10 SP members resign, join UPND
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
SOCIALIST Party’s 2021 Livingstone mayoral candidate Situmbeko Namasiku and 10 others have resigned to join the UPND.
And Southern Province UPND information and publicity secretary Neto Halwabwala says loyalty of members kept the party strong in opposition for 23 years.
Former Southern Province minister Alice Simango has urged the UPND not to sideline other people who have capacity to build the party.
Speaking at Victoria Hall on Friday, Namasiku said the UPND government has demonstrated that it is committed to developing and uniting the nation.
“Our able President Hakainde Hichilema has lifted the burden from the shoulders of Zambians by offering free education which was only done by Dr Kenneth Kaunda, what more do you want? People, let us focus on developmental issues,” said Namasiku.
And Phenious Munene said all the 20 Socialist Party council candidates who stood for elections in 2021 had agreed to abandon the opposition party.
He however, indicated that some of them have since been employed as teachers and others are in the Ministry of Health.
Munene charged that the SP is being managed as a family party.
Halwabala said under President Hichilema the nation has experienced social-economic and political stability.
He advised the UPND in Livingstone to ensure that it derives full benefit from the policies of the government.
“UPND keeps on attracting support from innovative minds as these we are seeing today; in UPND we know no tribe and age, but capacity to build the party and loyalty to the party. That is why it is difficult for any political party in Africa to survive in the opposition for 23 years, but because we have members who are loyal and respect others’ views we have survived,” said Halwabala.
Former livestock and fisheries minister Luckson Kazabu said if a political party does not grow in terms of numbers there are 99 per cent chances that it shall go to the ‘grave’.
“If we don’t mobilise the party we would have let ourselves and the Zambian people down. We don’t want to see a former head of state (in apparent reference to Edgar Lungu) and his friends to come crawling back to power,” said Kazabu.
And Simango said: “When you see youths like this then there is a future. But it is not easy to maintain them, we don’t need to spend so much, we just need to tell them the truth.”
She urged the UPND to be united and utilise all available human resource.
“We need to love everybody, let’s not fear that a very beautiful girl (in reference to Namasiku) who has come will take up our positions, we are going to fail if we leave people who want to work for the party,” said Simango.
Among the people that joined the UPND was a retired magistrate Joseph Simbotwe who also contested the Kalomo Central parliamentary seat in 2011.
Simbotwe joined with several youths from the PF.
A retired Colonel Colins Mwanamwalwe and MMD’s national trustee Mary Kaimba also joined the ruling party.