Maravi

Hichilema now worth K39 billion

Hichilema now worth K39 billion
By Inonge Noyoo and Mwala Kalaluka
Wednesday September 24, 2008 [14:38]

UPND president Hakainde Hichilema’s declaration of assets and liabilities lodged before Chief Justice Ernest Sakala yesterday has revealed that he is K15.2 billion richer than he was in 2006 when he actively joined politics. And Mazabuka UPND member of parliament Garry Nkombo yesterday described PF president Michael Sata’s assertions that the former was among those that attempted to block the opposition leader’s presidential bid as wild allegations.

Meanwhile Hichilema has dissociated his party from allegations that it was involved in an attempt by Kasama PF member of parliament Saviour Chishimba of blocking Sata from filing his nomination by way of an injunction.

Hichilema’s declaration filed together with his nomination papers for the October 30 presidential election revealed that his net worth has increased from K23.6 billion to K38.8 billion.

The statutory declaration of assets and liabilities revealed that Hichilema's declared total assets stand at K40.1 billion from the previous K26.1 billion with liabilities of K1.3 billion from the previous K2.5 billion.

He declared land and buildings valued at K20 billion, shares at K7 billion, receivables K2 billion, other assets K11 million and bank cash K500 million.

He also declared liabilities totaling K1.3 billion broken down, as bank loans K0.8 billion, payables K0.3 billion and contingent K0.2 billion.

And speaking after successfully filing in his nomination papers, Hichilema said Zambia needed a change and better way of running government.

He said it was clear from the problems faced by many Zambians that the country needed fresh blood and better thinking to deliver policies that will change standards of living.

“There is time for everything, the time to be born and the time to die, there is time to come into leadership and time to go…Don’t vote for bayama, you won’t eat bayama, don’t vote for bashikulu you won’t eat bashikulu,” Hichilema said amid cheers from his supporters.

“Ba Rupiah Banda na ba Sata mu ma 1960’s emobali, muma 1970s emobali, muma 1980s emobali, muma 1990 emobali na mu 2000 awe naba naka.”

He said the October 30 presidential elections should be about what is best for the country.

“We need the best president to take Zambia to another level. We don’t want the presidency to be perpetuated by political rhetoric. We can’t keep on voting-in the same leaders and expect different results.

We need to vote across party lines and ethnicity,” he said.

Hichilema further observed that Banda was not the best person to carry on with Late President Mwanawasa’s vision because he did not understand it.

He said where as Levy did not want to increase salaries and allowances for constitution office holders Banda took advantage of his illness and absence to entertain the bill and only withdrew it when pressured to do so by the opposition and civil society.

Hichilema also challenged Vice- President Rupiah Banda and Patriotic Front President Michael Sata to step aside and give Zambia a chance to be ruled by a fresh mind and strength.

Meanwhile, Hichilema said his party was not in anyway involved PF’s internal matters.

“We have no linkage to those allegations. We are not involved in the internal management of the Patriotic Front. We have different management styles and the issue of an attempt shows that the house has issues to deal with,” Hichilema said.

“We do not want to block Sata. We do not want to block him because we want to beat him as a contender.”

On Tuesday, before he filed his nomination papers at the Supreme Court in Lusaka, Sata told journalists that Nkombo, five UPND members and two European mercenaries collaborated with Kasama Central PF member of parliament Saviour Chishimba in filing an injunction that sought to restrain Sata from filing his nomination.

The injunction was however dismissed by the Lusaka High Court with costs on Monday morning.

But Nkombo said in an interview at the Supreme Court grounds that there was absolutely no truth in Sata’s statement.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to react to what I would call wild allegations by the PF president Michael Sata that on the day of his nomination or prior to that his MP, Dr Chishimba and myself, together with four other UPND members, also accompanied by two white European mercenaries, as he described them came to the High Court to file an injunction in the High Court,” Nkombo said. “I do not know where his fear factor or paranoia is stemming from.”

He said such slanderous accusations cannot go unchallenged and he disclosed that he was therefore taking the matter to court.

“I intend to go to court for Sata to prove his allegations and for the nation to know that he is actually a liar,” Nkombo said.

“Unless he can prove to this nation that I came to the High Court in the company of Chishimba who I have not seen ever since Parliament adjourned sine die.

