Patriotic Front Lusaka Province Chairperson Kennedy Kamba has urged Zambians to ignore what he described as illogical claims about the dent swap from the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema.

In a statement released to the media, Mr Kamba said that Mr Hichilema does not make sense and only speaks volumes of a visionless politician who wants to get government power by whatever means possible.

“It is actually Hakainde Hichilema and his selfish colleagues that caused the suffering of civil servants and the nation in general when they wreaked havoc in the economy by selling national assets in the late 90s and early 2000 for personal benefit,” he noted.

Mr. Kamba said Mr Hichilema cannot even tell Zambians how he became rich. Whenever he is asked about his wealth, he gets agitated and visibly annoyed.

“It is a fact that Hakainde Hichilema participated in a very destructive privatization of national assets including the mines in the Second Republic,” he noted.

“They sold the country’s assets and shared resources among themselves instead of improving the economy. And today he is condemning the government strives to improve the living standards of the people. What a shame,”!

Mr. Kamba stated that the very debt burden civil servants are grappling with, is the very debt burden President Lungu and the PF are trying to sort out to lessen financial pressures on the citizenry was caused by Hakainde Hichilema and his selfish friends when they underpriced national assets and heavily benefited from the very transactions.

“These are the people who want to look smart today and claim the PF caused the suffering of the people when they pocketed monies that belonged to the very poor they want to lead,” he said.

Mr Kamba further said Hakainde Hichilema has no moral right to even talk about the struggles of Zambians because he and his friends caused the problems that President Lungu is trying to sort out day in day out.

“We are comforted by the fact that President Lungu is winning in terms of addressing the pertinent issues that affect Zambians daily, among them, household poverty that is being alleviated,” he said.

“Our message to Zambians is that ignore Hakainde Hichilema and his hollow promises. Someone who participated in creating a very miserably economy in the late 90s and early 2000 when they sold national assets, cannot today claim to be a saviour of this country,”.

He said President Lungu is winning this years elections because he has sorted out the very mess that HH and his colleagues created and the pain they inflicted on Zambians when they dubiously privatized national assets for their own benefit.

Mr Kamba further said that one thing the PF in Lusaka Province is proud of is that Zambians have seen through the destructive messages of the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema, adding that this is the more reason they have rejected him five times and he is heading into political retirement after August 12 when he loses for the sixth time.

“Listening to Hakainde Hichilema’s message to Zambians, you can easily sense that the levels of bitterness are beyond measure and it could be highly suicidal for the future of this country if given space,” he said.

Mr Kamba added that a normal politician with stable reasoning and good leadership qualities cannot rubbish the good deeds of the PF in protecting the interests of Zambians regarding the Debt Swap Strategy that has been put in place to lessen the burden of debt on civil servants.

He said the civil servants in Zambia, including the Trade Unions and related Labour Movements, know very well where they are coming from in terms of improving the living conditions and general well-being of civil servants.

“Today as we speak, many teachers, nurses, medical doctors, and others, can afford to create wealth for their families which was not the case before the PF came into power,” said Mr Kamba.

“A little survey will tell you that teachers today are able to import vehicles, do a side business and also build houses for their families. This is not magic, this is because the government has put up an enabling environment for personal wealth creation for citizens including those in civil service,”.

He explained that a good government creates wealth for its people and provides opportunities equitably.

“The debt swap strategy is one of those incentives the government has put in place to relieve financial pressures on civil servants. The people working in government are happy about this but Hakainde Hichilema is fuming with bitterness and putting up weird claims that government caused the debt burden on civil servants,” he stated.

THE United Party for National Development (UPND) Lusaka province chairperson, Obvious Mwaliteta, has challenged farmers who want empowerment through agriculture to vote for a fellow farmer.

Zambia goes to the polls on 12th August, 2021 – an election widely viewed as an opportunity for the opposition UPND to form government owing to the current economic challenges and deteriorating human rights and freedoms.

