Charles Kabwita’s departure is a big blow to the Saboi faction

NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary, Charles Kabwita has resigned both as General Secretary and as a member of the party.

Besides serving as General Secretary, he has served the NDC as National Youth Chairman. He is one of the longest serving founder members who have seen the party briefly rise and fall into the storms including the separation between the founding General Secretary, Mr Mwenya Musenge and party President, Mr Chishimba Kambwili.

This was followed by the split between Vice President Joseph Akafumba now Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home affairs and Internal Security and Mr Kambwili over the formation and support of the UPND Alliance prior to the 2021 general elections.

That split was the straw that broke NDC’s back as the pro and anti-UPND Alliance members broke into factions. Since then the factions have been in and out of court over the leadership mandate.

His departure from the Saboi faction is a big blow to NDC President Saboi Imboela. While Mr Kabwita lacks deep analytical skills in policy and governance issues, he fills that gap with grassroot organising and mobilisation abilities.

He is also a fearless leader who leads from the front including confronting police brutality.

With him out, NDC is likely to remain more visible on the on-line platforms than with human flesh in our communities. When Mr Kambwili returned to the PF, the NDC investment in mobilisation dwindled and it was a matter of time that his right-hand men such as Mr Kabwita will leave the NDC.

According to the resignation letter, Mr Kabwita resigned because he was unable to adapt to the leadership of Ms Imboela. I have always doubted her leadership potential.

She operates more of the party spokesperson than providing strategic direction to the party.

Ms Imboela is facing too many external and internal odds. She simply has no capacity to meet those odds and a realistic option for her is to consider joining PF or the Socialist Party and serve in the central committee so that her intellectual talent is better utilised than remain like Ms Edith Nawakwi, party leader without members.