FORMER Defence Minister George Mpombo has backed President Edgar Lungu’s style of leadership describing him as a leader who has a heart for all the Zambians and wants the best for Zambia.

Mr. Mpombo who yesterday shared a platform in Kalumbila District with President Lungu to drum up support for the Patriotic Front (PF) candidate in the September 24, Solwezi West by-elections, expressed his admiration at what the Head of State has achieved so far in terms of fostering development to different parts of the country.

The PF is banking on Martin Mbaya to scoop the Solwezi West seat.

Mr. Mpombo who served in government under the MMD, said President Lungu had managed to turn around the economic fortunes of North Western Province in the time that he had been in office.

“President Edgar Lungu has demonstrated that he has the passion for this province, he wants to get this province out of abuse and underdevelopment, and he has the capacity to do that. You have seen that the Chingola-Solwezi Road is being worked on and this was done even without the by-elections, so I can say that President Lungu is an all weather friend of North Western Province,” Mr. Mpombo said amid applause from the hundreds of residents that attended the public rally at Musele grounds.

He said if other leaders failed to deliver development in the past, it would be unfair to suggest that the same would happen under President Lungu judging by his vision to transform the country’s economic landscape.

President Lungu urged the people in Solwezi West to vote for Mr. Mbaya in order to enhance connectivity with the Government so as to develop the area.

“To avoid a disconnection with the Government, give us Mbaya because if you give us someone else, there will be no network, you will be out of coverage,” Mr. Lungu said.

He said the PF had witnessed increased number of people joining it under his leadership because he was a leader who embraced everyone.

Mr. Lungu noted that it would be difficult for him to advise or work with a different MP rather than Mr. Mbaya who had shown that he was a humble man, who was ready to listen to the people.

He said the ruling party had realised that power belonged to the people and would therefore endeavour to ensure that the electorate were not disappointed.

The President said the only reward that he could give to the Zambian people for putting the PF in power would be to deliver development.

Mr. Mbaya promised the people that he would work with them to develop the area further.

The Solwezi West seat fell vacant following the death of MMD’s Humphrey Mwanza.

Others contesting the seat are Teddy Kasonso on the UPND ticket and John Njombi for UNIP.

PATRIOTIC Front(PF) deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri has urged Zambians to give the party a chance to develop the country and improve the livelihood of citizens.

Ms Phiri said the PF Government was working hard to ensure that economic development was sustained in all sectors as evidenced by the massive infrastructure development and service provision being carried out throughout the country.

She said during a rally at Changanamai grounds in Kitwe yesterday, that the PF Government was implementing various developmental programmes such as construction of roads, schools and hospitals which were aimed at improving the livelihood of citizens.

Ms Phiri said the challenges that the country was experiencing such as the power deficit and depreciation of the Kwacha should not be blamed on President Edgar Lungu because the problems were as a result of poor rainfall pattern experienced in the Southern region and the global economic challenges that had affected even better currencies such as China and South Africa.
She urged Copperbelt residents to reject politicians that privatized the mines and parastatal companies which she said had contributed to the high poverty levels among the community.

“Do not be misled by the opposition politicians that are using the negative global economic trends and the natural calamities that are causing the poor performance of the Zambian economy to accuse President Edgar Lungu of failing to run the economy.

“These are global problems being experienced even by better economies so we need to work together, develop the country and improve the livelihood of our people,” she said.

Ms Phiri urged PF members to remain united and embrace members that had left the party after so as to strengthen the PF in readiness for next years general elections.

She further urged the party officials to protect the Copperbelt province which was one of the PF stronghold and ensure that the opposition political parties do not penetrate the province.

The deputy secretary general further appealed to PF members aspiring for adoption in various positions in next years elections to allow those occupying the positions to finish their terms of office.

PF youth chairman Chishimba Kambwili said Zambians should not allow themselves to cheated by the opposition political parties that the problem of load-shedding was as a result of poor leadership on the party.

Mr Kambwili who is also Chief Government spokesperson said the PF had put in place adequate measures to ensure issues of load-shedding comes to an end next year.

“I want to assure that there will be no load-shedding next year, we have put in place enough measures to address the problem and we are working hard to ensure Zambians are not subjected to load-shedding,” he said.

Chimwemwe Member of Parliament(Mp) Mwenya Musenge said the Copperbelt province was ready for next year’s elections and assured of a landslide victory.

