John Sakala: The Journalist Who United Politicians On The Copperbelt

John Sakala's final resting place at
Chingola Central Cemetry

 By Paul Shalala

 At a time when journalists are aligning themselves to politicians for them to gain favours and collect Blalizo (money), the late John Chinya Sakala was doing the opposite.

 The 46 year old Chingola-based journalist aimed at bringing politicians together and provide a level playing field for them to offer constructive and issue-based politics.

 Here on the Copperbelt, John formed The Independent Observer (TIO) which is an online newspaper.

 He grew TIO, employed a number of young journalists, some of whom have moved on to other media institutions.

 Apart from the newspaper, John formed WhatsApp groups one for business and the other for politics where he brought together various people from the Copperbelt.

 TIO Politics was the most prominent of them and it brought various players who debated issues with sobre minds.

 "We thank Mr Sakala for having formed TIO Politics. There we discuss various issues, we relate as brothers and sisters and we co-exist. As admins of that group, we shall continue to run that group because Mr Sakala wanted politicians to work together whether we are from PF, UPND, Rainbow or MMD," said Humphrey Kabwe during burial at Chingola Central Cemetery on 18^th November, 2021.

 Another politician who remembers John Sakala dearly is Derricky Chilundika, the Luapula Province Minister who is also Nchanga Member of Parliament in Chingola.

 Among the many platforsm Mr Chilundika used while in opposition was TIO.

 One of the persons I would joke with : Jagaban! Jagaban! Germany made Solar water pump, Wuta wan'gombe, Wuta wan'gwena so we could joke. A mulamu and friend, Jagaban! Jagaban! An open person who knew how best to share his challenges and an advisor you were,”wrote Mr Chilundika. 

 He says he received a lot of advise from John on politics and this helped in changing his political life.

 “But today you are no more and we are putting you to rest. John you have gone too soon but we leave everything in God's hands because he is the one who gave you unto us and he has taken you away from us. To Him alone be the glory and honor in Jesus name.” 

Testimonies from politicians who were helped by John are many.

The author ans some of the journalists from across
 the Copperbelt who attended the burial

 Another politician who has explained how helpful Mr Sakala was in his political journey is former Bupalo Ward Councillor in Chingola Nelius Mumba .

 In his Facebook posting shortly after Mr Sakala died on Tuesday, Mr Mumba said this:

 “When i joined PF in 2015 and participated in a number of political for a, one thing John talked to me almost every day was to have patience to respond to provocations and reduce tempers. This is one of the teachings which this man John Chinya Sakala has taught me that i will continue to remember him,”said Mr Mumba.

 He says he maintained a close relationship with John and they were in touch whether for politics or personal issues.

 “John would call me whenever he missed my calls. He introduced me to so many politicians and businessmen through my interactions i had with him. My journey as Bupalo Ward Councillor since 2016 until this year when i decided to go for independent as Chingola Mayor, he supported me and helped created my ‘Nelius Mumba for Chingola Mayor’ Facebook page.”

 Immediate past Chingola Mayor Titus tembo also has his reflections on the late John Sakala.

 “I knew John Sakala way back from the time he used to work for Times of Zambia, from that time until the time he became the Director for his own newspaper TIO, Mr Sakala was a good friend and I worked with him during my tenure of office without any problem, he always wanted to see things move smoothly,” he said in an interview with TIO.

 For over four months, Mr Sakala battled kidney failure in various hospitals on the Copperbelt and he died in the Kitwe Teaching hospital on 16^th November, 2021 and was buried at the Chingola Central Cemetery two days later.

 At his funeral, the Northern Region Media Club, the Chingola Press Club and the Ndola Press Clubs issued statements to praise the role he played in their establishment.

 “Mr Sakala did his best to establish the Chingola Press club but it is unfortunate that he has died before it is officially launched,”said Namutenga Sakapila who spoke on behalf of the club.

 Other journalists remembered Mr Sakala as a champion of entrepreneurship journalism.

 “When others were looking for jobs, Mr Sakala was setting up The Independent Observer to create jobs for other journalists. The only way we can emulate his legacy is to ensure we work on the ideals he stood for,” said Clinton Masumba who spoke on behalf of the Northern Region Media Club.

In an unprecedented move, the United States Embassy in Zambia issued a statement on John's death.

