Joseph Kalimbwe, a Zambian youth politician who supported the current President Hakainde Hichilema in assuming power, defending him home and abroad physically and on social media platforms, has, without stating any reasons, decided to refrain from supporting the United Party for National Development (UPND) leader.
Hichilema’s rise to power was characterised by massive attacks from Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party members who branded the 7th Zambian President as a western puppet.
He, through democratic elections, defeated former President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front, a revolutionary party aligned to Zanu-PF.
But Kalimbwe stood firmly with Hichilema, sometimes engaging in bitter, personal and diplomatic wars of words with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba.
After all the fights he fought on behalf of Hichilema, Kalimbwe, a pro-democracy activist, has decided to halt his support for the UPND leader, much to the joy of Zanu-PF.
“Friends, we’ve been offline to recharge, consult and energize. Due to recent events and our collective failures as a unit to return to the masses to inspire and put into confidence a nation living in tough times, we’d like to state that we are putting on hold our support which we have shown endlessly here for the 7th Zambian President.
“We continue to consult and speak to friends, foes, comrades and compatriots both at home and in the region on the building of a youth vehicle that speaks to the collective struggles of our people,” read the statement.
It is believed that Kalimbwe is no longer happy with the way Hichilema is running the country. Opposition leaders, journalists and government critics are being arrested on frivolous charges.
Recently, the former President Lungu was barred from jogging in public.
On November 15, Socialist Party (SP) leader Fred M’membe was arrested on charges of espionage.
Zimbabwe’s top investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono believes that Kalimbwe is deciding not to allow Hichilema’s totalitarian tendencies to drift him away from his principles.
“This is a very sad day for Zambian politics because everyone knows how dedicated Joseph Kalimbwe was to the United Party for National Development and to President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration.
“Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Africans got to know about UPND and President Hakainde Hichilema through Joseph Kalimbwe’s activism on social media driven by him and the youth team behind him.
“He articulated with clarity what their struggle was about, and his solidarity for good causes went beyond Zambia. He was and hopefully remains a cross-border political activist who cares about African people.
“Africa is a difficult place for principled people because the majority of our people support personalities and not ideas and principled objectives.
“So taking a stand can get you ridiculed and insulted, but decent people worry more about what is right and not about what people will say.
“I hope that the issues that have made Joseph Kalimbwe withdraw his support for President Hichilema and his administration can be resolved because it is too ghastly to imagine Edgar Lungu being re-elected due to the Hichilema presidency failures,” Chin’ono said.
“It would be a public affairs duty too for Joseph Kalimbwe to explain in detail the issues that led to this withdrawal because withdrawing without explanation will do more damage not just to President Hichilema, but to the causes that I know Joseph Kalimbwe holds so dear to his heart.
“Wishing you strength and wisdom in the days ahead Joseph Kalimbwe as you shall not only deal with false accusations and insults, but the thought process of how you and the administration can mend fences for the greater good of the Zambian people in the principle of One Zambia, One Nation.”
Former Zanu-PF Masvingo urban legislator Tongai Matutu said: “We told you long ago, Zambians will miss Edgar Lungu. Now the economy is in a total mess the cost of living is now unbearable. The only achievement of Hichilema over the past two years is giving Americans a military base to destabilise Zambians and Africa.”
Kalimbwe earned the support of an X user Addie Mahembe.
“Joseph Kalimbwe has earned my respect. Our struggle should never be about personalities. It should be about principles, values and ideas.
“I’m a strong advocate for an Inclusive, Democratic Developmental States in Africa. Anyone who speaks this language becomes more comrade, and if it’s a party, deserves my vote,” Mahembe said.-nehandaradio
Another patriot has seen the light. It can not have been an easy decision, and I am sure he tried his best to convince this regime to change their ways.
We all want a better Zambia, and when we see a leader abusing his authority, we should speak up.
In this case, it is clear that Hakainde has his own twisted agenda.
KK was totally right about this guy. It was only because PF were such a horrible outfit that we have Hakainde a chance, only for him to spit in our faces, and prove our beloved KK right. RIP.
There is a need to differentiate between substance and empty rethoric.
I would ask young men like Kilembwe who used analytics like followers than ready substance as a basis to make their decisions..
Read what Obama has said about misinformation and spin doctors to sway the public. We need to ask ourselves whether there is any substance, facts in what detractors are saying. Popularist will use langauage and what seems like is true to sway us from what is real.
Not all that glitters is gold as added goes. The bible also speaks of the end times and false prophets, we all know that nothing worth our time comes easy. Show me a wealty man that has made his money through hard work, there is nothing loud and fancy about him.
We should therefore get weary of folks and leaders that are self seeking, deflecting in their message to get to power and the treasury as PF did.
HH doesnt need us, we need him and we have seen him deliver us from the “proverbial” Eygpt. The mess that PF left us in, was a “sinking sand spot” drowning us in debt. We have not yet managed to get out of it. But we have read and learned of the efforts that are being made to get there. Minds like Ba Musokotwane have been dragged in the mud, as they worked hard with others sort out the mess that Lungu and his incompetent clique (that today insult the means and efforts that we have to make his said retirement palatable as “crumbs”. We should therefore ask where he obtained the means to support himself, after leaving office. To call what we as citizens offer as crumbs?)
Mnangagwa is another leader that has failed to make any effort or show political will to fight corruption in his reign. The like of Mmembe support him. Is that what Mmembe suugests Zambia should be? A country like in the times of Kaunda where those in power had and the rest of us tantanmaded mu line to buy the basic needs.
The current outcry is about inflation. A situation that is NOT unique to Xambia but a global phenomenon that the world’s nations are experiencing post covid.
Our opposition should make rational and objective arguements and stop being emotional in their outlook using the church to assert their position.
Its equally embarrassing that LAZ positions while broad seems to have been ” nick picked ” by the media to further a particular narrative.
Zambia is bigger than individuals like Kilembwe whose nationality is unknown and seems to live outside Zambia such that his opinions are devoid and absract. He doesnt buy mealie meal or work under the enviornment that the rural Zambian lives.
Folks that exist in the media and make a living through the number of likes or followers should not be the measure by which our destiny as Zambians is shaped. They wont suffer when war or civil strife starts in Zambia starts. So why should his opinion or the opinion of Mnangagwa matter to any Zambian? If Mmembe and Lungu are being misled by a man that has failed to run the givernment in Zambabwe let them go on live there. Zambia is for Zambians. And thetefore be shaped by folks who truely have a shared destiny. Kilambwe sounds like a congolese name. Am surprised he speak alot about Zambia instead of Congo.
It’s normal in politics when people support you they expect something in return like an appointment or a job and when that is not forthcoming then they ditch you not realizing there are only few vacancies and not everyone can be given an appointment.