Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has noted with interest the decision by President Edgar Lungu to dismiss Minister of General Education Hon David Mabumba in the aftermath of the obscene video that was circulated on social media yesterday, allegedly featuring the then Minister. As TI-Z, we would like to first stress that Hon Mabumba’s actions cannot be excused and he ought to have known that as a senior government official, he has an obligation to exemplify high moral behavior at all times and to be an example in that regard. We therefore understand why the Head of State has taken the decision to relieve Hon Mabumba of his ministerial portfolio.
Having said that, TI-Z is concerned at the apparent double standards that President Lungu is exhibiting in the manner he deals with issues of public interest. To begin with, we recall that in January 2019, Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Hon Lawrence Sichalwe circulated pornographic material via social media, and Zambia Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo even issued a statement confirming that Hon Sichalwe had committed an offence. We note that neither the President nor the Zambia Police took any action over that incident and Hon. Sichalwe remains a serving Minister today. We would like the President to explain to the Zambian people what the difference is between these two scenarios. We do not understand why Hon Sichalwe got away with a more serious offence than what Hon Mabumba has apparently been dismissed for.
In addition to this, we are particularly troubled by the President’s inconsistent approach to dealing with issues of corruption, which have remained a key feature of his administration over several years now. If the President’s intention in dismissing Hon Mabumba is to protect the reputation of his government, TI-Z would like to put it to the Head of State that the persistent allegations of corruption that have engulfed his administration have greater potential to tarnish his government’s reputation. The President’s continued insistence to not dismiss or suspend Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya in the wake of his ongoing court case on allegations of corruption beggars belief and makes a mockery of his administration’s professed commitment to fight corruption. TI-Z believes that if the accusations against Dr Chilufya were mere malicious rumours, the President might have been justified in maintaining Dr Chilufya’s ministerial status. As it is, Dr Chilufya’s issue is in fact an active court case, clearly showing that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sufficient grounds for prosecuting the Minister, which makes the President’s inaction even more baffling. In our considered view as TI-Z, the Head of State’s decision to keep Dr Chilufya in Cabinet does not help the Minister nor the President himself because in the event that the Minister gets cleared by the Courts of Law, it might be concluded that this was because he had exerted some influence in some way as a result of his continued holding on to his office as Minister. In that regard, the President’s continued inaction threatens to erode public confidence in the judicial process and is in that sense a stumbling block to the fight against corruption.
TI-Z is convinced that corruption affects many more people’s lives than what Hon Mabumba has been dismissed for, and we are gravely concerned that the impression being given by the President’s inconsistent approach to dealing with these issues is that corruption is considered to be a low risk and inconsequential crime.
We therefore reiterate our call for President Lungu to dismiss or suspend the Minister of Health in order to not only give the Minister time to focus on his defence in Court, but also to send a strong message that corruption will not be tolerated in any way, shape or form. We also call on the President to explain to the Zambian people his difference in approach over the cases of Hon Mabumba and Hon Sichalwe. Lastly, we demand that the Zambia Police Service gives the Zambian public a comprehensive update on their investigations into Hon Sichalwe’s case, including an explanation of why no action has been taken against him to date. We are convinced that the Head of State and the Zambia Police Service owe the Zambian people these explanations in order to restore public confidence in the manner these issues are being handled.
Rueben L. Lifuka
TI-Z Chapter President
