By Wynter Kabimba
When I was battling the COVID-19 pandemic in hospital in June/July, 2021, I was reading The Mayor of Casterbridge, a classic by Thomas Hardy. The moral of the story is “character is fate.’’
History is witness to the lives of leaders like Adolf Hitler, Julius Caesar, Emperor Bokassa, Idi Amin and others whose ultimate fate in their lives was driven by their character.
The swearing in of HH as the 7th President of Zambia’s after Edgar Lungu at the National Heroes Stadium last year was seen as a new chapter in the history of Zambia given the political degeneration and internal collapse of PF.
All of us still harbour fresh memories of his inaugural speech which promised a united country which would never see ever again arbitrary detention of citizens, respect for human rights, promotion of the rule of law, a police service which would carry out comprehensive investigations before effecting any arrest and an environment free from cadre overzealousness and hijacked authority and political violence perpetrated against innocent citizens.
According to HH and his UPND, Zambia was witnessing the “New Dawn,’’ a common preamble today in every speech delivered by all and sundry in the UPND government.
Time is man’s enemy, so says William Shakespeare. Six months into his term as president the tide for HH and UPND is turning against all the promises at a rate often witnessed only under populist leaders.
The economy has continued to flounder with the cost of living screaming to the high heavens leaving the ordinary person struggling to survive more than ever before.
Youth unemployment is evidenced by illegal mining calamities such as the landslide which buried three youths in the Chisamba District area on 11th February 2022, leaving their indigent families in grief.
It is during such conditions of political and economic turnmoil that the true character of a man blossoms.
In 1980, Kenneth Kaunda detained Chitalu Sampa, Fredrick Chiluba, and Newstead Zimba, all leaders of the Zambia Congress of Trade Union based on the Copperbelt Province at the time, for allegedly inciting industrial unrest.
I was privileged as a law undergraduate at the time to witness the release of Chiluba by the High Court’s Mr. Justice Moodley on a Habeas Corpus application by his lawyer Levy Patrick Mwanwasa.
In October 1991 Chiluba and MMD won a landslide election victory against UNIP.
The tables had turned and the country was ecstatic after 27 years of the Kaunda rule. Like HH, Chiluba who came across as a fervent Christian believer promised the country a new era away from the iniquities of UNIP.
He immediately revoked the State of Emergency and the Preservation of Public Security Regulations under which he himself was detained in 1980.
Chiluba preached the rhetoric of democracy and the rule of law to woo donor support and went on to establish the current Human Rights Commission. He raised people’s hopes and expectations.
But Chiluba had another agenda.
In order to exact vengeance against Kaunda for his 1980 detention, Chiluba sent police to search his residence for alleged stolen books from State House, a search which did not yield his anticipated results.
On 26th December, 1997, Kaunda was arrested on tramped up treason charges for the failed coup d‘etat and sent to Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe.
I was privileged to be present in Chiluba’s office at State House on 27th December the following morning when President Nyerere of Tanzania called him to protest Kaunda’s incarceration and the conditions obtaining at Mukobeko, a telephone conversation I was able to over hear on the land phone.
On 01st January 1998, Chiluba granted Kaunda house arrest following Nyerere’s visit to Zambia and after meeting Kaunda who was now on hunger-strike in prison.
The detention of Kaunda in 1997 was preceeded by Chiluba’s opening up of underground security tunnels at State House, alleging that Kaunda had used them as torture chambers during his rule.
He produced no evidence but the people were psyched to believe the story through the programme which was aired on ZNBC for days.
During this same period several of Kaunda’s close political associates were also detained and William Banda who is now a UPND member was deported to Malawi.
As all this was going on the people’s attention was diverted from the corruption which was becoming systemic in MMD and the rising unemployment and poverty levels under the IMF prescribed panacea which they were made to believe would turn round the economy and improve their living standards.
This surely sounds familiar today.
It is said that history does not repeat itself but it certainly does under different circumstances.
The Bible teaches us not to take revenge against those who do wrong to us.
Nowhere is the moral of the wickedness and futility of revenge more highlighted than in George Bernard Shaw’s 1898 play, Caesar and Cleopatra, where Caesar says;
“And so to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honour and peace until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand.’’
The last 6 months of the UPND government with HH at the helm show that the gods are late in the creation of a race that can understand. Let’s wait and see.
I hope you’re not trying to exonerate KK’s UNIP Government as having been without blemish. All occupants of Plot 1 Independence Avenue have had their own issues. I’ll not give examples or comment further than this
Article without substance. By the way, we haven’t forgotten how panga carrying carders alleged to be from your camp massacred each other with those believed to be from team GBM when going to see off late king Cobra at the airport. We have not forgotten that dealth as known opptunistic PF ministers were positioning themselves to take over a sick Sata.These are the type of militias that existed under your corrupt tribal PF
Wynter you lost your chance because of your antics.
