“Zambia Police Thwart Plot Against President Hichilema, Arrest Two Suspects”

We can’t lament bad governance in silence. Silence creates an opening for bullies, cadres and praise singers to shout out loudest and the danger is that these louts have the ability to drown out reason and logic if left unchecked.

In this age, truth is in short supply. Social media has created a direct pathway for myth-making and second-guessing conjectures that are often used by those with malevolent minds to stretch facts. Against this background, we remain alive to the fact that there is a price for speaking truth to power and against autocratic tendencies.

To our critics, the vitriol, provocative rhetoric and the mud that is often thrown our way for expressing opinions that seek to enhance our political discourse hardly stick on our skin. For the record, we don’t affiliate to any political party and neither do we get a penny for contributing on this platform. For us,our motivation to elevate critical thinking is driven by a much bigger cause. It’s called patriotism.

Which reminds of one of Abraham Lincoln’s far most thought-provoking quotes. ‘ I must stand with anybody that stands right and stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.’We stood right with the current dispensation when they were in the opposition. Many a times, we were able to project its leader as a voice of reason. HH’s Dilemma and Why 2021 is critical for ECL and HH are just some of the several write-ups we opined on this platform pre – the 2021 polls in support of the UPND’s bid for the Presidency.

Three years into its reign, it’s disappointing that that this government doesn’t seem to have a real grasp and extent of the biggest challenges facing the county. Just how easily they have detached from reality boggles the mind. Contrary to what the UPND pontificates, poverty, corruption and rising unemployment are taking root under their watch and these socio ills now rank as the biggest blight of their reign thus far.

The argument that these challenges were inherited from the PF government is inconsequential. This is HH’s government, he now owns the economy. Need we remind ourselves; he was elected to ameliorate the masses from these ills. Therefore, highlighting or confronting these challenges should in no way be misconstrued as an affront to the President’s persona or his government otherwise we would be guilty of wilful blindness for choosing silence. For those that care to know, wilful blindness is often a defence of the timid and is defined as the deliberate failure to make reasonable enquiry of
wrongdoing despite suspicion and an awareness of the high probability of its existence.

Our criticism is intended to keep this government in the straight and narrow. As a matter of fact, we maintain a great deal of respect for this President – this despite his many failings. It’s for this reason that we keep reminding him of our goodwill that he is carrying in his sails. That said, we should not hold the UPND government to a different set of standards. Put simply, it shouldn’t matter the affiliation of the perpetrator, we should call out corruption for what it is. We shouldn’t just shuffle errant government officials from one ministry to the other or merely drop permanent secretaries for suspected corruption, we should mete out the stiffest punishment to transgressors.

Haul them before courts like you have done to GBM or Bowman Lusambo among others. It shouldn’t matter who is in power, we should sound out government for failing to address rising poverty and its devastating impact on the general populace – poverty must be uprooted. It shouldn’t matter who is in power, they should protect the sanctity of our constitution. It shouldn’t matter who controls the purse strings, they should contract debt responsibly. Importantly, it shouldn’t matter which party the President belongs to, they should abandon their private residence and move into State House.By the way, the 7 th Republican President holds a dubious record as the only Zambian leader to have shunned State House for private residency. Can you imagine the rancour that former President Edgar Lungu would have caused by opting to commute daily from Chawama to State House? How about declaring your assets Mr President? It’s something that can be done at the stroke of a pen. Easily, this can help you to drown out murmurs and silence your detractors.

Try as one might, supporting this government is akin to clinging on to an abusive relationship. It’s these kinds of soft own goals that HH is scoring that have elevated Lungu and the PF to sainthood. I mean, you can’t weaponise the Justice system solely to asphyxiate and disqualify your main opponent hoping you will get away with murder – something will eventually have to give. Unless he changes tact, posterity will judge this Presidency harshly. And while HH will likely win the 2026 elections, it will come at huge cost to legitimacy and his credibility.

