What We Are Witnessing Is History – Chakwera
South African Development Committee (SADC) chairperson Dr Lazarus Chakwera said that the inauguration of Hakainde Hichilema on Tuesday was an important moment in history.
Speaking during the inauguration of Mr Hichilema, Dr Chackwera said that the peaceful transition of power in Zambia is proof that Africa is not a charity case that needs to be pitied.
“Make no mistake, what we are witnessing today is more than an inauguration. What we are witnessing here today is no mere ceremony or ritual, rather, it is history,” Dr Chakwera stated.
“This Zambian story is proof positive that Africa is not an infant to be babysat…The world need not wonder what Africa is because this Zambian story has put the truth on display for the entire world to see,” he added.
Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland also spoke at the event, noting that many feared the peaceful transition of power within the country may never come.
“Many feared this day would never come, that a peaceful election in Zambia was no longer possible, that it was an aspiration that could not and would not be fulfilled…Things had gone too far, the divisions were too deep and there was no evidence to sustain the hope for peace,” Scotland opened.
She described the event as a “miracle” which was possible due to the people of Zambia. Referring to President Hichilema’s manifesto which aims to bring jobs into the country and fix the economy, she stated that “People who are able to see how life could and should be. People who have the willingness and courage to fight for that which looks impossible.”
Scotland, as well as UK Minister for Africa James Duddridge, spoke highly of Edgar Lungu’s peaceful transition of power, noting that it was only the third transition to occur in the history of the country.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and African Union chairperson Felix Tshisekedi also spoke at the event, congratulating President Hichilema and praising the democratic process within the 2021 general election.