Lungu to pay K13.5 million for failed Alebwelelapo anthem
Lungu to pay K13.5 million for failed Alebwelelapo anthem
IT has emerged that besides accruing mountainous levels of debts on behalf of the country and failing to pay back, former president Edgar Lungu and his friends also used the musical services of Kalandanya whose bill they have been refusing to settle.
In the run up to the 2021 general elections, Kalandanya Music Promotion rounded up an ensemble of musicians in the likes of Mampi, Yo Maps, Slap Dee, Macky 2, Chester and Tina Shenky along with a string of other singers hoping that their song and dance would fool Zambians into voting Lungu back into power.
In their ‘Alebwelelapo’ anthem, the Kalandanya PF choir declared that Lungu had been chosen by God Himself as the anointed leader of Zambia and was definitely going to be re-elected.
But their belching tunes and twerking claiming that God had ordained Lungu to return to presidency were rejected by almost three million Zambians and the PF candidate was humiliated at the polls.
In January of 2022, the Alebwelelapo dancing affair between Lungu’s PF and Kalandanya Music Promotions went sour when the latter ran to court claiming that he had not been paid for his services.
Yesterday, the Lusaka High Court ordered that Lungu and his friends settle the K13.5 million Kalandanya Music Promotions bill they have been resisting to attend to.
Kalandanya had pleaded with the Court to help him recover the K13.5 for his services that ensured the production of 70 campaign songs.
Kalandanya who had sued Lungu’s former Secretary General Nickson Chilangwa said that attempts to recover his money were unsuccessful after Lungu was evicted from State House.
In Lungu’s defence, Chilangwa said the songs and adverts were out of generosity as Kalandanya music promotion was not contracted to do so.
He said the party national chairman had no authority to enter into any contract on behalf of the party.
Chilangwa said the artists performed at rallies, campaigns and road shows in support of the party and were not promised any payment.
However judge Charles Zulu ruled that Kalandanya was entitled to assume that the National chairman had the requisite authority to enter into the said contract and legally bind the party.
He said the national chairman is a top ranked official, whose undertakings could not be doubted and the contract was drafted on the letterheadof the PF, and executed at the party Secretariat.
The judge noted that the PF media team in the course of the campaigns and the subsistence of the contract made specific requests for the performance of certain services by the record label.
“The contract cannot be varied by somewhat unsubstantiated claims that the plaintiff was performing the contract gratuitously or purely for free and unreserved love for the party, when the terms of the contract are writ large,” judge Zulu said.
“The plaintiff is entitled to receive K13,500,000 arising from the contract dated June 12, 2021. This represents the normal measure of damages since the claim is specific and represents special damages.”
He said the outstanding balance will restore Kalandanya’s financial status had the PF performed its contractual obligations.
Judge Zulu said the money should be paid with interest to compensate for the delay to reap the real value of the contract.
“The allowed claimed of K13.5 million shall carry interest at the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) average short term deposit rate, from the date of the writ of summons was issued to date of judgement, and thereafter at the lending rate per annum until final payment,”ordered judge Charles Zulu…https://kalemba.news/…/lungu-to-pay-k13-5-million-for…/
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba