Sikwela under death threats from UPND
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Mon 07 Jan. 2013, 14:00 CAT
FORMER Livingstone UPND member of parliament Howard Sikwela says he faced death threats from some members of the opposition party's national management committee.
Reacting to demands by some UPND members for him to pay back money they donated for his election campaign, Reverend Sikwela said in a statement in Livingstone yesterday that, "Much as I apologise to the people of Livingstone over my resignation as MP, people must be made aware that I had faced death threats.
There is even a suspect from the national management committee of the UPND."
He said those threats were discussed in Parliament and even a police docket regarding the same threats was opened.
Rev Sikwela stated that at no time did he ever apply for a loan from UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa and he urged him to stop making malicious statements.
Rev Sikwela stated that Mweetwa should provide proof of such an agreement for financial assistance during the last Livingstone by-election.
"The ignorant young politician Mweetwa needs to be told to avoid making malicious statements such as those to The Post and Muvi TV because at no time did I apply for a loan from Cornelius Mweetwa.
If I did, proof of such must be produced in court. I further demand from Cornelius Mweetwa a well signed payment voucher on which I signed for the securing of the loan from him," Rev Sikwela stated.
He reminded Mweetwa that donations are never paid back.
Rev Sikwela wondered why the claim for monies was coming with insults after he had resigned from the UPND.
He said the UPND had exhibited hostility against him and the PF government, which forced him to resign.
"I did not handle any cash since I was a candidate. Let Mweetwa claim for whatever money from the office he paid such amounts," he stated.
Rev Sikwela added that other people who donated money to the UPND had not demanded repayment such as a K2.5 million donated by Bernard Muleya, who was chairman for election operations last year as he knew that he was donating and did not expect repayment.
Mweetwa on Saturday claimed that Sikwela's campaign cost K500 million (KR500,000) which was all contributions from the party and individual members.
He said he, in particular contributed K15 million (KR15,000) and wanted it back.
"But take this very seriously. I am demanding that Rev Sikwela gives me back not less than K15 million. I am looking for Sikwela but his phones are off and he is playing hide and seek. I am here (Livingstone) just to ask him nicely 'please the money I spent give it back to me'..." Mweetwa said.
And Rev Sikwela said his resignation would help other UPND members of parliament to reflect on working with the PF government for developmental purposes instead of just sitting and getting allowances in Parliament while the electorate had no access clean drinking water.
He recounted how he was violently treated by UPND cadres on the morning of September 26, 2012 at National Assembly Motel.
"They can call my resignation baseless but it would help reflect on the need for development in constituencies," Rev Sikwela said. "They say I have caused an unnecessary by-election but of what use is an MP who just sits in Parliament and gets a salary and yet the people who voted for him don't get clean drinking water and can't pay for school fees. It is raining now and the only clean water some people are able to get is from the roof top."
Rev Sikwela said the UPND should not think of 2016 but work closely with the PF government to develop even areas which were under the opposition.
"There is a time for politicking but when elections and by-elections are over, it is better to look at development," he said. "It's not good to just condemn the PF. Yes, the government has its mistakes but we should not condemn the good things being done just for the sake of politicking."
Rev Sikwela said he was new in the parliamentary circle of the UPND and did not know much about the underhand dealings by Hakainde Hichilema towards members of parliament.
He said the party seemed not to have been ready to support his close links with the PF on developmental issues.
Rev Sikwela said the UPND cadres who abducted him out of National Assembly Motel last September had seemingly been cleared by some UPND members of parliament.
"One cannot just walk into Parliament Motel and start hurling insults without clearance by security," he said. "The youths must have been cleared by some UPND MPs. They abducted me from Parliament Motel and whisked me to the party secretariat in a Jeep, where I was forced to denounce my presence at President Michael Sata's Link Zambia 8,000 road project and later received death threats on my mobile phone, which I reported to the police."
On the other hand, Mweetwa says Livingstone should always be in opposition hands as the UPND and MMD differ over which party should contest the seat vacated by Rev Sikwela.
But MMD vice-president Michael Kaingu asked the UPND to give the former ruling party a chance to contest the seat it had won in the 2011 general elections. The MMD lost the seat after an electoral petition.
Kaingu said the MMD met on Saturday at Victoria Hall to discuss the vacant seat.
He said the MMD was requesting UPND to give a chance to an MMD candidate.
"We discussed with my party officials over the forthcoming by-election and we have resolved that we field a candidate and our party officials are asking the UPND to help us this time around. What is important is that the seat was an MMD seat after the general elections… and their UPND member of parliament has let them down," Kaingu said.
