South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reprimanded the Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni, following comments made by the Minister on social media regarding the removal of Zambia’s Central Bank Governor by President Edgar Lungu.
In one of his tweets, Minister Mboweni is promising to mobilise if not given reasons why the Central Governor has been fired by President Lungu.
“President Ramaphosa wishes to assure the government and people of the Republic of Zambia that the unfortunate remarks do not reflect the views of the South African Government and its people. The issue is being addressed to ensure that such an incident does not occur again,” the statement by Tyrone Seale, the Acting Spokesperson to the President said.
It said South Africa and Zambia enjoy strong historical relations dating back to the days of the struggle against apartheid.
“South Africa remains committed to maintaining the deep and solid bonds of friendship between the peoples of South Africa and Zambia.”
Over the weekend, Mr. Mboweni sparked a diplomatic tiff after castigating Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu for dismissing the country’s Central Bank governor.
He tweeted, “Presidents in Africa must stop this nonsense of waking up in the morning and fire a Central Bank Governor! You cannot do that. This is not some fiefdoms of yours! Your personal property?! No!”
“Presidents in Africa must stop this nonsense of waking up in the morning and fire a Central Bank Governor! You cannot do that. This is not some fiefdoms of yours! Your personal property?! No!” That Governor was a good fella. Why do we do these things as Africans. The President of Zambia must give us the reasons why he dismissed The Governor – or else hell is on its way. I will mobilize!”
He later tweeted, “ Looks like I am in trouble about my statement on the dismissal of the Bank of Zambia Governor! I stand by my statement. Central Bank independence is key. Not negotiable. Let all central bankers speak out!”
The tweets have since been deleted.
The Zambian government, through its Information Minister Dora Siliya described the attacks as “improper” and “immature.”
She said they will pursue the matter “diplomatically”.
The good old Bembas once said “ichishinka chilofwisha ichifukushi ku mutima”. Mboweni was right, Zambia is not Chagwa’s mbeba fifstan! Bakoswe baaya saaana, babe thole mukanwa.
And yet upnd members and evil diasporans were busy supporting silly tito. You are a bunch of embarrassing unpatriotic imbeciIes who should remain there in diaspora for life. Look at your lives. Mwanyala
Since Dora complained formally to the RSA government this diplomatic response from Ramaphosa is expected, he probably just laughed it off with Tito behind the scenes. The main problem is our government is too intolerant to criticism, internal or external. Internally, our freedom of expression has deteriorated to the UNIP days and look at how they have emboldened Seer 1 because of being jittery with whatever he says, meanwhile the country he is in enjoys one of the highest levels of freedom of expression on the African continent.
@ Joe Bloggs You are so right. There have been more cases of defamation of President Lungu than there was in 27 years of KK in state House. I don’t think even Chiluba, Mwanawasa, Rupiah and Sata charged so many people for defamation of the president as our lawyer president. He is such an enemy of freedom of speech all journalists will remember him for that.
And yet upnd members and evil diasporans were busy supporting silly tito who acts like a tit. You are a bunch of embarrassing unpatriotic imbeciIes who should remain there in diaspora for life. Look at your lives. Mwanyala. Kz
Childish and unprofessional, Tito. If Denny was your friend, you as a representative of the RSA govt. and people shouldn’t have thrown tantrums in public. Shameful.
May be TITO was right!
Just watched the Idi Amin Dada movie
I guess if we remove Idi and min we remain with ADada.
One unsuitable corrupt president supporting the other: Cyril shields Edgar. It only tells what we already knew – corruption protects corruption. Yes KZ – Edgar China Lungu has only fired Denny because he didn’t want to finance PF corruption. The corruption you are part of! But don’t worry, you will be in the cell next to your friend after the elections!
South African politicians are quick to get excited about african when anc was voted back in power on the promise that they would give back the land to “their people”. Today they have frozen with inaction because Trump has threatened them with sanctions. Mike Pompoe tells them off where ever he goes & they remain quite & frozen. Fu.ck Tito!!
Miles Mulenga – It does not matter whether in your head the firing of Denny was personal, stupid Tito needs to mind his own business. The problem with you Africans is that you are your own worst enemies. You are supporting Tito not because you think it is in order for him to say all that stupid stuff, but just because you are an opposition sympathizer who hates ECL. Try to be patriotic some times.
Tito Mboweni is a Tonga now because “only Tongas” hv criticised the Kalyalya sacking according to the anti-HH media in Zambia. Zambia is so dangerously divided that it’s difficult to discuss anything merely on its merits and demerits without the tribe noise coming into the equation. Some think that the best way to build a nation is to hv newscaters on the state broadcaster recite the “one Zambia one nation” mantra at the beginning of each news broadcast, never mind if the government itself is discriminating against people from certain parts of the country.
Ba TITO Mboweni bwalwa.
Just the other day he took a swipe at the leader of the main opposition party, Mr Steenhuisen who was urging the President of South African to open the economy in view of CORONA. Ba Tito took offence. He told off the opposition’s leader by warning him not get involved in other people’s business. BUT opposition leader called him, “AN AWKWARD DRUNK UNCLE”.
