The statement announcing that President Hichilema has accepted the resignation of former foreign affairs Minister, Stanley Kakubo, is a sad reality confirming that the President is a very weak leader who is failing to accept that there is grand corruption in his Government.
As Citizens First, we hold the view that asking Kakubo to resign instead of firing him in the face of glaring corruption allegations, is a ploy by the Head of State to shield the disgraced former minister from investigations by the law enforcement agencies.
This development has not come as a surprise to us because instead of the law enforcement agencies summoning Kakubo, we have credible information suggesting that it was in fact President Hichilema who summoned his right-hand man to a meeting at his private residence.
Zambians know that when there are serious allegations levelled against any minister or any presidential appointee, it’s the law enforcement agencies that investigates and gather the facts that are later submitted to the Head of State for appropriate action. We were therefore shocked that instead of letting the law enforcement agencies do their job, Mr. Hichilema was quick to cut the process and invite Kakubo for a private discussion. This is besides the fact that Mr Hichilema knew the facts much earlier and at the time when his ministers corrupt practices were brought out he opted to explain it away as a calendar pick up mission wether that was the code name of the operation is something that only he and the former minister can explain.
Clearly, the President is both the jury and the judge in this matter as his defiant actions seem to suggest that he doesn’t need independent security wings to carry out their constitutional mandate.
We would like to commend the Chinese whistle blower for bringing the Kakubo rot into the public domain and we wish to urge the Anti-Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission and the Zambia Revenue Authority not to be swayed by this image laundering exercise but they should take up this matter seriously and investigate it, it should not just end at the ill calculated resignation.
If the investigative agencies are not allowed to probe this matter further, the action will justify why the President failed to fire Kakubo and as citizens of Zambia, we will be left with no choice but to believe that Mr. Hakainde is scared of getting implicated.
It is this weak posture by Mr. Hichilema that further explains why the economy is in such a mess because he lacks the courage to make tough decisions that he feels will disadvantage his friends and sponsors.
The CF is presenting itself as a credible alternative in the strength of integrity, serious fight against corruption and ensuring that Zambians are given an opportunity to participate in the running of their economy as active participants and beneficiaries.
Issued By:
Harry Kalaba
President
Citizens First
The caliber of the opposition politicians is indeed disgraceful. They are ALL DULL. How can the President fire a person before they are proven guilty. This transaction is just still under suspicion. The proper way was what has been done – TO RESIGN, so that the former minister can now be probed to get to the bottom of the truth.
Had the minister not resigned, or refused to resign, then the President would have been in order to set him aside. What a dull crop of opposition leaders. – ALL of THEM.
@patrioticzambian: HH has fired at least 2 very senior ministers for corruption in 2 years. These are Stanley Kakubo and Anthony Bwalya. I want someone to tell me if and when the following presidents fired ANYONE for corruption: 1)Frederick Chipuba 2)Rupiah Bwezani Banda 3) Michael Satan 4) Edgar “Johnathan Mutawire” Lungu.. I rest my case. HH has fired more foreign ministers for corruption than Kaunda, Chipuba, Bwezani, Satan and Mutawire combined… HH also fired the commander of the airforce. HH is running Zambia like an American CEO with zero tolerance for incompetence and corruption.
Harry Kalaba you’ve got it wrong. HH isn’t a weak leader, he’s actually very strong. Strong leaders don’t abandon their own even if the tide is against them. HH doesn’t abandon those that do what pleases him. Kakubo hasn’t done anything that displeases the boss, that Chinese woman was just being unreasonable. HH will defend his man, just like he has defended the shadowy owners of Senseli Mine to the extent of even using personal money and State coffers to meet funeral expenses. That’s what great and strong leaders do!
