THE rift tearing the ruling Patriotic Front party apart over who succeeds President Michael Sata deepened yesterday as two parliamentarians clashed, with one accusing the other of serving the interests of those who want to hijack the party and its leadership.
Chililabombwe MP Esther Banda has lashed out at her Kankoyo counterpart Levy Chabala for claiming that Copperbelt PF parliamentarians would not allow Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili to allegedly take over from Mr Sata.
Mr Chabala was quoted by a media house as saying he was speaking on behalf of all Copperbelt PF MPs who allegedly vowed they would not allow Mr Kambwili to bring confusion in the party.
The rift has been fuelled by the cartel that almost hijacked the leadership of PF and has since embarked on a sustained crusade to scandalize and demonise leaders and party members perceived to be loyal to President Sata.
The battle for dominance of the ruling party has widened since the sacking of former justice minister and PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba by President Sata three weeks ago.
Ms Banda has charged that President Sata saved the ruling party and the country from being hijacked by the cartel that had strongly positioned itself to grab State power by manipulating the presidency.
Ms Banda accused Mr Kabimba of having created parallel structures in her constituency thereby causing divisions and confusion.
She said Mr Chabala was “talking on behalf of the cartel” by insinuating that Mr Kambwili was causing confusion and that he (Kambwili) should be expelled from the PF.
Ms Banda told the Daily Nation yesterday that Mr Chabala did not consult other MPs on the Copperbelt over his statement against Mr Kambwili and could therefore not claim to have been representing the parliamentarians in the region.
She rubbished media reports purporting that Mr Kambwili was harbouring presidential ambitions.
She said Mr Chabala was one of the MPs on the Copperbelt who was “deeply conflicted”.
Ms Banda said the party on the Copperbelt was aware that some MPs were loyal to Mr Kabimba and that his sacking from government and party position had angered many who were allegedly propping the former Justice Minister for presidency.
She said by defending Mr Kambwili, she was not in any way supporting his ambitions if there were any but putting the record straight.
“Let me make it very clear that Mr Chabala is speaking on behalf of the clique that was scheming to hijack the leadership of the PF and that of the nation and I am happy President Sata realized and saved our party from being hijacked. Mr Chabala is an ardent supporter of Mr Kabimba and he did not consult other MPs on the Copperbelt and he cannot claim to be representing us. Those attacking Mr Kambwili are doing so to alienate him from President Sata and government. By saying so, it must not be misunderstood that I support his ambitions if has any,” Ms Banda said.
She said the leadership in the PF must know that President Sata was in-charge of the affairs of the PF and the country and should never be detracted by cheap succession talk.
She hoped that the assertions that Mr Kambwili had launched his presidential campaigns to take over from President Sata were nothing but cheap and malicious gossip that should be ignored with contempt.
Ms Banda said Mr Chabala was the one causing confusion in the party by publicly attacking a Member of Parliament and a Minister in President Sata’s government.
She advised that all the leaders with presidential ambitions in the PF should wait until after President Sata had served his full two terms as Zambians were ready to renew his mandate so that he could continue governing the country.
“Mr Kambwili is a good and faithful member of the PF and I do not think he would be that ambitious as to betray the President. I am close to him and he has never told anyone that he would want to take up the leadership of the PF and later on the country. Mr Chabala should be talking about himself and his clique instead of claiming that he is representing us in his misguided statement,” Ms Banda said.
Mr Chabala was quoted in a newspaper yesterday as saying: “I know Kambwili has been a problem to us MPs on the Copperbelt. Kambwili must be chased from the party for bringing confusion to the party because of his ambitious. He fought Wynter Kabimba and accused him of campaigning. So even him he must leave because we want to organize the party.”
PF is intact and i think either Kabimba , Lungu or Kambwili will be the next president in 2021
The president should not be undermined, like the way UPND and MMD have had members urinating in public
Do you think this would happen in PF?
Impossible
Thanks
Intact indeed!!!!! But Mushota . . . .
Very intact actually!!
Mushota you are the top scorer of useless MPs among the useful *****s.
Just wait Sata won’t campaign in 2016. He won’t be that fit.Patience pays guys.
Ni nkani zamu moba izi.
Ilyashi lya mutatakuya. Ba PF grow up please.
All these problems in PF are self-created by Sata who carefully selected only the most ‘useless’ subordinates, by his own reckoning. Now the pigeons are coming home to roost and the internal squabbles will inevitably snowball into something even Sata won’t have the capacity to handle. With all these challenges when do they actually have the time to focus on developing Zambia?
LT stop publishing this tired, old stupid story (glad i could get away with that word). We don’t want memories of Kabimba flooding our minds again. The killing of an innocent supporter along airport road, the resignation of GBM the firing of Lubinda, the carrying of mock coffins in the CBD and all this bullsh!t was caused by Sata’s perceived succession wrangles….pheeww! Please give us a break.
Chabala is one of the most ***** MPs in parliament the president was talking about. Iam a kankoyo resident & lv never head him speak in parliament so am spooked that hes able to talk in the newspapers rather than in parliament. If you engage in any meaningful conversation with him he doesent speak properply but speaks like a child learning to speak. So chabala shut-up 2016 kuya bebele
The presidential office is not up for succession, capish?
Esther mwilwa the door is closing on you.You’ve served two terms because fyapa Lupwa!
The term “President” and the name “Kambwili” do not even belong in the same sentence let alone a possible option for the country. Let’s not even dignify this with any form of debate on this forum.
President Kambwili kikikiki
I think Idi Amin every time I see MP Kambwili.
mwanawakwitu ala kwati bufiii!!
what is happening in PF is not surprising. It was built on a foundation of lies and cannot stand. PF Government has an inbuilt mechanism to disintegrate on its own without anyone’s help.
Mr. Kabimba sudden demise was just Phase 1. We are now in Phase 2 – Self destruction mode. Phase 3 will be total collapse.
Agreed, it is called implosion. This will be sooner than expected. PF boat is in uncharted territory. No one, not even themselves can believe what is happening to their party. Their best fire fighter Kabimba is now watching from the terraces, leaving the cobra alone to mop up the mess, but for how long before exhaustion takes over?
What an extremely stup!d and childish party this PF is.
LT you should take your responsibility seriously. What do you hope to achieve by publishing as news when two 1diots are fighting over who should be the next president. Allow the masses to get used to change. There is nothing wrong with Kambwili expressing his desire to rule. Let the people decide whether or not he is fit for the job.
Stop being a gossip tabloid. Weigh and publish only newsworthy material.
It is clear Kabimba, Kambwili and GBM have presidential ambitions of succeeding Sata. The Post made Kabimba overplay his card and has thus suffered a setback. It is obviuos even to a Child that Kambwili was celebrating that a hurdle/competitor (Kabimba) was out of the way and GBM quickly crawled back and dumped his “stance” on his “grandfather” Sosala to be recognised as Chitimukulu. My personal view however is that none of these is MATURE enough for the position of president. All childish!! And some just driven by greed/chance/prospect for looting and plunder!
ati “His excellency president of Republic of zambia Chishimba kambwili” kuti uko manje may be in his house
With immediate effect.kikiki
KeKeKeKeKeKe!Ilove it when the pieces of the puzzle fits together!
The confusion in pf is more random that an excited the atom
What a misleading Headline?
This is what happens when you mix dullness and opportunity, leadership and uneducated.
If I were Sata I would fire both Chabala and Banda to send a strong message to all PF members
Ba nabanda do you intend to strand in Chililabombwe? Fili ukotuleya . Umulu wayangwishe Ikubi . only unfocused person .old ,tired but unretired person can vote for PF ichalo bashitisha kunkongole . we know ms banda is a wwoman friend to Kambwili . God is watching . BY the way shamenda if fighting Mathans battle this is how he makes money alibomba kale
Kekekeke ati president Kambwili,amazing!that can make end of our beloved PF!really Kambwili can’t be a president!if I were Sata,I would fire both Levy Chabala and Esther Banda!plus PF must not adopt both MPs in 2016.they’re both useless!hon.Richard Musukwa must stand in Chililabombwe,his home town!this Esther Banda kuyabebele!
Let them keep on going at each other as much as they can. Kambwili is not presidential material he’s just a vuvuzela.
Some of us know what exactly is going on between Ms Banda and Kambwili. I just wish she keeps quiet and respects herself. Why is she coming out so loudly and viciously in defence of Kambwili? It is not the POST that rumbled Kambwili’s presidential ambitions, it’s President Sata himself who said that. It is not even news anymore what the president said in that semi-closed door meeting. But of course when sweetness is flowing, some people can die in defence of other people. Meanwhile the guy Kabimba they are fighting over is long gone, but they still seem to be so afraid they can’t stop talking about him. In the end, it’s them who beginning to look more desparate treacherous hyenas than the Kabimba they have chased. I sense that Kabimba is happier outside now.
Why is this Banda talking this malabishi? Is she Kambwili’s hoe? (Pun intended!)
NO Ms Banda you are the one who is wrong learn to understand the FACTS are that Kambwili can not be supported by any one from CB Mr Chabala is very right this does not mean he is in support of the clique honestly Ms Banda you should be ashamed for supporting Kambwili