Blood of Politicians Killed by Political Greedy Cry for Justice from Their Graves

By Nyalubinge Ngwende 

KK's vibrant son and politician Wezi Kaunda was shot dead

There are voices of Baldwin Nkumbula leader of National Party, former finance minister Ronald Penza (MMD), UNIP leader Maj Wezi Kaunda and former finance deputy minister Paul Tembo (FDD) crying for justice from the grave.

They were eliminated in the midst of political dishonesty. All but for Nkumbula (who died in a sinister road accident) were slain by the assassin’s bullet.

Up-to-date, the country is yet to reconcile itself with the unresolved cold blood killings of these prominent politicians. These are victims of those who did not want honesty to belong to the politics of this country…those whose greedy hated formidable political opponents. They are victims of dishonesty politicians who wanted and would always want to continue milking the country that they give very little in return!

Have these people completely gone away or changed their ways. The answer is No. They are still lurking the honeycombs of politics that seek personal sustenance. They still see others who threaten to dislodge them from political positions and as political liabilities. Liabilities are gotten rid off, the means do not matter, whether maiming them or killing, what matters is secure their political honeycombs and the secrets of their cartels.

Lt. Gen. Christon Tembo, who left MMD to become vice chairman of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD)—a breakaway group of MMD ministers and other senior members that opposed President Chiluba’s third term bid, had warned us.

“Paul’s murder was a well calculated state sponsored assassination, engineered to suppress evidence that was going to link senior members of the ruling party to, among other financial scandals, the diversion of K2 billion used to finance the MMD convention.

Paul Tembo’s assassination was evidence of state sponsored terrorism which the MMD government in its desperate attempts to suppress the democratic aspirations of the Zambian people has embarked upon. He said it was no coincidence that Paul Tembo was “eliminated” the same morning he was supposed to have given evidence before the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct tribunal into the diversion of K2billion.

“We know for certain that the evidence he was going to give should have linked President Chiluba, Sata and other leaders in the MMD.” “They instead chose to eliminate Paul but I should warn them, this is not the end of the matter, they will be brought to be accountable for their crimes. (The Post Newspaper, No. 1771, Monday July 9, 2001; You Will Pay For Tembo’s Death... Gen. Tembo Warns Chiluba Over Assassination)

Brig. General Godfrey Miyanda (The Post, No.1774, Thursday July 12, 2001) said Tembo was an obvious target:

“….though Tembo could be said not to be a very influential leader in the Zambian context he was definitely a target for destruction by some people. “He was under threat,” Brig. Gen. Miyanda said.  He was an obvious target because of his intention to expose things which will not go well to some people.” Brig. Gen. Miyanda said MMD leaders were double-tongued and not honest. He was referring to chief government spokesman Vernon Mwaanga who last week said Tembo’s death was a mere banditry act because there were several other leaders like presidential affairs minister Eric Silwamba, vocational training deputy minister Dan Pule, himself and Brig. Gen Miyanda who had been attacked before by mere criminals.

Refuting allegations that government was behind Friday’s assassination of Forum for Democracy and Development mobilisation committee member Paul Tembo in an interview with Reuters, President Frederick Chiluba said: 

Second Zambian President Frederick Chiluba

“It was unthinkable that any government would be involved in such action... Paul Tembo’s death was something no one would have wanted to happen...We are extremely saddened. That is something we all really did not want to see happen. It is sad to believe that he is no longer here.” (...) “I would like to caution against irresponsible statements and irresponsible speculation on a matter of this nature. I see no reason why Paul should be prevented from appearing before the tribunal. The information is that this does not have a political leaning. The information we have is that this was purely a criminal act,” Chiluba said. “There is no iota of evidence to suggest that this is a political assassination. There is no evidence to suggest, just quote me properly, there is no evidence to suggest,” pleaded Mwaanga after one journalist told him that his statement was hanging.

 Others like then Labour Minister Newstead Zimba were devastated.

“He had his own political career to pursue and he had pushed it in his own way. Penza (former finance minister) and Wezi Kaunda were killed in the same way, now it is Paul. I am disappointed to the core.”

FDD information and publicity chairman Dipak Patel also added his voice to the death of Paul Tembo.

I knew Paul Tembo’s assassination was to happen…he was going to implicate President Frederick Chiluba in many serious scandals if he was to testify before the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct tribunal currently sitting in Lusaka. “We are fully informed, we know because he was part of FDD,” Patel said. ”It was the day he was to redeem himself. They had to silence him.” Patel said Tembo was going to disclose how money was being exchanged at State House and other “dirt” scandals initiated by President Chiluba. (The Post, No. 1771, Monday July 9, 2001, Tembo Was Going To Implicate Chiluba, Reveals Dipak Patel)

Emily Sikazwe demanded that Zambians should hold the MMD government accountable for the assassination of the late Richard Ngenda, Baldwin Nkumbula, Ronald Penza and Major Wezi Kaunda and the assassination attempts on former Zambian President Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Rodger Chongwe, Ackson Sejani and Brigadier Godfrey Miyanda.

For each of these people killed, Brutal Journal will go back to the archives to ferret out written and oral stories about the prevailing political environment at the time that led the enemies of political honesty to eliminate their opponents.

For the first in the series follow linkhttp://brutal-journo.blogspot.com/2013/07/dishonest-politicians-killed-paul-tembo.html