Maravi

Nawakwi ‘congratulates’ Rupiah for making Kabwela a hero

Nawakwi ‘congratulates’ Rupiah for making Kabwela a hero
By Patson Chilemba
Fri 07 May 2010, 04:50 CAT

FDD president Edith Nawakwi yesterday mockingly congratulated President Rupiah Banda for making Post news editor Chansa Kabwela a hero. Commenting on Kabwela’s awards by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, Nawakwi said Kabwela’s Most Courageous Journalist award was for women carrying placentas in their buckets.

Nawakwi said what President Banda perceived bad when he ordered the prosecution of Kabwela for highlighting the plight of a woman who delivered outside the hospital due to the strike in the health sector then, had now turned good towards Kabwela, the women and the nation in general.

“You see heroes are not born, heroes are made by politicians. And we thank the President for making one of ours a brave woman. He could have just ignored those pictures, we would never have heard about heroism of one young lady, but thanks to the politicians, they make martyrs and heroes out of my sisters, ladies like Kabwela,” Nawakwi said.

“So for me I want to congratulate the President for making my sister a hero, and we really accept the award and thank UNESCO for the recognition because you are talking of the world over, and we will never have heard about a brave young lady Chansa Kabwela.”

Nawakwi said as a result of President Banda’s conduct, Kabwela was now known world over.

“So if you ask me about how the President should be feeling, I think that he must be proud that he made Chansa Kabwela a hero to the extent that we are now recognised. I am sure that when you google, it will be Zambia, Chansa Kabwela,” she said.

Nawakwi said Kabwela tried to save a woman who needed special attention when the government was not paying any.

“So that award is an award to the Zambian suffering woman in labour, without a bed, an award to a child who is being born on the floor. It is an award to the women of Zambia who are carrying placentas in the buckets,” Nawakwi said. “But more so it is an indictment on the health system of this Republic to the fact that the President did recognise that there is a problem to the extent that he wanted to hide it.”

Kabwela recently scooped the two awards in the national media freedom prize for this year.

And Nawakwi said Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga would be to blame if she were killed because of his duplicity and double-standard approach towards ensuring justice in the nation.

Nawakwi condemned Mchenga’s duplicity on the handling of the justice system in the country. She said some cases received express attention while others took long.

Nawakwi said it was surprising that Mchenga usually took long to direct the prosecution of cases involving those in the ruling party while directives were express when it came to those critical of government.

She expressed surprise that MMD Solwezi-Central member of parliament Watson Lumba’s case was now in court but Mchenga was still sitting on her case where the MMD cadres threatened to gang-rape her.

“That is total duplicity and complicity on the part of Mchenga. We have gone to school, we respect certain professionals.

Those who have joined careers we want to give them opportunity to exploit their potential, but he has forgotten that he is a lawyer, and should he be out of that office, where will he work?” Nawakwi asked.

“We are all expressing misgivings. The day I am murdered, Mchenga will be squarely responsible…but say to Kabwela well done, and we should send a congratulatory card to the President for making us known on the map.”

Nawakwi said the MMD were trying desperately to have the seats they lost in North Western Province vacant so that they could go back for by-elections.

“But when you call the ambulance in the night, they say they have no fuel…but people are interested in by-elections more than their own people,” said Nawakwi.

Labels: CHALWE MCHENGA, CHANSA KABWELA, DEATH THREATS, EDITH NAWAKWI, RUPIAH BANDA, WOMEN

posted by MrK @ 3:15 PM