Category: Editor’s Choice

  • GUEST ARTICLE: A new beginning is possible if Lungu retires

    GUEST ARTICLE: A new beginning is possible if Lungu retires

    By Amos Chanda

    Following the Constitutional Court judgement of 10 December 2024 which barred former president Dr. Edgar Lungu from running for high office again, there has been accelerated efforts to re-align the balance of power not just in the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF), but in other opposition parties as well.

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19pfzD535q/?mibextid=oFDknk

    This landmark development, coming as it did, on the back of an evidently draining,and unprecedented factionalism in the PF, has left many confused about the former ruling party’s direction both in the short and long term.

    The court decision against the former president, almost a month now,seems to have done very little to change the PF’s inclinations into the lingering uncertainty that has come to define its post-government era.

    Dr. Lungu or ECL as he is fondly known, remains its leader, and quite curiously, with some within his inner circles, maintaining he is still the PF’s, and Tonse alliance candidate for the August 2026 presidential elections.

    Whether this is just for mischief purposes or sheer political brinkmanship, it does not help the standing of ECL as real contender in his current circumstances.

    He requires a retreat into his deserved place of honour as the country’s leading statesman.

    His own prompt response to the court’s judgement was that he accepts the verdict. But he added he has other ambitions, which he termed “Plan B,” ostensibly pointing to his desire to stay in the political boxing ring long after this watershed moment of his political career.

    There are many who think the time for ECL to reconsider his position has never been more important.

    His position as an opposition figure strikes conflicting signals almost simultaneously, both as a unifying and polarizing figure in both the PF and the broader opposition.

    He has met various opposition leaders and sometimes, swiftly moving to clarify, his engagements with any of them did not mean an endorsement (for president) for the 2026 elections.

    His own party remains in semi-paralysis regarding the long delayed leadership primaries to choose his successor.

    A dozen of them paid a hefty K200,000 nomination fee to vie for the top seat. But those who control the levers of power in the PF knew all this while, that the planned convention won’t take place and so, these primaries were just a ruse.

    And unknown to the other aspirants and the power holders in the PF, one of the hopefuls, Miles Sampa, organized a hurriedly convened gathering to ordain himself as leader of the politically dozing PF.

    Many issues have come and gone regarding this matter and the party’s fate remains in the grudgingly slow processes of the courts of law, the least suited place anyone serious can hope to play any meaningful politics.

    Even those without political science degrees know that politics are best practiced anywhere but the courts of law. Even the best of lawyers who argue these political cases in courts simply practice the law, and not politics.

    Mr Sampa has his own experiences with the courts on the flip side things. His own erstwhile leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Robert Chabinga seem safely in charge as the leader of the PF,in and outside the House. This makes it three presidents(ECL, Sampa and Chabinga)for the same party of the green fame.

    Between the courts’(expected) decisions, and the 2026 general election, there is only 18 months.
    On the side of life, one can’t tell the feelings of the dead, but it must be a sure disappointment for Mr. Micheal C. Sata, the legendary founder of the party he remarkably led into government within ten years of its formation from relative obscurity.

    ECL’s delayed departure from the political stage does not make the case of a smooth transition any easier for the PF.

    His image as a statesman, is not enhanced by the polarization that inevitably defines our brutal machine party politics in Zambia.Yet the succession in the PF is long overdue.
    It has always been.

    The lack of clarity on his retirement has subdued any genuine efforts at the emergency of a new unifying figure,some 40 long months since the PF lost power to the UPND.

    But it does seem some sort of transition in both the PF, and therefore in the Tonse alliance could be underway, albeit in some obscured form.

    Tonse, under ECL’s chairmanship, announced last week that it will field candidates for any upcoming by-elections and in the 2026 general elections under the NCP or National Congress Party, a key constituent member of the alliance.

    This entails a departure from the PF as the flag-bearer of the opposition alliance, but still in a murky form.

    This lack of clarity as to who leads the “former” PF into any alliance, undermines not just the viability of such an alliance but also the position of the PF in that alliance. Former here refers to the implied transition of the PF into the NCP, one the one hand, and the tripartite claim on its leadership on the other.

    The PF, without its own (eligible) presidential candidate, simply diffuses itself into any alliance as a weakened entity.

    It means the green PF, or any of its offshoot(s) still does not have a definitive leader into 2026.
    The reason, for any reason(s), behind the status quo, remains the delayed departure of ECL from the centre of the PF.

