• LAWYER Sakwiba Sikota (left) greets former Zambia Army commander Wisdom Lopa, as former Zambia National Service commandant Anthony Yeta (centre) looks on after they appeared before the magistrate’s court in Lusaka yesterday. Picture by CLEVER ZULU

By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE-
A LUSAKA business executive has said he did not receive K3,000 from former Zambia Air Force (ZAF) Commander Andrew Sakala, who claimed he had paid out the amount for ‘spying’ purposes.
Anania Hlazo, 55, of Makeni township testified in the Lusaka magistrate’s court that Sakala’s testimony to the court alleging that he (Hlazo) was his informer during the 2011 general elections was unfounded.
Mr Hlazo told the court that he was demanding an apology from Sakala for the embarrassing statement he made against him.
This is in a matter in which Sakala, 60, is jointly charged with former Zambia Army Commander Wisdom Lopa, 60, and former Zambia National Service (ZNS) Commandant Anthony Yeta, 59, for theft of K1.5 million which was meant for operations before to and after the 2011 general elections.
The former defence chiefs have since denied the allegations but Sakala, during his defence, told deputy director of local court, Wilfred Muma who sat as principal magistrate that he shared the money with Lopa and Yeta for covert operations.
Sakala further told the court that he used his share of K500 million to pay his informers among them, Mr Hlazo.
But Mr Hlazo, who testified as Yeta’s witness, denied ever being an informer of Sakala and denied being paid K3,000.
He said he had never been Sakala’s informer but that Sakala was a family friend whom he had known from Mumbwa for about 30 years.
Mr Hlazo said the only dealings he had with ZAF was for supplying safety materials since 2003.
He said the claim by Sakala that he was his informer during the 2011 elections tarnished his name and put his life in danger because some people have taken it as gospel truth.
Mr Hlazo also denied visiting Sakala at his office to be paid K3, 000 as Sakala alleged but that he visited the former ZAF commander to discuss family matters and delayed payments for the things he was supplying to the service.
He said he was prompted to testify in court because he felt injured by Sakala’s testimony about him being an informer because the community viewed him with suspicion of being a spy.
Mr Muma has since set September 15 as a date for judgement while Sakala, Lopa and Yeta would appear for mention on August 14, 2014.