By Mwansa Kaumba
NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile says the late payments and purchase of maize from farmers was on account of an alleged ‘criminal enterprise’ involving Parliament speakers, ex-ministers in the UPND administration, members of parliament and their cadres siphoning public funds via Eagle Milling.
And Mundubile said the UPND had now graduated from a party that started the culture of pangas via the Mapatizya formula to one that was brandishing guns as recently experienced at some NRPUP rallies across the country.
And running-mate Makebi Zulu charged that President Hakainde Hichilema was as corrupt as the civil servants who were trying to help him to subvert the will of the people in the elections.
Addressing the media today, Mundubile attributed the late payment to farmers to a “criminal enterprise in the UPND administration that was formed to siphon money through Eagle Milling.
He said there was a list of UPND cadres, including some holding high positions up to the level of Parliamentary speakers, ex-ministers, members of parliament and party media directors who corruptly and fraudulently got mealie-meal from an enterprise called Eagle Milling, which he said was conveniently created to siphon money from government.
He said they were given facilities running into hundreds of millions of Kwacha for which they have paid no ngwee.
He said President Hichilema was aware of the theft and corruption.
He said President Hichilema was calling innocent people crooks yet he could not take action against the alleged massive theft under his own nose.
He said over K1 billion was in the hands of UPND cadres who got mealie-meal from Eagle Milling purporting to export it.
He said they exported the maize but instead of paying back the money, they instead started to build luxurious houses and buying apartments in Dubai, while some invested in tracking.
He said suddenly the speakers of parliament were transporters owning hundreds of tracks.
He wondered what collateral the same people were leaving behind to be entrusted with K100 million.
He said President Hichilema could not pretend to fight corruption as he had corrupt elements within his own camp.
Mundubile charged that Zambia had a President who was hypocritical.
“Indalama shenu shili kuli ba pompwe (Your money is with the thieves). They have gotten that money via Eagle Milling,” he said. “How can a spy number 1 fail to know that his own children have stolen? And he’s the one who even supervises the ACC. Then he knows something.”
He charged that those in government were busy looking for the money so that two weeks before the elections they should pay farmers to pretend that they were swift and caring.
“Farmers don’t be cheated,” he said.
He said he and Zulu were Christians and they would easily point out and exclude the corrupt from serving in their government as opposed to Hichilema “who was facilitating corruption.”
“Zambians are chasing thieves in this election. We have promised reconciliation but we have not said we shall allow those who have gotten public funds to go scot-free,” he said.
He said he would introduce measures to ensure that civil servants had the option of getting a lampsum from their pensions.
He said the ACC would be reformed so that when reporting they would do so to the President and the parliamentary committee to enhance transparency.
Mundubile also charges that the violence in Central Province had accelerated to dangerous levels. He said in Chisamba a UPND cadre was found with a fire arm at the rally.
He said the nation had seen the gun culture grow in the UPND, including during their intraparty elections in Southern Province and during nominations when long time ex-UPND member Garry Nkombo was attacked during his filing-in of nominations as an independent candidate.
He said those in UPND were moving from carrying pangas to carrying guns.
He said in Mkushi, the ground where they were to have their rally was near UPND offices, and there again a named UPND cadre was seen brandishing a gun immediately before the rally.
He said they were concerned that in UPND they were embracing guns.
“We know that they have been carrying pangas for a very very long time, from the Mapatizya formula days,” he said.
He said the election in Mufumbwe for instance in 2009 was between then ruling MMD and UPND, saying UPND simply moved their pangas to Mufumbwe as there was a lot of shedding of blood during that election.
He said that was why they wondered when President Hichilema talked about going back to the pangas of PF, when it was in UPND where pangas have existed from time immemorial.
“As a matter of fact it was the UPND that introduced pangas in Zambian politics and they have never abandoned them. What is concerning is that the President has never condemned the panga culture in his party. He has never condemned the gun culture in his party. We want to call on him to come out clean and condemn violence in his party,” Mundubile said.
He said five deaths have occurred at the hands of UPND during this campaign season but President Hichilema has been quiet, yet he wants to come out as a president of a peaceful political party.
“You cannot continue to hide Mr President,” he said.
He said NRPUP have had a record 45 rallies without any rallies.
And Mundubile said he would encourage single licencing via the Business Regulatory Authority as part of business reforms.
He said taxes for small businesses would be lowered as the tax base would be widened.
And Zulu said the support they had received was overwhelming, and guaranteed that they would not disappoint Zambians when elected.
He promised that they would work to the best of their abilities to fulfil the promises made.
Zulu had briefly addressed the Eagles matter before Mundubile touched on the matter. In his brief remarks, Zulu said it had come to their attention that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has had difficulty not only on announcing the maize floor price but also to collect monies from people that may be owing FRA.
He said one such organisation owing FRA was Eagle Milling, which he argued was supposed to be a state owned company, but whose directors and shareholders are individuals including Zambia National Service (ZNS) Commander Lieutenant General Maliti Solochi.
He said the shift from Commandant to Commander was an illegality as ZNS was not operating to its initial aims. He said it was supposed to be an auxiliary to other arms of the military.
He said Eagle had failed to pay FRA for them to start buying maize from farmers.
He said Eagle Milling itself was owed by cadres who belong to the ruling party.
Zulu said it was disheartening that FRA and Eagle Milling have been conduits of corruption and misappropriation and abuse of office, saying they intended to tackle the same to the very end if given public office.
He said they were going to fight corruption including abuse of office and government overreach, and favouring persons that are close to the powers that be.
He said farmers were crying that the floor price must be announced and were selling the maize at a very low price.
He said the UPND administration must announce the floor price, “atleast this should be the last good deed” they would do.
He said President Hichilema had embarked on character assassination over things that do not exist.
He said they were a team that was committed to emancipate Zambians.
He said destroying PF was the only success the UPND can point to
Zulu also charged that it was corruption for President Hichilema to give job opportunities at rallies.
“President Hakainde Hichilema is as corrupt as all those civil servants that are hoping to assist him by coming together to see how best they can subvert the will of the people and get more votes,” said Zulu.
