Benedictions fail Zambian minister

Benedictions fail Zambian minister

HUMPHREY NKONDE
CORRESPONDENT

In his onslaught on corruption, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa last week fired Lands Minister Gladys Nyirongo on allegations of several land scandals, including selling a 20,000-hectare tract of land to a foreigner.



Speaking on television, Mwanawasa said he had issued strict instructions that allocations of land exceeding l, 000 hectares should not be made without his consent.

He said he took a dim view of Nyirongo's conduct, as sales of land to foreigners disadvantage indigenous Zambians.

The President charged that Nyirongo, who is a priest, had deliberately ignored his instructions. An angry Mwanawasa said Nyirongo aggravated matters by allocating herself a plot, and two each to her husband, a daughter and a son.

After Nyirongo was fired, President Mwanawasa ordered the closure and sealing off of the lands ministry offices in Lusaka to allow unfettered investigations.

"I have asked the Inspector General of police to seal off the premises," Mwanawasa disclosed, adding that he had also ordered the suspension of Lands Commissioner Frighton Sichone on charges similar to those levelled against his superior, which the President said smacked of money-laundering

In 1996, Nyirongo was in the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), but was not adopted by the party to stand for parliamentary elections in Bwacha, a constituency in Kabwe in the Central

Province. She decided to run as an independent candidate, but lost.
Nyirongo then decided to join the Heritage Party formed by Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda, once Frederick Chiluba's Vice-President who was expelled with twenty-two others opposed to Chiluba's third term bid ahead of the 2001 general elections.

She won the Bwacha seat in the 2001 elections, but later defected to the ruling MMD. She was re-elected on the ruling party ticket following which she entered Mwanawasa's  executive cabinet, first as Minister of Sports, Youth and Child Development.

Nyirongo was re-elected on the MMD ticket in the September 28, 2006 polls after which she was appointed Lands Minister.
(Sila Press Agency)

(From Mmegi newspaper)