Chishimba Kambwili has maintained that Hakainde Hichilema has ethnically poisoned the people of Southern Province to believing that tribalism was the only strategy for the United Party for National Development (UPND leader to be elected president despite his deficiency in leadership qualities.
Speaking at the fourth Patriotic Front (PF) virtual rally at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Mr Kambwili said that the UPND was a regional political grouping that Mr Hichilema has been unsuccessfully using to ascend to the country’s presidency.
Mr Kambwili cautioned Zambians against ever allowing Mr Hichilema to come close to State power because the opposition leader would allegedly divide the country into the regional grouping. He said the people of Southern Province were not tribal but that the UPND leader had poisoned the Tonga people to believing that regional politics could change the government.
Mr. Kambwili cautioned Zambians against being euphoric in choosing the leadership of the country because there is a real danger that a change of government would reverse the economic and developmental gains the country has achieved.
Mr Kambwili, who was National Democratic Congress (NDC) president, said Mr Hichilema and the UPND wanted to use him as a springboard to get into State House and dump him immediately after. He claimed that the UPND plans to amend the Constitution should Zambians inadvertently vote for Mr Hichilema to introduce a clause that would give power to the president to fire the vice president.
Mr Kambwili also said that UPND have secretly been admitting and envying President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s successes on his developmental accomplishment, which has forced the opposition party to launch its campaigns based on propaganda and malice and that, as he was in an alliance with the UPND, Mr. Hichilema used to admit that, indeed President Lungu and the Patriotic Front (PF) had delivered development which had made the opposition party campaigns difficult.
“You know, when I was in alliance with the UPND, Mr Hichilema and his senior leaders used to secretly admit that President Lungu had performed to the expectation of Zambians and it had become difficult for the opposition to campaign. If the UPND and its leadership were sincere, they would have openly admitted that the PF has indeed worked and delivered. But they have embarked on a trajectory of cheating Zambians about the cost of living which propaganda has since beaten the dust and become redundant,” Mr Kambwili said.
Mr Kambwili explained that Zambia had in the last few years suffered from a serious power deficit which had led the country to import electricity at high costs which had negatively affected production in all sectors. He said President Lungu had worked tirelessly to resolve the power deficit and that Zambians were no longer subjected to load shedding.
Mr Kambwili stated that Zambia was currently generating about 2800MW of power but that it was surprising that the UPND was still claiming that President Lungu had done nothing for the country.
Meanwhile, former UPND Vice President Dr. Canisious Banda has said that Zambia is a food secure country not only pleasing domestic market but now one of the leading exporters of grain within the continent. Dr. Banda, who is now a Patriotic Front member, said that the country has recorded a bumper harvest and will meet the local demand.
Speaking during the fourth Patriotic Front virtual rally at Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka this afternoon, Dr. Banda said the agriculture sector is performing well under President Lungu and his administration.
“We have a bumper harvest. Tanzanians are buying soya from here. Zambia is now a food secure country, not only have we pleased the domestic market but now we are one of the leading exporters of grain on the continent. Now the Millers Association of Zambia is giving permits, dollars are coming in, the kwacha will strengthen,” he said.
He also observed the need for the prices of goods and services to be reduced following the appreciation of the Kwacha and further noted that Malawians are bringing their grains into Zambia because the price is competitive and attractive.
Dr. Banda also took time to appreciate the PF manifesto saying it is progressive as compared to the one that was produced by the UPND.
“Let me quickly look at the UPND manifesto 2021 to 2026. If you read Number 8, they talk about eradicating Zesco blackouts. I have told you that their manifesto is redundant, it requires revision. Because what they talk about have been delt with accordingly by President Lungu. UPND manifesto is moribund and it should be thrown into a bin or revised,” he added.