…President Sata not received official letter
By YANDE SYAMPEYO
AFTER a more than double decade business career that eventually culminated into a public service at a high level of Minister of Defence in President Sata’s government, Mr Geoffrey Mwamba has decided to hang up his political boots.
The high-profile resignation, which came as a surprise to many that saw him as a close ally of the President, was confirmed in a ZNBC news broadcast yesterday but could not be independently confirmed by the Zambia Daily Mail because the Kasama legislator could not pick up calls placed onto his mobile phone yesterday.
State House could equally not confirm the resignation because Mr Mwamba ostensibly has not yet officially communicated his land-mark decision to President Sata in writing, according to Mr George Chellah, the President’s spokesman.
ZNBC, however, reported that Mr Mwamba is, in addition to resigning his top government job, also seeking traditional leadership counsel on whether he must quit his parliamentary seat, too, or not.
ZNBC yesterday said Mr Mwamba, popularly known as GBM, decided to resign following an alleged standoff between Government and Paramount Chief Chitimukulu Henry Sosala, who he said is his grandfather.
Mr Mwamba said yesterday he visited the chief in the presence of some officers from the Office of the President for a family discussion.
He told his supporters that President Sata raised concern regarding the meeting with the chief since some out-standing issues between the chief and the government had not yet been fully resolved.
Mr Mwamba, however, said following the concern, he made a decision to stay with the family and not the politics as he considered family to be more important than politics.
The Zambia Daily Mail has learnt that several senior party colleagues including Ministers asked Mr Mwamba to reconsider and abandon his decision to quit but he remained adamant.
Mr Mwamba has since thanked President Sata for having accorded him an opportunity to serve as Minister of Defence for over two years in his first cabinet since assuming office in 2011.
But President Sata’s spokesperson George Chellah said in an interview yesterday that no official communication has been received from Mr Mwamba.
Mr Chellah said “President Sata is waiting for the letter from Mr Mwamba if at all he has resigned”.
He said it is difficult for State House to comment further on the matter in the absence of the letter.
Several attempts to talk to Mr Mwamba proved futile by press time as his mobile phone went unanswered.
In 2010, Mr Mwamba briefly resigned as Kasama MP after receiving a letter of suspension from the party for allegedly assaulting his wife.
In a letter to then PF leader Michael Sata dated September 9, 2010, which was also copied to Speaker of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa, Mr Mwamba stated that he had decided to resign in order to concentrate on his business.
Mr Mwamba however rescinded his decision barely 24 hours after resigning following advice from senior government officials including the church.
Thus far, however, party, family and church leaders close to Mr Mwamba appear to have failed to make Mr Mwamba see things differently.
Analysts, nevertheless say only time will tell whether Mr Mwamba has hang his politics boots forever or not.
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