    Ahead of Tonse, was the much touted UKA, or United Kwacha Alliance which remains on the brink of a descent into the peripheries without the participation of the mainstream PF, whose significant parliamentary presence today, makes the very existence of our democracy possible.

    Yet ECL is still very much present in some circles of UKA but not with the full backing of his party. Not only that, he is involved with the independent parties such as Zambia Must Prosper of Kelvin Fube Bwalya, Socialist Party of Fred Mmembe, and other smaller parties.

    His stated mission is to unite the opposition. But time seems short before the campaign season sets in.

    But in a labyrinth of our fiercely competitive messaging environment, the PF is lacking the much needed clarity it needs to unseat an incumbent party with a noticeably formidable campaign machinery.

    A comfortably united UPND, buoyed by all the elements of incumbency, has enhanced the ruling party’s pole position towards the 2026 polls in the light of a disunited opposition.

    The crisis of identity in the main opposition, and the many encumbrances on the former president as its leading figure, does not enhance opposition prospects for 2026.

    An opposition leader who is not an ex-president, can, figuratively get away with “murder”, which ECL can’t.

    So,the pronounced advantages of ECL as the PF’s main flag bearer may just be as many as there are disadvantages, therefore,bringing about some kind of net-zero effect for the chances of the PF, with him as leader.

    Ideally,any celebration of imminent demise of the main opposition party, a former ruling party at that, would be an illiberal disposition.

    But the reality of the rigors of our fiercely competitive multiparty politics, makes it reasonably expected that it would not be the job of the ruling party to keep the opposition united.

    Cornelius Mweetwa,the chief government spokesperson recently mocked the PF about this situation.

    In a democracy,the methods of competition are obviously reasonably expected to be fair, but in the main, the PF seems to have set itself on a downward descent into possible oblivion when it allowed itself a demoralizing vacuum that has given way to months veritable chaos.

    The basis upon which ECL anchored his return to active politics was mainly that he wanted to defend democracy as he put it, and that he could not square it up with his conscious, that a party that gave him the presidency should be killed on his watch.

    He said he would unite the opposition and, quite more motivating for him, run for the presidency.
    He mobilized and secured the nomination of the Tonse alliance as candidate for the 2026 presidential election.

    But the intervening Constitutional Court judgement seemed to have turned upside down all his permutations for high office again.

    The merits or a lack thereof, of his arguments for the comeback notwithstanding, the reality of the December 10 court decision is that the Electoral Commission of Zambia won’t accept his nomination papers if, as some in his circles are insisting, he would be still be a candidate elections next year.

    If this main reason for his comeback is realistically no longer feasible, what is the next best option for him to contribute to national development?

    I should think that a retreat into retirement and resumption of his coveted role of statesman would do him a lot of good.

    With all of 68 years behind him, seven of which in challenging service as Head of State, any more years of canvassing as an opposition leader can, and will almost definitely be very punishing on him.

    The case for retirement is inevitable. The emergency of another leader is the only viable option for the PF.

    This then, should open a possibility of a genuine dialogue between ECL and President Hakainde Hichilema.

    The two definitely need a talking relationship, in national interest. They do not necessarily need a political “love affair,” but a working relationship.

    The commanding heights of their positions in Zambia’s body of politics makes the need for a working relationship a national imperative.

    This relationship must avoid the toxic elements of unbridled partisanship, but adopt a broad-based national agenda that must promote the widest possible consensus among the people.

    The political rivalry between HH and ECL, is on course to become the longest-running, most coarse, and most personally disagreeable of all others Zambia has witnessed between presidents and their predecessors.

    The nation can’t go on like this. The nation has previously witnessed ugly scenes out of contests between a former president and an incumbent.

    There was a rivalry between former presidents Kenneth Kaunda and Fredrick Chiluba but there were moments of respite. Occasional photo opportunities provided the desired reassurance the nation needed to understand that the two men’s differences were more political than personal.

    We also witnessed some of the most vitriol exchanges between former presidents Levy Mwanawasa and Micheal Sata, but again there were moments of re-assurance in more ways than one.

    So were such invective episodes between presidents Sata and Rupiah Banda. But the two former governors of Lusaka and ex- youth leaders of UNIP, fully understood the weight of responsibility they shouldered for the nation.

