By Isaac Zulu
Charles Kabwita has charged that Ackson Sejani has been rewarded for saying that only a Tonga can lead the UPND with an appointment as Local Government Service Commission chairperson.
Commenting on the appointment of Sejani, Kabwita questioned the double standards over the tribal talk, saying Sejani who is on record as having said that only a Tonga could lead the UPND has been given a government position.
Put across to him that Sejani was also a former Local Government minister during the reign of late former president Frederick Chiluba, Kabwita said that could still not rule out the fact that Sejani made tribal remarks.
“Away from him being Local Government minister before we are dealing with a matter of tribal talk. So if they offload their opinion against him, well I will respect their line of thinking. It’s against this background that I am a strong believer that this is tribalism. So I maintain, yes I did allude to the fact that he mentioned what he said,” Kabwita, the NDC faction secretary general told Daily Revelation.
He charged that individuals the Head of State has been appointing to senior government positions have been coming from North Western, Southern and Western Provinces.
“I can cite the appointments in the Zambia Army, Zambia Police and the Zambia Airforce, Prison Service, Intelligence among other departments where appointments are perceived to be based on tribalism, nepotism and regionalism. Mu Chibemba tutila ati icushi tachifuma ukwabula umulilo (In Bemba we say there’s no smoke without fire). It is a fact that President Hichilema has been making appointments based on those three aspects I have mentioned,” Kabwita said.
Kabwita said that President Hichilema should work towards uniting the country before he could start “fixing the economy.”
“I am sure he won’t take pleasure in leading a divided nation. This thing of saying he will fix this and that… fixing the economy will not work until he unites the nation. These appointments that President Hakainde Hichilema has been making are making certain tribes to feel inferior. Let him unite the country before fixing the economy,” said Kabwita.
He further urged civil society organisations and the Church to speak out on the appointments that the Head of State has been effecting.
Kabwita stressed that if not handled properly, tribal appointments could lead to tribal conflicts.
“We need to continuously speak out against certain decisions that the President is making. Twilatamba amafina mu cilonda (We should not be waiting for some pas to be forming in the wound). These tribal appointments are a recipe for genocide,” stated Kabwita. “These tribal appointments can lead to tribal conflicts. And President Hakainde Hichilema should avoid this trajectory of tribal appointments, which are making other tribes to feel inferior,” stressed Kabwita.
