The Media Director of the Patriotic Front (PF) the former ruling party in Zambia Antonio Mwanza has urged the current President Mr Hakainde Hichilema to take a leaf from the President of Kenya and tone down on the ´persecution´ of his predecessor H.E Edgar Lungu in a radio interview.
Mr Mwanza advised Mr Hichilema that the continued ´persecution´ and attempts to prosecute Mr Lungu will only divide the nation and excite resentment further, instead Hichilema must focus on ´fixing´ the economy.
This follows a controversial decision this week by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to seize a Lodge they thought was owned by President Lungu. The property turned out to belong to someone else according to official ownership records.
“He (President Lungu) was President for seven years, a minister in two different ministerial portfolios and legislator and a private practicing lawyer of many years, now he can’t own a property? Mr Mwanza asked.
Turning to Kenya that recently elected William Ruto after the end of an era of Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr Mwanza said, “Mr Hichilema must learn from president Ruto who is treating predecessor Kenyatta with respect. That man (Lungu) is a former President, a father, and a brother you don’t go around treating him the way he is being treated in Zambia.”
Support for the immediate past President of Zambia Lungu has been growing from various sections of the country, within and outside the former ruling party.
Today PF Central Committee member and presidential aspirant Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba in a statement vehemently condemned DEC for entering without permission and attempt to search a private property belonging to Mr Lungu.
The search was only stopped by President Lungu himself who drove there after he was alerted by caretakers at the premises. The DEC officers drive away without a search.
In Kenya, Ruto has made predecessor Kenyatta who supported his rival publicly a special peace envoy to Ethiopia and the Congo, in Zambia Lungu faces possible prosecution even after handing over power peacefully after an election defeat last August.
In the past DEC has interrogated President Lungu´s wife, daughter, son in law and his own son but its only today 29th September that they have directly gone for the former head of state who constitutionally enjoys immunity against a probe and prosecution.
Mr Mwanza has described DEC´s disrespectful and contemptuous behaviour as sad, it would come to haunt Mr Hichilema when he relinquishes power.
“Why are you tormenting the man (President Lungu) like this?” Mr Mwanza concluded.
He also questioned the Hichilema administration to continue allowing DEC to be run by a person that faces court action after her nude images with bananas went viral for more than a week on social media.
Acting PF President Hon. Given Lubinda has for a long time now asked, in fact begged for the current administration to treat President Lungu with the respect a former head of state deserves.
Recently when asked about his (Hichilema) relationship with Mr Lungu by BBC, Mr Hichilema said, “He jailed me 15 times).
Meanwhile fuel and food prices including those of fertiliser and other agriculture in puts continue to increase in Zambia with no signs of slowing down says Mr Mwanza.
What has HH got to do with law enforcement agency operations. The law enforcement agencies must probe everyone regardless of status if they fairly, firmly and reasonably believe that some body got to the wrong end of the law. And in any case, how can somebody from PF, a party which discharged its functions at variance with the law always start lecturing here
The nation is aready divided, so look for another threat. Perhaps try saying HH’s continued persecution of Lungu will lose him votes. We all know HH has everything to do with it. But should we let off ex-leaders because of threats? We need justice to prevail we need justice to be seen. Even allegations on HH, past present and future, should go the same route. Our next President Frank Mutubila or Kennedy Mweene should take note: A president or ex-president is not above the law in a republic. Perhaps in a Kingdom. Let everyone aspiring for this office know this.
The economy will slump of course because of the mess that PF left, it will get worse before it gets better. The reckless borrowing left this country on its knees, the country has to go through the pain of surgery. Fuel & Electricity subsidies are going, it will be tough, I am not UPND but I know that the suffering we will go through and an intense one for that matter is the consequence of the PF mismanagement
We want to know what Lungu was doing in State House, after cliaming to be the least paid president in Africa. And which “JACKPOT” did he win that made him filthy rich – the richest president to have left office in Zambia.
The problem is HH7 went to slept immediately after the elctions …he naively trusted the law enforcement wing Directors too much I mean most of them were in the pocket of these mafias.
