THE amount of love that President Edgar Lungu has for me is immeasurable, says tourism and arts minister Ronald Chitotela.
Featuring on MUVI TV’s national matters programme, Chitotela recalled that when people called for his blood following his arrest on corruption charges and concealing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, President Edgar Lungu stood with him and believed in his innocence.
He said he has vowed to give reciprocal love and loyalty to President Lungu whom he said risked his popularity not to heed to people’s call to fire him when he was arrested.
Chitotela was acquitted by Lusaka magistrate David Simusamba on July 11, 2019.
“This is the man who was social booed, who was humiliated, who was called a criminal and then the President Lungu risked his popularity by standing with me. He believed in my innocence…surely that level of love, that level of trust that the President expressed to me it immeasurable. People called for my blood, people demanded that President Lungu must sack honourable Chitotela but he had evidence and the only thing he didn’t want was to interfere with the legal process. He said ‘I will give you the support’…tried, taken to court and proven…” he said. “…Because I took an indictment to him that look I have been arrested for things that I became a minister in the Ministry of Works and Supply, the indictment is there and even on Radio Phoenix I repeated yesterday that the biggest problem is that we don’t want to follow facts. I was charged for things that happened in the Ministry of Works and Supply between 16th January 2016 and 29th June 2016. I was busy in Pambashe campaigning and my substantive ministry was Ministry of Youth and Sport as deputy minister. Surely he looked at that and said I will not interfere, those words he told me and said go to court, let them prove.” Chitotela recalled that out of certain people’s desire to soil his reputation there was an allegation of him having stashed millions in Dubai in offshore accounts but all that was not true.
He said the Auditor General and the Anti-Corruption Commission on several occasions undertook investigations at the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure to find him with a case to but that all that drew a blank.
Chitotela said President Lungu has had a soft spot on him because he is “clean like a one-day old baby”.
“The President knew that Chitotela was arrested for things that happened before he became a minister. How do they arrest me for things that happened between 16th January 2016 and 29th June 2016 when I was deputy sports minister?” he wondered.
Chitotala vowed to quit politics if President Lungu does not contest the 2021 general elections.
“People pressed him to say no maybe it was a tactic that if you frame him up the President will fire him the following day or maybe to kick Chitotela out of the political space. Then the President said no, ‘I lost Kambwili in a similar circumstance. If this man is guilty as charged take him to court and prove it’. I know even you, media houses, booed President Lungu,” he said. “I was booed and called names. He stood with me, obviously the reciprocal type of relationship I must give back is unquestionable loyalty. Unquestionable loyalty that even if he is sleeping he must be comfortable that I have somebody that can stand by me, and I stand by that. It is not just you that I told, even him I told him that Sir, if you chose to (retire) I am also going. Nkalaisa ku farm, bana Lungu balesalula imbalala tulelya (I will be coming to the farm and Mrs Lungu will be roasting groundnuts for our consumption).”
Chitotela said there must be people in Zambia that live by their words and mean what they say.
He said he intends to be among the few that will be counted that he said something and lived by it.
Chitotela said he did not join politics for personal gain but to sanitise the way politics is done.
And Chitotela said he was motivated to join politics during the time of Mundia Sikatana, Dr Brian Chituwo and Felix Mutati, among others, whom he saw debate on national issues in parliament devoid of emotions.
“I believe that politics is not about name calling, insulting, victimising and deceiving people but integrity. I am a Christian and have stated even on other platforms that it not easy in the Seventh Day [Adventist] and a serving elder to be elected. I was elected as member of parliament in 2011, I was a serving elder at Buchi Adventist Church in Kitwe and records are there,” said Chitotela.