National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader, Saboi Imboela, has said that the jailing of former Information and Publicity Minister, Chishimba Kambwili, is a methodical move to silence critical voices in the country.
Kambwili, has been condemned to five months imprisonment with hard labour for hate speech against the Tonga People of Southern Province.
Imboela told Zambia Monitor on Friday in Lusaka that this scenario also clearly showed selective and unfair application of justice in the country under President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration.
“When we were campaigning in 2021, Bhuumba Malambo, the Kafue Council Chairperson for the United Party for National Development (UPND) was caught on Camera telling the Tonga People there that do not vote for anyone else apart from a tonga,” she recalled.
The NDC leader quoted Malambo saying: “don’t be stupid, don’t be foolish you tonga people, make sure that you vote for your own president, Members of Parliament, Council Chairpersons and Councillors.”
Imboela noted with sadness that Malambo was not arrested after she was reported to the Police but the wheels of justice moved in quickly to arrest Kambwili and subsequently his jailing for five months.
“Justice should be the same, if he is wrong then the other people also who were campaigning in a similar manner then they were wrong but if they are not, even him should not be found guilty, because it’s the same law,” she stated.
Imboela added that politicians should practice what they preach during their campaigns and abide by the rule of law.
I think one can’t compare what Bumba said to what CK was doing. on CK has been jailed is because he took to far. In the case of Bumba just like prof. Nkandu Luo, they were asking people to vote for people they reside with in their communities not that that talking about tribe but CK made a mission to preach tribal hatred and specifically targeting particular tribes. And for those who follow CK, this was not the first he did it. He once had to apologize to the people of Southern province for his tribal remarks. Let people not support wrong things just because of politics.
So in your reasoning it was okay for CK to continue what he used to do. He did it in 2015, and because nothing happened then, he took it to another level. CK is not a first offender, he thought he could get away with murder the first time, now time has caught up with him. Remember, on both cases 2015 & 2021 they were both caught live on video or live broadcast. CK has been an MP and participated in making the same laws that have caught up with him.