Mr Musenge who is also Copperbelt Provincial Minister said the province was ready to support President Lungu as the Presidential candidate for the party.

He appealed to PF members that had defected to opposition parties after the provincial elections due to misunderstandings to rejoin the party because there was no future in opposition political parties.

Copperbelt chairman Stephen Kainga said the PF was intact on the Copperbelt contrary to claims by some opposition political parties that they have taken over the province while Youth chairman Nathan Chanda said youths were eager to register as voters in large numbers so as to vote for the PF in next year’s general elections

Hundreds of people defected from opposition political parties to join the PF.

Among the defectors was MMD councilor for Chantente ward in Kitwe, Abinala Mumba who said he decided to defect because of the feasible developmental programmes being undertaken by the PF which were improving people’s lives.

The rally was also attended by Wusakile, Kwacha and Kamfinsa Mps, Richard Musukwa, Bonnie Mutale and Moses Chishimba respectively.

PRESIDENT Lungu says his involvement in the Angolan oil deal was meant to encourage private sector participation, unlike what has been suggested by The Post Newspapers.

The President, who was speaking on arrival in Solwezi to scores of people who welcomed him, said accusations of corruption in the Angola oil deal were unfair, especially that he has not interfered with the Anti-Corruption Commission since he was voted into office.

The President also lashed out at Post Newspapers Editor-in-Chief Fred M’membe who he said was a bitter man because he failed to help his friend Rainbow Party leader Wynter Kabimba to ascend to power after the death of President Michael Sata.

The President advised Mr M’membe to pay his workers on time adding that the Post Newspaper owner has begun a battle with him through his Newspaper by publishing false information.

The Head of State said Mr M’membe is lying to the Zambian people that he helped the Patriotic Front (PF) to form government when he has been against the ruling party for a long time as evidenced by his evil schemes to hijack the party.

Mr Lungu said it is the poor people of Zambia who sacrificed for the party to usher the PF into government and this is the reason late President Sata did not allow PF to be hijacked by people with money to avoid being enslaved.

“Mr M’membe is a bitter man because he failed to help his friend Wynter Kabimba to ascend to power and God is above all this manipulation and he allowed me to become President,” Mr Lungu said.

President Lungu, however, said he has no personal grudge against Mr M’membe and his employees but advised the newspaper to be factual in its reporting as it exercises its right to freedom of speech.

He has since assured Mr M’membe that government wants to see the newspaper continue with its production but advised him to pay his workers on time and not waste resources on funding political activities of the Rainbow party.

Mr Lungu said he has been quiet for a long time but he has decided to respond to Mr M’membe to clear the air.

He has since advised Mr M’membe to take him on if he thinks he is engaging in criminal activities.

“So because I have not allowed them latitude of manipulating the ACC, the police and other government agencies, I have become their enemy,” he said.

And Mr Lungu has advised Zambians not to give power to the opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and his vice president Geoffrey Mwamba because the two want to use the Zambians to amass wealth.

President Lungu, however, said people have a democratic right to elect a leader of their choice but that Zambians have slowly begun to appreciate him since he became President.

He also assured Zambians that he will work hard to unite the country through the One Zambia One Nation motto. President Lungu also said he still loves the people of North-Western Province even if they do not vote for the PF candidate Martin Mbaya in the forthcoming Solwezi West Parliamentary by election. He also advised people not to listen to false stories from his critics that the current power deficit the country is facing due to low water levels at Kariba North bank has been caused by the PF because no one can fight with nature.

On the mining sector, President Lungu said the mines are facing challenges because of the low copper prices prevailing on the market.

President Lungu urged Zambians to work together and find solutions to the problems the country is facing.

While at the airport, President Lungu was joined by former President Rupiah Banda, who thanked the people of North-Western Province for the support rendered to President Lungu during the January 2015 presidential elections.

Mr Banda also advised Zambians to give President Lungu the respect he deserves saying no country can live in peace if people continue to attack a democratically elected President.

President Lungu said he would not abandon the former head of State despite accusations from the Post newspaper that Mr Banda was corrupt when he has been cleared by the courts of law.

Earlier, North-Western Province PF chairman Emmanuel Chihili said it is no longer a secret that the political landscape in the province is changing towards the ruling party since President Lungu assumed office.

