Chikota’s revelation of govt officials receiving bribes to aid smuggling deserves attention

By Daily Revelation Editor

Mwense Council chairman (UPND) Stephen Chikota says some government officials have been receiving bribes to allow mealie-meal smuggling, saying the same state institutions which killed a young child for smuggling one mealie-meal bag have paid a blind eye to a big smuggler in the area.

 “14:00 hours, 200 bags being gotten from a shop at a village, taken to Congo. We have the OP (Office of the President), we have the ZNS (Zambia National Service), we have the police, and we have all the institutions that we desire. But why should this man be at the center of everything … and when I went there making an interview he was even talking to say tapali eko fileya (this is going nowhere).” Chikota said. “Now I know he has been giving money to some government officials and I am not trying maybe ukonaula (to destroy) the government. But those should eat their last money, not anymore.”

This is what Chikota said. For those who may not be too familiar with Chikota, apart from being a council chairman, he also serves in the highest organ of the ruling UPND national management committee and is also the deputy national youth chairperson of the party.

We are made to believe that he is familiar with what he is talking about given his position as a civic leader and also a leader in the ruling party when he asserts that he is aware of government officials who are receiving bribes to allow smuggling of the mealie meal into Congo. The revelation is especially saddening because the President of the Republic Hakainde Hichilema only recently declared a national disaster owing to the drought situation and his government announced some measures they would put in place to mitigate the impact of the drought, which included taking measures to stop smuggling. However, those who are familiar with what has been happening and the culture of tidyemo that has infected this country, know that the government’s pronouncements are just mere hogwash.

The very fact that it is government officials among those in the forefront perpetrating this whole vice defeats the whole purpose. Even the men in uniform themselves are engaged in this lucrative business that is risking the very security of this country owing to the special role mealie-meal holds in the life of this country.

The revelation by Chikota also raises one issue. Where are the same state institutions that always are in a hurry to arrest especially former leaders on wrongdoing, or alleged wrong doing or even those who fell out of favour with those in power, or even those who are used as scapegoats to save the skins of the favoured ones? Because if a civic leader is asserting corruption in government which is aiding smuggling, we feel this is something that should excite the taste of buds of any worthy investigating agency which does its work independently and efficiently. Alas this won’t happen.

Chikota is a whistleblower here who has blown his whistle loudly for everybody to hear. Let there be action by engaging Chikota to disclose the government officials involved in receiving these bribes, including the knowns big smugglers. We agree with Chikota when he says that a young boy who was only involved in smuggling one bag of mealie meal was shot by the state, because we are sure he did not have anything to offer for a bribe, yet the big smuggler making millions in the area was allowed to carry on with the smuggling, all because he had deep pockets to bribe those who are supposed to stop the illegal activities he is engaged in. Shame!

This is why we say that corruption must be fought holistically. It’s not a vice that is restricted to the most immediate administration. If you are truly fighting corruption, there are building blocks that you should work towards to ensure that you achieve what you pronounce with your mouth. It’s not just speaking by word of mouth that you hate corruption without putting in the necessary structures to ensure that the fight is fought holistically and genuinely. Nowadays, even the name ACC is fast disappearing from the public ear after the initial excitement which mainly  involved the arrests of former government leaders.