By Chimwemwe Mwanza
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. In the mind of Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, history is never antiquated because humanity is always fundamentally the same. This analogy provides a befitting description of events currently unfolding in Zambia’s political terrain.
After more than two decades in opposition politics, it’s acceptable for the UPND government to exhibit traits of triumphalism after all it defied all odds to dispatch a political monolith from power. Needless to remind though that the governing mandate recently bestowed on the party by the electorate comes with responsibility – critical of which is adherence to the rule of law.
However, it’s the UPND leadership’s posture of arrogance and infallibility that is fast becoming a concern. Let’s pack their errors for now and focus on an important subject. The recent arrest of Former Defence Minister, Davis Chama’s for attempted murder is a choreographed sequel that began with a brazen warning by the newly appointed Inspector General of Police, Remmy Kajoba.
Two weeks earlier, Kajoba had let slip his plan to fix Chama and other PF leaders with the caveat that police were investigating crimes that the PF leadership had committed – some of which date back to 2015. True to his word, he swooped on an unsuspecting Chama who was then bundled into a tiny cell from where he waited to be transported to Sesheke – the scene of the alleged crime.
Now for purposes of context, this discussion is not meant to support or exonerate Chama from crimes he is alleged to have committed but interrogate the conduct of police including manner of his arrest. Never mind his PF membership and illogical partisan rantings that have preceded his arrest, Chama is a private citizen who deserves to be treated with dignity. And the universal principle of innocent until proven guilty by a court of law also applies to Chama.
The fact that the previous government discarded this principle for political expediency does not wash away its significance. Simply put, two wrongs don’t make a right. How is it possible that police failed to avail him and his co-accused to courts within the legally permissible 48-hour period? Couldn’t they have driven him straight to Sesheke soon after his arrest and release him on police bond thereafter completing all legal necessities?
Fact is the former Defence Minister is not a small fry but a political heavyweight now serving in the opposition – which is why it’s impossible to believe that Kajoba – recently plucked from obscurity and elevated to the top police leadership position could sanction Chama’s arrest without consulting his principals.
That Vice President Mutale Nalumango has had to apologise for this debacle raises more questions about government’s hand in this matter. It’s thus ridiculous to believe that Home Affairs Minister, Jack Mwimbu played no role in the illegal incarceration of the opposition politician. Given Zambia’s politically charged environment, this incident only lends credence to the ruling party’s vindictive agenda.
And while true that umulandu tawubola and that Chama must account for his actions, it’s yet again important to remind the incumbent government that there is a thin line between prosecution and persecution and what happened to Chama is nothing but political persecution.
Even more disturbing is that the incumbent Inspector General of Police owes his appointment to the fact that his predecessor Kakoma Kanganja was a deeply flawed character. A cadre that disguised his political inclination in a police uniform, Kanganja is most renowned for issuing arbitrary instructions for arrests of opposition leaders including the infamous raid at New Kasama’s community house which resulted in the incarceration of then opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema.
Against this background, Kajoba was appointed to cleanse and rid political cobwebs from the police service. Is he delivering on this mandate? You be the judge. As history has taught us, Inspector Generals and Commissioners of police are prone to political manipulation as such they tend to serve at the behest of the appointing authority.
While many expect him to lead as the antithesis of his predecessor, his reign thus far has only succeeded to instill fear in individuals that were aligned or served in the previous government.
Any notion therefore that Kajoba might break ranks and join the list of esteemed professionals that managed to resist and guard against the politicisation of the police service such as the late Henry Mtonga, the late Max Nkole and Peter Chingaipe among others seems far-fetched.
The consolation though is that time is still on his side to prove his critics wrong. The ball is entirely in his court.
The author is an avid reader of political history and philosophy. He has since stopped eating game meat and become a vegetarian. The only thing he supports is Kabwe Warriors and Liverpool. For feedback, contact [email protected]
IGP Kajoba is just doing his job unlike Kanganja who was a PF fixer disguised as Zambia’s IGP.
What Kanganja was doing was not his job. What Kajoba is doing is not his job. IGs do their job according to the smile they put on the President’s face. They know that any frown on H.E.’s face….. they will be fired. This job is a public post so the government should be asked by us to annually publish the job description for all citizens to make reference each time an innocent person is killed by Police or whatever forces. However this wont happen because every President we elect enjoys the protection he receives from the Police force. These people are only human so they all have the same weaknesses.
History also tends to be manipulated by victory. That’s why this world we live in today is a reflection of victors in the race to world dominance. Our problem though is that we are trying to re-write our history with the same mindset, a bit like doing the same thing but expecting a different result.
