BY SYCORAX TIYESA NDHLOVU –

IT was Saturday morning. I was still tightly wrapped in my blankets. The weather was chilly. Listening to my radio, it was Koffi Olomide’s ‘Amugwira Muyaya’ song playing on one of the radio stations.
As someone who has seen enough seasons and their years on this planet, rhumba music can be attractive to such a person.
Considering how sweet some of Koffi Olomide’s music is, especially the one which was playing on radio that morning, I responded to the music through shaking my toes in tune to that music, while I was bundled in the blanket.
The music was good. I thought if I could wake up; I would stand up to jump up and down to that  tune.
With such thoughts running in my minds, I pulled part of my face out of the blanket  to peep  through if sun rays had already entered my bedroom. The sun rays were already in my bedroom signalling the sun had risen.
I quickly woke up and started dancing to the tune of that song. Little did I know that it was time for me to go to town for serious business.
But as I was preparing to go out, I was still listening and slightly dancing to the tune of the music. When ‘Amugwira Muyaya ended, another Koffi Olomide’s song, ‘Senga’ took over the stated radio station. It was a good morning for me as such rhumba music reminds me of our good times in the past.
When I came out of the house, it was a bright sunny day. The sun was about 27 degrees above sea level. Looking at my chronometer, it displayed 10:18 hours. I looked at my shadow, it was long enough. I wondered if by the time it will be 12:00hours, the sun will be at 90 degrees angle with my body influencing my shadow to make a full-stop at my feet as it used to be at 12:00hours during our good times.
But later I remembered that the sun can only be at 90 degrees angle with my body if it isn’t tilted towards the northern or southern hemisphere.
Then, I left the whole sun’s angle issues to the meteorological department for further analysis and interpretation on when the sun is at 90 degrees with our bodies in our region and when not.
Realising that it was already too late to do a long list of ‘things to do’ for that day, I rushed into town.
When I got into town, I quickly went to buy newspapers from a certain point.
Although the main headline of the first page of the Times of Zambia was about a motorist hitting and killing four pedestrians, the picture below the headline on the same page was attractive and exciting.
Reading the caption below the picture, I discovered that it was our diligent Auditor General (AG), Anna Chifungula who was honoured with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in accounting.
‘Halleluiah!’ I said to myself.
As other universities were still preparing the documentation to honour Ms Chifungula for her outstanding professional contribution, University of Lusaka had already finished the documentation and took the lead to honour her with a PhD in accounting.
It was marvelous! In the picture on the front page of Times of Zambia of June 28, 2014, I could see Dr Chifungula in a jovial mood after being appreciated publicly with an honorary degree in her respective field.
And having planned to write a profile on Ms Chifungula for some time, I held my mouth; and nodded in appreciation of what University of Lusaka did for Ms Chifungula.
Bravo! Dr Chifungula. You deserve it. You have been exemplary in your professional duties in providing professional guidance and leadership to your team  in the AG’ office. Congratulations, Dr Chifungula!
Ms Chifungual has been working diligently not only to serve her family but also to serve public interest.
Being one of the few long serving AGs this country has seen, Ms Chifungula’s contributions to ensuring that public funds are put to good use has been loud and clear for all to hear and see respectively.
But it should also be acknowledged that Ms Chifungula hasn’t been working alone. She has many auditing staff under her office. With unit of purpose and effective co-ordination, the AGs office has performed extremely well even under very difficult conditions.
Under Ms Chifungula’s professional guidance and able leadership, Ms Chifungula and her team deserve a pat on their back.
And this is why University of Lusaka honoured her for outstanding accounting and auditing professional guidance and leadership.
One can say so because in a country where unemployment and poverty levels are high, thereby tempting many to be involved in nepotism, bribery and corruption, enhancing accountability and transparency; and checks and balances are good tools for reversing such negative trends. This is what Ms Chifungula and her team have been doing.
Accountability and transparency are part of the pillars of good governance. With effective accountability and transparency in all public offices, democracy can benefit many citizens, thereby promoting sustainable human and national development processes.
Each public office is supposed to be accountable and transparent to the people of Zambia. This is what Ms Chifungula and her professional team have been facilitating for almost a decade now.
Therefore, with what University of Lusaka did on Ms Chifungula, I felt my delay in writing a profile on  her was now water under the bridge. What was important was what do other professionals in various fields of study and I learn from Ms Chifungula’s honour?
Being one of the longest serving; if not the longest serving AG; and with the courage she has demonstrated to ensure that public funds are put to good use under such difficult environment, she deserves a pat on her back.
Because of her unwavering focus and hard work, Ms Chifungula’s career development process has been scaffolded to a greater height through such an honour.
Some people have been honoured before.
And some citizens have questioned the honour of some members of our society. But the honour of Ms Chifungula and few others can be described as well deserved.
One can argue and say: ‘There are many other people who work very hard; but are not honoured or rewarded accordingly.’
That is a good observation. But one can argue that what is also critical in working hard to deserve an honour or a reward is consistence.
Working for personal gain today; and working for public interest on another day, and then working to serve personal interest the other day as the situation might dictate falls short of being honoured..
For instance, look at the consistence Dr Kaunda has been doing in demonstrating the importance of love for your neighbor; in promoting unity, peace and stability not only in Zambia and in the Southern African Development Community but also in Africa and the world at large. Dr Kaunda has been instrumental in promoting our motto of ‘One Zambia; One Nation’. As a result, Dr Kaunda has been honoured in many ways by many institutions both locally and internationally.
This is why one can argue that the now Dr Chifungula and Dr Kaunda are among few Zambians who genuinely deserve such honours because of their consistence on what they stand for in serving public interest which is clearly seen by many.
And whoever honours such people, does it on behalf of almost every citizen.
In short, when such people are honoured, almost every citizen agrees with the honouring institution; and says: ‘Yes, you have honoured him or her on my behalf.’
And if all professionals conduct their duties the way Dr Chifungula and others do, Zambia can experience unprecedented sustainable development process that can trickle down to and benefit most ordinary Zambians.
Therefore, are you one of the professionals who works diligently towards public interest? If yes, thank very much; and you might soon be honoured as well. If not, start executing your duties in an honest, objective, factual and fair manner to serve public interest.
Therefore, Dr Chifungula’s honorary degree reveals many things to the rest of other professionals. It proves that when you work genuinely hard, there are some people and some organisations seeing your good works.
And that if you persist doing so, someone somewhere in an training institutions will suggest to honour you. And because you might be a household name for your good professional performance for the benefit of the public, such a suggestion can unanimously be agreed upon that you should be honoured accordingly.
So the onus of being awarded with an honourary doctor of philosophy degree in one’s respective field doesn’t lie with the local or foreign training institutions. But it lies in your capacity and effort to genuinely do a good job that deserves public appreciation.
What is also interesting in Ms Chifungula’s honour is that she has joined a queue of ladies of not only high achievement but also of high integrity in Zambia.
The only appeal to training institutions is that more training institutions should honour more deserving citizens. More training institutions honouring more deserving citizens would inspire many citizens to genuinely work hard in their respective fields for sustainable development process of our country.
The author is a trainer and career coach.
Contact: Cell: 0976/0977 450151
E-mail: sycoraxtndhlovu@yahoo.co.uk