PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

PERMANENT SECRETARY DICKSON MATEMBO FINALLY SUES MR. JOSECK KUNDA OVER NATIONAL MATTERS.

We write in order to publish about the recent summons issued to Mr. Joseck Kunda by Mr. Dickson Matembo who is the current Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security.Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Permanent Secretary Mr. Dickson Matembo - Photo: Internet.

Mr. Joseck Kunda is the National Ambassador for National Values and Principles appointed by the Office of the President awaiting the official facilitation by the Republican President. He is also a leader, founder and Chief Executive Officer for the Movement for Promoting National Values and Principles (MPNVP) an Organization with a mandate of actualizing National Values and Principles.

Mr. Joseck Kunda was identified, nominated, recommended and later appointed to serve as National Ambassador and Change Agent under Presidential directive and was tasked to provide National Guidance, Counsel and Civic Education to the Zambian citizenry. His appointment was gauranteed effective November 30, 2020.

MR. JOSECK KUNDA, National Ambassador and CEO of MPNVP

Mr. Kunda was given the legitimacy and mandate to spearhead National Values and Principles using the Organization he founded as a conduit. In tandem with the Zambian Constitution Article 8 and 9, Act Number 2 of the 2016 Amended Constitution, Mr. Kunda has the audacity commenting on all National matters regardless of who is involved. The Republican President His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema recognized Mr. Kunda after inviting him at State House on 3rd April, 2022.

On the 5th of January 2024, Mr. Joseck Kunda in his capacity as National Ambassador and Chief Executive Officer for the Movement for Promoting National Values and Principles issued a statement on behalf of the Organization demanding for the removal of the Permanent Secretary Mr. Dickson Matembo from Office by the appointing Authority.

In the widely published video and an article shared to numerous media houses, the Organization disclosed ten (10) main reasons why they felt the Permanent Secretary needed to be dropped namely;

(1) Sitting on some recommendation letters.

(2) Referring Refugees to criminals.

(3) Failing to supervise departments falling under his Ministry.

(4) Proving to be an impediment in the harmonization of Laws.

(5) Being associated to people who work against the wellbeing of the refugees.

(6) Extorting those seeking legal documents.

(7) Waging war against Civil Society Organizations advocating for the Rights of refugees and upholding of human rights.

(8) Hounding the Registrar of Societies from office for some selfish and political reasons.

(9) Championing the tyrannic and undemocratic tendencies in the Country.

(10) Indirectly de - campaigning the UPND Government and the Republican President.

Following the publications of the cited Article and a video presentation where the above nuggets where mentioned, the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security (CRIAR), Mr. Dickson Matembo intimated to his allies about his intentions of suing Mr. Kunda a position he made known to Mr. Kunda whom he contacted via a telephone number +260 977 187004.

During the telephone conversation, Permanent Secretary Dickson Matembo shouted at Mr. Kunda and later sent him an ordinary message where he indicated that he would sue him in Court in order to afford him enough time to express himself.

Back in the year 2022, the Permanent Secretary invited Mr. Joseck Kunda in a letter dated 25th July 2022. Mr. Matembo addressed Mr. Kunda as National Ambassador and invited him to attend a consultative meeting on Monday the 8th August, 2022. The subject matter was entitled ' RESOLVING THE LEGISLATIVE ANOMALIES OF FOREIGN NATIONALS '.

In attendance during the meeting was the National Coordinator and former Diplomat Lameck Kamalo and the Chief National Consultant for MPNVP Mr. Brian Phiri. Sadly what was meant to be a serious consultative meeting ended up into a fracas. During the meeting PS Dickson Matembo refused to recognize Mr. Kunda as National Ambassador and instead reduced him to a PF ceremonial recognized person. Mr. Matembo also challenged the stance of MPNVP and insinuated that many Organizations were being paid a lot of money in order to speak for Refugees.

The Permanent Secretary was so provocative to an extent that he referred to most of the refugees as criminals who do not mean well for the Country. The foregoing and numerous derogatory remarks uttered by the Permanent Secretary unsettled Mr. Kunda who fumed against the irked PS.

The well intended meeting ended up in a deadlock as the Permanent Secretary ended up saying 'No Laws will be changed involving refugees as long as he remained a Permanent Secretary' utterances that shocked all in attendance. The PS chased the entire team to leave his office but Mr. Kunda resisted and dared the PS not to behave like a political cadre and reminded him that his office was a public office owned by all Zambians.

It took the involvement of the Commissioner for Refugees Professor/His Excellency Ambassador of peace and Commissioner for Refugees (COR) getting involved that peace was restored between Mr. Joseck Kunda and Mr. Dickson Matembo. Due to mature counsel and guidance rendered by Commissioner Prosper Mwango Ng'andu, Mr. Kunda wrote a letter to PS Matembo seeking renewed bilateral understanding. In his letter to the Permanent Secretary Mr. Kunda unreservedly apologized to the PS for the differences that ensured and employed the Permanent Secretary to put all differences behind for the sake of national matters.

It therefore never came as a surprise receiving a Police Call - Out from the Zambia Police Service Headquarters on the 10th of January 2024 indicating that Mr. Kunda was being invited for some investigations in room 229 at second floor at Fraud Section.

During the interview, the Zambia Police made inquiries about the earlier statement issued by MPNVP demanding for the release of Mr. Appolinaire who was recently arrested by the Zambia Police and was kept in detention at Ibex Police Station. The Police wanted to know why MPNVP had been so outspoken about the Rwandan Government an assertion that the Organization dismissed.