He said if the UPND decided to contest, it was their fundamental right to participate in elections.
"Fundamentally, all political parties are supposed to participate in elections," Kaingu said. "Winning is a bonus. That is the beauty of democracy but at the end of the day, it is only one party that will win."
But Mweetwa said his party was poised to reclaim the seat.
"We stand very ready to reclaim the seat and we are poised to win. We want Livingstone to be always in the hands of the opposition," Mweetwa said.
He said it would be shocking to enter into discourse with the MMD over Livingstone.
Mweetwa asked Kaingu to be sincere over the matter.
"Ask him Kaingu because he waved at me yesterday and I know he is here in Livingstone… ask him about the mood of the people if he is sincere and I know him to be one. Ask him if he is for the preservation of the opposition. The mood of the people of Livingstone is that of anger," he said.
"We as UPND are more than ready to contest the seat even if the elections were held tomorrow because we started preparing a long time ago and we already have a candidate."
He also challenged the PF to field Rev Sikwela in the forthcoming by-election if he had a political muscle to flex.
"We dare the PF to field Sikwela," Mweetwa said.
However, he said the UPND had not yet met to discuss the vacant seat.
Mweetwa said the MMD should make its own internal decisions and not drag the UPND into their internal matters.
Labels: CORNELIUS MWEETWA, DEATH THREATS, HOWARD SIKWELA, MICHAEL KAINGU, UPND
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Sikwela steps down as MP with immediate effect, ditches UPND
Time Posted: January 4, 2013 3:49 pm
Opposition UPND Livingstone Member of Parliament Howard Sikwela sandwiched between PF 1 and 2-President Michael Sata and Vice President Guy Scott when he launched the Link Zambia-8000 road project in Lusaka today
A By-election is eminent in Livingstone Central Constituency after its Member of Parliament Reverend Howard Sikwela quit the post with immediate effect and Member of the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND).
Meanwhile, PF Livingstone District Chairman Fred Chibuye said the resignation of the Livingstone Central Member of Parliament had come as good news to the ruling party in particular and Livingstone residents in general.
And UPND District Secretary, Fwanyanga Lutangu challenged PF bonafide members to reject people like Reverend Sikwela as they were practicing what he termed as politics of poverty.
Reverend Sikwela has also apologized to Livingstone residents and the nation at large for the costly decision he has made at both individual and national levels.
“It is with a heavy heart that today I have to announce my resignation as Livingstone Central Member of Parliament and I further announce my resignation from the United Party for National Development (UPND),” he said.
“It is with a heavy heart that today I have to announce my resignation as Livingstone Central Member of Parliament and I further announce my resignation from the United Party for National Development (UPND),” he said.
He attributed his resignation to the UPND’s hostility towards government, tribalism within the party and failure by the UPND to adequately support him when his election was petitioned by the Patriotic Front.
ZANIS reports that the former MP who was flanked by Patriotic Front Members said this in Livingstone today during a press briefing held at Armadillo Restaurant.
“I must confess that I failed to practice the culture of being hostile to government and hence my pronouncement in September last year, to work with government for the development of Livingstone but this provoked a lot of insults and animosity from UPND members,” he said.
Reverend Sikwela said he could not be party to this attitude as an MP needed resources from the government of the day and as such needed to work closely with them.
“I have refused to be an MP who is like clouds without rain and strongly believe an MP should think, talk and dream development,” he said.
He also advised the UPND to desist from the ‘bantustan syndrome’ and dependence on its strongholds and instead concentrate on rebranding and repositioning itself if it expected to have national representation.
Reverend Sikwela said this could be achieved if advisers surrounding UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema built him up by being sincere with him.
And when queried over his next political move, the former MP said he was ‘an open cheque’ and would wait for advice from people adding that his resignation did not have any political affiliation.
Meanwhile, PF Livingstone District Chairman Fred Chibuye said the resignation of the Livingstone Central Member of Parliament had come as good news to the ruling party in particular and Livingstone residents in general.
Mr. Chibuye said Reverend Sikwela faced numerous challenges in his quest to bring development to the tourist capital as the UPND did not allow him to work with government.
“We regret his resignation especially that the reasons he has advanced are baseless and he cannot even substantiate them,” he said.
“The MP cannot generate resources on his own as he needs support from government. This resignation will serve as a lesson to the next MP as he will need to work with government if Livingstone is to develop,” he said.
