LUSAKA, Zambia — Zambian business tycoon Hakainde Hichilema, the
veteran opposition politician who made six bids for the country's presidency
before finally landing the top job in a landslide, has described himself as
just an ordinary "cattle boy".
اضافة اعلان
He unsuccessfully contested the 2016
election which he lost by just 100,000
votes, but on Monday his margin over incumbent Edgar Lungu was nearly a
million.
This time around, the 59-year-old opposition leader tapped into widespread
dissatisfaction with Lungu's running of the economy and what he called a
"brutal regime."
Hichilema is no stranger to controversy in the copper-rich nation, having
run afoul of the authorities numerous times. He regularly mentions that he has
been arrested 15 times since getting into politics.
After the 2016 election, he faced treason charges for allegedly failing to
pull over to give way to the presidential motorcade.
He spent four months in a maximum-security jail before the charges were
dropped.
As president, Hichilema will inherit a troubled economy after years of
Lungu's infrastructure spending spree in a country where more than half the
population has lived below the poverty line even before the Covid pandemic.
Last year, Zambia became the first African nation to default on its debt in
the coronavirus era.
"We have an enormous task ahead to revive our economy and deliver on
your expectations," Hichilema said in his debut speech to the nation.
"The journey will be tough and challenging, there will be ups and
downs, but I am certain that with hard work and commitment, we will succeed in
building a better life for you."
'Grit and
determination'
Hichilema, one of Zambia's richest people, has worked hard to shed his image
as an elitist who lacks the common touch.
"I'm just a cattle boy ... it's a childhood love," he told AFP in
an interview in May, describing himself as "an ordinary citizen, an
ordinary African".
On Monday in his debut speech to the nation the politician commonly known as
"HH" returned to the theme, recalling attending school "with no
shoes".
He added: "I got the opportunity ... we want to expand those
opportunities for all our children to better than what HH has become."
Hichilema was born into a poor family in the southern district of Monze but
says his "grit and determination" at school won him a scholarship to
the University of Zambia.
He graduated with a degree in economics and business administration before
getting an MBA degree at Britain's University of Birmingham.
At age 26, he was already CEO of the Zambian branch of a large international
accountancy firm, according to his party.
He worked his way up to become one of the country's wealthiest men, with
business interests spanning finance, ranching, property, healthcare, and
tourism.
Critics had viewed him as a political outsider, an economic jargon-spouting
corporate leader who was catapulted into politics following the 2006 death of
Anderson Mazoka, former leader of the UPND, a party that Hichilema bankrolled
at the time.
But recently, the man popularly known by his initials "HH" or
affectionately referred to as "Bally", slang for dad, "has tried
to blend with the ordinary (people) much more, swapping tailored business suits
with casual fatigues or jeans," according to analyst O'Brien Kaaba.
On Monday Hichilema vowed to leave office peacefully after serving his term.
"I want to assure the people of Zambia in advance — when our time to
leave comes we will graciously leave," he said.
A Christian from the Tonga ethnic group, Hichilema is married and has three
children.
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