The Zambia Police also tried detaching Mr. Joseck Kunda from MPNVP and his Ambassadorial role and endeavored finding something incriminating against him as an individual. The Zambia Police claimed that the advocacy being championed by the Organization bordered on dividing and spreading hatred between the Zambian Government and the Rwandan Government claims that are unfounded.

After some good 90 minutes, the Police made up their mind to have Mr. Kunda officially arrested and charged. When asked what charge the police where slapping on him, the officers remained mute and instead indicated that the charge would be disclosed as the suspect would be ushered in Police holding cell.

As Mr. Kunda was taking off his shoes, a suit and a belt, he pipped in the OB book at Ridge Way Police Post and saw the charge written SEDITIOUS PRACTICES.

The following day in the morning, the Zambia Police came back with a second charge. This time the Complainant was said to be Mr. Dickson Matembo the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security. Although the Zambia Police earlier refuted Mr. Kunda's reaction that it was Mr. Matembo who was behind his arrest, the Zambia Police could not accept the claim. This time around Mr. Kunda's assertions came to pass and was vindicated. The Zambia Police were candid when they charged Mr. Kunda of CYBER CRIME.

Soon after his release on Police Bond after meeting the recquirements Mr. Kunda was taken back to Police Headquarters where he met Senior Police Officer who candidly told him that the Zambia Police are well informed about his humility and that in the past he had served as State Witness on some critical and sensitive crimes purported to have been committed by others. The Police Command also hinted on the fact that the complaint received came from the Permanent Secretary Mr. Dickson Matembo and the Director General for Immigration Department Dr. Japhet Lishomwa.

NIBBLING ON MR. MATEMBO 'S MOTIVE.

As a Country, Zambia is a Democratic State where we enjoy freedom of expression and opinion on national matters. Calling for a dismissal, removal and resignation of a public servant can never be a criminal offence. In countries like United States of America and Britain where Democracy is always flourishing, citizens are able to conduct a march past and call for the stepping down of their leaders.

So far in the past 6 years only, about five (5) Prime Ministers have resigned in the United Kingdom on moral grounds. We are very much aware that Mr. Dickson Matembo is just being used by the UPND Government to thwart and muzzle the mouths of the Civil Society Organizations who are providing extra voices for the voiceless.

We are calling upon the Republican President His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema to move in quickly and term Mr. Dickson Matembo. Failure by the appointing authority disciplining Mr. Matembo to stop intimidating Civil Society Organizations would be enough evidence to prove that the PS is an argent of the Government.

We are more than ready as an Organization taking up Mr. Matembo as a public officer and testify against him. We have overwhelming evidence about the assertions levelled against him. We also want to take this opportunity reiterating our stance against Mr. Dickson Matembo and assure him that as long as he remains a public servant in Government, he will not dodge and avoid criticism from us.

In the past our Organization has come out in public accusing His Excellency the Republican President on critical issues among them TRIBALISM and yet President Hakainde Hichilema has never overreacted to us neither has he instructed the Police to arrest us. Who therefore is a Permanent Secretary posing a threat to us?

We wish to reaffirm our position about the hatred harboured by the Permanent Secretary Mr. Dickson Matembo against the refugees. Let him find time reflecting on the sound and inspired guidance we find in the book of Exodus. God from time immemorial instructed the Israelites to look after Refugees (Aliens), Orphans and Widows. If Mr. Matembo wish to have peace in his life, let him avoid betraying refugees and may he tone down on them.

Without any malice, we are calling upon His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema to find a different Ministry preferably Ministry of Tourism and Green Environment where he can be dealing with non living things like animals and vegetations and not human beings created in God's image.

Instead of highlighting some key reasons cited in our later dated 5th January 2024, the PS chose highlighting other issues where Mr. Kunda referred to himself as 'I' forgetting that all statements issued are a true reflection of the Organization and are in tandem with the Zambian Constitution. Further Mr. Matembo would not dictate to us how we implement National Values and Principles in harmony with our mandate as enshrined in the Organizational Constitution and Profile.

By virtue of this statement, we are making an earnest appeal to the International Communities among them the European Union, the American Embassy, the British Embassy and several Embassies that help in deepening the democracy of our Country to stand up and defend our Organization.

We are also writing to other International Communities among them Amnesty International and Geneva in Switzerland alerting them about the battles being fought by Civil Society Organizations against the Zambian Government.

The attitude of PS Dickson Matembo is an attestation and full testimony about the shrinking Democratic Space in our Country. For some time now the opposition political parties in Zambia have been crying foul about the diminishing Democratic Space in Zambia. Since the UPND formed Government, no opposition political party has been allowed conducting public rallies.

In addition, Civil Society Organizations have gone to bed with the ruling Party and are totally silenced. We are slowly degenerating into a dictatorial regime. We now have a situation where a Senior Government Official like a Permanent Secretary taking a Civil Society Organization to Court for speaking against some undemocratic temdacies.

We can not afford having a Government that can not concentrate on fulfilling the needs of it's people. We are currently contending with high cost of living, skyrocketing of prices of essential commodities, high inflation rate, devaluation of our kwacha against US dollar and other international currencies, shortages of drugs in hospitals, pandemics like Cholera, unemployment levels to mention but a few.

We can not afford having a Government that is trivial, vindictive and individuals who choose dealing with innuendos and issues that can not help in improving the wellbeing of the people.

We will remain resolute and unwavering in denouncing any undemocratic behaviours and oppressive conduct that subject our people to futility!

MPNVP - WE AIM AT ACTUALIZING NATIONAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES!

NB: Find the Summons and other attached details from Hibajene Mulunda Advocates acting on behalf of PS Dickson Matembo.

Find also photos of National Ambassador Joseck Kunda entering Zambia Police Service Headquarters for some investigations.