When you see PF nincompoops like A Mwanza and that sly crook Mwamba come out in full force just know its something to do with DEC or ACC or something to do with homosexuality. The nation will never be divided if the law enforcements have tangible evidence.
Ba Mwanza we are already divided, if you have the eyes of the spirit you will see how bad the division is and so we are hoping by God’s grace that the division will be arrested and for DEC going to search some one’s premises without search wallant if proved true then DEC must be sued without fail because these chaps are like excited for nothing.
PF left the nation divided and HH has done a lot to reunit the country
“…He (President Lungu) was President for seven years, a minister in two different ministerial portfolios and legislator and a private practicing lawyer of many years, now he can’t own a property? Mr Mwanza asked…”
How come lungu declared $1.8 million after only 18 months in office from almost zero when he first declared ?????
And if he was not a corrupt thieving president, what has he got to fear …???.??
Nobody is persecuting that man, he associated the office of the presidency with too many questionable people so much that whenever those people are questioned, he feels insecure. He has no capacity to protect them anymore. The former head of state should simply calm down if he truly never committed or engaged in any unlawful activities during his tenure in office.
You send dec officers to go to a former president’s residence who has immunity, just to intimidate him and to quench your insecurity. A very sad day in Zambian history. Hh lacks manners and is a childish irresponsible fraud. Don’t worry karma has a way of dealing with such.
We pf supporters in UK don’t recognise upnd govt.
PF media team in the UK
ni Nkhani ya “Lazarus and the Rich man” iyi ka, ma Tables amapindumuka in life, Guys. As the iconic Murphy’s Law puts it : “There are only two things that are CERTAIN in life: Death and Taxes”!!
Reunited it?
The problem with trhe fight against corruption in Zambia is that it depends entirely on GOSSIP. There are no real whistleblowers in Zambia who are brave enough to report corrupt activities because most people who are witnesses to corrupt practices are themselves partakers. If a minister steals, it means that even his Permanent Secretary will steal and so also the directors. The people who are privy to the evidence will also be participants. The rest of us will only have hearsay evidence and social media gossip. In order to fight corruption we need to introduce laws on transparency and probity. All senior public servants must declare all relevant close relationships.
Was the country divided over the Chiluba court cases?
We need to backdate infomation about our country how it was and how it is now, how we went wrong and how we can fix it. The nation was divided before the PF come in power, and the economy was very bad before PF. the new dawn must stop blaming the prevours governments. it them to work and fix the economy and bring peace and unit the nation. please no excusess we are tired. we want tagible results not complaining every day about how the economy was destroyed, we voted for you to fix it not to complain.
Are you mentally OK? Average economic growth before PF was 5% to 6% and then when PF came it fell to below 1%. Economy was very stable before the PF lunatics came in to steal and destroy. Get your brain checked!
The problem of the Zambian economy is that PF borrowed (and then stole) US $31 billion, comprised of the worst sort of debt possible. Now Zambia finds itself unable to pay this money, and the loan sharks are using to emasculate Zambia and loot it. This is all the fault of PF.
I hate what the PF did and how they allowed thuggery , corruption and caderism to get worse during their term . Those of us old enough saw how UNIP vigilantes ran the country under KK .
However the country became more divided when the entire Southern, Western and most North western predominantly became UPND . Silly PF members capitalised on that to try and win the votes . Otherwise Zambians are still united , loving and peaceful…unless one brings in cheap politics.
When MMD came to power, and fired all the army and police officers who were not from Northern, Luapula or Eastern Province; When MMD and PF only hired civil servants from Northern, Luapula or Eastern.Province.. When Chiluba refused to raise a finger as 2 million cows died of a preventable foot and mouth outbreak in Southern Province; when Chiluba spent millions of dollars trying in vain to introduce cows into Luapula Province; when MMD and PF were looting Northwestern and Southern Province, to build hospitals and 2 universities out in Mpika; when Satan was taking Siavonga and Itezhi Tezhi from Southern Province, what unity was being promoted? When you have a government comprising only Nyanjas and Bembas, that is unity. When you have government that is representative of everyone, that is…
DON’T BE BOTHERED COMRADES IN THE PF,HH KNOWZ THIS IS HIS LAST TERM TO RULE,I’M GLAD THAT ZAMBIANS CAN NOW DIFFERECIATE BETWEEN UPND AND PF.
