Mrs Wina told Parliament that the President used the term in a very different context while addressing Patriotic Front members in Ndola.
She was responding to a question by Kabompo member of Parliament (MP) Ambrose Lufuma (UPND) during the Vice-President’s question time.
Mr Lufuma asked the Vice- President to explain the intimation of President Lungu’s statement.
The UPND legislator, who has been attending sittings of the House since some of his fellow members were suspended by the Speaker, alleged in his question that Government is intolerant to divergent political views.
But Mrs Wina wondered why Mr Lufuma has not uttered a word in Parliament over the last three weeks, an indication that probably his question was a message from the suspended MPs.
“Mr Speaker, the allegations by the UPND member are baseless and not factual. They do not reflect the state of affairs in Zambia. President Lungu was meeting party officials in Ndola when he made that statement and the word violence was used in a very different context,” she said.
And President Lungu did not refuse to meet church leaders who may have sought audience with him because State House is open to all.
Mrs Wina explained during the Vice-President’s question time that the head of State was merely busy with other scheduled programmes.
She was responding to a question by Chipili member of Parliament Jewis Chabi (Independent) who wanted to know if it was true that some church leaders have been denied access to State House to meet President Lungu to discuss national issues.
“In the past one year, President Lungu has met several church leaders and as you may know, the President has been extremely busy with other visitors,” Mrs Wina said.
She said church leaders can also use other line ministries to get to the President.
Meanwhile, Mrs Wina said it was prudent for Government to remove the 10 percent levy on maize exports because the country now has enough stocks of the commodity and the region also has a bumper harvest of maize.
She was answering a question by Nakonde MP Yuzikanji Siwanzi (PF), who wanted to know why Government has scrapped the levy.
Mrs Wina said the removal of the levy will enable farmers and grain traders to become competitive on the international market.
“We had a record output of maize during the last season, surpassing our consumption needs and the region, too, has maize, so it was a prudent move by Government to remove the 10 percent levy,” she said.
Mrs Wina also said Secretary to Cabinet Roland Msiska will accelerate the process of rolling out performance contracts to all civil servants.
The Vice-President was answering a question by Lunte MP Mutotwe Kafwaya (PF), who wanted to know when performance contracts would be rolled out in the civil service as directed by the President.
lungu came to power via violence, it’s the only way he knows how to maintain power. Wina has to do the needful (kiss lungu’s arss) to retain her position.
Why does she always have to be the sensible one? She needs to talk to her creation that she has bestowed upon this country…… she is also the one that agreed to meet with the Church leaders, she is the one who is usually apologetic and not “Humbly Dumbly”
Ambrose is doing a great job on behalf of suspended UPND, the PF can still feel the opposition.
Violence was proposed and Veep you find a way to defend lawlessness, surely troubled is not far.
wantashi ulichipuba
@lemba
One day you will wake up! hopefully. You worship a thug, drunkard who has no idea what he is doing, that’s what lungu is, or don’t you read anything?
I thought Upnd MPs were suspended from parliament
Lungu is a theif with a bible in his back pocket who lacks morals and is clueless of any leadership qualities.
Full of chawama pit latrine morals.
Lungu pursues a selective fight on corruption while not responding to any accusations levelled against him. He does not care being called a theif…..because he is a theif.
If he is ready for violence = glorifying it.
“From the abundance of his heart, a man speaks”
We will take Lungu by his word, theirs no need for interpretation by either us or inonge.
The Veep did not explain what ECL meant by being ready for violence apart from saying he was quoted out of context. If Zambia is at peace and there is no crisis where is this violence coming from which our beloved president is ready for?
Anyway, most Patriots are ready for UPND violence. We will not let our country break so that a small disgruntled section brings in their agenda past the ballot box.
The clip is there to watch and discern the so-called context. See it on facebook. Whether it was internal violence he meant in terms of the upheavals in the party hierarchy on the the copperbelt or nationally, is not the point. This is the man who claims to abhor all manner of violence. I watched the address at the airport and it was short and despicable. A mishmash that did not inspire. Lacked decorum or the maturity you would expect in a President. Threats, directives and clearly pandering to the PF cadre cheer leaders.