    Now, as fate would have it, we only have two men in that league. One former, and one incumbent. The two must have a working relationship.
    An amicable end to their hostilities is not only good for their mental health, but for the country too.

    A restoration for ECL is possible but only within a framework of a reconciled arrangement,whether such an outcome is enforced (morally,or otherwise.

    Both sides must take an introspective and inevitably painful critical steps backwards and recommit their fidelity to mother Zambia.
    This country gave them the greatest gift it can ever afford any of its son or daughter.
    They fully understand this. I should hope they do.

    On either side, moderates must reign in zealots to allow for a possible new beginning between these two important leaders of our country.
    Cheerleaders will be reserved a place at a time when a new way has been set by HH and ECL.
    Now is a time for tough and honest reflections.
    This is not a time for a winner-take-all type of posturing.

    On any given time, a working relationship between the incumbent and the former president(s)should always be desirable.

    Unjustified, unending contests, rancour and disapproval for the sake of it, between the former and the sitting president can only breed the ugly undesirable outcomes.

    Previous references in this regard point to ominous dark precedents we must all work to prevent.

    There is no doubt in my mind however, that the Church universal, our very soul and moral compass of the nation will continue to intervene towards a positive outcome.

    I should hope they are doing so. There’s no tiring away from this very difficult, yet noble cause.

    NOTE: The author is a former senior State House aide to Presidents Edgar Lungu (2015-19) and Michael Sata (2011-12)and former diplomat in London, United Kingdom(2012-15).

    Kalemba January 7, 2025

  • GUEST ARTICLE: What must you do to be recognised?

    GUEST ARTICLE: What must you do to be recognised?

    ONE important lesson I have drawn from the tragic accident and passing of Dandy Crazy is that what you produce doesn’t seem to matter compared to who you impact!

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A4gxJtuDX/?mibextid=oFDknk

    On the same day Dandy Crazy was involved in a fatal accident, a renowned Professor of Engineering also lost his life in a similar road traffic incident if not at the same incident.

    While two or so images of the professor circulated briefly on social media, it is likely that only about 10% of this platform’s members are even aware of his name or passing.

    President Hakainde Hichilema shared a message of recovery for Dandy Crazy and later offered condolences to his family.

    Yet, upon reviewing the president’s Facebook page, there was no mention of the professor—a senior citizen who contributed significantly to shaping the engineering field in Zambia.

    In addition, the BBC reported Dandy Crazy’s death on all their platforms, including social media, their website, radio, and television.

    Meanwhile, the Zambian government, through the Ministry of Arts, covered all funeral costs for Dandy Crazy.

    Surprisingly, the Ministry of Education failed to recognize the professor’s passing, and it appears that even a message of condolence was not sent.

    Troubling questions arise: Was his passing unnoticed? Or was it deemed less significant? Or a musician who has more impact on the nation than a professor?

    Question: What type of contribution must one make to be recognized as an important figure in Zambia?

    To be clear, this is not about diminishing any loss; every death is painful.

    However, out of curiosity, one might wonder: whose accomplishments weigh more heavily on the scales of national impact—a professor who educated and mentored generations of engineers, or a musician?

    I am aware that different offices and roles carry varying levels of visibility and privilege and my opinion is open to correction.

    However, this situation leaves us with much to reflect upon about our values and the recognition we give to those who shape our nation.

    Credit: Authour unknown to Kalemba

    Kalemba January 4, 2024

  • GUEST ARTICLE: The conduct of morden funeral gatherings

    GUEST ARTICLE: The conduct of morden funeral gatherings

    I learnt with shock and grief, the passing of Wesley Chibambo a.k.a Dandy Crazy. Whose daughter is a friend to my daughter and they share the same birthday, being today.

    However, I want to highlight a deep concern that reflects how societal values have shifted in troubling ways.

    Funerals, which should be moments of reflection, respect, and unity, are increasingly losing their sanctity in many cultures today. In a space of one month, I have visited a number of funeral gatherings and graveyards after a long period of time. What I observed in the funerals, was contrary to the culture I grew in.

    I was stunned to witness the proliferation of social ills in funerals.

    Media influencers often exploit funerals as backdrops for their content, disregarding the emotional gravity of the event. The quest for likes and views trivializes the pain of mourning families and reduces their grief to a spectacle.

    Traditional customs, which once safeguarded the respect and sanctity of funerals, are being eroded by modern practices. Families mourning their loved ones often feel disrespected and alienated by these behaviors.