Indeed, there are similarities between FTJ and HH’s presidency. I have observed this myself, especially looking at the neo- capitalist economic policies embraced by the two that will repeat the untold misery of Zambians of the 1990s. The high infant moratlity rates and stunted growth of Zambian children we witnessed in the 90s because of the stiffling IMF conditionalities will be something to watch for with the UPND government that is mimicking Chiluba’s naivety in religiously following IMF prescriptions. The gains that Zambia has hitherto made in terms of reducing infant morality, child malnourishment and disease will again be lost under the UPND.
Chiluba and his colleagues were actually detained in 1981 and not in 1980.
history lesson, nothing else………….
Why are these people so afraid of being locked up or investigated for crimes they committed ?????
Why should criminal politicians be treated differently from civilian criminals ???
It is true I also feel UPND are making mistakes in other areas but Sir your bitterness is ver loud. I cannot comprehend how a genuine person as you purport could support PF in the form it was during the elections of August 2021.
There is no similiarity FTJ was but a grade 12 drop out when he assumed office HH is a graduate with an MBA….As for history I think you were not a strong student in the subject as your recollection of events are flawed…suffice to say if you had been more humble you would have led PF after the demise of MCS but you were heavily tainted…there is the council house you sold in Lubu rd..oh and lets not forget the ‘company’ you formed to manage party affairs…oh and yes you had a sweeper as minister even when you walked….and those pangas…
Bwana Wynter, please remind the nation which Kaunda cronies Chiluba nabbed for looting the, nation. Distorting the past will not help us…be factual, even dramatic but truthful. I lived through the Kaunda era, saw Chiluba ascend to power and dribble Zambians. Zambians gave it all but reaped pittance at the end of it. It was Mwanawasa who gave us our pride, but ten years of Chiluba had entrenched a voracious breed that kept devouring a carcass…Zambia…without shame. Sata exposed negligent iniquities from the Mwanawasa/ Banda regimes. Hichilema continues to show us the rampaging picnic odyssey of the Lungu era. Anyone who has any feelings for this country will demand surgery to enable our children live worthwhile lives…not to be buried at dumbs in search of supper.
THE MOMENT I SAW WINTER WROTE THE ARTICLE, I KNEW MAI RE RE WILL PROCEED HIS MOUTH. THIS GUY IS PART OF THE CARTEL (PF) THAT HELD ZAMBIANS CAPTIVE. MAY GOD CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS FROM THAT OF THE LIVING TO…………………………..
Ba Kabimba. You should be the last person to comment. you best friend fired you. you irritated a lot of Zambians with your arrogance.
It was Patricia Scotland from London who intervened in having HH released from trumped up treason charges in 2017 just the way Nyerere intervened in KK’s release from prison in 1998. No one is revenging anything against anyone. People are simply paying for their criminal activities. We are going to judge the UPND by ourselves by August 2026. Wynter Kabimba you became too big-headed when Sata at one time made you his right hand man. People like Wynter should never be allowed anywhere near the corridors of power.
Surely, is this article without any substance?
It’s a fair comment in my view. Wynter ends the article by saying”let’s wait and see”
Let’s not discourage discourse and debate simply because you are a supporter of the ruling party.
One can actually learn alot and rule better from such fora.
What a useless article full of citations and no meat..another mr zeros..
Our concern is not about whether what Wynter is saying is true or not, our concern is his timing. we are sure that he is saying it at the wrong time using the wrong platform. We know that Summer just hates HH.
Wynter Kabimba is known to have imaginary scenes of “apocalypse & turmoil” in his head– one reason PF displaced & abandoned him.
Can you just tell us about how you introduced panga- wielding thugs to fight the opposition & what your motivations were. You introduced violence into politics under Sata, you maimed innocent Zambians.
When an opinion is presented as facts, the result is a flawed judgement.
I will say it again, friendly advice Wynter, Go And Seek Prayers (GASP) ASAP your bitterness and envy is overwhelming you. Not even primary school kids can sink so low. You had the best chance in PF to lead and unit this country, what did you do? The people of Zambia have choosen, who are you to question our intelligence? Watch this space Zambia is headed for big things.
Great piece Wynter.
Fili uko tuya!
Ati tulipano.
Kabimba is correct. IT is obvious to all of us that RETRIBUTION is going on and it is likely to get worse. It is a pity that it is happening now when we expect our country to be more united. VENGEANCE does not pay. The more you do it , the more pain and hatred you develop in your heart. No one has ever gained anything from retribution but FORGIVESNESS. If someone was wronged, this the best time to forgive. Remember, a Christian nation does not practice retribution. Soon or later Zambians are starting to speak against it. Do not take the current state of affairs for granted. If you were offended, FORGIVE and FORGET!!!!!! We wish you good luck!!