of MMD Nevers Mumba, who was allegedly coordinated to block Banda and pull MMD out of the elections to support UPND.
Africa Confidential reports: “The outsiders wanted Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), to lead a coalition including the formerly governing MMD to victory. Zambia’s opposition leaders were flown to the Oppenheimer family’s luxurious Tswalu game reserve for meetings run by Obasanjo, who also chairs the Brenthurst Foundation.”
The article continues: “After the Banda-Hichilema talks failed, the brokers brought Mumba to the table. Mumba was whisked to South Africa just before Sata’s burial. Mumba appeared with a team of advisors, which unsettled the brokers. They included MMD National Secretary Muhabi Lungu, party Treasurer Mwansa Mbulakulima and the veteran member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu, Mumba’s legal advisor. Obasanjo tried to persuade Mumba to pull out of the race and back Hichilema. Although both sides spoke openly, the meeting ended in stalemate. They resolved that they should resume the dialogue and try to negotiate an electoral pact after Sata’s funeral.”
Although it is not known what happened following these final meeting, the recent conduct by MMD leader Nevers Mumba to attempt to close the MMD secretariat, block the party from voting, followed by his suspension by the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday, appear to confirm previous accusations that he had been co-opted to act in support of the foreigners’ plan to install HH as president.
Earlier in the day on the 18th, Mr. Hichilema issued a press release which appeared to celebrate the confusion caused in the MMD by Dr. Mumba’s actions – actions which he himself may allegedly be implicated in sponsoring.
“After the events of the past week it is hard to see how either the MMD or PF could be expected to lead a united country when they are so divided themselves,” Hichilema said in his statement. “Not only can they not agree on a candidate, but now they also cannot agree on the modality of selecting a candidate.”
On his behalf, on the morning of November 18th before his suspension, Nevers Mumba similarly called a press conference at his home, where he announced that the MMD would enter into an alliance with the UPND, although other party members say that they were not notified of these arrangements.
“Let me state here and now that MMD is not for sale,” Dr. Mumba said yesterday. “We remain committed to exploring all options meant to further strengthen us including that of respectful alliances with other political parties and we have made great progress in this regard.”
However, following yesterday evening’s MMD NEC vote which secured the presidential candidacy of Former President Banda on the MMD ticket, there are likely to be more questions for everyone involved in these clandestine meetings by foreign business interests interfering in Zambia’s democratic process.
Source: Africa confidential,Zambia Reports
Sad that our so called leaders are willing to sale the country.
This shows you how desperate the situation is…
I knew it. Hakainde has always been a shady man. No wonder he made most of his money from selling ZCCM assets and getting some kickbacks for it-
PF through Mother-Hen (Dr.Kaseba) save us from these vultures destined to plunder our resources denying the poor and voiceless decent life!
Circus!!!!! its just sad that illusion may turn out to be a sad reality
Dear HH, I think you are the best candidate and I verily, verily want to vote for you. However, i want your clarity in black and white over the following:
1. Windfall tax
2. Youth unemployment
3. Draft constitution
4. Fuel and fertilizer subsidies (No need to subsidies maize)
5. High interests bank rates
6. Long term infrastructure plans
7. Barotseland Agreement
Please DO NOT tell me what wrong(s) PF have done. I already know that.
Every name mentioned above should never be voted for ever.
Sata not letting a younger person take over has left us in a quandary. Let us pray for Zambia.
That is some scary reading sh** right there!!!
Desperation is a terrible ailment. Sad reading.
This is just propaganda a lot of stories were created about the late head of sate and Pf party in 2011. Such schemes are not required in democracy let all the parties compete with no malice
Bury your head in the sand while the Jews dominate the whole world.
So, apart from being a Tonga tribalist Icilema is a pawn, a tool of capitalist slavers, with the fallen Nigerian dictator Obasanjo as their whipping monkey.
its all propaganda. it will never work you conspirators sorry. he is the anointed one fortunately. talk all you can but he is our next president.
thank
“Hichilema in order oust the Patriotic Front, which they viewed as “anti-business,” and put in place a president that would be more obedient and willing to reduce taxes and tariffs to allow the mining companies to extract greater wealth from Zambia. This makes sad reading and for me,HH and Nevers are already out of the race because its clear they have no heart for Zambian but their pockets.
Wake up people this is what happens. ..why do you think Sata never introduction windfall tax? This is called lobbying this is how wealthy individuals work…you think if George Bush was not backed by arms manufacturers he would have gone to war.
Don’t be gullible. ..read read read for own sake!!
*….never introduced windfall. .
So JAY JAY you are saying ichilema wants to sell our country like he sold the mines? SMH
If he wants to he is TOO LATE!
PF has ALREADY SOLD IT FOR 8.2 BILLION US DOLLARS.
The only thing they can buy is the DEBT!
Iwe mbuli Jay jay, in which literature are such things written? Told tell lies here. Do you yourself even have the time to read when you are doing 4 odd jobs per day wherever you are? Just continue cleaning toilets and stop pretending to be well read.
Ba HH shame upon you. Just look at him, is this the man that Zambia can entrust its power to? NO!! He is so desperate that he can kill.
Expose these UPND crooks who have sent so many souls to early to the grave. You sold all the Zambian companies and now you want to sell the country!! Never again will Zambians allow external *****s to run our affairs NEVER..
Now that our PF President Edgar Lungu has filed in his papers its time to go back and tell our people what good future lies ahead of them. In two years PF has proved that Zambia can be a paradise and shall be. The PF development results are there for all to see and will continue to develop Zambia.