@Ayatollah: Your leaders, Frederick “real=Titus Chabala Kafupi” Chipuba, Rupiah Bwezani Banda, Michael “The traitor” Satan, Edgar “Johnathan Mutawire” Lungu not only tolerated corruption among their subordinates, they dabbled in it. The country was much worse off after each one of them. They never fired anyone, where as HH dismissed his close friend Anthony Bwalya for corruption. He has just fired Stanley Kakubo for corruption. As for Sensele mines, the crime there was committed by the thieves who broke into a private mine to steal. The fact that you are trying to blame anyone other than the criminals shows your own appetite for and condonement of crime. If you cannot condemn the criminals at Sensele, you cannot talk about corruption in the government
@A, if Chipuba, as you call him, wasn’t a thief, his fellow thieves that now want to pretend like they’re honest wouldn’t be millionaires. They stole together and he didn’t arrest them. They’re the only Zambians mentioned in Panama Papers
Ati opposition leader. Go find a job you wasting your time
Which law says if a Minister resigns from his appointed position, he obtains immunity against being investigated on corruption allegations?? In fact by resigning from a ministerial position, and the president accepting the resignation, this president and the Minister is facilitating independent investigations. In the past Ministers facing corruption investigations refused to resign which negatively affected the investigations. Let us await the outcome of independent investigations..
@Ngoma Yamaano: In political language, “resigning”=”being fired”. Basically, the leader calls the subordinate and offers him an a choice , resign or be fired. This is what HH did to Stanley Kakubo. This is how they do it in America. Basically HH has cast the fellow to the wind, to fend for himself, and to depend on his own devices. Of course no matter what HH says, these people will accuse and condemn. He is not from their tribe so they hate him. On the other hand, they refuse to condemn, and in fact commend, and sympathise with, the criminals at Sensele who were stealing, because they speak, and therefore promote, their language, and by implication the attending delusions of tribal supremacy. That is all you need to understand about these.
When do criminal investigation begin?
@Jackkie: When do the investigations of Edgar “Johnathan Mutawire” Lungu, and Michael Satan begin, for looting US $4 billion from the government coffers, borrowing another US $33 billion and looting it as well? Stanley Kakubo is a small fish. He has already been removed from the protection of a government appointment. Now the DPP is free to pursue him at the most opportune time. That decision is not for HH to make, it is for the independent DPP to decide on his own
Let’s just be fair here. This was a private business transaction. If the transaction was marred with irregularities, the due process will expose that. No need to be excited here. The country is full of important issues but remember for these opposition parties without alternative plans they think the Kakubo issue is an opportunity for them. Just start preparing your tuma one man parties with literally no impact on the Zambian landscape
Harry ElChapo K,You should have resigned or gotten fired when you got caught up in that prophet’s gold scum.Talk of a log in your eye
I thank H.E. the President for showing true Leadership. What Hon. Stanley Kakubo had done is indeed honourable and commendable. I still hold the former Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Relations in high esteem.
Harry Kalaba lacks credibility.
He should deal with his own issues, like the gold smuggling scandal in Zimbabwe.
HH is human, yes. He will make mistakes from time to time but Kalaba you can never match HH’s calibre.
Ba pompwe ba kabwalala all of you will be exposed wait and see this nation belongs to God,wait and see.This is very shameful and needs not to be supported by a well meaning normal person with 5 unless one has 3/4 otherwise it is very bad incidence which needs to be investigated even it will take 20 years it will still come,already it has qualified itself to be among the top in the achives of zambia kkkkk you will see.Too bad for young minister we have been looking to new men and women but we are being disappointed mmmm.
We don’t listen to political failures like Kalaba,Mmembe
In seasoned politics this is how you get rid of someone. You ask them to resign or be fired. Kalaba won’t know that because he is from the past.
Harry Kalaba was minister of foreign affairs too. Mumbi Phiri, the convict reprieved, told the whole nation that Harry Kalaba had committed an offence and that he was to be fired jumped – resigned
Who can believe Kalaba entrances?
Does anyone remember when the humble President asked about his corrupt ministers, he went on ranting ”Mfwiti Mfwiti, ine nakaukanilani”
Now these saint in PF are bing hypocritical including ba Kalaba
Does anyone remember when the humble President was asked about his corrupt ministers, he went on ranting ”Mfwiti Mfwiti, ine nakaukanilani”
Now these saint in PF are bing hypocritical including ba Kalaba
Mr President Elect Kalaba.
Don’t engage in this kind of talk, leave this to the M’membe’s and PF’s and Lungu’s of this world. You are the next president of Zambia after HH, stay the course and stand out like the professional you are. You have my vote