ACC Acting Director General Rosemary Nkonde Khuzwayo, must be cited for contempt of Court – YALI …as Ntewewe pleads with ECL to remove Nkonde – Khuzwayo, and replace ailing ACC DG Kapetwa Zacharia Phiri

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ACC Acting Director General Rosemary Nkonde Khuzwayo, must be cited for contempt of Court – YALI
…as Ntewewe pleads with ECL to remove Nkonde – Khuzwayo, and replace ailing ACC DG Kapetwa Zacharia Phiri

By Derrick Sinjela Wednesday 29th August, 2020

YOUNG African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Zambia Chapter President Andrew Ntewewe is urging President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to expedite the process of appointing a substantive ACC Director General following the falling health of indisposed Mr. Kapetwa Zacharia Phiri.

Briefing Zambian Media at Mika Lodge Jesmodine in Lusaka, a tart Mr. Ntewewe observed that the institutional autonomy of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) must not be confused with institutional omni – righteousness.
Flanked by YALI Governance Advisor Isaac M. Mwanza, Ntewewe reiterated that perceiving the ACC as beyond reproach amounted to insulating the Cha Cha Cha Road domiciled body from any fair criticism and comment by anybody, including the Head of State.
Ntewewe says to he Young African Leaders Initiative agreed with President Lungu that selective crusade against corruption focused on him (ECL) and lieutenants.

“The ongoing crusade is targeted at President himself and his ability to hold the PF together ahead of 2021 elections and in good light with the voting public.
The President would have been putting his head in the sand if he failed to point out that the anticorruption focus on his appointees is deliberately meant to create and achieve a narrative that he himself is surrounded by and runs a corrupt administration, which the Zambian people must resent next year,” protested Mr Ntewewe.

Giving a case study of ACC’s selective prosecution, Ntewewe alluded to Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, stressing that the ACC had violated its own law which require that witnesses who testify are protected against disciplinary proceedings.

Following evidence before Lusaka Senior Resident Magistrate Lameck Mwale, which subtly cleared Dr. Chilufya from any public resource impropriety, ACC Acting Director General Rosemary Nkonde Khuzwayo, apparently suspended an investigations officer, Chipambe Manda.

“In the case of Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, the Anti-Corruption Commission has, in disregard of ongoing court proceedings and legal protection accorded to any witness who testify in court, suspended a State witness who testified in a manner the Acting Director-General and her Commission did not approve of. The question is why,” he said.

YALI wants the Director of Public Prosecutions Mrs. Fulata Lillian Shawa-Siyuni and the Court to cite the Acting Director General for contempt of court and asked the Law Association of Zambia led by Abyudi Shonga State Counsel (SC), a former Attorney General (AG) to discipline the Acting Director General for professional misconduct.

Ntewewe equally cited incidences when former Information and Broadcasting Minister, Dr. Chishimba Kambwili, then Housing and Infrastructure Minister, Ronald Kaoma Chitotela, and Secretary to Cabinet Simon Miti, as an inner circle to President Lungu, faced corruption allegations.

“We all know how much Dr. Chishimba Kambwili was said to have been corrupt while he served in President Lungu’s administration. Due to public pressure and perception created, President Lungu had no option but to relieve Mr. Kambwili of his ministerial position,” noted Ntewewe.

Ntewewe argued that now that Dr. Kambwili has moved to the other political side as National Democratic Congress (NDC) President, singing the anti-corruption song against his former colleagues in Government, he is no longer being seen in the same light as the man who was said to be corrupt.

“Suddenly, Mr. Kambwili is slowly being seen and embraced as a clean man in the eyes of his former accusers,” he said.

Protested Ntewewe: “Politics associated with the corruption crusade has now been reduced to is trivialize what infrastructure agenda and the leadership being provided by President Lungu. It is now common knowledge that whenever President Lungu’s administration initiates any developmental project such as good roads for our people to move on, or construction of health posts so our people can have easy access to health facilities, or procurement of various services which are meant to support the welfare of Zambians, there is always a counter narrative created by those opposed to Government and his party, decrying corruption as one of the political tactics. The ultimate aim of putting this corruption tag on those appointed and entrusted by President to help him discharge executive functions is to discredit the President and the infrastructure agenda. As the YALI, we reiterate that Zambia cannot dilute the anti-corruption crusade to mere partisan politics,” Ntewewe cried foul.