Lewis Changufu: Difference between revisions

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==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Changufu’s roots can be traced to [[Chief Mwamba]]’s area in [[Kasama]] where he was born in October 1927. That is where he started his school, going up to standard six after which he could not go to secondary school following the ban on his entire class from doing so by education authorities in the district after failing to do certain chores despite having written their exams.<ref name=dailymail>[https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=64915 Changufu: Death of Cha Cha Cha mastermind, Zambia Daily Mail, 30 April 2016]</ref>
Changufu’s roots can be traced to [[Chief Mwamba]]’s area in [[Kasama]] where he was born in October 1927. That is where he started his school, going up to standard six after which he could not go to secondary school following the ban on his entire class from doing so by education authorities in the district after failing to do certain chores despite having written their exams.<ref name=dailymail>[https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=64915 Changufu: Death of Cha Cha Cha mastermind, Zambia Daily Mail, 30 April 2016]</ref>
After being banned from proceeding to secondary school, Mr Changufu was sponsored by his father to South Africa in 1947 for further education. But when he made a stop-over in Lusaka, a cousin with whom he stayed outwitted him out of his money after promising to repay it at the month-end. After failing to repay the money, this cousin arranged with some friends to have Changufu start work at [[Government Printers]] as trainee printer, book binder and machine minder. While training on-the-job at Government Printers, Changufu enrolled at South Africa’s Lyciam College to study forms one and two by correspondence.<ref name=times>‘Pacesetters Remembered’ by Martin Wamunyima, Times of Zambia</ref>
It was while at Government Printers that he started receiving regular visits from [[Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula]] who would discuss politics with him. He then became Nkumbula’s disciple, and in 1951, he was among those that were campaigning for Nkumbula, who was contesting for the presidency of the [[African National Congress]] (ANC), against [[Godwin Mbikusita-Lewanika]] and [[Safeli Chileshe]].<ref name=times/>
Nkumbula won the election, but in 1952, Changufu was fired from Government Printers after taking part in a one-day strike against the proposed Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. He was encouraged by Nkumbula to seek political office, which he did, after winning elections for the position of ANC Lusaka district chairman. But at the same time, Alexander Scott offered him the job of printer and proofreader at the Central African Mail.
However, in 1958, there was a split in ANC which led to prominent members like [[Kenneth Kaunda]], [[Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe]] and [[Munukayumbwa Sipalo]] leaving after they felt that Nkumbula had failed to live up to the occasion when he had travelled to London to negotiate for independence.
This led to the formation of the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC) with Kaunda as president, Paul Kalichini as deputy, Sipalo as secretary-general, Kapwepwe as treasurer, Reuben Kamanga as deputy treasurer and Changufu as chief national trustee. The party did not last long and was banned after only a few months in existence.
Many of its leaders were arrested and restricted in certain areas but Mr Changufu, who had got wind of the arrests, eluded his capture by heading to Tanganyika [Tanzania] to present the party’s case to the pro-independence pan-African movement.
But when matters did not go according to plan in Dar-es-Salaam, he returned and was arrested at Broken Hill, now Kabwe, and sent for restriction in Chadiza for 10 months.
After being released, Mr Changufu joined UNIP and was again elected chief national trustee. It was while holding that position that he spearheaded the Cha Cha Cha.


==Masterminding the Cha Cha Cha Uprising==
==Masterminding the Cha Cha Cha Uprising==
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==Business career==
==Business career==
Having left politics, Mr Changufu went into private business, joining Andrew Sardanis’ Chibote Group of Companies as vice-chairman apart from having shares in a family business Kingstons (Z). Interestingly, it is Mr Sardanis who presided over the nationalisation through the Mulungushi Reforms in his role as Industrial Development Corporation (INDECO) managing director. But to this day, Mr Sardanis stoutly defends the nationalisation policy saying it was necessary to give black Zambians a start in business which hitherto was foreign-dominated.
Having left politics, Changufu went into private business, joining [[Andrew Sardanis]]’ [[Chibote Group of Companies]] as vice-chairman apart from having shares in a family business Kingston Bookstore which was responsible for newspaper distribution and book sales.  
Mr Changufu’s roots can be traced to Chief Mwamba’s area in Kasama where he was born in October 1927. That is where he started his school, going up to standard six after which he could not go to secondary school following the ban on his entire class from doing so by education authorities in the district after failing to do certain chores despite having written their exams.
In his Times of Zambia column ‘Pacesetters Remembered’, Martin Wamunyima wrote that after being banned from proceeding to secondary school, Mr Changufu was sponsored by his father to South Africa in 1947 for further education.
“…But when he made a stop-over in Lusaka, a cousin with whom he stayed outwitted him out of his money after promising to repay it at the monthend. After failing to repay the money, this cousin arranged with some friends to have Changufu start work at Government Printers as trainee printer, book binder and machine minder,” Mr Wamunyima wrote.
“While training on-the-job at Government Printers, Changufu enrolled at South Africa’s Lyciam College to study forms one and two by correspondence.”
It was while at Government Printers that he started receiving regular visits from Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula who would discuss politics with him.
He became Nkumbula’s disciple, and in 1951, he was among those that were campaigning for Nkumbula, who was contesting for the presidency of the African National Congress (ANC), against Godwin Mbikusita-Lewanika and Safeli Chileshe.
Nkumbula won the election, but in 1952, Mr Changufu was fired from Government Printers after taking part in a one-day strike against the proposed Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. He was encouraged by Nkumbula to seek political office, which he did, after winning elections for the position of ANC Lusaka district chairman. But at the same time, Alexander Scott offered him the job of printer and proofreader at the Central African Mail.
However, in 1958, there was a split in ANC which led to prominent members like Kenneth Kaunda, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe and Munukayumbwa Sipalo leaving after they felt that Nkumbula had failed to live up to the occasion when he had travelled to London to negotiate for independence.
This led to the formation of the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC) with Kaunda as president, Paul Kalichini as deputy, Sipalo as secretary-general, Kapwepwe as treasurer, Reuben Kamanga as deputy treasurer and Changufu as chief national trustee. The party did not last long and was banned after only a few months in existence.
Many of its leaders were arrested and restricted in certain areas but Mr Changufu, who had got wind of the arrests, eluded his capture by heading to Tanganyika [Tanzania] to present the party’s case to the pro-independence pan-African movement.
But when matters did not go according to plan in Dar-es-Salaam, he returned and was arrested at Broken Hill, now Kabwe, and sent for restriction in Chadiza for 10 months.
After being released, Mr Changufu joined UNIP and was again elected chief national trustee. It was while holding that position that he spearheaded the Cha Cha Cha.


==Death==
==Death==
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