Do you know that Kaunda asked Simon Kapwepwe to resign as Vice President in 1971 because of his tribalism? Kaunda built UNIP under the One Zambia One Nation motto, but when Kapwepwe became VP, he wanted to sideline other tribes mainly the Tonga’s. Tonga’s protested and had Kaunda fire him in 1971, four years after he was appointed VP. Tonga’s considered Kapwepwe ungrateful to them especially that it was Harry Nkumbula who recruited Kapwepwe into the Africa National Congress (ANC) when Nkumbula formed the first ever indigenous political party in 1948. However, in 1958, Kaunda, Kapwepwe, Sikota Wina, and others resigned from ANC and formed UNIP because Nkumbula decided to participate in elections on the terms dictated by the colonial government. Kaunda appointed Kapwepwe as Minister of Home Affairs after the 1964 declaration of independence and later Minister of Foreign Affairs. While he was VP (1967-1971) his tribalism led him to secretly form the United Progressive Party (UPP) on the Copperbelt which he envisioned to be more pro-Bemba unlike UNIP which had allowed other tribes to participate in the governance of the country. He was fired by Kaunda in 1971. Kaunda banned the tribal UPP and arrested most of its members. In 1972, Kaunda instituted the Chona Commission led by Mainza Chona (a Tonga) to make recommendations for the constitution of a ‘one-party state.’ After months of public hearings, the commission's report was submitted to Kaunda in October 1972. The one-party state was inaugurated on 1st January 1973. The one-party state came about because of Kapwepwe’s tribalism. He resigned from politics in 1973 and went to live at his farm in Chinsali. He died on 26th January 1980.

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