When I received the letter (included in The Post article) from the President of Zambia's Principal Private Secretary, I fell about a bit, pinching myself to ensure I was awake. But my friend, Rolf Shenton, who indeed hosted a number of braais at his house, attended by all sorts of people- one particular lunch attended by the prominant politician Guy Scott, a lady from the World Bank, two members of the Muslim community active in tourism, Yussuf Patel and Goolam Patel, myself, and others, to discuss tourism development and so on, but nothing to do with politics, counselled caution and sound legal advice. The President happened to be out of the country at the time so it was clearly a time when power had gone to the heads of his minnions. So I wrote to this chap, Chipoya, stating what a good fellow I was and that I had not given much thought to overthowing the ruling party or destroying the maize stocks of Zambia.
Gamefields Ltd
Luembe Conservancy Trust
Mbeza Safaris Limited
Postnet Box 245, P/Bag E10, Lusaka, Zambia.
Telephone: (260) 1 28 22 4/Mobile: 260 97 618246
gamefields@zamnet.zm
A.N. Chipoya
Principal Private Secretary
State House
Lusaka.
20 April 06.
Dear Sir,
I am in receipt of your letter of 3 April 2006 – one also addressing Messrs, O. Irwin, I. Asherwood and R. Michelson, and copied to Dr Guy Scott, detailing certain information imparted to the President of the Republic by persons unknown, which would have him believe that I and others are party to a range of actions and decisions causing him and the nation distress - as outlined in your letter.
I must categorically state that as an investor and non-citizen I do not take part in any party political debates or machinations, as is required of me under the conditions of my immigration status; nor did I attend any luncheon with the people whom you have mentioned; nor could I therefore have then been party to any of the alleged resolutions – some of them of an exceedingly serious nature, as they would constitute a grave attack on Zambia and her people.
As the sole corporate member in Zambia of Business Action for Africa (BAA), an organization arising out of the Commission for Africa, my business group – the smallest of all the members, which has - along with fellow members Shell, Unilever and other business giants, been adjudged as being a progressive support for the development of Africa and her peoples. And I have served GRZ in the Department of National Parks & Wildlife for three tours since 1964, having made a small but meaningful and, may I say, altruistic, contribution to natural resource and community development in that time. A steering committee member of the Natural Resources Consultative Forum, I also work in food-aid/poverty reduction advocacy, as a call to the CRBs of Nyalugwe and Luembe, and to the Disaster Management Unit of the Office of the Vice President would confirm.
It is obvious that the Presidency has been deliberately fed information likely to heap ridicule upon it. There lies your enemy.
Yours sincerely,
I. P. A. Manning CBiol
CEO
