PF can’t stop losing
ZAMBIA’S loud former ruling party PF has lost the Kabwata Constituency parliamentary by-election to a UPND candidate, Andrew Tayengwa, who never “opened his mouth” to campaign.
Many were called but only Tayengwa, who was silent for most part of the campaign period, has been chosen by Kabwata Constituency residents, to replace UPND’s Levy Mkandawire who died in November last year.
From whichever angle one looks at this Kabwata by-election, it is a victory for President Hakainde Hichilema, who massively campaigned for his candidate, while blowing air kisses to the crowds and, at intervals, having selfies with ecstatic supporters.
Tayengwa polled 13, 574 votes, while in second position was Clement Tembo of the once-upon-a-time feared PF, with 11,192 votes.
Socialist Party candidate emerged in third position with 1,849 votes.
The other candidates got an insignificant number of votes such that mentioning the figures will simply be noise to the reader.
Actually, the total number of votes amassed by the other candidates can easily be calculated by a primary school pupil that has a mountain-high hatred for math.
With the 11,192 thousand votes given to Tembo, the PF rank and file, especially their sulky ‘champion’ speaker Given Lubinda, will maybe dust off the shame of losing and continue evangelising about the re-branding chatter.
If the re-branding fiction fails, the leaders of the PF should simply convince their supporters and turn the party into a cooperative and start giving loans to their Chombo cha Noah nshima twekkers.
It is worthy emphasising that Tayengwa has been more or less robotic in the campaigns but the UPND camp obviously cares less; the fact is that a robot candidate has beaten the ‘popular’ Tembo who stood on the toxic PF ticket, a party whose leadership is said to be Siamese twins with first-grade arrogance.
The main faces insofar campaigns for Tembo, were Chishimba Kambwili, Lubinda, and Raphael Nakacinda. Their arguable political eloquence has been flattened by President Hichilema’s mere walk-throughs in Kabwata.
This is Tembo’s second loss in his pursuit of the Kabwata seat; he first lost when he stood as an independent candidate in the 2016 general elections.
Hopefully, Tayengwa will be making constructive noise in Parliament, as Tembo and other losers lick their wounds.
For Henry Muleya, who stood on Sean Tembo’s Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), he emulated his president and collected a good number of zeroes at some polling stations.
He came out in last position with a mere 30 votes, probably given to him by those who made a mistake at voting stage.
Where zeroes are concerned, Muleya was competing with Fred Mubanga of Harry Kalaba’s DP and Kennedy Musowa of the New Heritage Party.
Slightly over five months ago, Zambians, from Nakonde to Shangombo, Chadiza to Lukulu, Ikeleng’i to Luangwa, Chasefu to Sikongo, Kazungula to Chililabombwe, Chirundu to Kaputa, Siavonga to Mufulira, Mpulungu to Sesheke buried the mighty PF at the now swelling political cemetery.
It initially looked impossible but it was done by 2.8 million Zambians who voted for UPND’s presidential candidate, Hichilema, defeating PF’s Edgar Lungu with a record difference of a million votes.
With a loss in its erstwhile stronghold of Lusaka Province, one can conclude that the soul of the PF has started resting in peace at the detested political cemetery.
Kalemba