By NATION REPORTER
JAMES Ndambo, founder of My Home Town (MHT) Zambia has described social media propaganda that he has failed to pay police officers who provided security during the My Home Town beauty pageant contest as nothing but nihilistic malice meant to slander his name and bring it into ridicule.
Mr Ndambo, the philanthropist and Zambia’s South African business mogul has said it was not possible for him, as an individual and founder of My Home Town Zambia to have failed to settle allowances for police officers who had provided security during the My Home Town beauty pageant in Choma.
Soon after Mr Ndambo announced the suspension of operations of the My Home Town Zambia, some rogue online media outlets launched a crusade to scandalise the founder of Africa Union Holdings, claiming the business tycoon had neglected to settle bills for police officers in Choma.
Mr Ndambo said in an interview that for the past 25 years of the existence of My Home Town Choma, the police had provided security, albeit without his request to maintain law and order, which is the constitutional mandate of the Zambia Police Service.
He said during the My Home Town beauty pageant in July in Choma this year, the Zambia Police in fulfilling its mandate provided security and maintained law and order to ensure the event was without an incident.
Mr Ndambo, founder of the Africa Union Holdings said Zambians should ignore social media speculations and gossip meant to malign and scandalise him because according to his knowledge, he had never entered into a contract with the Zambia Police Service.
While in Accra, Ghana, the Ghanaian government provided both military and police escort and security to Mr Ndambo without his request.
In Kumasi where Mr Ndambo has launched the My Home Town Ghana, the government ensured he was accorded both military and police escort and protection without request and at no cost.
Africa Union Holdings is a diversified holdings company, with a global presence in over 10 Countries, spread across the four continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and was founded in 2003.
“Each time I have been in Choma for the My Home Town programmes, the Zambia Police Service has always provided security. It has the mandate to provide security so that law and order is maintained. I have heard that I owe the Zambia Police officers money for maintaining law and order. Why should I or indeed My Home Town pay police officers for performing their duties? I wish to put it on record and make it clear that I do not owe the Zambia Police officers any money. There has never been a contract signed between My Home Town and the Zambia Police and it is therefore pure malice that some people could even think and believe that I owe the Zambia Police and the military money,” Mr Ndambo said.
Mr Ndambo has challenged the Zambia Police to cause the publication of the invoices which the My Home Town could have failed to settle instead of creating lies meant malign him.
He said he was deeply saddened when he heard that police officers including the Southern Province Police Commissioner, Alfred Nawa had been punished for providing security during the My Home Town beauty pageant in July.
Mr Ndambo wondered why the Zambia Police Service decided to victimise officers for doing their job of maintaining law and order during an event that had attracted many foreign nationals some of whom were tourists.
