Leadership is enjoyable – HH

By BARNABAS ZULU

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema says while leadership is a serious and challenging undertaking, it is also enjoyable for those who dedicate themselves to serving others with sincerity and hard work.
President Hichilema said genuine leadership demands commitment, listening, and the ability to unite people.
He was speaking during the 12th Quadrennial Conference of the Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) in Livingstone yesterday.
“It is my privilege to participate in this celebration – 50 years of CSAWUZ and indeed the service of workers,” he said. “Service is not easy. There is an assumption people make that leadership is easy – that when you just assume leadership and you are called a title like President, MP, Mayor, or President of CSAWUZ, then it’s all rosy. It is not an easy undertaking. It is a serious obligation.”
He stressed that the burden of leadership should not be underestimated.
“If you mean to serve those that you lead or those who have elected you into office, it is not easy. It is a serious business,” he said. “But it is enjoyable when you put in your best.”
President Hichilema was responding to various sentiments shared by CSAWUZ president Davy Beene and other union members, whom he applauded for maintaining unity and pushing for the interests of workers.
“You used the term there, ‘I listen.’ People speak here, I listen. I am a perpetual listener myself. I am a perpetual student, a gatherer of information,” said Mr Hichilema.
The President also noted the importance of unity in unionism, warning that the fragmentation of workers’ movements weakens their influence.
“You were saying some unions are ‘nashala neka’ (stand-alone). But this is a big union, isn’t it?” he asked. “Which means some unions are tiny. With the polarisation of unions, I totally agree – we need to address that issue.”
He drew a comparison to his upbringing, stating that even in a home, unity is key.
“Even in a house, some of us who were born in polygamous families – boys of my age when I was growing up in the village – we were 18 sharing one meal,” he said. “If there was no leadership in the family, it would have been a chaotic situation.”
Mr Hichilema also encouraged civil servants to remain committed to national development and to reject divisive rhetoric, stating that facts and performance ultimately prevail over criticism.
“There are too many ‘kwenyus’ (those who pretend not to support but secretly admire). Even those that talk negative and dislike HH because his ears are big have no choice but to ‘kwenyula’,” he said, drawing laughter from the delegates. “They have no choice because numbers don’t lie. They are looking at you.”
The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to opening more opportunities for civil servants, pledging continued collaboration with CSAWUZ to improve the welfare of workers across the country.
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