Africa-Press – Zambia. I deliberately decided to end my holiday in South Africa by landing in Livingstone, and drive through to Lusaka so as to get a sense of people’s appreciation for My Home town projects, hereafter, (MHT).
Unfortunately, I had hoped to meet the MHT founder in South Africa during my Xmas holidays but was informed that he way operating from his Dubai office. Even without his presence however, the staff I found at his office premises treated me like a king guess simply because they (most not Zambians) figured I was from Zambia where their chairman was born. Imagine entire Manda Hill Mall and with underground parking. That’s the sense I got when one of his workers from Congo Brazzaville offered to show me around his office premises.
Nonetheless and despite not meeting Mr Ndambo in SA, today I am passing through Choma [MHT HQ] on my way from Livingstone so to give me that sense of fulfilment. I tend to follow through to the very end matters of interest to majority Zambians so to fully understand circumstances around a particular perplexing occurrence. In this case why the hullabaloo in Choma last July over to what most of us was just a mare beauty pageant event.
In my first article around the MHT saga, I did allude to the fact that I have known the founder, Mr James Ndambo since my days as Mayor of Lusaka when I enticed him to invest in Lusaka and we have remained close acquittances though our work schedules have not permitted physical meetings. One thing that puzzled me and remains a puzzle around the July 2022 MHT saga at the hands of our friends in UPND after the beauty pageants are the following.
Could it be that none of the current leaders in UPND and I mean NONE, approached the businessman for financial support when they were campaigning to get into power in 2021 and in prior years? And are they angry that he did not financially support them in their time of need?
In the event that one or more of the current UPND leaders received financial or any form of material support from the businessman like most of us leaders lobby various business houses for support, ( and I am already lobbying dozens of business houses for support to ease the financial burden for my Presidential bid for the PF leadership) then where is the sense of morality ?
Lobby for a ladder to climb a tree and when you get to the top, you curse and destroy the ladder that collectively helped you get to where you are? What would be going through the mind of your financial sponsor under the circumstances if you treated them like that?
The answer may have come towards the end of this year when I wrote an article about UPND throwing an olive branch to MHT members and many of MHT sympathisers their thousands both at home and abroad when our head of state drove on a road leading to Choma General Hospital re-constructed by MHT to ease the travel of members of the public and patients on a road that received zero maintenance successive Governments since it was constructed more than 30 years ago. This resulted potholes expanding into craters making the road impassable in recent years.
I salute my brother, the Choma MP and Minister for Southern Province for taking the initiative to request for assistance from MHT to attend to the road. Bravo given our work as MPs is about lobbying for support for our people be it from government, business community or businessmen. The president’s gesture must have come as a relief to MHT members that Infact the UPND leadership cares and if there was a misunderstanding, perhaps false reports may have been proven wrong with the passage of time and as the saying goes, there are no permanent enemies in politics.
I took the decision to write this article because I know for certain, that MHT ethos are for inclusion and not seclusion. To hear his excellency HH inviting former president ECL, for me as politician, I was hearing MHT ethos being recognised and put into practice. The organisation simply does not segregate regardless of beneficiary club or political affiliations. At any MHT function, you will find Zambians and international guests, not political parties.
Visit Mr Ndambo’s company in South Africa which I have over years done on few occasions and you will find among its staff members; South Africans [White, Indian, coloured and black]all races, you will find Mozambican nationals, Namibians, Zimbabweans, Congolese, Cameroonians, Canadians, French, Chinese, Arabic, Russians, British, etc. Inclusion; Inclusion ;Inclusion. To try and expect a man to change his ethos and suddenly favour only a particular section of the country or party, is asking for much. It would be same as asking the Eagle (MHT Logo) to glide very high above ground and not pay attention to the noise.
*My Findings & Conclusion on MHT and Politics.
MHT is not about money handouts but focusses on encouraging its members not to only look to Government for solutions to their everyday bread and butter issues but rather, assist Government where possible, to emancipate community members by identifying human potential and unlocking such potential. This is the reason why Zambians across the country and abroad, rallied in support of MHT since July and growing; because the common understanding is that they augment Government efforts as opposed to perceiving them as opposing Government. Had MHT been opposing Government, the organisation would not have survived 5 different Government administrations before the advent of UPND leadership.
Imagine a population that relies on its own efforts and leaves the state to concentrate on providing a conducive environment for its hardworking citizens to excel, would we be experiencing the insults against the leadership that have become a daily occurrence today? MHT adds impetus to my resolve to win the PF presidency so that we entice 10,000 or more MHT like individuals to get interested in developing their communities across the entire country and end up with more than 70,000 kilometres of tarmacadam roads nationwide built by concerned community members.
I came across this T-Shirt in pic attached and indeed, Zambia needs MHT like ethos. Political parties will come and go but MHT works live on to be used by future generations.
Happy new year to MHT members and sympathizers like myself. Happy new Choma General Hospital Road whenever my Choma MP and Southern province Minister brother will decide to officially launch it. This so that on new year eve he launched the nee street lights in Choma and one hope the MHT that funded the project were invited to the event.
May MHT live on and multiply in all towns of Zambia so all 20 million citizens can benefit from its Ubuntu gestures without being hindered by other Zambians already benefiting. MHT is needed in all 10 provinces of Zambia namely Southern, Luapula, Western, North western, Central, Northern, Copperbelt, Lusaka, Muchinga and Eastern. May Mr James Ndambo never give up on supporting all 20 million Zambians ahead of other African countries kneeling for his support now even as far as Ghana.
May Chairman Ndambo know that what he started as MHT (My Home Town of Choma) has turned itself into My Own Africa. It’s far from being My Own Country Zambia because his ventures knows no political or ethnic boundaries. MHT is for all human beings and may it’s ethos live beyond everyone living today. May our great grand children also come benefit from it.
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