Lewis Changufu: Difference between revisions

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Lewis Changufu (view source)

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==Political career==
==Political career==


After Zambia got its independence in 1964, Changufu became the first Minister of State for defence.
After Zambia got its independence in 1964, Changufu became the first Minister of State for defence.
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However, on the eve of the attack, and to everyone’s surprise, they found that all the vehicles had been driven off and hidden elsewhere. The issue was later tabled before the UNIP Central Committee which then decided that there should be only one ‘war planner’ – Changufu. With that, he went on to establish “Cha Cha Cha" uprising committees on the [[Copperbelt Province|Copperbelt]], [[Northern Province|Northern]], [[Luapula Province|Luapula]] and [[Eastern Province|Eastern]] provinces which regularly gave him briefings. Each province was reporting to him on what they thought was the best way to bring about independence for Zambia. The uprising was to be carried out in four phases with the last being the most destructive.<ref name=dailymail/>
However, on the eve of the attack, and to everyone’s surprise, they found that all the vehicles had been driven off and hidden elsewhere. The issue was later tabled before the UNIP Central Committee which then decided that there should be only one ‘war planner’ – Changufu. With that, he went on to establish “Cha Cha Cha" uprising committees on the [[Copperbelt Province|Copperbelt]], [[Northern Province|Northern]], [[Luapula Province|Luapula]] and [[Eastern Province|Eastern]] provinces which regularly gave him briefings. Each province was reporting to him on what they thought was the best way to bring about independence for Zambia. The uprising was to be carried out in four phases with the last being the most destructive.<ref name=dailymail/>


The first phase involved destruction of bridges and blocking of roads while the more serious one entailed loss of human life. The decision to cause loss of human life was arrived at after a delegation of nationalists that had travelled to London was told by the British government that majority rule could not be granted because the colonial government feared the reaction of the settlers.
The reaction by the Africans was ruthless – a Ndola resident by the name of [[Lilian Burton]] was ambushed and burnt in her car by protesting Zambians. The plan was easy; target a well-known Briton and not a Boer, that way, the message would be loud and clear.
[[Lillian Burton|Four people]] were arrested, convicted and hanged in connection with the attack. Two other brothers who were connected to the attack were sent out of the country by UNIP and only returned home after qualifying as medical doctor and accountant. For Changufu, he saw the former men – [[Paikani Phiri]], [[Kaimana]], [[John Chanda]] and [[Ngebe]] – as heroes and not villains.


“We only went as far as the second stage. My goodness, if we had gone to the last stage, this country would have been different from what it is today… We were not talking about guerrilla warfare; ours would have been an open onslaught. It was planned in such a way that action would take place in all the districts at the same time,” he explained.
The first phase involved destruction of bridges and blocking of roads while the more serious one entailed loss of human life. The decision to cause loss of human life was arrived at after a delegation of nationalists that had travelled to London was told by the British government that majority rule could not be granted because the colonial government feared the reaction of the settlers.
The reaction by the Africans was ruthless – a Ndola resident by the name of Lilian Burton was ambushed and burnt in car by protesting Africans. The plan was easy; target a well-known Briton and not a Boer, that way, the message would be loud and clear.
Four people were arrested, convicted and hanged in connection with the attack. Two other brothers who were connected to the attack were sent out of the country by UNIP and only returned home after qualifying as medical doctor and accountant. For Mr Changufu, he saw the former men – Paikani Phiri, Kaimana, John Chanda and Ngebe – as heroes and not villains.
But other than being the mastermind of the Cha Cha Cha, Mr Changufu, who had undergone training at the International Police Academy in Washington and was attached to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the United States, was also in charge of intelligence gathering in UNIP with the main task being the recruitment of civil servants into the party in readiness for independence which was on the horizon.
But other than being the mastermind of the Cha Cha Cha, Mr Changufu, who had undergone training at the International Police Academy in Washington and was attached to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the United States, was also in charge of intelligence gathering in UNIP with the main task being the recruitment of civil servants into the party in readiness for independence which was on the horizon.
With his training in security affairs, at independence, he was appointed Minister of State for Defence and Security before being elevated to the position of Minister of Information and Postal Services in January 1965.
With his training in security affairs, at independence, he was appointed Minister of State for Defence and Security before being elevated to the position of Minister of Information and Postal Services in January 1965.
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