Today’s Scripture

“…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
(Matthew 12:34, NKJV)

The Overflow of Your Heart

Have you said something recently that you wish you hadn’t? The Bible says that your words reveal what’s going on inside of you. If you go around speaking negative words of defeat, putting others down and complaining all the time, it’s a sign that you need to refocus your heart and mind. It’s a sign that your “overflow” is polluted.

Our bodies work a lot like a computer. What you put on the hard drive of your heart will show up on the monitor of your mouth.

The good news is that you can reprogram your mind the same way you can reprogram a computer. The Bible says that our minds are renewed—or reprogrammed—by the Word of God. The more you read and study His Word, the more it will transform you from the inside out.

Start today by asking the Lord to reveal anything in your heart that needs changing. Make Him first place in your life. Fill your heart with the good treasure of God’s Word so that blessings come out of your mouth. Let the overflow of your heart be filled with faith and expectancy, and you’ll see God’s hand of blessing in every area of your life.

A Prayer for Today

“Father in heaven, I humbly come before You and ask that You cleanse my heart and mind of anything that isn’t pleasing to You. Fill me with Your faith, peace, joy and love so that I can overflow with Your goodness today in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

People of Chawama deserve an apology

12 September 2015

It makes sad reading and I hope Edgar Lungu was misquoted by the media that our peaceful party the UPND has hired thugs from Chawama, his former constituency, to go and cause violence in Lubansenshi and Solwezi constituency bye elections.

We believe it is a huge insult and very demeaning for Lungu to view his own people in Chawama as a mere bunch of thugs that can just be rented for political violence.

Lungu owes everything he has today at the top as president to the support he got from the same people of Chawama, whom he nows views as mere thugs.

We believe they kept him during the trying moments and elected him as Member of Parliament, gave him a massive presidential vote and recently again gave him an MP.

We believe Lungu owes the people of Chawama an apology, because if indeed they are thugs as he labelled them, he contributed to their poverty that has brewed thuggery in them.

If Lungu can view the people of Chawama who have been giving him all such support with such contempt and insults, we wonder how he views the rest of us.

At a time Lungu is supposed to be acknowledging and addressing the economic challenges the people of Chawama are facing, he is just seeing thuggery in their suffering and that is how today he is thanking them.

We all know who has been causing violence in bye elections, including the top leadership of PF such as Davies Chama who shot people in Mulobezi.

Stephen Katuka
UPND Secretary General
___________________________

Issued by: UPND National Campaign Centre, Lusaka

UPND President Hakainde Hichilema has countered ruling PF Secretary General Davies Chama’s questioning his ability to transform Zambia if voted in as Head of State, saying that Mr. Chama should be ignored because he suspects that he is allegedly a misnomer to the Zambian society.

Mr. Chama had recently challenged Mr. Hichilema to tell the nation how exactly he will transform the country if he does not have anything to show for even in his home village.

Mr. Hichilema explained is why he has remained quiet and has not spoken out at the many times that Mr. Chama has been reported to have insulted and ridiculed the people of Zambia.

He has told Qfm News by telephone that if Mr. Chama wants to know whether or not he has capabilities to lead Zambia he should know that he is already a responsible senior headman in his home Village were he has even helped build a mini hospital besides the 20 to 25, on overage, children who are not his, but whom he has been supporting in schools from primary to college education in the last 23 years each year.

Mr. Hichilema has particularly challenged the PF Chief Executive Officer to go to Hakainde village in Bweengwa, about 40 kilometers from Monze West, and see the work that the UPND is doing there for the villagers.

The UPND president stated that Mr. Chama must also know that there are some people that are superior to him and that he is inferior.

He has since maintained that UPND will transform Zambia because it has a vision and management skills to do so.

When contacted for a comment Mr. Chama could not be reached on telephone by broadcast time.

Ruling PF Mandevu constituency chairperson Joseph Tamba has however expressed disappointment that a leader that is vying for the highest office in the land such as Mr. Hichilema can insult the PF Secretary General by suggesting that he is a lunatic whose brain is full of water.

Mr. Tamba told Qfm News in a separate interview that Mr. Hichilema has clearly demonstrated that he is not ready to become Zambia’s next President.

He is of the view that if someone wants to become President of Country he must respect other leaders in the manner that he would equally want to be respected.

Mr. Tamba stated that it is therefore wrong for Mr. Hichilema to have insulted Mr. Chama especially that he only reminded him to assess himself against what he has done in his home village to what he can do if ever he becomes republican President.