Pretoria – ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has congratulated Zambia’s president-elect Hakainde Hichilema who was on Monday declared winner of the hotly contested presidential election.
“Zambians, like South Africans, were gatvol with [outgoing Zambian president] Edgar Lungu’s previous administration buckling under high unemployment as a result of poor economic management, high unemployment and socio-political unrest,” said the outspoken Mashaba.
“South Africans should not just celebrate this outcome with the people of Zambia, we should recognise its potential as an example that ushers in a new era of reform and accountability on our continent and here at home.”
Mashaba, the former mayor of Johannesburg, also congratulated the people of Zambia for bringing in change.
“ActionSA congratulates Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema who has emerged as the president-elect, as well as the Zambian people. Hichilema, a businessman prior to entering politics, faces the mammoth task of re-setting the button and turning one of the world’s poorest countries’ economic outlook on a more positive trajectory,” he said.
“Reported to have been widely supported by the youth of Zambia, one of Africa’s successful democracies has demonstrated that free and fair elections, with high voter turnout, can be held amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Mashaba said South Africans have a lot to learn from Zambians.
“Dubbed a protest for hope and change in that country, South Africans ought to take a leaf out of Zambia’s book. The election of Hichilema is a symbol of positive democratic reform on the African continent,” he said.
“It is the people of Zambia who have chosen to vote out corruption and political failings, and bringing in a new era of change for their country.”
Hichilema won the presidential election with a huge margin, beating Lungu by a million votes. He obtained 2810 757 votes against Lungu's 1 814 201.
Lungu has conceded defeat and committed to handing over power peacefully.
United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hichilema ran in five previous presidential elections and lost. This was his sixth attempt at the presidency.
In a brief televised national address on Monday, Lungu congratulated Hichilema and committed to a peaceful transfer of power.
African News Agency (ANA)