    The erosion of funeral traditions weakens communal bonds and cultural identity. Prioritizing personal gain or image over respect for the deceased reflects a broader decay in societal values.

    Instead of focusing on honouring the deceased, some attendees prioritize flaunting their wealth, attire, or status.

    Lavish displays during funerals can overshadow the purpose of the gathering, turning it into a social competition. Our beloved women cease this opportunity by visiting Kamwala for manicures, pedicures, and hair do’s, not forgetting slipers before they go to a funeral gathering.

    Alas,the men enter a contest of pledges for the deceased, not with a pure heart but for recognition.

    Commerce has its hold. Trading goods and services at funerals and graveyards diminishes their sacred nature. Vendors and opportunists see these gatherings as business opportunities rather than solemn occasions, turning grief into a marketplace.

    I strongly propose to the civic leaders and policy makers to pass by-laws that will restrict the growing culture and behaviours by:

    1. Leaders, both religious and cultural, can emphasize the importance of respecting funerals and graveyards.
    2. Schools can educate people on the value of mourning traditions.
    3. Limit commercial activities in or near graveyards and funeral gatherings.
    4. Establish boundaries on social media content creation during funerals.

    I sincerely pass my commiserations to Wesley Chibambo a.k.a Dandy Crazy family.

    By Toka Machayi

    Kalemba January 2, 2025

  • Kalemba says goodbye to Mwaka

    Kalemba says goodbye to Mwaka

    KALEMBA hosted a farewell dinner for senior reporter Mwaka Ndawa whose unwavering dedication and remarkable contributions have been the backbone of the team.

    Ndawa, humorously called counsel has been at Kalemba for close to two years and has been an anchor hold the institution in terms of political reporting most importantly the court beat.

    She is a dedicate and self motivated journalist who now prepares to embrace her new role as the Principal Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Labour.

    The Kalemba team along send her off with immense gratitude and best wishes for the future!

    Farewell Mwaka, Kalemba celebrates you!

    Kalemba December 31, 2024

  • My marriage ended 2 months after the wedding – Dora Siliya

    My marriage ended 2 months after the wedding – Dora Siliya

    DESPITE being a firm believer in the sanctity of marriage, glamorous former minister and diplomat Dora Siliya’s marriage crumbled just two months after the wedding.

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Y4A8dukRoND9qKZd/?mibextid=oFDknk

    In her book titled “Minding My Father’s Country” Dr Siliya opens up on her political and personal journey with the minister revealing that the lifespan of her marriage in 2000 was quite short as it ended two months after her wedding.

    For a woman as glamorous and intelligent as Dr Siliya, it’s easy to assume life would fall effortlessly into place. After all, she is known for her beauty, poise and brilliance.

    Dr Siliya shared that soon after her wedding, she fell pregnant but tragically suffered a miscarriage.

    “I think work and the wedding stress contributed to this. At a young age, you need support when something like that happens, yet we never told anyone for a while. And soon after, all hell broke loose. I was a young bride with a new job and starting to feel that the marriage was definitely a mistake. It got so bad that I lost myself, and in wanting to feel like me again, I decided to start reading the news once a week on ZNBC TV. I was at the EU project, but ZNBC agreed, especially since I offered to do it for free.”

    “In the end, the marriage lasted for basically two years and only officially made it until March 2004. But I can tell you exactly when it actually finished in my mind for me: on 26 November 2000, two months after the wedding,” she revealed.

    During an interview with Hot FM last week, Siliya mentioned that, her divorce hurt her for a long time but chose to move on.

    “I believe in marriage, marriage is a beautiful thing but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Of course I was hurt for some time but I learnt to move on. I have been a single parent my whole life. I have grandkids now,” she shared.

    Dr Siliya’s personal life has also sparked public curiosity over the years as her romantic life has included relationships with younger men.

    By Catherine Pule

    Kalemba, September 7, 2024

  • GUEST ARTICLE: Most embarrassing moment!

    GUEST ARTICLE: Most embarrassing moment!

    By Salim Dawood

    ONE of my most epic fails occurred in 2002, during my grade 10 year at Kabulonga Boys.

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ZJDziMNCaM3pfxcE/?mibextid=oFDknk

    After acing an early morning test (or so I thought) during the end of Term Two exams, I decided to walk home with my colleagues to save our K1,200 transport fares (before rebasing). As you may know, being a high school pupil means living on a tight budget.