Okay demanding reason
Ba TITO Mboweni bwalwa fye.
Just the other day he took a swipe at the leader of the main opposition party, Mr Steenhuisen who was urging the President of South African to open the economy in view of CORONA. Ba Tito took offence. He told off the opposition’s leader by warning him not get involved in other people’s business. BUT opposition leader called him, “AN AWKWARD DRUNK UNCLE”.
Why reprimand Tito when he is telling the truth?!? I would not blame Tito for thinking Zambia is one of RSA’s bantustans. You same pompwes were meeting with him everywhere – you were in his country everyday – shopping, treatment of common colds, …etc
There was no need for the Minister to be reprimanded by ramaposa for telling the truth. The decisions from central Banks are not supposed to be mixed with politics .
True friends tell each other the truth. Tito is more a friend than Cyril who never lived in Zambia or ever exiled.
Many members of South Africa’s ANC lived in Zambia during the struggle. They consider Zambia as a second home. Some were even born in Zambia. They feel our pain when our leaders misbehave just as we feel for the Zimbabweans.
Responding to kz, well stupidity is not selective, is it? You can be a president or diplomat – if you are stupid – you are just that, plain stupid. What the zed president did by firing a presumably well qualified and respected Bank governor without a published reason is pretty stupid. For one, this create unnecessary instabilities in the financial markets, leads to speculation, uncertainty, etc.
As for Mr. Mboweni, well, sometimes it is better to have better methods of delivering a message. It might be a good message, and I agree with him. But i don’t agree with they way said it
That is solidarity among SADC Member countries. They have a Pact that prevents SADC Member Countries from criticising each other. Mr Chris Mvunga has his work cut out given that we are already in an Election Season. To satify the demands for Money during the Election Period Chris Mvunga will be ordered by the Powers that be to print money to finance 2021 Elections. If this Money Printing is excessive and reckless then that will cause Hyperinflation and prices of goods and services will skyrockect. The Kwacha Exchange Rate will hit the roof. The writing is on the wall.
What this Tito Guy has done is like telling his neighbor why he has impregnated his wife. ” you can wake up in the morning and start to pregnant your wives without justification”. We are beginning to think there was something going on between them. Why is he pissed off? Has his deal collapsed?
“improper” and “immature.”
Look at the Kwacha against the dollar today k19 and check the Rand K17 next week k20 Rand is still holding ground, never has this ever happened the kwacha begging even before covid19 so that’s not an excuse 2021 bane.
“That Governor was a good fella” is my take. Good lucky to ourselves. If they economic will be pick up. Bemba’s say inchikwaka bachimwena kuma palanya!!! Meaning one can foretell if anything can come of it. Using character. I hate judging people. But God forbid if Zambia shall be the next Zimbabwe.
Zambia does not comment on appointment of public officers in South Africa. This is in keeping with principle of non-interference
in the sovereignty of other states that is the basis of the existing UN interstate system. Only when there is an egregious violation of human rights should states interfere in the governance of other countries with UN Security Council authorization.
But what we see here is UPND and their cadres applauding Tito Mboweni’s reaction to the removal of a Bank of Zambia governor. This should not surprise anyone. HH receives campaign funding from the South African Brenthurst Foundation that is bankrolled by Anglo-American Company HH wants to take over the Zambian mines from the Chinese. Under HH, Zambia would be a South African bantustan or satellite state.
Chibanda August 24, 2020 At 12:27 pm
“…Look at the Kwacha against the dollar today k19 and check….”
Lungu and his thug gang don’t understand such things…..to them it’s mana from heaven in your pockets and any one showing professionlisim is seen as the opposition blocking them from staying in power…..
Excuse the Minister he can help himself in the face of such incompetence…at least RSA President shows leadership here useless chaps like Bowman are insulting everyone at will.
Excellent move for the President to distance his country and Government from that lunatic’s threats and comments. It’s good that he will be dealt with, maybe next time he will use his brains before ranting careless remarks.
Ramaphosa: ANC deeply implicated in corruption
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched a scathing attack on corruption by some members of the governing African National Congress.
In a letter to all its members he referred to recent scandals of the awarding of tenders for equipment to deal with coronavirus, as well as accusations of awarding jobs as favours and the issue of state capture.
The president said: “We must acknowledge that our movement, the African National Congress (ANC), has been and remains deeply implicated in South Africa’s corruption problem.”
He added that though there are others involved in the problem the ANC “does stand as accused number one”.
One issue he highlighted was local ANC leaders using “food parcels meant for the poor to buy…
I suspect he is Zambian. He likes scolding whatever Zambia does. Like he did that time he tweeted
“I recall the days when this airport was populated by the Zambia Airways fleet. There is none now. Zambia Airways does not exist anymore. Reality check. But I am on Rwanda Air. A small African country doing big things.”
