Anderson Mazoka in America: A study in greatness

 

Anderson with wife Mutinta

                           

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The Pilgrim, March 25, 2022*

A distinctive moustache. A floral tie. A well-trimmed Afro. There isn’t a single photograph where Anderson Mazoka appears unkempt. What you rather get is a penetratingly laidback look of a very beautiful man. But that’s not the only thing you notice when you google the late politician’s name.

You’ll also notice that much of the information about him is the very little that has been reproduced in multiple versions on the Internet, which clearly denies Zambians a depth of insight into the making of one of the country’s most brilliant, dynamic, and results-oriented leaders.

As I see it today, there are only two ways Mazoka’s low media profile could have been made possible: it’s either we’re a country that poorly documents its history or it’s because Mazoka was just a self-effacing man who never gloated about personal accomplishments, even when the opportunity presented itself. The latter sounds more plausible.

But for a man who was born this month on March 22, 1943, and who went on to become one of the most important figures in Zambia’s multiparty politics, there is need to trace the roots of his story as part of enriching the country’s political heritage.

For the purposes of this column, I’m interested in the role that the United States of America played in shaping a young Mazoka, who had travelled to New York to obtain an education.

Regular readers of this column know that it’s not by coincidence that I make Mazoka the subject of today’s column. Not only is he my birthday mate, but I’m also greatly intrigued by Mazoka’s American background since I’m currently studying in the United States.

Besides that, I’ve also been wondering why New York is associated with the names of some of Africa’s greatest men. I’ve in mind the names of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and the outstanding South African journalist and columnist, Nathaniel Ndazana Nakasa, who spent part of their lives in the city which, as the Americans say, is so good they had to name it twice.

New York is an iconic American city.

In the memories that have been shared about Mazoka, four things stand out: generosity, humility, hard work and education.

Early Years

Though born to a peasant farmer in Monze, Southern Province, Mazoka completed his secondary education at Mungwi Technical High School in a province as far afield as Northern Province. As head boy of his high school, his formative years as a leader had already begun.

In one rare photograph, he stands like the eager beaver he was, in overalls and a helmet, next to a bus at the Central African Railway Systems (CARS) where he worked during his secondary school holidays.

With just these few facts, the idea you get is that of a tough, upcoming gentlemen keen to make the most of his talents and to readily integrate into the larger society, not as a weakling, but as a man who calls the shots.

New York

Following high school, it isn’t clear what happened to Mazoka apart from the fact that he held down a job. The next time you hear about him in glowing terms is in New York in 1969, when he graduated from Union College with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

While at Union College, Mazoka set out to do big things and this meant designing and building a magnificent wind tunnel for his senior thesis in span of 10 weeks for less than 100 dollars.

As if that wasn't enough, Mazoka’s project took the media by surprise and became the first wind tunnel to be exhibited internationally, fondly referred to as the “Mazoka Wind Tunnel.” It occupied the basement of the science and engineering department at Mazoka’s college, and it was used for teaching, learning and research by students and faculty for 30 years!

What particularly shocked the media about Mazoka’s tunnel was the fact that it was made by a young African from a little-known country called Zambia. Studying during a time when racism was endemic in the United States, Mazoka’s project could therefore be seen as an intellectual protest, which proved that anybody regardless of race or creed could accomplish extraordinary feats if they push themselves the brink of their abilities.

As a testimony about his character, his own faculty advisor, Prof Dick Shanebrook, remembered Mazoka as “personable, friendly and very persistent.''

With such distinction, Mazoka emerged from New York as a man clearly marked for greatness.

Back in Zambia

When he came back to Zambia, his meteoric rise in industry already proved that he was in a class by himself.

President Kenneth Kaunda promoted him to the position of general manager of Zambian Railways in 1976, few years after he joined the company as assistant mechanical engineer in 1971.

An alumnus of Harvard University, where he studied for an advanced management diploma, Mazoka carved out a professional legacy like no other, rising to the position of CEO of Anglo-American Corporation in Zambia and serving as chairman on the boards of directors of over 42 companies. 

As an indefatigable and highly ambitious man, he kept looking for opportunities to expand his impact and influence beyond the world of business.

As such, not only was he part of the MMD in its early days, but he tried to join the party’s official ranks by contesting and winning a local government seat in Lusaka.

However, when the party nullified the result of the election, Mazoka took it as a challenge to form what has since become Zambia’s current ruling party, the UPND, under Mazoka’s successor—Hakainde Hichilema.

He almost won the 2001 presidential election himself when he came out second to Levy Patrick Mwanawasa of the MMD, winning 27.2 percent of the vote.

Though he sadly died in 2006 due to kidney complications, Mazoka lived an extraordinary life that perhaps we should all aspire to as Zambians. We can learn a lot not only from his American footprint, but also his selfless service to our country.

*This column is published every Friday in Zambia's biggest-selling newspaper, the Zambia Daily Mail