    Some of my colleagues I would be walking home to Chilenje South with, were still stuck in exam rooms, and would not be done until after two hours or somewhere there about.

    Feeling like a starving artist, I found my way to the school tuck shop and splurged on a meat pie, the ultimate snack for every Kabulonga boy at the time.

    Afterwards, I embarked on a solo 10-minute trek from the school premises to the shopping complex near Melisa Super Market where I would wait for my colleagues.

    I found a perfect spot.

    And, like Chitimukulu Kanyanta Manga Sosala perching on his forged crocodile, I majestically parked myself on a wooden bench outside an ice cream parlor – the perfect spot to bask in the glory of my newfound freedom from exams.

    As I sat there feeling like a king of the world, a group of six Kabulonga girls walked by, flashing smiles so bright they could power the whole of Mufulira town.

    The girls’ smiles were like a thousand-watt spotlight, blinding me with their brilliance. They sashayed past me with their burgeoning beauty, their confident strides showcasing their developing ‘assets’.

    Their radiant complexions and skin tones were a testament to a diet rich in veggies and good genes. I mean, any boy with a pulse would be smitten by those lovely young ladies. I was no exception.

    The girls walked into a nearby confectionery, and before long, they emerged with even more radiant smiles.

    As they approached me, my heart raced faster than a Zambia Police Service Landcruiser transporting officers to go and stop an opposition political party rally.

    I was clueless about what they wanted to say, but my hopeful heart was already racing ahead, imagining a scenario where all six of them would ask to be my girlfriends.

    Just as I was about to declare my undying love for all six of them, one of them spoke and made a request that shattered my dreams:

    “Hey, we want to buy something from the bakery, but we are short a K1, can you help us?”

    With a mouth drier than the Sahara desert, I stammered, “I… uh… don’t have any money.”

    I had spent my last coin on that meat pie.

    Now can you imagine, those silly girls, before I could even explain how I was normally loaded but they had just caught me on a rare off day, they turned and walked away giggling like they had just witnessed the most epic fail in human history.

    As they disappeared into the distance, still chuckling, I was left sitting there feeling foolish and regretful for sitting at the ice cream parlor without any money.

    I remember that day like it was yesterday, very embarrassing!

    I wonder if anyone has had a more embarrassing situation than this, let’s hear it!

    Kalemba June 10, 2024

  • GUEST ARTICLE: Karma

    GUEST ARTICLE: Karma

    By Dickson Jere

    At Munali Boys Secondary School, I differed with one senior badly. I vowed never to talk to this fellow – ever!

    Two years later – after I left high school – had a trip. I urgently needed a passport. When I went to push for express, I was advised the quickest way was to get that green “Travel Document”. They pointed me to a slightly opened door. A gentleman in that office was incharge of making those documents.

    Confidently, I knocked and the pushed the door open. Lo and behold it was the man I vowed never to talk to! I almost collapsed. He gestured asking for my documents without saying a word. He made it happen even though he never uttered a word to me.

    Years later, this gentleman was stopped from travelling on a training program abroad because government was implementing austerity measures.

    I was told by one of his friend. I was working at State House. Without uttering a word, I also revenged and made it happen without uttering any word. He travelled.

    Now, we talk!

    Kalemba May 24, 2024

  • GUEST ARTICLE: A triumphant daughter rebuilding a legacy broken by death

    GUEST ARTICLE: A triumphant daughter rebuilding a legacy broken by death

    By Chibamba Kanyama

    THIS is a story of courage, resilience and determination. I wrote about Muzila Nchimunya last year. I shared about how my wife and I decided to sponsor her father, Matthews Mwando from the time he was a kid.

    Matthews, aka Hachiloli, was a hit-and-run survivor in Kafue. He was strapped on his mother’s back. The mother, my mother’s niece, died on the spot. This prompted my grandmother in Chief Mwenda to adopt Matthews. That was in the late 1970s.

    As Matthews progressed through primary school, and I started working, my wife and I decided to support Matthews through primary, secondary school and college. Our vision was based on an economic cliche, ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’ In other words, if we invested just one relative, someone promising, from among our family in Kafue, we would have started the process of destroying poverty in our extended family. Matthews, already living among us in Chikankata, was the best option.