2024 – our annus horribilis
It’s fair to state that 2024 was Zambia’s annus horribilis – to borrow this Latin phrase coined to describe a year of misfortune. A debilitating drought is still causing untold misery. The cost of living has skyrocketed into an unimaginable stratosphere. Liquidity is in short supply and small businesses have crumbled due to inflation and inadequate power supply.

The local bond market – which is a key metrics to measuring a country’s investment credibility has lost its shine. Simply put, the unstable and fast depreciating currency is now conspiring against hopes of a weary electorate that bet their fortunes of a better life on a change of government. And the Emmanuel Mwamba led PF communication apparatus is successfully tearing into the President’s credibility by replaying videos of HH’s pre-2021 policy positions which have since morphed in a chameleon-esque pose. Begs, a question. Could this be chipante pante reloaded unfolding before our eyes? You be the judge.

Does 2025 carry a dark foreboding? A recent economic outlook report prepared by the World Bank paints encouraging signs for the country. After the deceleration of the economy in 2024 due to the devastating effects of the drought on agriculture and a deficit in energy generation, Zambia’s economy is expected to rebound, with growth projected to average 6.3% annually in 2025/26. However, the caution to the wind is that the projected growth will only be possible if the country receives above normal rainfall in the current season.

At least, there is hope for optimism; all this government requires to do is to level the political playing field and create an enabling environment to attract both local and foreign investment. In fairness, this government has to a measure of degree scored notable successes since it assumed power, critical of which was the introduction of free education, employment of 30 000 new teachers, healthcare workers including some new defence recruits. However, chaotic the impact of these recruitments have been on the national fiscus, we should applaud a government that invests in education. Few would disagree that education should not be a preserve of few but is fundamental right of every global
citizen as enshrined in the UN charter.

Heading into the new year, citizens must become proactive in confronting their challenges. It remains our sacred duty to protect our democracy. We need to start asking our elected officials to account for the votes we cast in their favour. After all, a government which accounts to its people is what Abraham Lincoln envisaged for citizens of the free world pretty much like what Kenneth Kaunda envisaged in his quest to liberate the country from colonial rule. Woza 2025.

By Chimwemwe Mwanza
Mwanza enjoys reading history and philosophy.

Call for Accountability: Investigating Ndola Lime Company Scandal

In a press release issued by Thierry Charles, President of ZCCM Defense, serious allegations have been raised regarding a $120 million procurement debacle at Ndola Lime Company, now renamed Limestone Resources Limited.

The statement calls for immediate action from Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission and other stakeholders to investigate a suspected syndicate, which allegedly defrauded the state and left the company in financial turmoil.

Full Press Release Below

Request for Investigation into Ndola Lime Company, Renamed Limestone Resources Limited

1. Background

Ndola Lime Company (NLC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZCCM-IH, has lost nearly $120 million to replace, among other things, a kiln.

As NLC had been loss-making for many years, ZCCM-IH had to pump money into it. Suspicions soon arose that the kiln was poorly designed and inoperative. In an unconventional move, full payment was made without any prior verification. The Italian suppliers then immediately went bankrupt. Zambian accomplices to defraud ZCCM-IH were suspected. (Zambian press articles – appendices 1,2).

2. Requests of the Commission on Parastatal Bodies to Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)

In its report for the third session of the twelfth National Assembly (page 19 – Appendix 3), Chairperson P.M.W. DAKA wrote:

• 8.8.9 Investigations through Interpol on the Procured Kiln: The Committee observes with serious concern the handling of the procurement process relating to the VK2 kiln at Ndola Lime Company. The Committee further observes that the turn of events where the company that supplied the equipment went into liquidation soon after the kiln failed to operate appears to suggest that there was a syndicate to deprive the state.
• The Committee, therefore, strongly recommends that IDC should engage Interpol to pursue the matter in which over US$ 7,976,140, which was part of the recapitalisation project under the contract total sum of US$ 100 million.
• The Committee further recommends that a forensic audit should be conducted with a view to bringing to book all the Zambian consultants and employees of NLC who may be found wanting in this transaction.

