Recent political events have been very interesting and they have left many with several unanswered questions.
Former works and supply deputy minister Lameck Mangani resigned from the MMD and joined the Patriotic Front (PF).
One of his reasons for resigning is that MMD has been in power for 20 years and that when there is a serious competitor is that chances of a political party winning an election after 20 years in power were minimal. But the real reasons for his “defection” are obvious.
First of all, he did not take President Banda’s decision to demote him graciously. In 2010 President Banda dropped Mr. Mangani as home affairs minister on account of incompetence.
President Banda disclosed that he has demoted Mangani because he had become too open to abuse. He was too exposed and people began to take advantage of him thereby endangering national security.
He said Mangani was not ready to work as Minister of Home affairs describing the ministry as a difficult one.
“If I am satisfied that a minister is not performing up to the standards that he should especially in your ministry, I have no choice but to move. You have to protect yourselves.” So it is obvious that Mr. Mangani has had a bone to chew with President Banda but he decided to gloss over the frustration and put on a brave face for a while.
Following his demotion, there were a number of reactions from politicians such as PF president Michael Sata and PF Kabwata MP Given Lubinda who alleged that Mr. Mangani was demoted because he was a liability and was a corrupt politician.
Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President Edith Nawakwi said Mangani should be reported to the police if he had done any wrong that led to his demotion. Mr. Sata said he was a liability to the government.
“The whole point is that we have been vindicated that he has more liabilities than assets,” Sata said. And then the PF spokesperson Lubinda said that Zambians were at liberty to speculate that President Banda demoted Mangani for Corruption.
“What Mr. Banda has done is to transfer a compromised man, an exposed man; a man who doesn’t have a stiff backbone from home affairs to Science, Technology and Vocational Training. It’s transfer of problems,” Lubinda said.
“We as society will be at liberty to speculate that Mr. Mangani acted in an improper manner or that he is corrupt because Mr. Banda’s statement insinuates that Mangani was exposed to corruption, to nepotism, to impropriety, to ineptitude or to failure to perform? If he is willing to tolerate his deputy ministers who are corrupt, it points at him that he is condoning corruption.”
Now that Mr. Mangani has defected to PF, Mr. Sata has embraced him without any qualms and in his usual style he showed no shame.
A few months ago, Mr. Sata and his party machinery were busy denouncing Mr. Mangani as being corrupt and incompetent. But today he is the darling of the PF, what a turn around, just like the Cobra of the course!
Nawakwi observed that President Banda was reaping the results of having appointed inexperienced people to cabinet. She said Mr. Magani’s attacks at the time on perceived political opponents of President Banda were meant to disguise his own wrong doing.
She retaliated that she had warned president Banda not to appoint inexperienced people to ministerial posts but he did not heed the advice.
“I think you will recall that I said that some of these people the president he is employing have never actually worked in any office. He exposes people to a serious ministry like home affairs,” she said. “Ministry of home affairs is about internal security, about looking after the armoury of this republic. How can the president give that ministry to someone just because he needs a job? That is what you get. You get what you put in.”
Nawakwi said corruption in the ministry of Home Affairs had led to the increase of illegal immigrants in Zambia.
The other reason for Mr. Mangani’s defection was his suspicion that he might not be adopted for the Chipata seat on the MMD ticket.
Going by his own admission, he said he heard rumours that President Banda was looking for a candidate for the constituency and feared that he might not be adopted, forcing him to look for an alternative party.
“After I found out that it was true, I concluded that here there is a problem of trust. The trust between me and my president is broken. There is no confidence and I felt so vulnerable that i cannot continue under those circumstances. So, I had to look for other alternatives. Hence the decision to resign from the MMD,” he explained.
But we now know that from the MMD Eastern Province from the MMD Eastern Province Chairman Kennedy Zulu that Mr. Mangani fanned the violence in the Mfumbwe parliamentary by-election last year. Zulu revealed that he orchestrated the violence.
So, it would seem that he has a violent character just like Mr. Sata wwho was the architect of violence in Chawama by arming MMD thugs with machets and guns to hack opponents when he was MMD national secretary.
Mr. Mangani has said the MMD should have reported him to police when he was still in the party if the allegations are true.
The former deputy minister is also heavily in debt and he has failed to pay rentals for his house in Chipata, a matter that has attracted the legal suit.
We are beginning to know his true character. He cannot even manage to pay house rentals amounting to K37 million. This is according to a write of summons filed in the Chipata High Court by the Tobacco board of Zambia (TBZ).
The TBZ is demanding immediate possession of the house at Plot. 1463 Umodzi Highway in Chipata.
The TBZ claim indicates that Mr. Mangani has rent arrears from 2009 and he has ignored several demands to settle the outstanding amounts and has not expressed interest to renew the lease agreement which expired on 31st December, 2010.
It was also interesting to hear Mr. Sata say in Chipata that his prime interest was to serve the people of Zambia and not to enter State House. Like it happens in every election, Namakando is giving Mr. Sata exaggerated media coverage creating the impression that the PF is overtaking the MMD in terms of popularity in the country.
When he featured on Feel Free Radio later he was emphatic that going to State House was not his main pre-occupation but that he was more interested to leave a better Zambia.
But during the 2006 and 2008 election, Sata was busy harassing the secretary to the Cabinet demanding to be sworn in even before the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) finished counting ballots!
What can someone call that action or behaviour? Definitely, his pre-occupation is not serving the people but to get into State House!
This is because he envies the President and he is worried that since he is in the twilight of his life, this will be the last chance to give it another try.
His selfish desire to force his way into State House was manifested then.
He even attempted to discredit the sale of houses to sitting tenants. What a shallow mind!
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