Zambia’s sincere fight against impunity

Zambian President Michael Sata

Mobhare Matinyi. The Citizen, Friday, 09 March 2012.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Once again, the Republic of Zambia is leading the way in Africa. This time around Zambia is leading Africa in the fight against impunity following the arrest of former top military commanders for allegations of pocketing public funds meant for defence operations.

Zambia together with Benin led Africa in 1991 when they became the first African countries to hold multi-party general elections in November and March respectively in response to the wave of political reforms immediately after the end of the Cold War. The then-incumbent Zambian president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, lost badly.

Since then Zambians have continued to embrace political reforms firing one political party after another. Just in the last two decades Zambia has had five presidents from three political parties. The change of presidents has always come with exciting news of high-level arrests, whether genuine or otherwise. Literally, Zambian law enforcement organs are famous in Africa for arresting and prosecuting former presidents making Zambia a precarious place to serve as president despite the African tradition which calls for respect of elders, even when they are thieves.

Sometimes it is not a matter of respect for elders, but an abhorrent culture of impunity because everybody around is either a beneficiary of thieving or an outright thief themselves. Put it in simple words: Africa is the capital of impunity. But Zambians are proving the opposite, the same way they did in politics, effectively establishing that no political party or an individual has the right to make Zambia their chiefdom as Zambia is for Zambians. Some Zambians may like booze too much but don’t undermine them when it comes to political decisions; they are decisive.

The infamous arrests started with President Kaunda although the founding president never stole a single cent from state coffers. His successor, Frederick Chiluba, in vengeful moves kept arresting him for whatever reasons he deemed fit, at one time even forcing his deportation on allegations of being a non-Zambian, but it was all nonsense. Then Chiluba retired in 2001. His successor, Levy Mwanawasa, who came from the same party as him, didn’t waste time in bringing the arrogant man before the law for allegedly stealing millions. Before the conclusion of the matters, Mwanawasa died in 2008.

Mwanawasa’s Vice President, Rupiah Banda, became the acting president and later narrowly won the presidential election in 2008. Technically, he later saved Chiluba from further onslaught. Banda then lost to Michael Sata in 2011.

A few days ago while attending a presidential luncheon to honour the Zambian national soccer team, Banda, 75, made a plea to Sata not to imprison him after realizing that his days were numbered. Banda’s millionaire son is on the run and several of his officials including ministers are already facing charges.

If justice prevails in Zambia, Banda is likely to get into trouble as the state investigators are busy probing the sources of funds of his extravagant presidential campaign and several other allegations. Some Zambians have likened the Banda administration to a story of monkeys who invaded a corn farm.

That’s Zambia, one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of natural resources but poor by all definitions one might apply. Nobody is sure if President Sata will approve the arrest of Banda but at least he has allowed the top military men to face the music. Truly, Sata suffers from a “chronic allergy” to corruption as Zambians say.

Thus, the Zambian press reported this week that former Zambian Army commander Lieutenant General Wisdom Lopa and Zambia National Service commandant Major General Anthony Yeta, are due to be arrested for allegedly stealing public funds, a common offence in African countries.

The two retired generals are going to be charged together with former Zambia Air Force commander Lieutenant General Andrew Sakala, who was arrested and charged two weeks ago for allegedly pocketing 1.5 billion Zambian kwacha equivalent to approximately US$285,000 or TSh460 million.

According to the government joint probe team, Lieutenant General Sakala is already facing two charges of theft by public servant and abuse of authority of office. The general, who was recently caught by his wife cheating with a young pretty woman prompting him to fire in the air, is currently out on bail.

As The Post narrates, the combined investigative team comprises officers from the Anti-Corruption Commission, Zambia Police and Drug Enforcement Commission while the legal advice comes from the Director of Public Prosecution, unlike in some other African countries where the presidents intervene in every step for various reasons.

Seriously, African governments need to emulate Zambia if we truly want to eradicate poverty. No government can fight poverty if its officials are thieving and entrenched in corruption. It’s time we, Africans, asked ourselves a fundamental question: when are we going to put an end to the culture of impunity?