HOW CHILUBA BUGGED MWANAWASA’S PHONE

The personal and professional relationship between President Frederick Chiluba and his Vice-President Levy Mwanawasa kept on deteriorating leading to the latter’s resignation in July 1994. Mwanawasa felt Chiluba was deliberately alienating him so as to force him to quit his position because the MMD government had departed from the promises it made to Zambians and was now embracing corruption and bad governance.

According to Mwanawasa, it was during this time of strained relations between him and the President that signs of poor governance began to emerge. He observed that the government was increasingly becoming less accountable and transparent, almost as if it was reneging on the very principles that defined the MMD. He was not consulted on major issues, he said. He noticed that people like Michael Sata and Vernon Mwaanga were emerging more powerful. He was being sidelined:

“I was there merely to warm the seat because shortly before and after the elections, I was extremely popular, as I had played a very pivotal role in the fight [to return to multiparty politics]. People loved me because of the many court cases I handled during this fight; I obtained many court injunctions. I got the impression that President Chiluba was not giving me the boot because the government would become unstable as I was very popular.

Anyway, the poor governance continued. One time [in June, 1994], President Chiluba went out of the country for about three weeks and I was
left as acting President. During this period, the then Director-General of Medical Stores, Dr Kamanga, came to me and said, ‘I have received many instructions from the Minister of Health, Mr Michael Sata, that I should employ his relative.’ He showed me a note in which he was instructed to employ this relative to a senior management job.

He said, ‘I am not prepared to give him this job because he is not qualified.’ I said, ‘You don’t have to give him the job if he is not qualified.’

Later, I received information that Sata gave instructions to whoever was permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health to pay rent for his offices in Farmers House. Mr Sata was in arrears so the ministry was instructed to pay rent for him. There were a few other directives. I said, ‘What should we do now?’ I said, ‘This is bad.’ I reported the matter to the late justice Robert Kapembwa who was chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC]. I said, ‘I am not a policeman, but investigate this matter. It appears there is corruption here.’ All in all, there were five counts.

So he investigated. I asked him later what he had found. He said, ‘Out of the five counts, we have found four good ones and we have referred them to the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions]. The DPP was taking long. So I phoned Dr Ludwig Sondashi, who was the Minister of Justice. I said, ‘What is the position on the case of Sata because I am told the Director of Public Prosecutions has been asked for his fiat?’

The DPP wrote to Dr Sondashi, saying that out of these counts, there were about two or three good ones and I have given authority for Mr Sata to be arrested and charged.’ When Dr Sondashi received that letter, he sent me a copy.

At that stage, the stage was set for Sata to be arrested. I can’t remember if the ACC went to him or not, but at the time President Chiluba came back in the country. And it appears that justice Kapembwa briefed him about the matter.

At the same time, I asked for permission that I wanted to tour Luapula Province. So I went on a tour of Luapula Province. On the last day of my tour [July 1, 1994], President Chiluba decided to go to Ndola and in his delegation he took Sata.

On arrival at Ndola International Airport, he was quoted as having said that, ‘I won’t permit quarrels in my Cabinet. I go out for only two weeks and I find that they are even arresting each other.’ He said a lot of things in Ndola. I heard this on radio and I was furious. I decided that when I went back to Lusaka, I was going to tender my resignation.”

At that time, Dr Sondashi was in Livingstone. He telephoned Mwanawasa and told him that he would resign too. He wanted to join Mwanawasa at a press conference so that they could resign together.

Mwanawasa did not favour the idea. He said, ‘Look, we can’t do that. Let it not seem as if we had made a pact. If you want, you announce your resignation in Livingstone and I will announce mine in Lusaka, but let me begin the show.’

Using a helicopter, Mwanawasa started off for Lusaka from Luapula. But before he left, he phoned President Chiluba, asking him when he would arrive in Lusaka.
‘Tonight,’ he replied.
‘Can I come and see you?’ Mwanawasa enquired.
‘Okay’, answered President Chiluba.

In the evening, Mwanawasa went to State House. He began to complain to the President about what the President was saying against him. But before he could continue, Chiluba said, ‘I know you have come to tell me that you are resigning. You have been talking with Sondashi.’

Mwanawasa said, ‘Mr President, when I was talking with Sondashi, we were just the two of us. I was alone in the room and I know that Sondashi was alone in his room. You know that I want to resign, yes, it’s true. We discussed this matter. I can’t imagine that you have been bugging my phones.’
Then he said, ‘Yes, I go out of the country, then you arrest one of my trusted ministers!’ Chiluba went on to say a lot of other things that disconcerted Mwanawasa.

Mwanawasa replied, ‘I didn’t arrest him. I referred him to the law enforcement agency because what he was doing is contrary to what
we told the people. We told the people that we will run a transparent government. But this minister is engaging in corruption. As far as I am concerned, there was justification for taking him to ACC.’

Then Chiluba softened. He said, ‘You see, mwaiche wandi [my young man], you and I have gotten on very well. There are times when you have come to my house [official residence] with your family and we have dinner together. We are a family. Sometimes, there are prob- lems which come in between but tulibaume [we are men]; we should learn to resolve them.’

Mwanawasa said, ‘Mr President, I am resigning because you can’t take a man in your delegation who has committed offences and when you arrive in Ndola you start making statements as if I am in the wrong.’
Mwanawasa recounted what ensued later in these words:

We talked and I realised that if I persisted in saying that I am resigning, he was going to issue a statement immediately that I have fired him and the effect of my resignation will not be understood because I will be a fired person. So I said, ‘Okay, Mr President, I have understood what you have said. I will think about it. I will come and see you tomorrow.’

I went home and the following day [July 3, 1994], I called my secretary and dictated a statement of resignation. I told her to come with a type- writer to my residence. So she typed the letter at Government House. Then I instructed my private secretary, Jeston Mulando, to call for an immediate press conference. I also asked him to arrange to deliver to State House my letter of resignation. So as I was addressing a press conference, my letter of resignation was delivered to President Chiluba. I told the press, ‘As I am speaking to you, I have already tendered in my resignation letter.’ And I gave my reasons for the resignation.

An excerpt from the book: LEVY PATRICK MWANAWASA, An Incentive For Posterity; Pages 58 – 61. By Amos Malupenga (2009).

Picture caption: Mwanawasa addressing a press conference to announce his resignation as Republican Vice-President on July 3, 1994. Picture by The Post.