3. Requests of Our Group of Minority Shareholders of ZCCM-IH to IDC

IDC is the main shareholder of ZCCM-IH. Zambian parliamentarians have explicitly requested IDC to initiate the necessary prosecutions and forensic audits in July 2019. No formal proceedings were subsequently conducted, so I wrote a formal email to former IDC CEO Mateyo Kaluba on 7th May 2021 (Appendix 4). In the absence of a response and a commitment to investigate, I repeated my request to the current IDC CEO Cornwell Muleya on 1st November 2024 (Appendix 5). Again, I received no response.

4. Suspicious Inaction

IDC is bloodless. ZESCO is a financial liability. ZCCM-IH is one of IDC’s very few assets, along with Kagem, capable of generating income. What is more, the Chairman of IDC is the President of the Republic of Zambia, who, after his election, undertook to fight firmly against corruption and embezzlement and to prosecute those responsible.

IDC’s silence and inaction despite its poor financial position, the PAC’s recommendations, and the President’s commitments are therefore highly suspect.

5. Requests of Investigation to Anti-Corruption Commission

The sums involved in this scam are colossal and have plummeted the company’s accounts. By way of comparison, they are equivalent to about half the former dividends received from Kansanshi Mining Plc over the last two decades, which were ZCCM-IH’s main source of income.

In addition, Ndola Lime Company has been renamed Limestone Resources Limited. ZCCM-IH plans to pump again tens of millions of dollars. It is therefore urgent to identify the members of this “syndicate who deprived the State” so that they do not re-offend.

This is why, on 17th December 2024, I have requested the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate this swindle with commitment and determination to protect the interests of the shareholders of ZCCM-IH, in particular the Zambian People.

Issued by:
Thierry CHARLES
President of ZCCM Defense
19 December 2024, FRANCE

Press release – Request for investigation into Ndola Lime Company – ZCCM Defense – 2024 12 19

• Appendix 1 – NDOLA LIME, ZCCM-IH IN $100M SCANDAL 2019-06_08
  Appendix 2 – Engineers demand answers over Ndola Limes dysfunctional kiln 2019_11_11 Appendix 3 – Parastatal bodies 2021 – page 19 Investigations through Interpol on the Procured Kiln
  Appendix 4 – 2021 05 07 – Inaction of IDC concerning Ndola Lime scandal – email to Mateyo Kaluba-1
  Appendix 5 – 2024 11 01 – Inaction of IDC concerning Ndola Lime scandal – email to Cornwell Muleya

