By Staff Reporter
Hakainde Hichilema is now on a looting spree to make a name as the first billionaire in Zambia, FDD leader Edith Nawakwi has charged.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the award of the contract to African Life Financial Services Zambia Limited, a consultancy company that has been awarded a contract for the environmental protection fund management by the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development and is said to be linked to President Hichilema, something the UPND administration has said that the President did not influence as he gave up his shares in the firm a long time ago, Nawakwi charged that the President was still enjoying pecuniary advantages as he, Muna Hantuba, Munakupya and Valentine Chitalu were still “phone and simcard”, in terms of business interests.
She said Anglo-American “who are his funders” are also involved, as the Botswana shareholder of the company is managed by the conglomerate, saying the interests in AF Life being awarded the contract were direct and pecuniary.
Nawakwi said Menel, the other firm associated with Af Life, the President’s name was listed among the shareholders together with the same people she has already mentioned as late as 2021.
She said President Hichilema could not start hiding behind “technical legal loopholes” to try to seem innocent as that is insincere and outright corruption, saying she smelt corruption in the manner the companies linked with the President are being awarded public contracts.
Nawakwi narrated what she claimed as the genesis of Af Life, which she said started at the sell and close of the deals for the former ZCCM, whose chief negotiator was Valentine Chitalu, claiming that she sat in one of the meetings as Finance minister where Chitalu said that if cabinet refused to transfer pensions for the mines from Mukuba to Saturnia Regna Pension Trust Fund that would break the discussion between Anglo-American and government.
She said because the late Frederick Chiluba administration then wanted to proceed with the structural adjustment programme, they proceeded on the demand from Chitalu.
“Little did we know that behind our backs the three were waiting to form a company to manage the same pensions fund,” Nawakwi said, adding that it was all private pensions including BP, Barclays and the new mining houses among others, and that as the time went by it became clear who the owners of Af Life were.
She claimed that the association of Saturnia and Af life had created misery with a lot of pensioners dying without receiving their dues, with the recent one being Expendito Chipalo.
Nawakwi said she did not understand the role Bradford Machila plays at State House, whether he was serving the President’s private business or public affairs as he has been heavily involved with the mentioned companies.
“Go to the records of Pensions Insurance Authority on the conduct of Af Life with their associated association of Benefits Consulting. Again there, the same shareholders,” Nawakwi said. “If they are talking about performance, how many have died without receiving their pensions?”
She charged that President Hichilema was on a war path against public interest.
“The President should not sit comfortably because he will have to answer because of proceeds looted. This is looting. You can’t go to a Ministry under your office and give yourself contracts. A minister is an employee of the President,” Nawakwi said. “He wants to go in the Guineas Book as the first billionaire in Zambia but from the national treasury. We have always asked him what the source of his wealth is. Those of us who know him know that it’s proceeds of privatization.”
Nawakwi accused the head of state of being amoral as what he was doing is unacceptable.
“It’s not even corruption but looting. The Bible says looters will be punished,” said Nawakwi.
Nawakwi urged President Hichilema not to be comforted by those who were coming to his Defence like Mines minister Paul Kabuswe as people run away when one loses power and join other parties, but he will be the “only one moving from community house to jail.”
