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PATRIOTIC Front cadres who were accustomed to receiving colossal cash handouts from ministers and high ranking party officials were yesterday left disappointed when the once wealthy and generous Bowman Lusambo failed to give them even a coin.
The cadres waylayed the former Lusaka Province minister at the Lusaka Magistrates Court where he was appearing in a case of possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime and jointly charged with his wife Nancy Manaseh for concealing four ‘dubiously’ acquired houses.
As soon as the Lusambos emerged in the corridors of the court, the cadres broke into praise of the former PF Kabushi Constituency member of parliament calling him “Boss wa bonse”.
During the PF time in power, such acts of praise from cadres did not go unrewarded, especially from Lusambo himself. Cadres usually made away with several K100 notes.
But it was just not quite the case yesterday.
After seeing that despite pumping the volume notes of their voices in praise of Lusambo, he was not reaching out for his pockets until some of them took the initiative of reminding him of what he needed to do in such instances.
“Boss wabonse insala! shaniko iya bunga (boss we are hungry won’t you give us any amount for mealie meal),” one the cadres asked before others joined in.
Upon hearing the foot ‘soldiers’ crying that they were hungry, all Lusambo could do was ask if they had missed his benevolence to which they responded in the affirmative
“Mwamfuluka te? (You miss my acts of charity?),” Lusambo asked “E ye boss (yes boss) they respond.
The carders escorted Lusambo to his car hoping that he would give them some money but the Bulldozer left them in the lurch as he had also reduced his comfort standards.
Lusambo and his wife did not use their luxurious cars as per tradition, they left court in different basic cars. Nancy used a black Toyota Auris while Lusambo drove his small black car.
The stranded cadres that remained were heard complaining and encouraging each other to work and vigourously campaign for the return of the former president Edgar Lungu and his team so they could resume ‘eating’.
Earlier in court before magistrate Faidess Hamaundu, businessman Lombe Bwalya said he sold a piece of land to Lusambo at K40, 000.
And a representative of BEM motors said Lusambo did not engage in a transaction with their boss Mbachi Nkwazi for the conveyance of property in his name.
This is in a matter where Lusambo is facing 10
corruption-related charges before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court; among them one count of corrupt acquisition of public property, five counts of possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, three counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud.
He is jointly charged with his wife Nancy Manase for possessing four houses in Silverest Gardens, Chongwe, which were suspected to be procceds of crime.
Trial continues today.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba May 14, 2024.
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