UNIP leadership wrangles continue

ELEVEN UNIP members have asked the Lusaka High Court to join four other intended defendants in a matter where they have sued party president Tilyenji Kaunda and others for illegal stay in office and alleged mismanagement of its property. The plaintiffs want Iqbal Akubat, Otis Njovu, Joshua Lubemba and Andrew Nyambe to be joined as intended defendants to the action and show cause why they should not be cited for contempt of court for going against the court order when they auctioned party assets while the matter was still active in court. This is in a matter in which Mr Fackson Njovu and 10 others sued Mr Kaunda, UNIP vice president Njekwa Anamela, Mr Banda and Administrative secretary Welfare Mfune seeking an injunction to restrain them from performing functions of Members of Central Committee (MCCs) as their mandate expired in 2005. The 11 are seeking an order that outgoing MCCs and the recognised interim Members of Central Committee (MCCs) follow the Registrar of Societies’ administrative directive to jointly organise and hold a congress by forming one working group. They also want the court to compel Mr Kaunda and the others to produce a full UNIP inventory of assets and funds within and outside the country, an order for an account of all the party assets sold from 2000 to date, costs and any other relief the court may deem fit. According to an affidavit in support of Ex-parte summons to join parties to action filed recently, Mr Mannwell Ng’ambi, who is one of the plaintiffs stated that on August 6, 2029 the complainants commenced an action among other things claiming an account of UNIP assets and cessation of illegal sale of assets belonging to the party by the defendants. Mr Ng’ambi said on August 22, 2019, the Lusaka High Court granted an Ex-parte order of injunction restraining the defendants from performing duties of members of the central committee (MCCs) save those duties to organise the Congress. He claimed that the defendants have disregarded the said order of injunction and have during the substance of the injunction on December 6, 2019 illegally sold property number 632 Kabwe also known as Victoria House to Iqbal Akubat (fifth intended defendant).