Japheni Mwakalombe Slams Thomas Sipalo: “Your Agenda Is Exposed and Shameful”
Former Copperbelt Minister and senior Patriotic Front (PF) official, Ambassador Japheni Mwakalombe, has launched a scathing attack on comedian-turned-social commentator Thomas Sipalo, accusing him of exploiting the national mourning of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for political gain.
In a blistering statement issued Monday evening, Ambassador Mwakalombe did not mince his words, branding Sipalo’s recent comments on sanitation concerns at the PF Secretariat as “reckless, opportunistic, and clearly choreographed to serve political masters.”
“This is not public health advocacy it is veiled sabotage,” charged Mwakalombe. “Mr. Sipalo has shamelessly chosen to politicize a sacred moment. The question must be asked: whose script is he reading from?”
Sipalo had earlier taken to social media, raising alarm over poor sanitation and calling for the temporary closure of the PF Secretariat amid the surge of mourners visiting to pay their respects. His remarks, however, have drawn fury from the PF leadership, who view them as an attack on their dignity during a time of collective sorrow.
Mwakalombe accused Sipalo of “virtue-signaling” and attempting to scandalize the Secretariat without offering any constructive input.
“Where was his concern when he could have helped by donating mobile toilets or offering logistical support?” asked Mwakalombe. “His concern is not with the people it is with pleasing his political sponsors.”
The former minister further warned that calls to close the Secretariat, echoed by some online platforms such as Koswe, are part of a broader campaign to “delegitimize and suppress public mourning.”
“These are not genuine mourners,” Mwakalombe said. “They are mouthpieces for a government narrative desperate to silence the will of the people.”
He also declared that the PF Secretariat will remain “the political and spiritual heart” of the mourning process, stating bluntly:
“Let it be known: we will not surrender sacred ground to veiled threats masked as concern.”
Mwakalombe urged mourners to remain focused and “unmoved by the noise,” calling for unity and continued respect for the memory of former President Lungu.
“Respect is not given lightly, it is earned. And in his passing, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu deserves nothing less than the unwavering solidarity of the people he served.”
June 10, 2025
©️ KUMWESU
How? Stop being emotional you want to hold on to issues that will put members of PF at health risk?
Where was RB’s funeral? If the amenties at PH HQ can not meet the needs of mourners, why put your own members at risk? This is the kind of childish emotional outbursts that the PF members whose lives are at stake as they mourn ecl; should come out and condemn this blind failed so called leader of the party. Sipalo is very right and raises a pertinent point.