ALL WE CAN DO AS PF IS TO CONTINUE CAMPAIGNING,*ZAMBIANS KNOW WHO WE’RE AND WHAT WE CAPABLE OF DOING.
Hey Antonio Mwanza,
The fact that Lungu was resoundingly defeated by Mr Hakiainde Hichileme, is exactly what contributes to his exposure to possible genuine prosecution. Lungu is not being persecuted by anyone. What is happening to Lungu should be escalated to a higher level, so that he can be incarcerated for a minimum period of 12 decades. Lungu is very luck because he can still drive around and harass DEC officials as a free offender. In fact, all PF rank and file membership still enjoys various freedoms and, you also awarded yourselves the extra right to abuse the following: citizens; UPND’; and HH. Hey Antonio, what more do you want? PF or its ruminants will never rule Zambia again. You failed to deliver on your pledges and that is it. Bye for now and viva HH, viva UPND.
In the clip, Lungu said that “I am older than him, so is it a problem for me to have half what he has?” The difference is that we all know that HH got his capital due to his consultancy in the privatization process and made some savvy business deals thereafter to expand his wealth. For Lungu, where has he worked?
How much is half of what HH has…$150 million……???
For sure lungu should tell the nation how he made that money…….
And for sure HH should tell the nation how he made his money. Otherwise we will believe Nawakwi
The nation does not belong to PF to be divided over thuggery.
Uwaishile, kuya ba ya.
The nation is for ever the nation of ZAMBIA : a kalo kesu a kamukuba; akabusaka bamwisa baleli in 1964 even without ka PF the ZAMBIAN NATION WILL FOR EVER BE HERE. ZAMBIA IN THE SUN!!!!
Kumbwi
Tepapa mukolila
Amatwi kwati yakwa belesebu
Something fishy here. If ECL is not the owner of the lodge, why did the caretaker call ECL when DEC came to search the property. So, he has some connection to the lodge which DEC need to investigate.
Simple questions!
Who owns the lodge, how did he fund it and when? What is Lungu interest in this lodge?
By the way Antonio Mwanza the gaslighting, what did Lungu do when he discovered that huge amounts of money were being deposited in banks?
Presidential immunity is from prosecution and “NOT INVESTIGATION”
The investigation wings can are free to call on him.
What is the opinion from Kaizar Zulu. I miss this blogger. Is he still in diaspora cleaning toilets with his friend Lusambo to come and finance the presidential campaign for KBF.
KZ is picking up a lot of shifts to better his life.
A mwanza , mwamba and all the othe pf crooks ñeer advised luñgu and each ot?ernot to indulge in corrupt practices and never took corruption as a crime because they were in control. Today they want to complain over the wrong things they had dne instead of apologising to the nation. why did ecl rush to the lodge if it was not his? When kamb?ili was making the people awre ôf what lungu was doing as a pompwe, some thought the man was mad.
This kind of waffling instead of new dawn develop this time is being consumed and talking too much. People voted cos we wanted economy to improve not talking PF . Are we going to eat PF. Let us move on and develop zambia by creating more industries and more job opportinities. African politics . Shameful
Something doesn’t add up, DEC goes to a lodge, a private one. The owners happen to know President Lungu, so they call him and he comes and says to DEC its a private lodge it’s not mine? Bukopo nangula ni ngulu? So tomorrow DEC visits me I must call Former President Lungu to come and tell DEC that it has nothing to do with him?
Something doesn’t add up, DEC goes to a lodge, a private one. The owners happen to know President Lungu, so they call him and he comes and says to DEC its a private lodge it’s not mine? Bukopo nangula ni ngulu? So tomorrow DEC visits me I must call Former President Lungu to come and tell DEC that it has nothing to do with him?