Hakainde Hichilema was thrust into the limelight following the demise of the UPND founding leader, Anderson Kambela Mazoka, a supremely charismatic and absolutely charming person. He was born in Bweengwa, Monze District, Southern province. Raised by a maternal uncle, he attended Mooya and Nkandela Primary Schools where going to school without shoes in those days was the norm due to excruciating poverty.
He thereafter attended Kalomo Secondary School where he completed his grade 12 before going to UNZA to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration. He would, thereafter, proceed to the UK to pursue an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy at the University of Birmingham.
Hichilema embarked on his entrepreneur journey while at UNZA which would prepare him to claim his place at the high table as a successful businessman and farmer starting off by buying cattle using savings from his student allowances. He had accumulated in excess of 56 cattle and a farm in Monze West by the time he walked away from the hallowed halls of UNZA! He would secure a job at Coopers and Lybrand upon his graduation before joining Grant Thornton.
With his entire first salary going to his beloved mom, he bought a plot in Kalingalinga with his second salary. Hichilema would make a strategic decision to sell the structure before completing it and invest the money in five plots in different locations of Lusaka. He further sold 20 of his cattle and increase his stock by 30 cheaper calves! He invested the rest of the money and part of his salaries in properties. Within five years, Hichilema was a proud owner of over 100 cattle and 10 properties in Lusaka and Southern Province.
He would later diversify his investments by buying shares in companies and acquiring more farms. He had ranches in Kalomo, Choma, Namwala, Batoka and Chibombo. With shares in major companies such as Maybrooke Property investment Limited, More Beef Limited, Quantum Assets Zambia Limited, Zambezi Sun international Hotels, Pick ‘n’ Pay, Game Stores, Delloitte and Touche, ALS Capital, Beef Up Zambia Limited, Buluwe Properties Limited, Hillview Properties Limited, his investment portifolio included massive investments in real estates and properties in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Prince Bill M Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
There is no doubt he is an astounding businessman he should have stuck to that and been happy
instead of political power overcoming him
So Tikki what do you say of Donald Trump and former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ,both multimillionaires who delved into politics?
What about ECL Daniel Moi and Mobutu becoming very wealthy after gaining power?
Learn a lot?
Not everyone has the privilege of selling state assets and pocket kickbacks or become largest shareholder!
We hear all these huge figures thrown around by upnd with Houses in SA plus 150 luxury cars
yet in 4 years they did ziltch now i suppose it will die a natural death
Too much false information going around
How much factual funds did Mobutu Have ?? as with D moi, Mugabe Etc ????
There is no doubt Funds were abused but to what extent is the question
Not just random figures being thrown around
When one is not through in their research. There will be flaws in what they write.
Bill Kapinga, do your research before submitting your final draft.
Ba Lusaka Times editors read and do your work before you publish a story.
Coopers and Lybrand became Grant Thronton. How did HH join the same company that worked for before?
It’s you who must do research bwana! HH worked Coopers and Lybrand and later joined Grant Thornton which merged with the former to become one enormous brand. Need we say more?
Price Waterhouse (PW) became PwC after Coopers joined in a merger in 1998.
In the same year Grant (GTI) allowed Coopers & Lybrand Zambia to operate locally as a member company without a fusion or having international recognition.
This confusion makes neither Jata Bulenge or Bill Kaping’a an eventual winner in their traditional cousinship contest.
I don’t blame Bill. The 1998 events in associations and unions of these forms was absurd. It was a unique phase. GTI, PW, PwC and Coopers and Lybrand all went through some nuanced change of a sort internationally and locally that may even look vague.
What is it that the youths can learn from a man who can’t tell his entrepreneurial begging? Before 1991 he had nothing just a plot in Kalingalinga and the post 1991 with state privatisation and him at the top of it he dubiously acquired so much state assets and can explain his wealth up to now and you say the youths have a lot to learn from HH? First house he owned in Kabulonga was Lima Banks after he privatised Lima Bank assets and talk about Farms.
So be careful what you want the Youths to learn from HH.
He offered people like you with this evidence a 3 bed fully furnished house if you come forward………
But no one waffling seems to be able to provide that evidence ??????
Say no more
FWD2031
Youths thought they have so much to learn from him until he became another personality after voting him in. The youth’s emulative wish was shattered. Not all that glitters is gold. Some Chikanda turns out to be Mbwelenge which no one will ever enjoy eating.
GRZ needs a targeted approach to wealth creation in Zambia………
1 year apprenticeship training in ownership…….
Like for this gold mining boom, collect 40 or 50 promising youth and train them in all aspects of small scale gold minining operations and finance to be mine owners……….
After completion, give them licences to run gold mines to provide employment and revenue for the country……..
Same with agriculture, collect a group of promising youth who are already engaged in agriculture of some sort and train them in farm operations and economics in running a farm……
They don’t have to be degree holders
Guaranteed , before long , we will have a few major companies employing thousands and creating millions for the economy……..
FWD2031
Don’t they need to first sell Luanshya Mine and give themselves some Hotels and Zambeef as their own before they can learn from HH. He didn’t start from nowhere! They all need some uncle in government like Valentine Chitalu who had his uncle Mr. Chikwanda and HH with Benny Mwinga who gave them powers to sell Zambian stuff and get money for themselves. That would be a true lesson worthy learning.
Like a child, you still believe that nonsense? How can a person valuating assets sell them? PF brains are really shallow, do you think if he had many any deals of the liquidation or privatisation Nawakwi could have kept quiet? Sata would have investigated and found something wrong … Just move on there’s nothing worng, this guy made his money with hard work. ECL was equally working on the same project and he drunk himself to poverty and chawama.