Kajoba has gone mute since he was reminded about those that burnt villages in Namwala in 2015 and 2016, so we can conclude that under his command there will be selective justice. He’ll shield UPND operatives while he will act swiftly on the opposition. By 2026 he’ll have eliminated potential opposition on behalf of his masters. However, Zambians know how to deal with such characters. He’ll leave that office crying
MMD defeated Unip and replaced the IG, PF defeated MMD and replaced the IG. Upnd defeated PF and replaced the IG. I would say that the most endangered animal in this forest called ZAMBIA is the IG. This animal is captive and can only maneuver in space provided by the political cage. If only everyone would decline the appointment on account that WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY COLLEAGUE CAN HAPPEN TO ME. But greed like the football coaches has been the undoing of this otherwise noble profession.
Let the IG do his work, much better than the Nonsense we had before. These guys at least balance the issues. Unlike Kampyongo and his former IG, all they did was punish the opposition. Never get Discouraged my boy, arrest the crooks.
Kajoba is not fit for that office.
Cadre IG no wonder he’s just making political arrests….instead of going after criminals he’s busy targeting politicians…and 2026 he will be replaced by the new President
Saulosi we told them that life under upnd will be bad. I am just watching it all unfold
Mbuzi
Mourn and grieve your election loss in dignity, leave the Police to do their work
When I look at PF cadres postings on all stories, it is just malilisho through out, you lost elections because you were sent to be on these blogs through out the day to push PF propaganda, Instead of going to organize your party in ICU you are here trying to blog, you don’t even have any leadership as Lubinda, Kambwili, Kampyongo, Mundubile, Lusambo, Chama, Nakachinda , nawakwi are all overwhelmingly rejected by PF members, the PF members simply don’t want them
@Mzambia wa Zamani.
What is the problem with UPND cadres? How can misguided and trigger-happy Kajoba be said to be doing his job when Chama and Nyoni were not charged within 48 hours of arrest provided for as per our constitutional limits of the use of state power and have been in detention without charge for 12 days now. As the Nuremberg trials coming on the heels of Nazi commission of atrocities against identifiable (Jewish) outsiders indicated, a security officer in the employ of the state can no longer be expected to have his abuse of state power excused on the pretext of following orders. Kajoba is just as guilty of abuing the rights of Chama and Nyoni as HH is. Democracy is not synonymous with majoritarianism but with the observance of constitutional limits under a state of law.
The worst part on politicians is not to accept the truth. The same thing appears very differently when in opposition and different when in Govt. Same action can be defended or condemned by the political party and its cadres depending whether they are in opposition or in Govt. PF has immediately forgotten how they were behaving when in Govt and quick to condemn same thing, equally the UPND has forgotten what they were condemning when in opposition and today they are defending it. Law is law can not be bend to defend or to fix someone, If we allow this very soon the same law will be bend to defend wrong doing this is how selective justice starts. Imagine a real thief is caught and mob justice is done by burning to death the thief no much uproar will be there, but as the trend grows in…
The Namwala burning of villages is only known to PF and it’s sympathisers. They bring it up all the time. You wonder why they didn’t bring it up when they had their own IG of Police…??? It’s because it never happened!!!! Stop fanning tribal Wars, your man sho and almost killed a person.
People have said it, they don’t want PF.
They don’t want Integrity Kamanga.
And they don’t want Kajoba.
Kajoba just do your work, you are professional, remember they had a cadre I G , so they think every body is the same. Never again should we have a party like PF ever ruling us, remember all civil liberties were cut off for opposition, it was only Edgar Lungu, Nkandu Luo, Given Lubinda and the PF cadres who could assemble without permits, ZNBC and public media was used to the PF exclusivity only, NGOs were drafted to verbally abuse diplomats, fake opinion polls were the order of the day by the PF, Labour union leaders were made cadres, questionable resources were masked as empowerment. Even the decent economy left to them by the MMD was destroyed, questionable acquittals of PF ministers were the order of the day
Kajoba just arrest them, you know what bandits and robbers do, they try to put up excuses, strange comments and other lamentations to try and destract you, but just arrest them please. The sooner the better
EVEN HIM, HIS TIME WILL COME
I stand to say everyone that supports PF is a rat and a dog. Their brains are as think as dog sh1t
If you don’t like my comments you can go and hang yourselves….
HEHH is the president…..
It is an insult to state that Kajoba Lemy was just plucked in the mid no where to the position of IG. Kajoba is a highly trained and experienced cop who deserves his current position. Lets keep the cops out of our politics and instead encourage them delivery professionally. All service Chiefs are appointed by the President and one has to be loyal to the appointing authority and govt of the day.
And all those UPND guys who attacked me and supported PF dogs and rats…. last night…..
