From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ZAMBIA: KAUNDA'S SHADOW HAUNTS HIS SUCCESOR
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 01:44:49 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ZAMBIA: KAUNDA'S SHADOW HAUNTS HIS SUCCESOR


an inter press service feature

by kondwani chirambo

lusaka, sep 22 (ips) -- as former zambian president kenneth
kaunda prepares to bid farewell to active politics, his
influence in the party is likely to linger long after his
official departure.

kaunda steps down as president of the united national
independence party (unip) at an extraordinary congress to be
hfld in the zambian capital lusaka sep. 25 to 26.

the 67-year-old elder statesman led unip for 33 years before
the party's crushing election defeat by the ruling movement for
multi party democracy of president frederick chiluba in october.

despite mounting pressure from younger elements in the
party for a complete change of leadership, kaunda still
holds the trump card as to who will succeed him as party
president.

over the years he has groomed kebby musokotwane -- prime
minister for four years during kaunda's reign -- for the post
of party president.

it was musokotwane who succeeded kaunda's long-time friend
and number-two-man, grey zulu, as party secretary general just
before the multi party elections last year.

but insiders feel musokotwane is really a caricature of a
kaundaism they would sooner prefer to forget than to see
perpetuated by a kaunda appointee.

however the party members find themselves in something of a
dilemma because while musokotwane is percieved as a puppet, they
see no viable alternative in the remaining three contenders for
the job.

dingiswayo banda, who held various porfolios during the early
days of the kaunda regime and is presently head of the
opposition in parliament is considered spent by the younger
elements in the party.

''any sensible man will vote for musokotwane. there is no one
else with charisma. men like dingiswayo banda should give way
to younger ones. people will give them respect that way'',
says mulala sikota, a founder member of unip.

meanwhile there seems little hope for mbambo sianga, former
works and supply minister and little-known hydrologist chipili
sunkutu who are also vying for the party presidency. (more/ips)


zambia: unip's (2)

so for sheer lack of a credible contestant musokotwane seems
to be destined for victory and analysts here feel a victory for
him will mean a victory for kaunda who would continue to
manipulate the party by ''remote control''.

in august his eldest son lt-col panji kaunda almost
certainly on his fathers say-so contested and won a by election
in the unip stronghold of eastern province.

meanwhile his other son wezi kaunda, a member of parliament
for eastern zambia is running for the post of secretary for
defence and security.

the vice presidency of the party is likely to go to
multi-millionaire kamwiti ngondo whose sympathy for the kaunda's
is well known.

observers believe this predominance of people closely allied
to kaunda for top posts in the supposed ''new-look unip'' is
evidence of unip's inability to break with the past and,
remaining in kaunda's shadow, prove to be its biggest electoral
liability.

''kaunda is still very influential. there are queues of
people from all over waiting to see him at kudu house (kaunda's
home). it is as though he were still ruling. he will certainly
influence the party as long as he is around''. says one insider
who preferred anonymity.

but unip administrative secretary lt-gen peter zuze says
some genuine changes in leadership are sure to emerge from the
forthcoming congress.

''we expect a lot of young people to contest. we will give
you a new team'', he says, adding that six academics from the
university of zambia are vying for various key posts.

this last desperate attempt at change could make or break
zambia's one-time sole party, now the largest of the 33 weak
opposition parties with 25 seats in the 150-seat parliament.
(end/ips/kc/tvh/92)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.african