Kachingwe expelled

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:28:55 +0000

MMD’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has expelled National Secretary Major Richard Kachingwe for gross indiscipline and misconduct.

The Committee has also declared as null  and void a letter written by Major Kachingwe to party president Dr. Nevers Mumba  invalidate his presidency on account of membership irregularity.

The NEC which met at Dr. Mumba’s house in Kabulonga endorsed the expulsion of Major Richard Kachingwe from the party and as National Secretary.

The NEC also elected Senga Hill Member of Parliament Dr. Kapembwa Simbao as its new acting National Secretary.

According to MMD senior officials who attended the meeting, the party would today hold a press briefing where a detailed report would be unveiled.

The meeting which started slightly after 15:00 hours was briefly disrupted by a heavy presence of armed police officers in riot gear who came to search for cadres who hounded Maj. Kachingwe out of his office over the weekend.

According to sources that attended the meeting, party officials among them several Members of Parliament supported the move to expel Maj. Kachingwe in order to restore order and dignity to the former ruling party.

The meeting which was chaired by party national Chairman Kabinga Pande “has resolved to endorse the decision to expel Maj. Kachingwe for gross indiscipline and misconduct. He has caused more embarrassment to the party. The general membership feels that Maj. Kachingwe failed to account for party funds which MPs being the major source of the funding of the party felt that the money was being abused.”

Earlier Maj. Kachingwe rushed to court to push for an injunction restraining Dr. Mumba from continuing holding on to the office of MMD president but the injunction was not granted by the High Court.

And armed police officers yesterday stormed MMD president Dr. Mumba’s residence and disrupted an urgent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting called to ratify the expulsion of Major Kachingwe as party national secretary.

Dr. Mumba called for an urgent meeting to address the recent leadership wrangles the MMD leadership was experiencing which has brought the party into lime light in the last few days.

The police officers in riot gear stormed Dr. Mumba’s residence onMiddle Wayplot number 17, Kabulonga and demanded to search for suspected MMD cadres believed to have assaulted its expelled National Secretary.

The police from Lusaka Central who were led by an Assistant Superintendent Mbale were however denied access to search the premises as they did not have a search warrant.

This prompted some officers to organize a warrant for the search.

The lawyers representing Dr Mumba demanded that only three police officers would be allowed to enter Dr. Mumba’s house to conduct a search which was agreed.

After a futile search for the die-hard MMD coordinator Bowman Lusambo, Maimisa and Kodobi, Lusaka District Criminal Investigations Officer Ndiyoyi Mumbuna begged Dr. Mumba to remember him in his kingdom.

“Sir I am just carrying out my job please remember me in your kingdom.”

And Dr. Mumba has described the search as at his house as unwarranted and that it would not shake him together with his family.

Police officers searched among other rooms, toilets, bathrooms and servant quarters before they left the premises.

Dr. Mumba said that his party, his family and himself were not worried or shaken by President Sata’s way of governance because he (Sata) was a dictator.

He said President Sata and his PF government were not helping Major Kachingwe in any way because the party had a system.

“Just look at how much attention this matter has attracted the police and the President himself. It is unprecedented that all the government machinery is sent to protect one individual. I am not supporting the behavior of the cadres that roughed up Maj. Kachingwe but what I am saying is that there is always a procedure.

Dr. Mumba also informed the nation that the MMD had instituted internal investigations into the matter and those found wanting would be dealt with accordingly.