By Isaac Zulu
National Democractic Congress secretary general Charles Kabwita has charged that President Hakainde Hichilema is using his appointed government officials to deregister opposition political parties so that the country reverts to a one party state.
Commenting on the audio conversation between home affairs and internal security permanent secretary Josephs Akafumba and special advisor to President Hichilema, Levy Ngoma, in which the duo is allegedly planning to collude with the Registrar office of Societies, Kabwita charged that the UPND government and President Hichilema want to “kill democracy so that the UPND remains the only political party in the Zambian political sphere.”
Kabwita stated that the plan to deregister opposition political parties, and the Harry Kalaba led Democratic Party, in particular; are have the blessings from President Hichilema.
He said that the UPND leadership did not expect that it will form government, further stating that the UPND Hichilema led administration “scared of opposition political parties that are posing a threat to the UPND government, and that is why they desperately want to deregister viable opposition political parties in the country.”
“That audio conversation between Mr Josephs Akafumba and special advisor to the President Levy Ngoma has the blessings from President Hakainde Hichilema. And I now strongly suspect that President Hichilema strategically appointed Mr Josephs Akafumba to the position of permanent secretary in the ministry of home affairs because of he has some experience of colluding with staff at the office of the Registrar of Societies when the said Mr Akafumba worked closely with Mr Mwenya Musenge in order to deregister the National Democractic Congress,” charged Kabwita, in an interview.” “This is a clear indication that the UPND is scared of opposition political parties that are viable and posing a threat to the UPND government. Suffice to say, this is a ploy by the UPND and President Hakainde Hichilema to silence opposition political parties.”
Kabwita also stated that Akafumba and Ngoma should resign from their public service positions because they are still engaging in active politics, which he said is against the code of conduct for civil servants.
“Our advice to Mr Josephs Akafumba and special advisor to President Hichilema Mr Levy Ngoma is that they should have resigned from active politics before joining the civil service. I am personally hurt to see Mr Akafumba and Levy Ngoma drawing salaries from the government coffers as civil servants, because I pay taxes in order for them to be paid. The best that the two gentlemen should have done is to say goodbye to active politics before accepting appointments in the civil service,” said Kabwita. “And these are the things that President Hichilema condemned whilst in opposition. And so we are wondering why he is entertaining the same issues that would eventually stop leaders of opposition political parties from providing checks and balances to the ruling party, even if they do something stupid. President Hakainde Hichilema should be above board and stop this immediately.”