I have not met him, I have not seen him and to allege that I came in his company to file an injunction is a total lie.”

Nkombo said he had already identified a lawyer to handle the case between him and Sata, adding that court papers would be saved on Sata very soon.

Nkombo however, admitted that he only got involved in the issues surrounding the injunction filed by Chishimba against Sata when he assisted Chishimba’s lawyer, Mutakela Lisimba, who happens to be his brother-in-law, to park his vehicle at his residence after PF cadres threatened to manhandle him and damage his car.

“The lawyer is my brother-in-law and that is not a secret. Mr. Lisimba is married to my sister and in his wisdom at the time when he was doing Chishimba’s work, got frightened that the people from PF were threatening to damage his vehicle and so in his wisdom he sent his vehicle to my house for safety and Sata’s lawyer gave Lisimba a lift and drove into my yard,” he said.

“What kind of conspiracy is that where you can open the gate for a lawyer for another person who you are working against? I am very innocent about this matter and Sata is going to pay a dear price for his character of simply believing whatever and whoever tells him. Lisimba is my brother-in-law, who even has a right to enter my bedroom.”

Nkombo said he could not just standby and watch as people whose crave for violence is well-documented threaten to harm his brother-in-law.

Nkombo, who described the 48-hour ultimatum issued by Kabwata PF member of parliament Given Lubinda to allow the UPND to disclose what they knew about Chishimba’s injunction as frivolous and vexatious, said it would be a waste of time to respond to the ultimatum.

“Lubinda’s idea of being supreme is what is going to bring him down and Sata should understand that Given Lubinda may be one of the people that are giving him wrong information,” he said.

“It is baseless, it would even be a waste of time for anybody to respond to a thing as frivolous and vexatious as that. I do not think we should waste our breath to focus on frivolous matters.”

Commenting on the matter, Namwala UPND member of parliament Major Robbie Chizhyuka said a recent analysis by the opposition party indicates that its presidential candidate stands a better chance of winning in several provinces.

Maj Chizhyuka said Sata’s accusations were typical of a man who had been bitten by bees and did not know which way to run.

“We are not too happy. What is simply happening is that he is groping in the dark, trying to find skeletons where there are not, opening cupboards where his skeletons are present.

There is no truth to the US$2 million issue,” Maj Chizhyuka said. “He should be forgiven, this is what happens when people are getting very old and his finances are running low.”

He said further that Sata was a vacillator, who changes position whenever it suited him.

“Only too recently, Sata went to Monze Sky FM and said that the only person who does not want the pact between UPND and PF is Major Chizhyuka.

We want that pact for as long as Hakainde Hichilema is president because we think that Sata is too old to lead this country. Sata is a vacillator.

One moment he is supporting Chiluba, another moment he is Chiluba’s enemy,” Maj Chizhyuka said.

“We can’t have a person like that and I want to confirm that for sure I am one of those persons who does not like Sata not by himself, as a person, but his deeds do not merit him being a national leader of a vibrant nation like Zambia.”

Maj Chizhyuka disclosed that the UPND had conducted a very good assessment on the possible outcome of the October 30 presidential polls.

“We think that we will carry most of Central Province, particularly the area between Ten Miles at Mungule to Lufwanyama. We think that we will take North-Western Province, with difficulties in Solwezi and Kasempa.

We think that most of Western Province is going our way,” he said.

“As you can see there is a lot of vibrancy in Lusaka. The people who have knowledge and understand issues have realized that it is time to get the youngman going.

We have sufficient support on the Copperbelt than we had in 2006 and it is quite evident from what is going on in Mufulira, Chililabombwe and Ndola.”

A peaceful ambience characterized the Lusaka High Court yesterday when HH filed his nomination papers following his arrival at the court aroun10.30 hours.

The UPND cadres chanted their party slogans as HH disembarked from his vehicle and made his way into the Supreme Court amidst tight security. A traditional Nkoya xylophone was playing on the court’s green as Hichilema entered the court premises.

There was a light presence of police officers during the nomination process as compared to the intense security presence that characterized PF leader Michael Sata’s nomination undertaking on Tuesday.

Labels: ELECTIONS, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PRESIDENCY

posted by MrK @ 11:00 PM