How Chiluba twice fired Sejani
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Another of my memorable personalities has died.
In the last few months, two of such personalities featured in my book: Conversations with Memorable Personalities, have passed away. These are Dr Rodger Chongwe and Edith Nawakwi. Last year in June, another personality, Aaron Milner died.
Yesterday, yet another memorable personality passed away. This is Ackson Sejani. Sejani is one of the personalities featuring in my upcoming Part 2 of the Conversations with Memorable Personalities book. Jehovah God willing, the Part 2 of the Conversations book will be out in circulation in the next few months.
Because of his death yesterday, I thought I could let you in (my memorable followers) with a few personal details about Sejani as we remember his life. He died serving as Chairperson of the Local Government Service Commission. But before this, he served as local government minister under President Frederick Chiluba during the time of the MMD days. This was between 1999 and 2001. Earlier in mid 1992, Chiluba appointed Sejani as deputy minister in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Sejani was a very critical mind who stood his ground in line with the principles he cherished. He did this fearlessly even at the expense of risking his ministerial positions. In 1994, less than two years in his position as deputy agriculture minister, Sejani was fired for publicly opposing government’s mode of the privatisation of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM).
He was later reappointed to the same ministry in the same capacity in 1996. In 1999, Sejani was promoted as a full Cabinet Minister in charge of Local Government and Housing. Two years later, he was again fired. This time, Sejani was fired for virulently opposing Chiluba’s third term bid. He was among the 21 members of parliament that were expelled from the then ruling MMD and among the nine ministers that Chiluba fired from Cabinet.
In August 2005, twenty years ago, I was privileged to host Sejani in my house in Lusaka’s Roma township (where I lived at the time) for a deep conversation touching on his life and living, as well as his political career.
Here is an excerpt from the upcoming Part 2 Conversations book.
*****
Amos Malupenga: To start with, I will ask you to give me your full names and a brief background …
Ackson Sejani: Well, I was born Ackson Sejani in 1957 in Siamazila village, Kalomo district [in Southern Province of Zambia]. I went to Chundwe Primary School for the lower part of it and then proceeded to do the other part of primary school at Muziya. From 1973 to 1977, I was doing my secondary school at Chikankata. After that I went for national service for a year.
From national service, I went to the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) in 1978 for a Diploma in Agriculture Business Management. I graduated in 1981 and, thereafter, worked for a few years before going to the University of Zambia (UNZA) to do a degree in Public Administration and Political Science. I graduated in 1989.
Amos Malupenga: What happened after your graduation?
Ackson Sejani: I went to UNZA when I was still working in the Department of Marketing and Co-operatives as a training officer in Choma. So after graduating from UNZA, I continued working for the government in that department. But I quit government in 1991 when the fight for the reintroduction of multiparty politics intensified. I was among those that agitated for this country to return to multiparty politics.
Amos Malupenga: What is it that inspired you to get involved in that fight?
Ackson Sejani: Like many Zambians, we were all getting dissatisfied with the way things were going in the one party state. There was no freedom and so we were desirous for change because we wanted to be free and speak our minds out about how this country was governed.
When we were agitating for change, I was the publicity secretary for MMD [Movement for Multiparty Democracy] in Choma. When the time came for me to contest the elections, I was picked to contest in Mapatizya Constituency in 1991. I won the elections and became MP [Member of Parliament]. In mid 1992, I was appointed deputy minister in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Amos Malupenga: You did not last long in that position before you were relieved of your duties by the then president Dr [Frederick] Chiluba, what went wrong?
Ackson Sejani: I was fired in 1994 from the Ministry of Agriculture for opposing government’s mode of privatisation of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM). If you remember that time, there was some debate on how best to privatise ZCCM. There was a debate between those who wanted ZCCM to be sold as one unit and those who said it would be better to unbundle ZCCM.
I happened to be amongst those who were saying we must unbundle. Copper is our mainstay and it is equivalent to Zambia. That is why we said we must be careful in the way we were to privatise ZCCM.
If we sold it all at once, it means we are risking the future of this country. Supposing we have made a mistake, there will be no way of going back but if we sold in units, we would be able to study the situation as we progress and make amendments in areas where we would be free to do so.
But this position did not please the powers that be at that time. And it was thought that I should be relieved of my duties alongside my colleague Dr Mathias Mpande.
Amos Malupenga: When where you recalled to government?
Ackson Sejani: I was recalled after the elections of 1996. I do not know [why], but I was recalled to government. Before that time in 1995, we happened to have our national convention as MMD where I was elected as chairman for elections.
I was re-appointed to the same ministry in the same capacity. Later on I was appointed Minister of Local Government and Housing in 1999. That is the position I held until I was fired from Cabinet in 2001 at the height of the campaign against the third term.
****
Picture caption: Sejani with his fellow students at NRDC in Lusaka circa 1978/9. And Sejani during the conversation with the author (not in the picture) at the author’s Roma residence in Lusaka, August 2005.
Pictures: From Sejani’s family album and by Thomas Nsama.
