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World Comments Home News PF cadres jeer Chiluba

World Comments Home News PF cadres jeer Chiluba
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Friday, November 07, 2008 3:43:57 AM

The cadres, who lined up outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross where the church service was held, sang and chanted songs in solidarity with PF president Michael Sata.

The cadres, who wore T/shirts with words 'PF mourns Mudenda' written on them almost disrupted the funeral procession outside the church. The cadres sang that all 'the people' around were for Sata.

When Chiluba walked out of the church after body viewing, the cadres shouted 'Pa Bwato'; as some called him names while a few others praised him.

It was during this time that a female PF elderly cadre started hailing insults at Chiluba calling him a 'short thief.'

"Iwe kakabwalala akepi, bushe ngawalikele president nga ba Kaunda bali rigging'a ama elections (You short thief, would you have become president if (Dr Kenneth) Kaunda had rigged the elections?" she shouted.

The woman told Chiluba that during the time of his prosecutions by the late president Levy Mwanawasa, it was only PF that was there for him. She asked Chiluba if he was going to be alive today if it were not for PF standing with him. The woman said now that president Mwanawasa was dead, Chiluba had abandoned PF to rejoin MMD.

When Mwamba tried to intervene and advise the woman that the platform was wrong for such issues, she insulted and pushed him around. The woman hit Mwamba on the chest with her hands.

As she was about to slap him, one of the protocol officers stepped in to stop the woman while other officers tried to separate Mwamba from the woman.

And narrating the incident later, Mwamba said all he did was advise the woman not to hail insults at Chiluba.

" I advised that the verbal attacks that she was doing were not proper because this was a funeral and she just lodged this attack against me; you heard what she was calling me and started beating me on my chest with both her hands, you know totally unprovoked, totally unjustified and instead of the police taking the woman away who was attacking me, they took me away," Mwamba narrated. "I expected the police to have taken away the woman that was attacking the former head of state and who was attacking me."

Mwamba said he had formally complained to PF general secretary Edward Mumbi who regretted the incident.

But when contacted for comment, Mumbi said he was briefed by Mwamba but had not yet verified the matter since he did not witness it. He said he did not know whether or not the said woman was a PF cadre but had asked one of the chairpersons who was present to go and see him later to find out if the woman was a PF member.

Earlier, when UPND president Hakainde Hichilema walked out of the church after body viewing, PF cadres shouted 'Pa bwato' as Hichilema raised his party's symbol.

The cadres shouted that they were waiting for their president to come out. When Sata finally walked out, the cadres shouted 'Boma, Boma' and that they wanted change. They surrounded Sata and escorted him to his vehicle.

And commenting on Mudenda's death earlier, Chiluba said Mudenda was a huge contributor to Zambia's freedom.

"We are all saddened. I remember once or twice sending him over to Namibia and South Africa in that condition to try and get him healed, we are saddened, it's a huge loss. He was a huge contributor to the freedom of our country," said Chiluba.

And during the church service, which was also attended by President Rupiah Banda, Dr Kaunda said Mudenda was a great fighter.

"We have lost one of the compatriots. A freedom fighter who dedicated his life to the service of human beings. In 1962, the political struggle had intensified, and the wind of change was sweeping on the continent of Africa and soon affected Zambia," he said.

Dr Kaunda said at that time, Zambia did not have many educated indigenous people because the colonial administration deliberately overlooked the provision of education to them. He said upon realising that elections would be called upon any time, they began to make arrangements by recruiting some people with higher education.

"Comrade Kaiba [Mudenda] was a research officer at Mount Makulu. We decided to approach him in order to request him to join the freedom struggle. That was in 1962, three people were assigned this task namely comrades Sikota Wina and Aaron Milner. We discussed with him and he agreed and readily accepted to join the struggle, and the rest as they say is history," he said.

Dr Kaunda said upon attaining independence, Mudenda - who was a member of the central committee, was appointed Minister of Agriculture.

"He was a very effective minister who worked very well with a professional touch. I later appointed him Minister of Finance and later Minister of Foreign Affairs...He was a team player and a committed servant of the people, a selfless leader who served his country with honour sincerity and integrity," he said.

Dr Kaunda said in 1975, he appointed Mudenda as prime minister until 1977. He described Mudenda as a humanist, family man and a brother to all those who served with him.

Veteran politician John Mwanakatwe thanked the government for according Mudenda an official funeral. He said he had lost a friend and brother not in blood but by his actions.

And giving Mudenda's life history, veteran politician Peter Matoka said Mudenda was born in 1927 in Macha, Southern Province. He went to school there then proceeded to Munali Training Centre which had three sessions.

"I was privileged to meet Mudenda on the day that he arrived at Munali. We were lynched by the old students because we were new comers, that same evening I was painted white and given 'chikwangwa' and beans with lots of chillies. I was only a kid of 13 years. I was in tears most of the time. It was Elijah that protected me and threatened them," Matoka said, adding that he appreciated Mudenda's protection even to date.

Matoka said it was during their stay at Munali that he saw the intellect in Mudenda. He said from Munali, Mudenda went to do his first degree and got double distinctions.

Matoka said Mudenda later went to Cambridge University to do his masters degree.

Labels: CADRES, CHILUBA

posted by MrK @ 3:46 AM