By OLIVER SAMBOKO
THE recent seizure of My Home Town (MHT) vehicles by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has potential to scare some Zambians living in the diaspora from investing back home, says former Lusaka mayor and businessman Fisho Mwale.
Mr Mwale said there was need for mindset change in the country, adding that the recent malicious victimisation and witch hunt on Mr James Ndambo was most unfortunate and a drawback on the country’s drive to attract investment from Zambians abroad.
He said, as a public figure himself, he was aware of what negative perceptions could do to someone’s integrity and international business profile.
Mr Mwale said he was saddened by the actions of DEC on a matter that could have been handled in a manner that did not smack of persecution, vindictiveness and sheer lack of professionalism. He explained that Mr Ndambo had been running My Home Town and investing in uplifting the lives of many underprivileged people in Southern Province for the past 25 years and therefore wondered why DEC was trying to embarrass him
“The seizure of vehicles which were legally purchased locally begs the question. Will DEC also seize the water tanks, the boreholes, the churches and roads Mr Ndambo-run MHT has built? I’m sure the same principle or law they used must apply to those assets,” said Mr Mwale.
He said people in the diaspora who were contemplating coming back to their motherland to reinvest were now cautious that they ran the risk of asset seizure once they came back home and therefore rendering the just held Zambian Diaspora Conference academic.
And according to a source close to the issue, the motor vehicles seized from MHT by DEC were bought from registered car dealers in Lusaka and wondered why it did not seize all vehicles sold by the same dealerships which they sold to others.
The source said the seizure of vehicles belonging to MHT was only meant to embarrass Mr Ndambo
“The pageant was advertised for nearly four months before it took place and at least one prize – vehicle – was displayed. A serious DEC would have approached the organisation well in advance to make sure that all was in order, rather than almost set a trap for the advertisers to fall in and then pounce,” said the source.