    Years later, Matthews got a job as a manager for a lodge in Livingstone. Unfortunately, he died in a road accident in Batoka as he could not navigate the vehicle in heavy rain. He left behind a wife and four young children, all below 10 years old. We cried to God, asking Him to make us understand the tragedy. Our dream was immediately mutilated. But it was never over with God.

    Muzila is one of the children Matthews left
    behind. She identified education as the key to her personal independence; a tool she would use to support her siblings. She graduated from UNZA this week with a degree in Agriculture Science and Soil Management. She is among the four students who graduated from the department.

    Muzila was in March this year hired as a tutor at UNZA, being prepared for donship. Much more interesting, Muzila has been recruited into a programme to study for her masters in the USA during which period she will take up lecturing work. She leaves in August.

    We have watched Muzila grow. All she needed was just a little window; very little support from any relative just for her to cross the next line. She stands out as one of the many young girls who know how to set up life priorities. These know what they want in life and will only pursue things that will help them achieve life independence.

    I got quite emotional last night when I shared to her the details of the vision that we thought would be achieved through her father and how she would be the one to fulfill it. I assured her to be courageous because God was with her.

    I remain appreciative of the LORD God for raising up such a flower when we thought the grass had dried from the roots! God has helped us understand that when it’s over with us, it’s never over with Him.

    Kalemba May 23, 2024

  • GUEST ARTICLE: A tribute to my Toyota Corolla that ‘yangod’ me from rentals

    GUEST ARTICLE: A tribute to my Toyota Corolla that ‘yangod’ me from rentals

    By Dickson Jere

    In my early twenties, I bought a beautiful metallic grey Toyota Corolla. It had a powerful music system and leather interior. Even though it was bought as a used car, the appearance looked pretty brand new. It was envied by many! It was a marvel of a car.

    You see, I have a friend called Munakopa, who had a similar car although his was white. Those days few young people had cars of their own. So, weekends used to be lit. We featured all over bars…Zenon, club mulamu, tall trees and all!

    One Saturday afternoon, Munakopa asked me to trail him. The casual drive took us to the bushy Makeni area. We stopped at a construction site.
    “This is my project…” he said, as he led me to the uncompleted double-storey structure.

    “What do you mean your project,” I asked as I never thought at his age he could be building such a massive structure and yet we hanged around together every now and then especially weekends.
    “DJ, even you can start,” he retorted.

    Mr. Phillimon Zulu is a trusted builder. Once worked In National Housing Authority (NHA) – the Kenneth Kaunda one – where discipline and honest was a hallmark. I was given his number by Munakopa with high recommendation. He also gave me number of his Architect.
    “Speak to them about building…” he said.
    I met Mr. Zulu that same Saturday and he made building a house look so easy even without money and a plot yet. The idea was to start with the idea itself – he said.

    And a search for plot began in earnest after that Saturday getaway. It was to be the turning point of my life!

    Back to my beautiful Toyota Corolla.
    Every weekend, instead of looking for newest bars in town, it had a new role. Carrying two bags of cement to my construction site before heading out for a drink with friends.
    “Follow that pattern. At least one or two bags of cement per week,” Mr. Zulu said, adding that no single bag or material will ever go missing as long as he was in charge.
    That, my beautiful Toyota Corolla, suffered!

    Another friend came into the picture. He introduced me to Oriental Quarries who agreed to supply me with sand and blocks but to be paid “whenever you have money”. Before I knew it, we were at roof level. They supplied on time.

    Lamasat had just entered the Zambian market. Another friend – James Chungu – introduced me to Mahmood – the proprietor. We clicked! He agreed to supply me with aluminum windows but to be paid in installments whenever I had money.
    “Don’t put wall fence yet so that people can see the windows,” he said, which was form of advertising his newly introduced windows on the market.
    Deal done!

    Albert Mundia, a tall and slim smart youngman, was a timber trader at Buseko Market in Matero who knew Mr. Zulu. He agreed to supply me the timber to be paid within six months but “don’t over pressure yourself boss”. He trusted my builder who vouched for me.

    Anyway, I moved in.

    The fittings were supplied by Mr. Raman – Hardware Shop – who was introduced to me by Ba Cosmas Mwananshiku. It was “get and pay later” because we trust Ba Mwananshiku.

    So, I had just miraculously built a house without a loan or mortgage in my twenties! It was the work of a strong network of friends and the discipline of buying a bag of cement per week religiously!