Speaking when he addressed villagers in Shampule village in Chinyanja ward of Chilanga constituency, the Lusaka province UPND chief cautioned farmers against voting for leaders who don’t have a farming background.

He said the challenges facing the agricultural sector are due to the fact that the current Republican president has no farming background.

“The kind of empowerment that you need here lies in agriculture. You need deep tanks here, you need cattle for ploughing and enough fertilizer and the only person who can empower you is president Hakainde Hichilema because he’s a farmer. Mwanawasa [the late Republican president] managed to empower you because he ran a farm called Teka Farm,” said Mwaliteta. “So baakuza ba PF, mukaabambile ati kuno ku Shampule tulibalimi, Kamutwaambila munda wa president [Lungu], ulikuli?”

And Mwaliteta has instructed the UPND Chilanga district aspiring council chairperson, Champion Tembo and Chinyanja ward aspiring councillor, Chipo Mulubisha to ensure that they drill solar powered boreholes in the area when elected in office.

He said the solar-powered boreholes will make it easy for women to draw water and improve the farming activities in the area.

Meanwhile, a PF chairlady in charge of women clubs for Chinyanja ward, Grace Munkasu has defected to UPND citing corruption in his former party.

She said the PF in the area has been stealing from the poor through clubs and land grabbing.

The UPND Lusaka provincial chief, who began by attending the burial of a former Shampule Primary School headteacher was in the area to drum up support for the UPND presidential candidate, Hakainde Hichilema, Chilanga aspiring MP (Sipho Hlazo), council chairperson candidate (Champion Tembo) and Chinyanja ward aspiring councillor, Chipo Mulubisha.

He was accompanied by Lusaka province chairlady, Rosa Zulu, UPND Chilanga district chairperson (Chisambwe Chinyama) and district deputy chairperson for strategy and mobilisation (Juda Sikamikami).

Others were district chairlady (Lizzie Chanda), district IPS – in charge of media (Chrispine Chambwa) and deputy district chairlady in charge of mobilisation (Ebony Chuuka) among others.

THE UPND Chilanga district deputy chairperson for mobilization and strategy, Juda Sikamikami, has advised the people of Mubanga area in Chinyanja ward of Chilanga constituency to be careful with PF’s vote buying tricks.

Speaking yesterday after Mubanga residents complained to the UPND Chilanga district officials and their council chairperson candidate about the high cost of living and the PF carderism which has seen the residents loose part of their community land, and a football pitch which has been turned into plots, Juda Sikamikami said that the residents shouldn’t fall plea to PF’s voting buying schemes if they don’t want carderism and the cost of living to continue going up.

He said the PF will give them money on the polling day so as to make them forget about what they are currently going through.

“Please be extra careful with PF! PF is like a violent husband who buys a wife a dress and a chicken after attempting to kill her so that she doesn’t go to her parents, but pakapita ma days ang’ono chabe chamumenya futi,” said Sikamikami. “They will come with so much money on the voting day. You get that money….(sic) but vote for HH and UPND just like a wife who will get the chicken and wear a dress but runs to her parents.”

The residents also lamented about the lack of a health facility in the area and the water challenges they’re facing and they’ve since called on the UPND Chilanga district aspiring council chairperson, Champion Tembo, to address their plight after being elected in the coming elections.
Zambia goes to the polls on 12th of August this year.

By Guy Scott

The UPND Alliance, led by Hakainde Hichilema (HH), has much to offer Zambia. HH has surrounded himself with a dedicated team of experts committed to rooting out corruption, delivering opportunity and restoring Zambia’s natural wealth back into the hands of the people.

The general elections scheduled for 12 August are set to be a decisive moment for Zambia.

Almost 60 years since independence and 30 years since the reintroduction of multiparty elections, Zambians are once again demanding change and leadership that will meet their aspirations, redress the balance of power, and restore opportunity in the country.