HH and Mumba, this time, we will send you parking to your foreign masters atase
Where was Sata (MHSRIP) when HH was selling all the companies??
Exposes these crooks. No wonder chi HH has already started threatening institutions like RTSA.
Zambia is NOT for sale ba HH twakana ifwe.
HH has master plan to STOP all projects that PF has recorded positively saying we don’t need
1. Good roads because we have no money
2. He wants to stop the construction of the 650 health centers countrywide
3. We wants to stop the construction of Universities saying we will renovate UNZA and CBU
4. He wants a foreign and controlled constitution in Zambia
5. He wants to privatize all the remaining parastatals, Zamtel, ZESCO and even ZANACO
6. He wants to introduce Tonga official language in Zambia
Watch out for this devil….
You really are a villager! What BS!
Tonga official language? Real rubbish.
We knew just when HH and Mumba started dating the foreigners to help them fight Sata. Do you remember those days when HH and Mumba frequented South Africa. Shame on HH and Mumba. But they are cheating themselves, neither Mumba nor HH will win this by-election. Who can vote for a person who wants to sell the country? No no it will not happen bwana HH.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
Has anyone thought that this story might just be untrue and is being used to cause confusion and chaos….be careful in what you read and believe in !
This crop of leaders we have in Zambia are the worst we have ever had. They are all selfish and greedy and don’t have a heart for the poor masses. What a curse of leadership! Every learned person knows how the Oppenheimer mining family dynasty has milked Africa of its resources and these are the people our so called leaders should be dinning with to decide who rules our country at fifty years of independence. What a shame! That’s why people in the diaspora don’t want to come back home because of such rubbish behaviour from the politicians. If we had such leaders in colonial times we wouldn’t have got our independence because they are all looking for short cuts to the presidency without following the right and wise channels. They are so disappointingly dull to the last degree.
this is no mere political rhetoric. there are a lot of secrete contracts being signed between political party leaders and those funding their parties. they are secretly selling this country and what it stands for and the people that suffer are the poor people. Karl Max postulated in his political theories that the state serves the interests of the elite and business entities and this can be attested by the recent happenings in Zambia. the rich such as Mathani, Mmembe and the mining firms want to usher in a leadership that will further their business objectives and I am not surprised by these revelations.
Image is everything in politics. In this photo HH looks like an avenging demon, a catastrophe or sunami waiting impatiently to explode. Can some one please tell him his fiendish appearance has a repellent effect on the voters?
This is Dickson Jere at work. At it again through Africa Confidentail.
Am Pf but now voting for HH he will do Zambia good!
One has to just ask themselves where all these PF candidates are getting the funds to donate funds to their party on their salaries.
This is probably the only time I will agree with you!
There are dark things in our political circles. The desperation being shown by some presidential hopefuls proves ulterior motives.
I don’t believe Banda would have ‘turned them down!’
A heap of excreted literature, fabricated LIES by HYENAS,lies meant to tarnish excellent image of HH, Bwezani is very corrupt and selfish old log. To hell!
Sad sad reading to that a hitherto African statesman Olusegun Obasanjo should be involved in the selling of African states for a few pieces of silver. Why can’t he work on noble causes such fighting Boko Haram or ending Ebola in West Africa. If he is so greedy why not auction his own Nigeria. Whereas such machinations by imperialist businessmen are not new. I really did not expect a “statesman” like Obasanjo to sink so low as to be used for raping Africa out of its resources. ANYWAY HE IS NIGERIAN! I now believe Shamenda’s story about Dangote because if a Nigerian former head of state can sink so low what about Nigerian businessman. KK, Chissano, Mbeki, Nujoma please speak for Africa & condemn this rotten Nigerian “elder statesman” scammer. This makes Mugabe look like a saint
There will always be interest groups lobying for favourable outcomes, and this is no exeption. The PF got support from among others, Taiwanese and anti Chinese european businessmen, though they did a Donchi Kubeba on them by embracing the same Chinese they had promised to kick out of the country. The Taiwanese were even promised diplomatic recognition at the expense of communist China. Late Presido even had a stash of US Dollars confisticated from him at Oliver Tambo International Airport in RSA. It is imposible to sale a country, a few favourable tax breaks, yes.
If these stories are true, we need these people rounded up and tried for treason.
I have to say, I have had a strong feeling about HH, and being gifted with a prophetic vision, I have wanted to like him but was lead away, time and time again. I truly discern a dark aura around him. Our mines are not safe with him. He is unsettling. I feel an agenda.
That HH is capable is unquestionable, but it is his hidden purpose that is worrying. I believe Guy Scott to be the mother of all this Neo colonialist agenda to serve up Zambia.
As for Nevers Mumba a Man of God, he could not be deserted in this way, but by the hand of God. Could be Nevers’ heart did not lean itself into Him. Taking part in these type of clandestine meetings can never meet with approval before God.
You must be very hopeless to believe such a story
go and think how you are going to chose only one out of 8 contestants in your pf other wise you are gone faster than you came in let your relatives start packing these in foreign mission back to poor zambia good bye pf
pls let us ask God to give us His own.Let us pray and he is not fail at all,He will hot.
unfortunately those that can go to a polling station with their own pens after being convinced that the ink from the pens provided by ECZ will disappear on the ballot box are also the ones that will swallow this story hook, line and sinker. indeed gullibility is proving to be one of our defining characteristics as a nation! Cry our beloved Zambia. Advise to my countrymen, careful what you read between now and 20th January, as the candidates will be painted black by the various on-line media in pursuit of their own selfish agenda’s. Rather concentrate more on judging each candidate on their attributes and what they propose to do for mother Zambia. Let us be serious this time around.