This just shows how appreciated he was by stakeholders.

 Mr Sakala battled with kidney failure for over four months moving from one hospital to the other.

 In September 2021 I visited him in Chililabombwe were he was admitted in a hospital and he was kind enough to allow me witness as he was going through dialysis.

 It was an emotional moment for me but John kept assuring me that he will be well.

 “Paul this is now my daily food. I go through dialysis almost every day and each session costs me K1, 800. It has not been easy for me and the family,” he told me.

 That was the last time I saw John alive but we continued speaking on phone on several occasions.

 He left behind a wife and three children.

 I will miss John a lot, his death is painful.

Zambian Investigative Reporter Dies In Mysterious Circumstances

By Paul Shalala

Humphrey Nkonde

A 42 year old Zambian investigative reporter who has been writing on sensitive topics has been found dead, 10 days after he went missing.

Humphrey Nkonde, an Assistant Editor at the Catholic-run Mission Press in the northern town of Ndola went missing on 22 September, a day before he was scheduled to fly to Germany for the Global Investigative Journalism Conference.

Nkonde, whose last stories in the Icengelo magazine focused on the escalating mealie meal and fuel prices, was found floating in a lake in the rural district of Masaiti.

Police confirmed picking the body on 26 September and subsequently buried it in Ndola at Kantolomba Cemetery in the absence of his family or employers.

This act by Police has led media bodies to question the speed at which the journalist was buried.

“How did the Police bury without anyone witnessing? Why did the Police claim it was unidentified body when they themselves revealed that he had his passport in his pocket? The Police must answer these questions,” said Clinton Masumba, the Secretary for the Northern Region Media Club.

Other media bodies put the blame on the Police.

“The Police must come out clean on this matter, we want conclusive investigations into the death of our colleague. His death is a big blow to the Ndola Press Club,” said Ndola Press Club President Chishala Musonda.

On October 5, Police officers exhumed Nkonde’s in order for a Pathologist to conduct a postmortem.

The procedure was completed after two hours and the body was reburied.

The Police pathologist, who came from Lusaka, carried samples from the journalist’s body to Lusaka for analysis.

According to Police sources, the results of the postmortem will be released in the coming days.

But Humphrey’s employer is suspicious over his death.

“There are too many versions surrounding Nkonde’s death. The family is insisting that its suicide. For us, we want conclusive investigations before we can believe anything,” said Mission Press Director Fr. Ferena Lambe.

The clergyman, who was close to the late journalist, says Nkonde was fearless.

“He was a courageous journalist who we promoted to Assistant Editor in June this year. He used to write sensitive and political stories. His last story was too sensitive, could it be the reason he is dead today?” asked Fr. Lambe.

Initially, the family objected to a postmortem but management at Mission Press insisted on it being done to find the cause of death.

Family members told the media that a day before he disappeared, he appeared was doing suspicious things like hugging his children and talking to himself.

They claimed he was being led by a demon.

However, in the 10 days Nkonde was missing, non of the family members reported the matter to the Police.

But his employers are not buying that story. 

Nkonde interviewing former President Kaunda

“On the evening of 22 September, he came home to say bye because the following day he was scheduled to fly to Germany for a journalism conference. He was in a good mood, he wasn’t confused as his family is claiming. I even suggested to him that when he is back, we will hold a workshop for Zambian journalists to learn from his investigatory skills,” said Mission Press Human Resources Manager Honorius Chilufya.

His fellow workers at Mission Press are devastated.

“He was a close friend of mine. I knew him decades ago before he joined us at Mission Press. If a reporter can work at the Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail and now Mission Press, it just shows you how hardworking he is,” said Danny Chiyesu a Graphic Artist for Icengelo magazine.

Chiyesu reveals that Nkonde was in the process of writing a book on Zambia’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda and the project had advanced.

He adds that the book was supposed to focus on Dr. Kaunda’s life from his time in State House to his role in society after leaving office.

In November, Nkonde was scheduled to travel to The Netherlands to take a three weeks course in Investigative journalism at the Radio Netherlands Training Center which is located in the Dutch city of Hilversum.

Through out his career, Nkonde practiced investigative journalism and attended various workshops and conferences at home and abroad to perfect his skills.

Apart from his fulltime work at Mission Press, he was also a correspondent for several international publications specialized in aviation and business.