NKOMBO SHOULD RESIGN…an example must be set – Musenge

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NKOMBO SHOULD RESIGN

…an example must be set – Musenge

By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone

FORMER Copperbelt minister Mwenya Musenge has called for research on how to transform the now illegal Kachasu brew into a legal product.

He advises President Hakainde Hichilema not to take Zambians’ trust and support for his new dawn government for granted by not taking action against erring ministers.

“We know that the coming in of the new dawn government especially on governance comes with morals and these should be followed by Nkombo resigning on moral grounds. An example must be set,” he said.

During a raid on Kachasu brewers in Lusaka’s Garden Compound, Minister of Local Government Gary Nkombo forced a mother and her children to drink the Kachasu she was brewing.

Nkombo’s action received a public backlash forcing the minister to issue a public apology the next day.

He also met the victims at his office to render his personal apology to them.

But Musenge said Kachasu brewing has been going on for decades even before Zambia’s independence.

“We know that brewing of Kachasu is illegal, but it has not begun today. Even my grandmother used to brew Kachasu in the village. People go there to buy and drink it. No one is forced,” he said. “Even when it is an illegal brew, so there ought to be something done, research carried out on it, to find a way of how it can be legalised and made sure it is not life threatening.”

With regards Nkombo’s action, Musenge said despite being his brother-in law, the minister was definitely not right and called for him to resign on moral grounds.

“Not only as minister but also as a member of parliament for Mazabuka because there are people who brew Kachasu in Mazabuka. So was he going to do what he did in Lusaka in his constituency? Can he do it? Even late Michael Sata stopped the removal of street vendors not because he condoned the vice but because there were no mechanisms in place to take care of the vendors. You can’t have a politician who is totally insensitive to the plight of the poor people,” he said. “Some of us have retired from politics but we are being forced to wake up because we are seeing very few people speaking out for the silent majority.”

Musenge said President Hichilema “should not take for granted the overwhelming support that is coming from Zambians”.

“One minister (Copperbelt’s Elisha) Matambo was inciting UPND cadres to attack anyone who attacks President Hichilema. Then you have [Stanley] Kakubo (foreign affairs) who finds himself in a very compromising situation with the Chinese [at Sinoma Cement] and now we have a minister who forces women to drink Kachasu and the President is quiet about it,” noted Musenge. “We know that the coming in of the new dawn government especially on governance comes with morals and these should be followed by Nkombo resigning on moral grounds. An example must be set.”

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