I say must say, you are also dogs and rats that HEHH does not need your contributions………
@ Spaka
But you are on Lusaka Times 24/7 interacting with rats and dogs and so what does that make you……why dont you find a different forum where you can only interact with fellow UPND humans….leave Lusaka Times….i bet you have nowhere else to go…am also curious just wondering do you even have time to wash your underwear because you are on Lusaka Times day and night…you must be living a very miserable life
@16 Spaka
Am sure now you know why Zambians kept rejecting HH for 20 years and the majority who voted for him are already saying “NEVER AGAIN”….yes continue calling them rats and dogs….2026 back to opposition again and by then we want you to disappear from Lusaka Times….you’re trying very hard making HH unpopular and a one term President…anyway like I said why don’t you leave Lusaka Times now I thought HH had a Job for you but it turns out you’re just a lonely miserable soul
We are in a good place when we have an “arrogant” government that apologizes. All the scholarly hijinks spoken with the zeal, conviction, and faith of a new convert, à la St Paul on the road to Damascus, only to fall into the naïve obvious trap of equally weighing a 3-month record to 11-year record. The jaundice eyed critics in their zeal to crucify have nothing but to push the premature specious canard that history is repeating itself, that ECL = HH. Far from it.
And that is the difference my friends; ECL =/= HH. Whatever is happening below HH while Zambia’s institutions are rebuilt and sanity restored, the arc of our history is now bending toward prosperity and a working democracy.
The cities of Nazi Germany had to flattened to defeat the racist Nazis. Imperial Japan needed to be convinced directly that their only option was surrender. Unfortunately, there are casualties even among the innocent when the mess left by megalomaniacs has to be cleaned by people of goodwill. Mwila is far from being innocent. He is simply the victim of a system whose cruel incompetence and studied vindictiveness they perfected over 11 years.
Tarino Orange is more of a mature and respectable person than this guy Spaka who just discovered internet a few months ago…now he thinks being disrespectful and insulting others is the only conversation that he knows….go get a job and try putting on some clean underwear maybe you can get a girl…you can’t get a woman if you keep walking around with your dirty underwear full of amanshinsha
Spaka ” 20
Indeed I did criticise you last night and stand to defend @ INDEPENDENT OBSERVER,
who was correct in calling you to stop referring to others as dogs, rats and monkeys.
I also stand to defend @@ SAULOSI as well. We can banter but calling people rats & dogs is heartless and hateful.
You are not helping UPND but dead stripping our hard work that sent HH to state house.
Spaka ” 20
Like I said, HH does want such kind of representations coming from UNPD Supporters or bloggers.
I think you need to take some time out as assess your state of mind….
We had WANZELU in 2014/15 who spent day in day out preaching hate and asking UPND Supporters to carry pangas. It took HH to ask the UPND to force WANZELU to stop hateful comments…
Saulosi “22
Thank you for the response to me you posted last night.
I heard you loud and clear. Its One Zambia One Nation.
INDEPENDENT OBSERVER “
If you are to read this today….
We may not agree on everything but I agree with you on the need to respect each other is vital.
I support your drive to push for sanity and not hate
THINGS CANNOT JUST CHANGE OVERNIGHT AS THE RECENT PAST STILL HAS EFFECT ON THE PRESENT. GIVE THE PROCESS OF CHANGE ENOUGH TIME. REMEMBER HOW THE PF RECENTLY MISTREATED CHIEF MUKUNI’S WIFE ON TRUMPED UP CHARGES? HOW THEY SPIRITED HER FROM THE COZINESS OF HER PALACE IN LIVINGSTONE TO COME AND LANGUISH IN POLICE CELLS AT WOODLANDS POLICE HERE IN LUSAKA? REMEMBER HOW CHARITY KATANGA DEMANDED THAT HH MUST HAVE A PERMIT TO ATTEND CHURCH SERVICE IN NDOLA? THE UPND IS DETERMINED TO CHANGE ALL THAT. JUST GIVE IT TIME. STOP THE CHILDISH RANTINGS!!!
If those that support PF are rats and dogs, then you are pigs and cholera bacteria. Living things that can not distinguish decency from bad manners. Brains that can not see the difference between a clean bath and dirty one. Why should people hang because of the worthless cadre like you?
Son of some katwish.
The new.one is actually worse. Only that most of you are still dump to see
@Geoffrey Khumbula and independent observer
Let’s continue preaching love and unity….love always conquers hate….hateful individuals live very miserable lives…..I see them everyday here in the USA….i see them on the High way driving battered old cars and driving recklessly…people filled with love have money and drive expensive cars and they’re full of respect….you can tell how miserable Spaka is
I always wonder what black Africa would be, if all this energy and passion for dirty politics would be directed to innovation, business, agriculture , energy, commerce, education, medicine etc.