Hichilema's landslide victory in 2021 was partly due to years of corruption under the former President Edgar Lungu's Patriotic Front (PF) government (Dispatches 4/6/24 A Lungu family crackdown)...

Despite surging into government on a wave of popular relief at the departure of President Edgar Lungu's haphazard venal government in August 2021 Zambians still await with dwindling patience the fulfilment of the election promises of President Hakainde Hichilema and his United Party for National Development (UPND)...

Two former heads of state Mozambique's Joachim Chissano and Zambia's Edgar Lungu turned up on the following day...

At the present rate of progress President Hakainde Hichilema and his United Party for National Development (UPND) – elected in a landslide by voters fed up with six years of sleaze and chaos under President Edgar Lungu – risks reaching the half-way mark of their five-year term having fulfilled few of their campaign promises...

The government of Hichilema's predecessor Edgar Lungu ran up huge debts while spending on corrupt schemes and vote-winning gambits...

All the major commercial creditors are expected to join the restructuring although questions remain over some commercial loans and guarantees contracted by President Edgar Lungu's officials immediately before he lost the election last August...

For them it diverts attention from his programme especially attempts to counter the conduct of appointees of his predecessor President Edgar Lungu such as Director of Public Prosecutions Lilian Siyuni Shawa and the liquidator of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) lawyer Milingo Lungu (see Box State House crosses swords with law officers)...

In a complex move suspected as corrupt and designed to generate cash for the then-ruling Patriotic Front President Edgar Lungu ordered the liquidation of KCM the local subsidiary of India's Vedanta Resources and a provisional liquidator Milingo Lungu (no relation) was appointed in May 2019 (AC Vol 62 No 17 Reconciliation and a reckoning)...

Last year Zambians overwhelmingly voted out Edgar Lungu's Patriotic Front government primarily because of economic mismanagement and galloping corruption...

Local media have criticised the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lilian Shawa appointed by former President Edgar Lungu in October 2016 for her lack of zeal in pursuing corruption cases...