In recent years Zambia has lost its way. The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government has decimated the economy and severed its connection with the people. As a result, hunger and unemployment are on the rise even as prices of copper, our major export, have reached new highs.

Just as worrying are the attempts by those currently in power to cling to their positions using the politics of division and tribalism to gain political points and cynically divide Zambians. This threatens the very foundations of our peaceful nation and the treasured legacy of unity that was bestowed by our recently departed first president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda.

Ahead of next month’s elections the opposition is offering a stark departure from this track record of failure. The UPND Alliance, led by Hakainde Hichilema (HH), has much to offer the country. Their economic platform is informed by HH’s strong business track record, as well as his personal journey as a farmer.

As a leader, HH is open to advice and counsel; humble enough to seek guidance from those with more experience, yet confident in his ability to turn around the country with the support of his team and plenty of hard work.

Having been arrested 15 times and spent over four months in prison following the 2016 elections, HH also has a resolute commitment to delivering a better and brighter future for Zambians which encompasses a strong protection of human rights.

Like so many of us, he has a strong sense of compassion, patriotism, and duty; a desire to see Zambians thrive. He has no time for those who enter politics simply to enrich themselves.

The people of Zambia are calling out for change. They will not be hoodwinked by the PF’s distribution of campaign material. I spoke to a young woman recently from Eastern province who explained that she and her fellow youth “will not be blinded by the simple distribution of chitenges [garments] and small packets of salt that the PF are dishing out”.

People have seen that such handouts are unsustainable. Instead, they want leadership that will strengthen their capacity to farm and sustainably produce food. They are looking for a government that will prioritise job creation for our youth so they can be uplifted out of poverty. To achieve this, HH has surrounded himself with a dedicated team of experts, hailing from all 10 of the country’s provinces. This diverse and experienced coalition is committed to rooting out corruption, delivering opportunity and restoring Zambia’s natural wealth back into the hands of the people. No longer will the government be weighed down by ineptitude and graft, but will instead be lifted up to properly serve those who place their trust in it.

In response to the opposition’s growing strength the incumbent government has attempted to block our progress at every turn, denying voters the chance to hear our message wherever possible. Even before rallies and roadshows were banned on public health grounds the police were routinely deployed to block our passage, recently firing tear gas canisters at HH as he simply attempted to travel to church. Meanwhile, the president and his vice-president were touring the country, officiating at various non-essential events, suggesting they think only the opposition can spread Covid-19.

Restrictions on physical campaigns mean media access has never been more important. However, under President Edgar Lungu’s government media restrictions and shutdowns have become commonplace. It is no wonder that Zambia is one of the fastest autocratising countries in the world, according to the Varieties of Democracy Index.

Not content with shutting down the largest independent print publication ahead of the 2016 polls – The Post – Prime TV, Muvi TV and Komboni Radio have all since had their licences revoked or cancelled on either a permanent or temporary basis. In May Muvi TV was threatened with closure by the Independent Broadcasting Authority after hosting opposition politicians in a move criticised by domestic and international civil society groups alike. Meanwhile, governing party cadres are deployed to attack radio stations hosting opposition figures and have been caught on camera burning UPND materials.

Rather than facing its problems head-on, the government is becoming more and more oppressive by the day. It has run out of ideas and it has no positive track record upon which to run a credible campaign. When the PF lost its founding leader, President Michael Sata, in 2014, division and infighting took hold of the party. Those that came out on top are now seeking to use similarly thuggish tactics to maintain control and run roughshod over the country with little regard for Zambia’s hard-won freedoms, peace and unity. Taken together, this will have grave implications for the credibility of the upcoming poll.

Yet it remains the case that there is more that unites than divides us as a nation. Today Zambians are united in wanting opportunities to earn a good living; an end to the ever-rising cost of living; and access to the most basic services like education and healthcare.

On 12 August, our hope as the opposition is that Zambians will reject the politics of division and once again vote for democracy and embrace change. A new era beckons.

Daily Maverick

The author is former Vice President of the Republic of Zambia