Mon, 29 May 2017 12:54:56 +0000
By CHIKUMBI KATEBE
ULTERIOR motives inspired the coming of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane to Zambia, besides visiting incarcerated UPND president Hakainde Hichilema at his jail, says former Zambia Independent Monitoring Team president and human rights activists Alfred Zulu.
Mr Zulu, who is currently working with the United Nations based in South Sudan, said Mr Maimane’s mission to Zambia on May 25 was a farce, as he only wanted to rubble rouse for the benefit of the South African media.
“The DA leader (Maimane) is not a Government official in South Africa. It is all very clear, that Mr Maimane had ulterior motives coming to Zambia, besides wishing to visit Mr Hichilema at his jail in Lusaka.
“Part of that campaign would be to cast aspersion and chastise the Zambian judicial process and demonise the political systems altogether,” he said.
He said the case of the UPND president was rightfully before court and it would be prudent by all persons to respect the legal processes involved in the matter.
Mr Zulu accused the SA opposition leader of staged act which was inimical to the interests of Zambia. He, Maimane wanted to be an instant hero to his mentors and promoters, peers alike – when in fact he understands very little – or nothing – about the political outlook of Zambia.
He explained that in Zambia’s history, as in the case of Dr Kenneth Kaunda, then Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere (late) visited Zambia to see his incarcerated colleague in jail, but he never issued threats nor did he make unpalatable denunciations of the Zambian authorities.
“All in all, Mr Hichilema is well represented in court with 20 lawyers and under the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) of the Zambian laws, once one is charged with criminal offences and has appeared in court, the judicial process must be exhausted – unless the State enters a nolle prosecu – dropping the case,” he said.
He has, however, called on the government law enforcements agents to stop using draconian instruments of laws to imprison or confine critical citizens or opposition leaders to prisons as it painted a gloomy picture of the country’s democracy.