By Edward Chisanga

It’s easier for former President Edgar Lungu to point to bridges, roads, clinics, hospitals and other so-called infrastructure sites and argue, “This’s my positive legacy. I deserve to be reelected as President.” And citizens see that visibly.
But the former President has not done the same with the economy, measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, on the one hand, and GDP per capita growth, on the other, and therefore, citizens are not aware of this part of his legacy. According to those who benefitted most from his appeasing hand of free cash, bicycles, blankets, wheelbarrows, subsidized mealie meal, fuel and other handouts, he was a good man who must come back because, it’s easy for him to “Sonta apoabombele,” meaning he can point at his frivolous achievements. But they too ignore to show the citizens his role in the overall economy.
Mr. Lungu leaves a legacy of decayed economy, that’s why, in countries where citizens are serious, he should be held accountable. But he’s so lucky that almost no citizen, except a few has strongly echoed the message of accountability. The debate in this country so far has been that the Hichilema government should focus on fixing the broken economy and not talk about its brokenness. But it’s only practicing good governance when we ask to know first the extent of the brokenness before expecting his successor to chat a future path of fixing it. It’s really naïve to argue that we should fix the economy without first holding accountable the one who broke it. Does it mean that if the current government were to leave a broken economy, we should simply ask the successor to move on and fix it?
According to me, this economy is so deeply broken that I cannot expect this government, or the one after, even thereafter to fix it and begin to benefit citizens fairly. It’ll take at least fifty years to fix it before seeds of real benefits can begin to germinate. What the current government can do in short and medium terms is to fix economic basics, such as facilitating households to have three decent meals a day, clean water, affordable transport, health and education, of which my priority is three good meals a day. Three decent meals a day disappeared several years ago and has only become worse.
Long-term fixing of the economy means we have reliable, predictable, affordable and productive energy, or achieving Vision 2030’s projections on energy. This itself is likely to trigger other factors of development. But, we’re still very far from this state of energy. I also feel that this government should invest in early child development to prepare critical and productive human capital with cognitive function that can transform this country in future, even if good proceeds of that investment will not be enjoyed by the Sower of the good seed but future generations, who’ll appreciate. At the moment, that human capita is mythical.
These two, plus of course other factors such as productive infrastructure, technology and a developmental state put together, are likely to lead to structural transformation. Not today under mythical factors. Today, the concept of ‘transformation’ is highly misused. Even where factors do not exist, we hear leaders in a chorus of economic transformation. It’s not so easy. Transformation is what takes place in Viet Nam, which has overtaken the whole African continent of fifty-five nations in global exports of manufactured goods.

Economic growths under past leaderships

Levy Mwanawasa
Figure 1 below shows a graph depicting economic growth, measured by GDP under MMD President Levy Mwanawasa. It shows a good trend of growth for almost four years and above average of about 7% per annum, which is very good, with a decline starting a year before his end.

Rupiah Banda
Under Rupiah Banda who succeeded Mwanawasa, Figure 2 shows three good years of economic success, growing from 8% in 2008 to 10% in 2010 before recording one episode of a contraction down to less than 6%. Again, 8% us a robust number.

Michael Sata
It’s the long period of PF failure that must catch the eye of citizens. It can be seen that from 2012 – 2014 before Mr. Sata’s end in 2014, growth trends reached continuous contractions, in particular from about 7.5% in 2012 to about 4.8% as shown in Figure 3 below. If only Sata’s growth of 7% had continued, we can speculate that good things would have come. But, it did not.

Edgar Lungu
Then came the long period of Mr. Lungu’s rule, characterized by continuous deep economic contraction from 2015-2020, a period of about six years shown in Figure 4 below. You’ll note. that in 2020, economic growth contracted by an episode of almost minus 3%. This is explained more clearly in the 8th NDP, 2022-2026 that states, “Another notable development was in 2020 when economic growth contracted by 2.8 percent, registering the first recession since 1998.” So, citizens must hold Lungu’s leadership accountable for driving them into a recession, from which, I’m not sure if recovery has since been made, given the growing economic hardship. To say the least, this was the most horrible time for the economy in the history of Zambia. We’ll hear an excuse that Covid19 was responsible. But we know that economic collapse was registered long before Covid 19 which came only in 2019.

I have also made an assessment of GDP per capita growth and found that growth contracted sharply and significantly, even by an episode of about minus 6% in the same year shown in Figure 5 below. This contraction in GDP per capita which is not easy to point a figure at, obviously has immense impact on citizens’ purchasing power that has culminated into increased poverty today. That’s why a recession occurred.

Concluding
Earlier on, I made a position that it’ll take long to shake off this economic downturn of almost a decade created by PF rule. Let it be remembered that whatever growth takes place now and in future is meant to fill the PF economic gaps of its past rule. It’s only after that is done, that future governments will then begin to grow the economy. For now, we cannot claim that we’re growing the economy when it’s all about filling past huge gaps shown in Figures 4 and 5 respectively.
In 2017, Mr. Lungu made a public statement, “We’re going to leave a legacy that will make the generations to come proud.” On the economy, Mr. Lungu must admit that he leaves a legacy of decayed economy.