Water under the bridge. Point delivered by TITO. This time next year even those condemning TITO today will be gnashing their teeth under the weight of hyperinflation and a run away exchange rate
Exactly what I asked for. Ramaphosa tell that blubbermouth to zip up
THE SCREAMING BBC HEADLINE NOW READS ” SA PRESIDENT LAMBASTS MINISTER OVER ROGUE TWEETS”.
AT LEAST EVEN THE RESPECTED NEWS MEDIA BBC REALISES THAT THE TITO MBOWENI TWEETS ARE ROGUE. EXCEPT
UPND SUPPORTERS WITH NO UNDERSTANDING OF DIPLOMATIC ETIQUETTE CANNOT SEE IT THIS WAY.
Tito must not be aging well. He is normally a stable fella. Does he think that central bank governors just drop out of the sky to claim some birthright. No, they all have to be hired (and fired if deemed necessary) by duly elected leaders who have been given the constitutional mandate to make such decisions for a country. By sending out those tweets, Tito probably didn’t realize that not only is he interfering in the affairs of a sovereign nation but he is also undermining his own boss, President Ramaphosa, who has the same legal mandate to hire and fire not only the central (reserve) bank governor but his Ministers as well, including Tito.
VIVA TITO HE DID NOT APOLOGISE AND STANDS BY HIS COMMENTS …….. WELDONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why do people who have studied they humanities think that they are untouchable? Lawyers? Economists? And the like. Where is the economy going by regurgitating other people’s ideas.
Delinquency, it is!
@UPND wabepa. Its the engineers who are so big headed they think they have created something just by graduating. Ask EIZ ex boss Sydney Matamwandi. Economists are in a profession full of flux and any ideas are welcomed so they are vocal and therefore seem to appear untouchable. In Engineering theresn’t much room for debate so the graduates are rather silent. However I will agree with you that all African graduates regardless of faculty end up just regurgitating other people’s ideas. This is what our kind of education prepares them for not innovation.
South African Minister Tito Mboweni was 100% right .
@The saint
Having lived in Zambia does not make any South African a citizen who can participate in the country’s affairs. Try to understand what citizenship is about instead of spreading falsehoods.
Interesting developments. We learn that Hon. Tito Mboweni was a past Governor of the Reserve Bank of South Africa from August 1999 to Nov. 2009. President Zuma replaced him with Gill Marcus in 2009. The appointment of Gill Marcus as a new Governor of Reserve Bank of South Africa could have angered Hon. Mboweni who believed he could serve in this position for life. Hence spewing his anger to the Zambian President Lungu – a reaction that indirectly exposes his hidden dislike of African Presidents. The current Governor of the Reserve Bank of South Africa is Mr. Lasetja Kganyago who was also appointed by President Zuma.
History reveals that Mandela was wise to acknowledge the contribution by whites in the development of physical infrastructures for which the likes of President Zuma, Irvin Jim, and Tito Mboweni spurt degrading insults on the less developed SADC member States. It is for this reason that Mandela, in his wisdom, extended his love for humanity to white and Asian communities in South Africa. Mboweni belongs to a crop of Africans who find comfort in sharing a cup of tea with Trump and imperialist western industrialists – and thrive on pouring scorn on black leaders in Africa.
Mboweni’s derogatory outbursts against other African States are closely being watched by leaders in the SADC region. The bonds that have been forged between member states in SADC region must be viewed from a broad spectrum of international relations. South Africa needs to establish sustainable trade links with Zambia, Malawi and other States in this region; it must nurture the existence of investments (Shoprite, Pick & Pay, Spar, MTN etc) spread out in the region. But pronouncements by Mboweni, may prompt other SADC member states to explore other avenues to protect their sovereign integrity. It is possible too that , many South African may speculating that Mboweni is on the war-path to indirectly frustrate President Ramaphosa who has inherited Mandela’s genes.
POLITICAL IMMATURITY OF TITO MBOWENI
History reveals that Mandela was wise to acknowledge the contribution by whites in the development of physical infrastructures for which the likes of President Zuma, Irvin Jim, and Tito Mboweni spurt degrading insults on the less developed SADC member States. It is for this reason that Mandela, in his wisdom, extended his love for humanity to white and Asian communities in South Africa. Mboweni belongs to a crop of Africans who find comfort in sharing a cup of tea with Trump and imperialist western industrialists – and thrive on pouring scorn on black leaders in Africa. Mboweni and his henchmen in Zambia should take a course on African Studies at Wits University. This fleet of traitors must read a book by Walter Rodney titled: “How Europe…
This fleet of traitors, Mboweni, Irvin Jim, HH, Mmembe and Kambwili are strongly advised to read a book by Walter Rodney titled: “HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA”. This breed of puppet rich politicians is further advised to take a hard look at their children’s faces and reflect on the best and honest leadership that will take care of their children’s and grand-children’s future welfare.
Very soon Zambians will start using 100 Kwacha notes as toilet paper like they did a few years ago in a toilet at Kapiri-mposhi bus station.