ZAMBIA: ‘Greed among Africa Leaders industrialised and commercialized’

Caritas Zambia has observed with dismay that over the years, human greed among many leaders in Africa has become industrialized and commercialized.

In a statement issued to observe Africa Freedom day, which falls on 25th May, 2018, Caritas Zambia Executive Director Eugene Kabilika noted that although the continent has not experienced dictators coming through coups in the last 10 years, the number of dictators who use democracy to manipulate the electoral systems and the constitutions in Africa are slowly growing.

“The desire to get rich and live lavishly is pushing many young leaders into corruption and outright theft of public resources using legal frameworks and policies. This is the commercialization of greed. How can an individual live beyond their means if not by stealing. It is from this greed that our continent has been going through difficult phases of failed states, military coups, one man dictatorships , wars and conflicts, downright economic mismanagement, corruption, abrogation of press and individual freedoms which have made it very difficult for the African people to get out of the cycle of poverty,” Mr. Kabilika said.

He added that they have seen elected leaders amass unexplained wealth together with their subordinates in the shortest possible times of being in power and built mansions at home and abroad revealing that in Zambia, especially in the last five years, his organization has sadly witnessed a breakdown of governance institutions and an erosion of democracy.

“Human rights are violated and political opponents of the ruling party are harassed and imprisoned on tramped up charges. These are disturbing and retrogressive developments which unfortunately have also induced a culture of silence and fear among ordinary citizens,” He said.

Mr. Kabilika added that the very issue that freedom fighters fought and lost their lives for is being taken away from the poor by the rich and the powerful.

“We are talking about land. Caritas Zambia is extremely concerned that land in Zambia is slowly being taken away from poor Zambians and given to foreigners and those who have money. The creation of new districts has become a way of grabbing land from our dear Chiefs at the pretense of bringing development,” he said.

He wondered about a situation where the poor farmers are asked to surrender their valued land to the so called new districts only to be demarcated into plots which are sold to other people who are wealthy. “Isn’t that stealing from the poor? How can a poor old person who has been living in an area for 47 years, be told today to leave his village and go somewhere else? How do you compensate 47 years of somebody’s life?,” he questioned.

Mr. Kabilika added that his organization, just like Nelson Mandela, believes that “As long as many of our people in Africa still live in utter poverty; as long as children still live in the streets; as long as many of our people are still without jobs, as long as children are still being married off, no true African should rest and wallow in the joy of freedom.”

He said it is treacherous for the people of Zambia to hide their heads in the sand and behave as though they remain on course in terms of the achievement of shared national values stressing that, the fight for freedom must go on until it is won; until the country is truly free from exploitation, diseases, hunger, corruption, land grabbing and theft of public resources.

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By Mwenya Mukuku, ZCCB Communications Officer