By NATION REPORTER
suggestiONS that the ruling party won the elections in 2021 with the assistance from a mining giant domiciled in Zambia which allegedly planned secretive African campaigns, are rubbish, the United Party for National Development (UPND) has said.
The Guardian last week reported that a giant Canadian firm had recruited a “Tory” related firm to influence elections in Zambia and DRC.
However, UPND spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has said the ruling party won the 2021 general elections through the will of the people who were not happy with the former ruling party’s impunity, lawlessness and political hooliganism.
Mr Mweetwa, who is Southern Province Minister says no foreign entity or institution was involved in secretive campaigns for the ruling party and the said documents were but a figment of people who did not understand what Zambians were going through prior to the general elections in 2021.
But files suggesting that a mining company in Zambia was engaged and planned secretive African campaigns in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on behalf a Canadian mining giant have been leaked.
The files suggest CT Group owner Lynton Crosby also worked, under the radar, on a political influence campaign in Zambia on behalf of mining interests while working on a campaign to oust the country’s president.
The leaked files suggest that CTF, then known as CTF was working on a secret political project, in Zambia, where First Quantum is the country’s biggest copper miner and largest foreign investor.
But Mr Mweetwa said in an interview that no Zambian was ever paid or influenced by some external financing to vote against the PF but that citizens were tired of the PF 10 year’s misrule.
Mr Mweetwa explained that political violence, caderism and plunder of national resources were but some of the reasons Zambians revolted against the former ruling party.
He stated that under the PF rule, the cadres had become much stronger and powerful than institutions of governance and that Zambians at the time had had enough of impunity and misrule.
“The UPND won the elections in 2021 through the will of Zambians. Can you tell me even one Zambians who was paid K20 or K5 to vote out the PF? Zambians were simply fed up of violence, caderism, plunder and impunity. Zambians voted against hate speech.
“The Auditor General’s report had been exposing abuse of national resources. There was no any purported funding from anyone and to begin to presuppose that there was some funding made to the UPND is a direct insult to the 2.8 million Zambians,” Mr Mweetwa said.
However, the files suggest that in 2014, CTF conducted polling and focus group research in Zambia and also fed political intelligence to its client about which political party “would likely have a more favourable and consistent approach towards the mining sector.”
According to the United Kingdom (UK) Mail and Guardian, a source familiar with its work in Zambia said CTF went on to support the election of business-friendly opposition politician, Hakainde Hichilema, in a special election in 2015.
At the time, the documents claim that Mr Hichilema in 2015 outperformed expectations but failed to gain the presidency; but he was to be elected Zambia’s president in 2021.
“Some of CTF’s work in Zambia prior to the election remains active today. According to the leaked documents, the firm established an online news website that it boasted had become “a recognised independent voice of authority. The “Open Zambia” website continues to publish articles. It describes itself as “Zambia’s only independent news source” and heralds its role in “promoting transparency.”
The site, which frequently carries articles favourable to First Quantum, does not disclose it was established by a London-based lobbying firm,” the Mail and Guardian reports.
In its statement, CT Group said it was not a secret that it had worked on election campaigns internationally, and strictly adhered to all relevant laws and regulations in those jurisdictions.
“We have supported campaigns in a range of countries, including the DRC and Zambia. Supporting a candidate, be they an incumbent or in opposition, in an election campaign is taking part in the democratic process,” CT Group is reported to have said.
