Old and visibly tired Daniel Munkombwe has bounced back into government, this time under the ruling Patriotic Front (PF), following a mini-Cabinet reshuffle announced by President Michael Sata on Wednesday.
President Sata nominated Munkombwe to Parliament and appointed him Minister of Southern Province, a position he previously held under the former ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD).
Munkombwe was later transferred to the Office of the Vice-President, where he served until the 2011 general elections, which saw his party, the MMD, lose power to the PF.
The veteran politician has been involved in politics since the pre-independence period. He was initially associated with the United National Independence Party (UNIP), which formed government after Zambia gained independence, but later moved to the MMD after UNIP lost power.
Munkombwe became particularly known for his outspoken political philosophy. During one campaign in Sinazongwe, he publicly urged people to belong to political parties where they could enjoy direct benefits.
His approach to politics has since become part of his public identity, earning him a reputation as a politician who knows how to remain close to the party in power.
His return to Parliament also brought attention to his advanced age. On one occasion after his nomination, Munkombwe reportedly got lost inside the Parliament building, an incident that made headlines in the local media.
The veteran politician was also among those who reportedly influenced former President Rupiah Banda in 2008 to contest the presidency, despite Banda having initially indicated that he would only complete the late President Levy Mwanawasa’s remaining term.
After the MMD lost power in 2011, Munkombwe increasingly made political statements in support of the PF. He even offered to campaign for the ruling party in the Livingstone parliamentary by-election before formally resigning from the MMD.
President Sata, in announcing the appointment, said Munkombwe had proved himself worthy of the position and deserved to continue what he described as his hard work in an office he had previously held for more than three years.
Munkombwe replaced Charles Banda, who had been serving as Minister of Muchinga Province before being appointed Zambia’s High Commissioner to Malawi.
State House said the changes were intended to incorporate opposition members into government, allowing them to work together in serving all Zambians.
For Munkombwe, the appointment marked another remarkable political transition: from the UNIP era to the MMD administration, and now into the PF government that had defeated his former party.
It was another chapter in a political career built around the ability to remain relevant even as Zambia’s political fortunes changed.
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