Meanwhile, UPND Publicity Secretary for Livingstone Neto Halwabala said his party was disappointed by Reverend Sikwela’s resignation as it would subject Livingstone residents to another unnecessary by election.
“We regret his resignation especially that the reasons he has advanced are baseless and he cannot even substantiate them,” he said.
Mr. Halwabala said contrary to Reverend Sikwela’s allegations, UPND had provided him with a lawyer to represent him in his election petition case and was not hostile to government but merely offering checks and balances.
And UPND District Secretary, Fwanyanga Lutangu challenged PF bonafide members to reject people like Reverend Sikwela as they were practicing what he termed as politics of poverty.
Mr. Lutangu said politicians such as Rev. Sikwela were selfish and only interested in getting high paying jobs at the expense of bonafide members who fought hard to ensure PF was ushered into power.
Livingstone is set for a second by election since the September 20, 2011 General Elections which saw MMD’s Lukulo Katombora elected as Livingstone MP.
However, The Livingstone High Court nullified his election following irregularities after UPND and PF candidates petitioned the election results.
A by election was set by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for July 5 2012 and Reverend Howard Sikwela emerged winner after beating his closest rival, PF candidate Josephs Akafumba.
ZANIS
Labels: GUY SCOTT, HOWARD SIKWELA, MICHAEL SATA, UPND
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UPND MP resigns, says HH will never be President
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Sat 05 Jan. 2013, 14:40 CAT
HAKAINDE Hichilema will never get into State House as long as
people surrounding him don't tell him the truth that Zambians view the UPND as being tribal, says Rev Howard Sikwela.
In an interview yesterday after he resigned as Livingstone UPND member of parliament, Rev Sikwela said UPND was tribal. He said Hichilema was filled with a sense of egoism generated from lies about his popularity told to him by his inner circle.
"My experience with the UPND has been so good and my feelings about the party and its leader HH are that they will never get anywhere near State House. HH will never be anywhere near State House as long as people surrounding him don't tell him what is on the ground," he said.
Hichilema said there was a tendency, in the UPND, of members surrounding Hichilema peddling lies and not telling him the real feelings of Zambians and what must be done.
And speaking earlier during a press briefing at Armadillo Oriento Restaurant, Rev Sikwela apologised to the nation and Livingstone residents for taking such a costly decision but that he smelt a rat ahead of the PF parliamentary petition which was due in the Livingstone High Court as UPND was not prepared to provide him legal representation.
He said he could not afford to meet the financial cost and the party leadership was not willing to help him.
"One would conclude that The Post edition of October 4, 2012 under the heading 'UPND queries Sikwela's stance' was correct. In this article the UPND is said not to be interested in providing legal assistance to me.
From the time my election results were petitioned in 2012, nothing much has been done to prepare for the same. What is prevailing as of now is that the party is preparing for a victory cerebration in Livingstone. One would like to ask what the logic of these celebrations is when the election results are being challenged in the courts of law. One smells a rat concerning these celebrations," he said.
Rev Sikwela said while political parties, just like churches, had their own strongholds, the 'ncicesu' It's ours syndrome was impacting negatively on the UPND.
Rev Sikwela said the other reason for his resignation was the UPND's hostility towards the PF government, which he described as baffling.
"My pronouncement in September 2012 was that I was ready to work with the government of the day for development in Livingstone, and this pronouncement provoked all sorts of insults, animosity and threats towards me by some members of the UPND. It is this attitude and spirit that I have failed to drink of," he said.
Rev Sikwela said Livingstone had more challenges than what could be seen and needed a parliamentary representative who would collaborate with the government so as to generate the required resources for development.
"I have refused to be an MP who is like clouds without rain. An MP must think, talk and dream development, but as of me, I have become irrelevant because whatever steps I take are met with a lot of resistance and suspicion," he said.
Asked by The Post what his political future was like, Rev Sikwela said he wanted to resign without any political or party affiliation so as to make decisions clearer and would also await people's guidance.
"It is the people who will guide me. I will listen to the cries of the people. As of now, I put myself as an open cheque," said Rev Sikwela.
And UPND spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa accused Rev Sikwela of resigning due to a lot of pressure arising from his adulterous court case and his interest in politics of the belly.
"Sikwela has insulted and slapped the people of Livingstone in the face by resigning as their representative. We as a party are aware that Sikwela was under a lot of pressure arising from his adultery case because he claims the lawyer who defended him in that case was PF and that there was need to follow the demands of the PF. So he is good riddance because we can't have an MP who can't respect the people. We are ready to reclaim the seat," said Mweetwa.
Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, HOWARD SIKWELA, UPND
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