Hichilema warns Zambians against ‘exhuming’ PF as he takes aim at Mundubile
President Hakainde Hichilema has urged Zambians not to vote for what he described as inexperienced leadership, while warning that backing Brian Mundubile and his allies would amount to reviving problems he says were rejected with the Patriotic Front (PF) in 2021.
Southern Province, 28 July – Speaking during campaign rallies in Southern Province on Monday, President Hichilema took aim at his political opponents as he canvassed support for the UPND ahead of the August 13 elections.
At a rally in Kazungula, the President argued that the presidency required experience, commitment and a genuine concern for the welfare of citizens.
“On August 13, don’t just vote anyhow. Don’t vote for a young man who has just eaten imindala \[leftover nshima\] and says he wants to be President,” President Hichilema said.
He said leading the country was a demanding responsibility that should not be taken lightly
“Being a President is a heavy undertaking, it is not a simple undertaking. Being a President is not just waking up and saying I want to be President. The presidency needs a person who loves people like Hakainde Hichilema, or you will not see development,” he said.
President Hichilema also warned voters against supporting the NRPUP, linking its leadership to the former PF administration.
“We buried the PF at the graveyard in 2021, they lie there until Jesus Christ comes. If you want to exhume them then you are exhuming problems,” he said.
He accused the former ruling party of political violence against UPND supporters during its time in office.
The President also cautioned UPND Kazungula North parliamentary candidate Dr Clement Andeleki and Kazungula South candidate Siasiloka Mukuni against internal differences, urging the two to work together and deliver development in their respective areas.
He told voters to accept any material benefits offered by opposition or independent candidates but still vote for the UPND.
“If they give you sugar, get and eat, but for the human being discard. If they give ka K100,000, get and use but for the human being discard,” he said.
Meanwhile, addressing supporters in Kalomo, President Hichilema described Mundubile and his team as “copy typists”, accusing them of copying his campaign promises.
“Whatever I say, they say also me. They used to call me a calculator boy, but doesn’t a calculator need brains?” he asked.
President Hichilema said his administration still had significant work to undertake, including expanding support to farmers under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
He also criticised a proposal to increase the maize floor price to K500 per bag, arguing that such a move could push up the price of mealie meal and increase the cost of living.
“We want farmers to make profit as we reduce the cost of living,” he said.
President Hichilema said agricultural policy required balancing farmers’ profitability with affordable food prices for consumers.
During a rally in Mapatizya, the President pledged to renew artisanal mining licences while calling for safer mining practices.
He also promised the construction of a police post at Luyaba and announced plans for a cattle restocking programme supported by soft loans to enable farmers to rebuild their herds.
In Livingstone, President Hichilema pledged further investment in infrastructure and tourism, including the construction of a state university and a dual carriageway linking Livingstone and Kazungula.
“We are putting more money here in Livingstone, and the two constituencies, so that we make Livingstone a true tourist destination. We will put a dual carriageway from Livingstone to Kazungula,” he said.
The President also cited plans for a new bridge linking Zambia and Zimbabwe and pledged that township roads in Livingstone would be upgraded.
He said international tourist arrivals had increased under the UPND government and that his administration was now targeting five million arrivals.
“We have sustained tourism in Livingstone,” President Hichilema said.
He also addressed newly recruited nurses, urging them to concentrate on attending to patients rather than spending working hours on their mobile phones.
“If you find one on phone, grab that phone. When they ask, tell them that it is Bally who instructed us to do so,” President Hichilema said.
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