. Lungu

By Austin Kaluba –
It was his judiciousness during his stint as a deputy speaker of National Assembly that stood Mkhondo Lungu out as a man of principles.
During his period as deputy  speaker, the 73-year-old parliamentarian managed the tenure without any controversy as he could always use his gifted sense of humour in conducting the proceedings of the house.
A humble politician, Mr Lungu used to mix wit and wisdom to conduct the house with flair even as the new dawn of coalition politics had made the job a bit more difficult with frequent rancour and disruptions.
Most members and politicians from across the country often hailed him for his fairness in conducting the proceedings with transparency and parliamentarian acumen.
The man who juggled between being an educated and exposed man remained true to his roots as evidenced by his body being buried in his homeland in Lundazi at his farm Kanchule yesterday.
The late who was also the former Lundazi Central Member of Parliament and former Deputy Speaker in the past session of the National Assembly (2011-2016) exhibited rare qualities in his duties both as a parliamentarian and politician.
Mr Lungu was taken to South Africa for specialised treatment recently when he fell sick and was admitted to the University Teaching Hospital where he died.
Mr Lungu will go down in history as a parliamentarian who relied mainly on persuasion and almost never on raw power to achieve his aims.
His main weapons for enforcing discipline in the house did not derive from the fixed power of speakership, but from the inherent authority of the speaker though he used these weapons sparingly and subtly.
As early as the early 70’s when most Zambians started their careers with no tertiary education, he already had a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Political Science and Public Administration and a postgraduate diploma in International Relations.
Armed with these academic qualifications, he started his diplomatic career in 1973 as first secretary and rose quickly through the ranks working at the Zambian mission in New York, becoming deputy High Commissioner to Canada in Ottawa and then deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in London.
When he was recalled in 1987, he was appointed chief of protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As a politician, he extended his unwavering characteristics to politics serving a record two terms as UNIP Lundazi Central Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2011.
He was born on February 18, 1943 in Mongu Western province, then called Barotseland and attended the prestigious Chizongwe Secondary School.
He is survived by a wife Doreen Nyamuseteka and six children among them Mhabi a prominent politician and diplomat and Lady Justice Bubile Grace Lungu.
It was his remarkable career and down to earthiness that made  hundreds of people converge at the St Andrews United Church of Zambia (UCZ) (where he was a member) in Lusaka to pay their last respects to him.
Speaking on behalf of the Government, Vice-President Inonge Wina described Mr Lungu as a gallant man who served the country for over 30 years as a diplomat, parliamentarian and Cabinet Minister besides being  Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly with patriotism and diligence.
First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda described his demise as shocking to his family and the nation as a whole.
“He was hard working, committed to the cause of Zambia. He has gone without saying goodbye,” he said.
Fourth Republican President Rupiah Banda, who had appointed Mr Lungu as Home Affairs Minister in his cabinet, described the deceased as humble, humorous, wonderful parent and man.
Chief Justice Ireen Mambilima, who said she knew Mr Lungu in 1980 when served as a diplomat in New York, described him as a humble and likable person, gentleman, patriotic and interacted with everyone regardless of social standing and that his legacy needed to be emulated by everybody.
Earlier, Mr Lungu’s widow Doreen, in her tribute, said she would greatly miss her husband whom she had been married to for 50 years and praised him for teaching their children to know their roots and extended family, to respect others and love God, among other attributes.
By radiating his own personality among his peers and anyone who surrounded him, he animated them to conduct themselves with something of his own fortitude, resourcefulness, and having a focused mind.
If one word can sum up his career and life it is magnanimity – greatness in face of challenges and also greatness in tolerance and reconciliation.