We’ve just been alerted to a video clip making rounds on social media whereby one Brebner Changala, a senior citizen who ekes a living churning-out chalks is “hallucinating” that Gary Nkombo, the Minister of Local Government & Rural Development in the current administration would “whitewash President Hichilema” if internal elections were to be held in the ruling party. He claims that his source of information are the “crying members of UPND.”
“I am telling you….. if there will be a genuine convention in the UPND with a secret ballot…..Mr. Hichilema stands, Gary stands….” he blurts as his host eggs him on. “There will be a whitewash! Mr. Hakainde Hichilema will be retired in national interest.”
What sort of nonsense is this? We don’t know whatever the old man may be drinking to easily jump to such outlandish imaginations but he’s definitely not in a privileged position to be privy to internal matters regarding UPND. This is more the reason why we insist the man was either hallucinating or playing cheap politics! Consider the nature of his host……a well known Patriotic Front spin-doctor who is also a presidential aspirant in the former ruling party for that matter! What do you expect from such a person? If at all a few grains of grey matter is all you need to see through the grand scheme of things, then you won’t have challenges to arrive at a firm conclusion that the interview was nothing but a well-scripted choreography to ‘fuel’ confusion in the ruling party or indeed drive a wedge between Hichilema and some of his few trusted lieutenants.
And unfortunately for Gary, he swallowed the bait that a tabloid had set before him and let the world know about his political ambitions. What has been the result? The Local Government & Rural Development Minister has now become the subject of discussion within UPND circles, be it negative or otherwise. We would urge party members not to take Changala’s hallucinations seriously. He doesn’t have any locus standi to decide or even guess who would be next in line to succeed Hichilema when the right time eventually comes. We would like to assure them that Nkombo definitely stands tall and remains unwavering in his support and loyalty for President Hichilema, through and through!
We shall give a practical example. When Hichilema was robbed of victory in the 2016 intense elections, many youths who were obviously craving for the change of government took to social media in droves to suggest that if HH tumbles in the next elections, he should step aside for the Mazabuka Member of Parliament.They were obviously afraid of voicing out such sentiments in public for fear of being abducted and whisked away to Kamugodi by violent PF thugs to be taught a bitter lesson!
When we bumped into Nkombo at a social event and put it to him what the youth were saying on social media, he shared something with us that earned him our utmost admiration and respect.
“Loyalty defines a man,” he said as he pondered, “I can never betray HH no matter what it takes! The man has been of great help to me and my family.”
How many times did the PF or even the MMD try to entice him with lofty positions as senior cabinet minister for him to betray HH? Did he succumb? He remained resolute and firm, of course! Please stop wasting your time; HH and Mazembe are like a simcard na phone, you can’t seperate the two!
Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
We know know one can choose a president in that tribal party.
And some upnd f00Is were busy making noise when I said that zambia cannot win a single competition in football under upnd. They can only win under pf e.g. 2012. The performance was abysmal and yet hh gives praise without true constructive feedback. When you are a failed president you have to praise failure because you are desperate to be liked
ATLEAST HH opens his mouth unlike your !d10t
The author ought to do further research and he will recall that Garry actually once stood as member of parliament on an mmd ticket and lost to Greeves. Though we take nothing away from Garry’s stand on loyalty.
Loyalty that is sold is not loyalty. Kapinga reports that Nkombo is loyal because HH bailed out his family and he calls this loyalty?? This article reflects Kapinga’s own objectives with his articles. To show loyalty to HH. What he wants to applaud are his own ill-defined values dictating his bootlicking in these writings
Kaping’a should just take up charcoal burning.
You don’t know what is happening in the world. we need leaders from the diaspora. Look at good African football players. Jérôme Boateng and his brother Ghana.
This Kapinga has lost his sense of existence in the new era. Zambia has chosen democracy, freedom of expression and divegent views. If Kapinga spent his time disparaging what someone’s views are regarding the leadership in UPND then we can safely say the article is paid for by someone in the UPND. Kapinga should not reduce himself to such low level writhing. His career is longer than a single pay cheque. Kapinga has right not to agrreee with Changala but to use such primitive language is unacceptable.