PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people in Eastern Province says people who insult Dr Kenneth Kaunda should be disciplined.
And Mpezeni says government should rescind its policy of confiscating maize and vehicles involved in smuggling.
Commenting on Bowman Lusambo’s recent remarks that Dr Kaunda’s family, especially his children failed to take advantage of his 27-year reign to enrich themselves, Mpezeni said such remarks amounted to insults on the first Republican president.
“Mwanuonera neo pankhani yamunthu otukwana kholo, ndaba Kaunda nikholo, tili naufulu kupyolera kwa Kaunda. Kaunda ndiye etisegula meso pankhani yaukapolo. Lomba ningadabwe kuti bandale okutukwana Kaunda. Mubalekelela bana kuti okotukwana tate waziko (The way I look at any person who insults Kaunda, the parent of the nation; we’ve freedom because of Kaunda. Kaunda is the person who opened our eyes on slavery. Now, I get surprised that politicians start insulting Kaunda. Do you leave the children to start insulting the father of the nation)?” he asked.
“Lomba munthu okotukwana Kaunda, ndiyekuti nimunthu osokonezeka. Paliye munthu angakondwe kumtukwanila a tate bake. Uyu munthu enzotukwana Kaunda ngati ochokela ku UPND kapena PF olo tyani, azitsogoleri bake ofunika kuti amuonepo ndaba alibe ulemu. Kulibe munthu angakambe so kutukwana kholo lake (Now for somebody to insult Kaunda, it means he or she is confused. No one can be happy to have their father insulted. This person who was insulting Kaunda, if he is coming from UPND or PF or any other party, his leaders should deal with him because he has no respect. There is no person who can talk like this, insulting his parent).”
Mpezeni said those who insult Dr Kaunda would even insult their biological parents.
“There is no difference between the father of this person and KK. If it’s politics, let politicians do their politics among themselves, without involving a parent. I am bitter with this development because even me I have never insulted KK. I have worked with KK since 1982 up to now, you’ve never heard me insulting him,” Mpezeni said.
He implored young ones to respect elders.
“Lomba pala Kaunda wasala masiku angati kuti azivwa matusi yamunthu kuti okomutukwana so? Pakuti Kaunda pala niosila sila so. Osati tikanvweko soti munthu otukwana so. Munthu ngati otukwana kholo ofunika kuti apasiwe chilango, osati kumulekelera so. Banthu olanga so akuti alipo omutuma (Now, KK is remaining with how many days for him to be hearing insults from a person like that? K K is already finished. We don’t want to hear anyone insult KK. Any person who insults a parent should be punished, not leaving him. Those who are looking at this issue are saying that the one who insulted KK was sent),” he said.
Lusambo on Friday posted that he had held a successful meeting with one of Dr Kaunda’s children, Kaweche, to iron out the issue.
And Mpezeni complained about the poor state of the Chipata/Vubwi and Chipata/Chadiza roads.
“These Chinese contractors just dug the roads and we expected them to tar the road, but many years have elapsed without doing anything to the road. Again, next year, we are going to elections. Now in other areas they are putting tar but here they are not doing it. What is happening? Which roads are we going to use when going to vote? People want to use these same roads when going to vote: Vubwi Road, Chadiza Road no tar!” Mpezeni said.
He advised President Edgar Lungu to check some of the roads to avoid being misled.
“Obanama boza mwina. Kapena one day nikayikope miseu yamene iyi nikayiike pa media yamene iyi miseu yasu, simiseu nikisi. Nichimodzi modzi kuti muuza munthu kuti nyama yako iyi koma nyama mubweza soti mupoto, manje ninyama yake ula munthu? Siyake (May be, he is being lied to.
Perhaps one day I should take pictures of the roads and put them in the media, these are not roads. It is the same as promising to give someone meat but you put it back in the pot. Does it mean that the meat belongs to that person? It’s not his),” he said.
Mpezeni said he was pleading for the people on a number of issues, including the low maize prices.
“People follow where there is money. Now, the government is buying at K110 but the briefcase buyer is buying at K200. Where can a person go? They go where there is good money because fertiliser is expensive, it is over K500,” Mpezeni said. “Now you are grabbing maize from those who want to sell to the private sector through Zambia National Service. Now is that not destroying the nation? Who is killing the nation? You know who is destroying the nation. The farmers grow crops so that they sell and buy fertilizer which is expensive.”
He said government should stop restricting farmers from selling their maize to the private sector.
“Let them not grab maize, if they do this, they should also stop us from buying fertilizer in Malawi because three quarters of the people buy fertilizer from Malawi. Why can’t they stop them? Muzaleta njala muno muziko. Ninjala ikulene yamene azabwelesa (You’ll bring hunger in this country. It is huge hunger that they will bring),” he said.
“Nthawi ziyake banthu onyatiwa naba ZNS, koma katundu uli wao. Apa peve boma ionepo bwino (sometimes some people are beaten by ZNS officers when the property is theirs),” said Mpezeni.
“Banthu ambiri alira, alira. So, aoneshepo bwino apa panthu. Banthu okamba kuti ni Lungu koma Lungu alibwino. Koma kaili nthawi zina sayendamo a President, lomba amene aba oyendamo abauzya wenye (Many people have cried, they have cried. So, authorities should consider this matter. Some people say its Lungu, but Lungu is okay. But most of the time, the President doesn’t tour and those who tour tell him lies).”