    That house – built with the help of my beautiful Toyota Corolla – is just one of the several other similar projects that followed. And all, except one, built by the same Mr. Zulu who is now my family and project advisor.

    Young people, you too can do it!
    Choose your friends wisely and properly…

    Back to my beautiful metallic Toyota Corolla.
    At the end of the project, it was battered and looked so dirty. It was no longer envied by many. But alas it delivered me from rentals in my young age.

    I pay tribute to my Toyota Corolla! And my friends.

    Kalemba May 6, 2024

  • GUEST ARTICLE: THE KAUNDAS – KK was only 22 when he married 18-year old Betty

    GUEST ARTICLE: THE KAUNDAS – KK was only 22 when he married 18-year old Betty

    When in 1943, Kenneth Kaunda was asked by the missionaries at Lubwa Mission to return to Chinsali from Munali School in Lusaka where he had spent two years from 1941 to take up a position as a Teacher and boarding master at his old school at Lubwa, he did not hesitate. He was 19.

    He had been one of 30 students from all over Northern Rhodesia chosen to attend the First African Secondary School in Lusaka.

    Even though he would have continued with his education for another two years there was a critical shortage of Teachers at the Mission School and he had by now acquired a higher qualification than most of the staff there.

    This development put Kaunda on a trajectory that would affect all our lives, not least his own.

    Lubwa was the centre of the lives of the Kaundas going back to Reverend David Julizya Kaunda, Kenneth’s father.

    In those days, some of the visitors to Lubwa were John and Milika Kaweche Banda who were residents of Chinsali.

    They would take their daughter Mutinkhe, who was also known by her Christian name Beatrice shortened to its diminutive form of Betty, to receive medical treatment at the Mission dispensary.

    The Kaweches later moved to Mpika where Mutinkhe went to school and completed her standards or equivalent of basic education.

    Mr. Kaweche was a firm believer in girl education and opportunities for his daughter. So as soon as Mutinkhe was done she went to Mbereshi where she took an Elementary Teacher’s Course for which she received a certificate in 1946.

    Mutinkhe was to take up a position at the Mpika school but Mrs. Helen Jengwera Nyirenda Kaunda Kenneth’s mother, was about to change her life.

    Unbeknownst to Kenneth, Mrs. Kaunda visited the Kaweches in Mpika and saw Mutinkhe for the first time since her family left Chinsali when she was a girl.

    She enlisted the help of a friend who was a neighbour of the Kaweches and enquired into Mutinkhe. Satisfied with the reports she got and her own observations, she broached the subject of Mutinkhe being a suitable match for her son Kenneth to the Kaweches.

    Kenneth Kaunda meanwhile was away in Mufulira attending a Scout camp with two of his closest friends, Simon Kapwepwe and John Sokoni. His mother wrote a letter telling him to call on the Kaweches in Mpika on his return to see his prospective bride.

    When the trio arrived in Mpika from Mufulira in June 1946, Mutinkhe was told that they were resting in a hut. She went there but only found Simon and John as Kenneth had wandered out. She returned later and met him for the first time.

    Kenneth’s friends excused themselves after which he introduced himself to her. As Mrs. Kaunda ( Mutinkhe) recalled later, he went straight to the point catching her rather off-guard. She was speechless.

    He asked her some questions but she remained silent as a sign of consent as custom dictated. After a few minutes she excused herself and went home.

    The following morning, Kenneth called on Headman Chitulika and gave him Five Shillings (5/–) to be taken to the Kaweches as a token of betrothal (insalamu). Mutinkhe was informed of the formal proposal for marriage and asked if she was willing to engage Kenneth. She agreed.

    The Kaweches then formally accepted the generous token of 5 Shillings considering that Six Pence (6d) or 1 Shilling (1/–) was usually enough for the purpose.

    Their wedding took place in August 1946 and was celebrated first in Mpika and then at Lubwa in Chinsali. They travelled to Lubwa on the back of a lorry with their belongings. A reception was held at Lubwa with dancing into the wee hours. Kenneth’s pupils also attended the event. Donations amounting to Three Pounds (£3) were collected.

    And so three months to her 18th birthday, Betty Mutinkhe Kaweche became the lifelong wife, friend and companion of 22-year-old Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda with whom she was destined to shape the future of Northern Rhodesia.

    ☆The Kaundas – one of the most enduring couples of our time and an iconic first couple of Zambia.

    By Eugene Makai/Our Heritage

    Kalemba April 30, 2024