By Staff Reporter
Development Bank of Zambia chairperson Noel Nkhoma says it is naive to brush aside Angela Cifire’s without looking at how she arrived at that conclusion, saying there is a lot of discussion on social media on ethnically inclined appointments under the UPND administration.
Speaking with Daily Revelation over what many view as tribal appointments into government key public positions that are heavily skewed towards Southern, Western and North western province despite President Hichilema having received significant votes even in areas where he lost, with Eastern Province producing a split vote (51 percent for president Edgar Lungu who hails from that region and 49 percent for President Hakainde Hichilema), former Health minister Cifire said appointments in government must be given in recognition that the 2021 general elections was a 10-province programme and not having a situation where the presidency is now being captured in terms “uyu wesu or uyu nguwezu.”
The Daily Revelation story quoting Cifire was posted in one of the whatsapp groups run by Casilla with a membership of over 400 plus people and is still being discussed in several social media platforms.
However, Major Ben Phiri disagreed with Cifire saying that her views were flawed, arguing that President Hakainde Hichilema was perhaps the only president other than Dr Kenneth Kaunda to flaunt a regionally balanced cabinet with genuine and visible national complexion.
But responding to Maj Phiri in the whatsapp group UPND Eastern Province Platform, Nkhoma, the Luangeni UPND parliamentary candidate in the 2021 General elections, stated that: “As welcoming as your statement maybe, it will be naive to brush aside what Angela Chifire wrote without seriously looking at how she arrived at that conclusion. I am sure she didn’t arrive at this conclusion from a vacuum.”
“There is a lot of discussion on social media on ethnically inclined appointments under the New Dawn, and names and positions are included. There is therefore need to get to the root cause of this perceived discontentment instead of just ignoring it,” Nkhoma stated. “One of the issues being overlooked is that Eastern Province only produced 2 Mps, which limits the number of cabinet ministers that can be appointed from EP as compared say to Southern or Western Provinces. Critics deliberately overlook this.
“But however, how do we justify the other appointments in boards, CEOs, Judiciary, Foreign service, etc? That is the answer Chifire and other people are looking for. Zikomo.”
Another blogger mentioned how they felt that the President has sealed the judiciary appointments via his nepotistic and tribal appointments.
“1. Minister of Justice – Mulambe Haimbe SC- Tonga, 2. Attorney general- Mulilo Kabesha-Lenje, 3. Solicitor general- Marshal Muchende nephew to President Hakainde Hichilema –Tonga, 4. Chief Justice- Mumba Mailila- Soli, 5. Constitutional court President- Prof Margaret Munalula-Lozi, 6. Constitutional Court Deputy President- Arnold Mweetwa Shilimi-Tonga, 7. Court of Appeal President – Mwiinde Siavwapa-Tonga, 8. Judicial Service Commission Chairperson- Mwikisa Mukande- Lozi, 9. Judicial Complaints Commission -Vincent Blackskin Malambo –Tonga. President Hichilema has also appointed his niece, Judge Maria Mapani Kawimbe as Constitutional Court Justice,” the blogger submitted. “Mrs. Maria Mapani Kawimbe enjoys (joins) her sibling that have benefited from the Uncle’s nepotistic appointments; Victor Ben Mapani, ZESCO Managing Director and new IDC CEO Perry Mapani.”
But another blogger going by the name “Silence is safer” argued that Zambian citizens were stratified by a number of dimensions, including: by gender as male and female; by age; by religion; by race; profession; by vocation; by economic status; by nationality; by party affiliation, and that Tribe is just one of the dimensions and certainly not the most important.
“Every job has a job description (list of duties) and job specification (list of qualifications). In appointing persons to any job, what’s important is ensure that the person with the best blend of qualifications and relevant experiences is selected. Simply put, the appointee must be competent. That’s the essence of meritocracy,” the blogger submitted. “Of course appointments of people are made by people. To err is human. Indeed, a few errors have been made; a few appointees in various portfolios in Cabinet, at PS level, in parastatals, in government agencies and in Zambian Embassies are not competent, as evidenced by failure meet the KPIs for their respective jobs. Stakeholders, including opposition politicians, have legitimate locus standi in the performance of their officials. Incompetence harms the nation.”
The blogger submitted that tribe, gender, race, religion, creed were not qualifications and hence cannot be determinants of competence and that to deny any person a job on the basis of any other criteria but competence is wrong, and similarly to give anyone a job on the basis of any criteria other than competence is also wrong.
Socialist Party (SP) leader Dr Fred M’membe recently said that critics are asking if what they are seeing is equal to what they were promised, mentioning the various positions including that of President (Tonga), Vice-President (Bemba married to a Lozi), Speaker (Lozi), Chief Justice (Lenje), Acting President of the Constitutional Court (Lozi), Attorney General (Lenje), Solicitor General (Tonga), Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (Lozi), Chairman of the Judicial Complaints Commission (Tonga), Commissioner of Lands (Tonga), Chief Legal Advisor to the President (Lozi). Dr M’membe further stated that appointments to key ministries that can’t easily be done away with flowed in the same direction including Home Affairs (Tonga), Local Government (Tonga), Education (Tonga), Tourism (Tonga), Justice (Tonga), Foreign Affairs (Lenje), Health (Soli), Defence (Luvale), Infrastructure (Lozi), Finance (Lozi), Lands (Lunda), Governor of the Bank of Zambia (Tonga).
In the Defence Forces, Zambia Army Commander (Lozi), Zambia Air Force (Kaonde), ZNS Commandant (Luvale), Inspector General of Police (Kaonde), Director General of Intelligence (Lozi), Commissioner of Correctional Services (Tonga), Chief Immigration Officer (Lozi), FRA Board Chairman (Tonga).
At the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), chairperson (Lozi), vice-chairperson (Mambwe), and that the three other commissioners are Tonga, Lozi and Lunda.
