It’s ironic that Chiluba was betrayed by his friends, claims Kavindele
By Staff Reporter
FORMER Republican Vice-President Enoch Kavindele says it is unbelievable that former president Frederick Chiluba was betrayed and persecuted by the very people he considered his friends.
And former home affairs minister Peter Machungwa says some elements in the press tried hard to tarnish Chiluba’s image.
Speaking at the seventh memorial and wreath-laying service in honour of Chiluba at Embassy Park in Lusaka yesterday, Kavindele recalled that: “When Dr Chiluba became [a] President, this country’s economy was at its lowest – people had to queue for basics of life.”
“But within a short time, Dr Chiluba turned the economy around,” Kavindele said.
He also noted that Chiluba had “a large heart.”
“Dr Chiluba created a lasting middle-class in this country. I know of properties that were sold for K7, 000 or K7 million those days which the people that bought them…. There is one I went to look at, [it] has been sold for $2.4 million, thereby empowering that family for forever. That was Dr Chiluba! Dr Chiluba later on was betrayed and persecuted by the very people he brought himself – those he considered his friends. I was his last Vice-President [and] so, I know,” Kavindele explained.
“He had his own money [and] his friends advised him to put that money in government account – that money is still stuck in there. Dr Chiluba did not abuse government money at all. Dr Chiluba does not deserve the treatment that people have given him. We are all where we are because of Dr Chiluba – he changed the course of history. Removing Dr Kaunda from power was not easy at all; I was in UNIP and I was [a] member of parliament For Chingola.”
And Kavindele regretted that many people who benefited under Chiluba’s presidency could not show up for the memorial service.
“When I look around, there are very few people that benefited from Dr Chiluba who are here. Many of those are not even here but I do know them. It is ironic that the very people that he brought into power are the ones who persecuted him. That is unbelievable! It is like it was in the Bible that Jesus Christ was betrayed by his own disciples. That is what happened to Dr Chiluba. So, all I’m saying to the family is that remain strong – the people of Zambia are aware of the injustice that the family has suffered,” lamented Kavindele.
And Machungwa pointed out that among the many contributions Chiluba made was that he re-introduced democracy in Zambia.
“The press freedom that people enjoy, freedom of speech…. Unfortunately, even as he espoused and pushed freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press some elements in the press went up to try to tarnish his image. Let me mention that among the contributions [is] the Christian nation State that he declared, the various economic programmes, the liberation of the economy and most importantly the empowerment of people in the country – people now own properties. In Zambia most people had to retire and go back the village or in the shanty [but] president Chiluba said no! Zambians must own a piece of their country and now you can see the mansions people are building!” said Machungwa.
“This is important because it has transformed the economic status of people in our country for years to come. There is a lot that president Chiluba did but what is worrying is that there are elements in our society who went after him for their own selfish reasons and tried to vilify him and tried to demonise him, which is extremely sad. The irony of it is that those who were in the forefront of trying to demonise him were infact criminal elements themselves and are now in courts of law. In spite of all their efforts to try to demonise him, the man was acquitted. What is even sad is that after his immunity was removed very unprocedurally, no effort has been made to posthumously restore it.”
Others present at the event were former first lady Vera Tembo Chiluba, Chiluba’s children, Zambia’s former Ambassador to South Korea Mumba Kapumpa, MMD national secretary Raphael Nakacinda and former press aide Richard Sak
