By Magret Mwanza – Political Analyst and Governance Activist
When foreigners start to feel more entitled to speak for the people of Zambia than Zambians themselves, it becomes necessary to sound the alarm.
Thierry Charles, a French minority shareholder in ZCCM-IH holding a measly somewhere less than 3%, has once again gone on a self-righteous rant in what he imagines is a defense of the Zambian people.
But let’s be clear: this man is not our voice. He is not our savior. He is a meddlesome distraction with a shady past and a dangerous sense of entitlement that must be firmly rejected.
This week, Zambians woke up to a ludicrously dramatic statement from Charles mourning the non-renewal of Bishop John Mambo’s appointment as a director at ZCCM-IH.
Charles, in his signature style, portrayed Mambo as some kind of messiah who had single-handedly turned the company around. What he deliberately ignores is the glaring truth: Bishop Mambo’s term was up. It had run its course—three full years. He was not dismissed. He simply was not reappointed.
That is standard procedure in any boardroom in the world. The shareholder—in this case, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)—has every legal and sovereign right to make such a decision. The IDC is chaired by the President of the Republic of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, a man who has been entrusted with the stewardship of the nation by millions of Zambians—not by a noisy Frenchman with a loud mouth and a god complex.
Thierry Charles Is Not a Patriot but a Parasite
Charles parades himself as the last line of defense against corruption at ZCCM-IH. But who is this man, really? Who gave him this imaginary mandate to speak for the 20 million Zambians he keeps referencing?
*This is a man whose initial capital is suspected to have come from illicit gold dealings and shady arms trades. Yes, we are aware, Mr. Charles. Your connections to the murky underworld of the French mob are not folklore. Your reputation precedes you, and no amount of virtue-signaling can wash your blood-stained financial history clean.*
You came to Zambia, picked up a few minority shares, and suddenly declared yourself the watchdog of national interests? Spare us the insult. Zambia is not some failed colony begging for European saviors. We are a sovereign, self-governing republic, and we do not need the condescending lectures of a man whose only stake in this country is monetary—and even that, barely significant.
Your being part of the 3% minority shareholding does not entitle you to dictate how this government runs its parastatals. You are not the President, nor are you a policy maker. You are not even a Zambian citizen. If you are unhappy with the direction of ZCCM-IH, kindly take your shares and go invest in a French company.
We do not need, want, or tolerate foreign busybodies who stir chaos and destabilize institutions under the guise of activism.
A Weaponized White Savior Complex
Thierry Charles’ behavior is a textbook case of the white savior complex—a foreigner who believes he alone knows what is best for Africans.
He speaks as if without him, Zambia would descend into darkness. He writes long-winded opinion pieces criticizing government decisions as though the people of Zambia are incapable of discerning what is good for them.His rhetoric is not only offensive—it is dangerously neocolonial.
Who does Charles think he is? Appointments at ZCCM-IH are not subject to approval by foreign minority shareholders. This is a Zambian company, with a Zambian mandate, run by a Zambian government.You, Mr. Charles, are a guest here—and one who has long overstayed his welcome.
Your dramatic assertions that the removal of Bishop Mambo “augurs darker days ahead” are both laughable and insulting. What darkness are you talking about? That a sovereign state exercised its right to renew or not renew a board member’s tenure?
That we refused to be blackmailed by your emotional blackmailing and veiled threats? No, sir. The only darkness we see is in your imperialist fantasies that Zambia is somehow accountable to you.
An Agenda Hidden in Plain Sight
Let’s stop pretending Thierry Charles is not even a concerned investor. His agenda is obvious: access to influence, insider information, and control. While Bishop Mambo served on the board, Charles and his group enjoyed the comfort of having a pipeline to internal company decisions.They had eyes and ears inside. Now that the tap has been shut off, they are in panic mode.
That’s the real reason behind this sudden public tantrum. It is not about governance. It is not about patriotism. It is about lost leverage and the frustration of a foreign investor who can no longer pull strings in the boardroom.
Zambia has had enough of these self-interested manipulators who masquerade as defenders of transparency while pursuing backdoor access to power and contracts.
If Thierry Charles were truly acting in the interest of Zambia, he would not be spreading alarmist rhetoric designed to embarrass our government on the international stage. He would not be writing letters that are effectively attempts at economic sabotage.
Sell Your Shares and Leave
Mr. Charles, let us say it plainly: you are not indispensable. Your minority shareholding does not make you a stakeholder in the national consciousness.
If you cannot respect our institutions and leaders, then it is time you divest and find a more hospitable host elsewhere.
You are welcome to sell your share of the 3% shares to Zambians—who are the rightful owners of this land and its resources.
Let the people you so arrogantly claim to speak for take over your stake. Perhaps then, ZCCM-IH can focus on development, not drama.
We are tired of foreign interference in our economy. We are tired of double standards, of being told how to run our affairs by men who would never tolerate such arrogance in their own countries.
This is Zambia—not some experimental plantation for European shareholders to play geopolitics.
A Final Word for you Sir
This government, under President Hakainde Hichilema, has the constitutional right to appoint and remove board members as it sees fit.
Zambia does not owe explanations to foreign investors for exercising its sovereign functions. You Thierry Charles and your ilk must be reminded that you are here by privilege, not by right.
ZCCM-IH has a job to do: drive economic growth, create value for citizens, and protect Zambia’s mineral wealth. That mission cannot—and will not—be held hostage by the whims of one foreign shareholder with delusions of grandeur.
Zambia belongs to Zambians. Full stop.
Kick this french parasite out, just as the president of Africa, Mr Ebrahim Traore has done
Finally….some has told this man my exact opinion. Good riddence