It was rather interesting to read an article in the Patriotic Front newsletter – The Post – about Maxwell Chongo from the 2007 television reality show by cable network Multichoice known as Big Brother Africa.
Before Sunday, May 11, 2014 the little we heard of Max was either he was going to pick Toyota Corollas in Durban (nothing wrong with innovation) or operating some tavern in Chelstone.
And suddenly, he is back in the limelight but for wrong reasons. Max, calling himself a PF youth leader from Munali constituency, led a horde of other drunkards to harass a businessman Savva Christofi who runs an upmarket entertainment spot and restaurant at Lusaka’s Manda Hill in connection with a labour issue.
Zambia Reports found details of that episode interesting and worth sharing with our online audience some of who sprung to the support of Max dignifying his uncouth and primitive behaviour as heroism.
Granted, there is so much exploitation by many of these investors of the Zambian labour force. Whether local of foreign investor, most Zambian workers are subjected to slave conditions of service. This is partly because of our weak labour laws.
But in as much as our workers suffer at the hands of investors, it is certainly not within Max’s jurisdiction to resolve these inequalities. Allowing Max to harass employers in that manner is breeding anarchy, another way of building a squalor like Chibolya albeit in a different field.
In Zambia, there are bodies responsible for handling labour issues. If an employee does not belong to a union but is aggrieved, there is the Labour Commissioner’s office under the Ministry of Labour or indeed the Industrial Relations Court where expensive legal representation is not a requirement to seek redress.
According to the records we have, Max is neither a labour officer nor a representative of the Industrial Relations Court and therefore has no business meddling into the operations of private businesses. At best, the maggot was trespassing on private property which is a criminal offence and should be prosecuted.
The owners of Chicago’s or his partner Spiro, irrespective of their shortcomings, are investors contributing significantly to Zambia’s economy through the entertainment industry. Spiro has been involved with such night dens as Times Cafe and 101 at Arcades Shopping Centre. These are some of the most profitable entertainment spots in Lusaka attracting patrons from a cross-section of society.
Yes, there are numerous reports about how Spiro ill-treats employees. The man is allegedly so pompous that he hires, fires, insults our young girls and boys who work for him as waiters and waitress. These reports have reached Fackson Shamenda’s desk. That’s why however wrong Spiro has done in his business operations, there is no justification in subjecting him and his partners to the UNIP style of vigilantes that the foolish boy Max is promoting. There are laws in Zambia and all of us should learn to address ourselves to them.
Max claims to be a successful businessman running a tavern in Chelstone and supplies material to government agencies (obviously for his cadre) connections. Where can a busy and successful businessman like Max find the time to hire buses and harass a fellow businessman? Is this not utter stupidity?
And how much does Max, if he is a good investor, pay his bar tender in Chelstone where the most expensive wine is probably Chinese made Baddo? Does Max pay his workers the minimum wage? It’s sad that Zambia is degenerating into a failed state and its citizens are applauding this nonsense.
It’s this kind of blind support for Max’s behaviour that today we have landed a thug for President who promised more jobs but has released more illegal guns and pangas into the hands of criminals.
The Chibolya township we are today failing to contain is our own creation. The country is increasingly becoming lawless because we are allowing it to be another Mogadishu. We surely have more problems to resolve as a country than eulogise a porn star like Max for taking the law in his hands.
If Max was a responsible PF youth constituency leader, he should know how to resolve such labour issues involving his members by perhaps first alerting the district, then provincial leadership or national secretariat. Alternatively, he should have hired a lawyer to deal with Kedrick Mweemba’s former employees in resolving the matter. After all, he claims to be successful and should have a lot of money to dish out. Not what we saw at Manda Hill last Friday. It was as if we were at Chisokone or Katambalala market.
Max has every right to participate in Zambian politics at whatever level he so wishes but he has not right to harass an employer he has no business with just because he is some low ranking cadre who can’t even keep a job as a door bouncer at Cockpit.
Let’s face facts; Times of Zambia employees have gone three months without pay. Post Newspaper journalists have not been spared from poor conditions of service and going months without pay. The same government Max’s party represents is responsible for the woes of Times of Zambia employees. And if for some reason a PF cadres under Max works as a maid for a Times of Zambia employee and has a payment problem that has spiraled as a result of delayed salaries, will the issue be handled the same way as at Chicago’s? These are simple ways in which we can try and localise our thoughts to determine whether riff-raffs like Max have a place in our politics today.
Anyway, we know that Max is suffering from his failure to attain the stardom he thought having sex on television will give him. And the only way he can be relevant is belong to a bunch of disorganised thugs ruling Zambia.
We sympathise with those supporting Max’s behaviour because the day the country becomes ungovernable as a result of condoning this behaviour, they will not be spared either. We hope the situation Zambia in will not collapse to irreparable levels because of people like Max and his PF. The only thing we can tell Max is managing national affairs is not as easy as laying a morally bankrupt girl on television. It’s serious business.
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