By Isaac Zulu
Democratic Party (DP) Central provincial chairman Stephen Kabwe has challenged Justine Nkonge to account for the K300,000 legal fees that was entrusted with him by the party leadership.
But Nkonge has dismissed the assertion , describing DP leader Harry Kalaba as a mean, pompous man who can’t allow anyone to even get K50 from him.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Kabwe said that while serving as Democratic Party national treasurer, Nkonge was given K300,000 legal fees, but has allegedly failed to account for the said monies.
“Instead of continuously masquerading as Democratic Party members with his other two colleagues, Nkonge should start accounting for the K300,000 that was entrusted with him by the party leadership in legal fees. I challenge him on this issue because I sit on the national executive committee of the Democratic Party and I know that our national secretary has written to Mr Nkonge, asking him to account for the money that he was given as legal fees,” said Kabwe.
He reiterated that Nkonge and Judith Kabemba are no longer members of the DP, stressing that the duo was expelled some time back, and “should stop masquerading as members of the Democratic Party.”
And Kabwe has said that there is nothing wrong with Kalaba embracing individuals that served in the Patriot Front government.
“President Harry Kalaba resigned from the Patriot Front government as foreign affairs minister, citing corruption in the previous regime. And he has accepted to work with individuals that served in the Patriot Front government without a corruption tag. The national executive committee of the Democratic Party has endorsed the decision to embrace those colleagues who once served in the Patriot Front government like Mwansa Mbulakulima, Alexander Chiteme and the other person that comes from Chawama. Politics is about numbers, and Judy and her associates should know that you cannot grow a political organisation without embracing well meaning individuals,” Kabwe explained. “The issue at hand is that Judith Kabemba and her colleagues that are fighting the leadership of president Harry Kalaba feel challenged by the individuals that are joining the Democratic Party. In one of the national executive committee meeting it was agreed that we have two vice presidents; one for administration and the other one for operations. That is what made Judith Kabemba and her colleagues to feel challenged. But we are not going to be detracted by people like Judith Kabemba and Justine Nkonge and stop welcoming people that want to work with the Democratic Party. In fact, even Judith Kabemba herself is not an original Democratic Party member, she came from NAREP.”
Kabwe further charged that Kabemba and Nkonge are “hired guns who are being sponsored to destabilise the Democratic Party.”
“I challenge Nkonge and Judith Kabemba to tell me and the nation who their chairperson for Eastern Province, let them tell me and the nation who their chairperson for Central Province is and other Provinces. They have no structures anywhere while president Harry Kalaba is becoming a household name,” said Kabwe.
But Nkonge rubbished allegations leveled against him that he has failed to account for K300,000 that was entrusted with him by the Democratic Party leadership as legal fees.
“Tell that man in Central Province and Harry Kalaba to go to court if there is such. That is total rubbish and should be treated with the contempt it deserves,” said Nkonge when contacted for a comment. “They are being led and misled by a person that is manufacturing lies and advising them to say anything against us, and me in particular. That Harry Kalaba is a mean person, he is selfish and cannot allow anyone to take even a K50 from him. Harry Kalaba is selfish, self centred and full of pomposity.”
