MAXWELL Chongu’s declaration to stand as Kafue member of parliament brought the small town to a halt.
The self-proclaimed PF die-hard supporter, who arrived in the town to a thunderous welcome from the party leadership and residents of C5 Estates on Saturday, declared that it was time for youths to claim their position in politics.
After being received by PF district and provincial officials, the former Big Brother Africa housemate was ushered to the district commissioner’s office where over 300 party members were waiting to be addressed.
His brief meeting to declare his jaw dropping donation with the DC could not take more than 20 minutes as PF members eagerly waited to hear what the former Shikoswe resident had in stock.
In his address, Chongu lamented that Kafue residents are deprived of opportunities in preference for outsiders.
He called on the party leadership to make sure residents of Kafue benefit from their local resource base, unlike what has been happening in the past.
“I grew up here in Kafue and I am familiar with the hardships of this town. Before I talk about why I have come here and what I am donating, I want to say that you will note that a handful of available opportunities at Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia here are given to people from Lusaka,” Chongu said. “Ba DC, you are the eyes of the President, ba chairman you are the boss of this district so work together to see to it that the young people get those opportunities. I do not want to politic, but let’s show them that Kafue has got children that left but are now back to develop their district.”
Chongu donated 150 bags of mealie meal, two truckloads of tomatoes, onion, assorted vegetables and 200 heads of cabbages to the marketeers in his former neighborhood.
Other items included an incubator for chicken eggs production, bales of second hand clothes (salaula), cooking utensils for the Kafue East PF women’s team to enable them start a commercial restaurant, K6,000 cash, 10,000 face masks worth K100,000 and a pledge of K100,000 for a minibus.
He also offloaded his shares in the youth empowerment scheme to the church to be administered by the youth council as well as K3,000 startup capital.
And Kafue district commissioner Gibson Spencer Sinkala said Chongu’s return to his hometown had elated residents as well as party officials.
“Your donation could be one of the best because it is so massive. We have never received such a donation,” Sinkala said.
He welcomed Chongu to the race for adoption to stand member of parliament as he echoed President Edgar Lungu’s statement while in the town that it has no parliamentary representative.
The PF women’s choir and district officials who walked with Chongu from the roadside to the DC’s office were on hand to sing songs of praise for the man they called their own, saying his quest to make the town better was long overdue.
Among those that received Chongu were PF district chairman Kestas Simukanzye and council chairperson General Moono Simakoloyi.