Credit: Conversation with Amos Malupenga
How Chiluba twice fired Sejani
In the last few months, two of such personalities featured in my book: Conversations with Memorable Personalities, have passed away. These are Dr Rodger Chongwe and Edith Nawakwi. Last year in June, another personality, Aaron Milner died.
Yesterday, yet another memorable personality passed away. This is Ackson Sejani. Sejani is one of the personalities featuring in my upcoming Part 2 of the Conversations with Memorable Personalities book. Jehovah God willing, the Part 2 of the Conversations book will be out in circulation in the next few months.
Because of his death yesterday, I thought I could let you in (my memorable followers) with a few personal details about Sejani as we remember his life. He died serving as Chairperson of the Local Government Service Commission. But before this, he served as local government minister under President Frederick Chiluba during the time of the MMD days. This was between 1999 and 2001. Earlier in mid 1992, Chiluba appointed Sejani as deputy minister in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Sejani was a very critical mind who stood his ground in line with the principles he cherished. He did this fearlessly even at the expense of risking his ministerial positions. In 1994, less than two years in his position as deputy agriculture minister, Sejani was fired for publicly opposing government’s mode of the privatisation of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM).
He was later reappointed to the same ministry in the same capacity in 1996. In 1999, Sejani was promoted as a full Cabinet Minister in charge of Local Government and Housing. Two years later, he was again fired. This time, Sejani was fired for virulently opposing Chiluba’s third term bid. He was among the 21 members of parliament that were expelled from the then ruling MMD and among the nine ministers that Chiluba fired from Cabinet.
In August 2005, twenty years ago, I was privileged to host Sejani in my house in Lusaka’s Roma township (where I lived at the time) for a deep conversation touching on his life and living, as well as his political career.
Here is an excerpt from the upcoming Part 2 Conversations book.
*****
Amos Malupenga: To start with, I will ask you to give me your full names and a brief background …
Ackson Sejani: Well, I was born Ackson Sejani in 1957 in Siamazila village, Kalomo district [in Southern Province of Zambia]. I went to Chundwe Primary School for the lower part of it and then proceeded to do the other part of primary school at Muziya. From 1973 to 1977, I was doing my secondary school at Chikankata. After that I went for national service for a year.
From national service, I went to the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) in 1978 for a Diploma in Agriculture Business Management. I graduated in 1981 and, thereafter, worked for a few years before going to the University of Zambia (UNZA) to do a degree in Public Administration and Political Science. I graduated in 1989.
Amos Malupenga: What happened after your graduation?
Ackson Sejani: I went to UNZA when I was still working in the Department of Marketing and Co-operatives as a training officer in Choma. So after graduating from UNZA, I continued working for the government in that department. But I quit government in 1991 when the fight for the reintroduction of multiparty politics intensified. I was among those that agitated for this country to return to multiparty politics.
Amos Malupenga: What is it that inspired you to get involved in that fight?
Ackson Sejani: Like many Zambians, we were all getting dissatisfied with the way things were going in the one party state. There was no freedom and so we were desirous for change because we wanted to be free and speak our minds out about how this country was governed.
When we were agitating for change, I was the publicity secretary for MMD [Movement for Multiparty Democracy] in Choma. When the time came for me to contest the elections, I was picked to contest in Mapatizya Constituency in 1991. I won the elections and became MP [Member of Parliament]. In mid 1992, I was appointed deputy minister in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Amos Malupenga: You did not last long in that position before you were relieved of your duties by the then president Dr [Frederick] Chiluba, what went wrong?
Ackson Sejani: I was fired in 1994 from the Ministry of Agriculture for opposing government’s mode of privatisation of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM). If you remember that time, there was some debate on how best to privatise ZCCM. There was a debate between those who wanted ZCCM to be sold as one unit and those who said it would be better to unbundle ZCCM.
I happened to be amongst those who were saying we must unbundle. Copper is our mainstay and it is equivalent to Zambia. That is why we said we must be careful in the way we were to privatise ZCCM.
If we sold it all at once, it means we are risking the future of this country. Supposing we have made a mistake, there will be no way of going back but if we sold in units, we would be able to study the situation as we progress and make amendments in areas where we would be free to do so.
But this position did not please the powers that be at that time. And it was thought that I should be relieved of my duties alongside my colleague Dr Mathias Mpande.
Amos Malupenga: When where you recalled to government?
Ackson Sejani: I was recalled after the elections of 1996. I do not know [why], but I was recalled to government. Before that time in 1995, we happened to have our national convention as MMD where I was elected as chairman for elections.
I was re-appointed to the same ministry in the same capacity. Later on I was appointed Minister of Local Government and Housing in 1999. That is the position I held until I was fired from Cabinet in 2001 at the height of the campaign against the third term.
****
Picture caption: Sejani with his fellow students at NRDC in Lusaka circa 1978/9. And Sejani during the conversation with the author (not in the picture) at the author’s Roma residence in Lusaka, August 2005.
Pictures: From Sejani’s family album and by Thomas Nsama.
Credit: Conversation with Amos Malupenga
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