By Merlyn Mwanza
Healing Word Ministries Overseer Pastor Moses Chiluba yesterday told Ministry of Information director of media Thabo Kawana that those urging him to ignore government critics “will lead you in a ditch.”
And PF presidential aspirant Chishimba Kambwili told Kawana that he was embarrassing government for saying that because of excess money the government had come up with a supplementary budget of K22 billion, wondering how that were the case when the government stated in the 2022 national budget that they were looking to raise K74 billion through borrowing.
But Kawana confronted pastor Chiluba on why men of God like him could not rein-in on Kambwili when he went around “like a lunatic” preaching divisive politics in the lead up to the 2021 general elections.
Featuring on a televised programme on CAMNET TV, where the station’s chairman pastor Chiluba hosted Kawana, one of the callers had asked Kawana to ignore the criticism from Kambwili, who had called in to the programme to dismiss the arguments Kawana was raising, including telling him that he was embarrassing the government as he was overshooting his boundaries.
But chipping in on the urge from the caller asking Kawana to ignore Kambwili, pastor Chiluba said that he had always learnt in life that no matter how harsh the criticism there was always some grain of truth and urged Kawana to instead ignore the person who was asking him to ignore Kambwili.
“Such minds will lead you in a ditch,” pastor Chiluba said of the “other person who said ignore Kambwili”, saying that was his sincere advice to Kawana and President Hakainde Hichilema.
He urged Kawana to listen to critics rather than “people who will just say Mr. Kawana I like your jacket.”
“Don’t dismiss everything that comes,” pastor Chiluba urged during a TV programme monitored by Daily Revelation Media.
But Kawana argued that it was even better off ignoring some people because their intentions were known.
He said pastors should have shown concern when Kambwili was going round spreading divisive politics during the 2021 general elections, saying they should have sat him down.
But pastor Chiluba said he would not blow his own trumpet over which people he had spoken to privately, saying even when some criticized him of being a UPND or PF cadre it did not bother him at all.
Kambwili had called in to castigate Kawana over some pronouncements he was making.
“I have associated myself with that young man for a long time, but I am very disappointed the way he is talking,” Kambwili said, dismissing Kawana’s claim that the government had put in a K22 billion supplementary budget because there was excess money in the country and therefore they had to go to parliament on how to spend the same money.
Kambwili questioned that reasoning when the government indicated that they would raised K74 billion through borrowing, wondering why the appetite to spend if the savings have been made, and that the same UPND condemned the PF for the appetite to spend.
“Why can’t you reduce on the borrowing of K74 billion, especially if you condemned PF of over-borrowing?…stop playing politics and there is no surplus. Yes we are not paying debt as we are discussing with creditors,” Kambwili said, arguing that the money that should have gone towards debt repayment should instead be channeled towards the K74 billion.
He urged President Hichilema not to listen to those he said were praise singers like Kawana whose main aim he said was protecting his job, charging that the change the Zambian people brought about in 2021 must be serious change.
He urged Kawana to tell the President the truth, saying as opposed to blowing own trumpet, Zambians must be the ones to say that the UPND is doing well.
He charged that Kawana should know his limits and restrict himself to the affairs of the Ministry of Information and Media as talking about issues of government policy was the preserve of the minister of information who was also the chief government spokesperson.
“Take heart and chill because at the rate you are going you are just embarrassing this government because you are overshooting your boundaries,” said Kambwili.
On the other matters, pastor Chiluba urged those in government to be vigilant because even in times when the price of fuel was reduced, the businesses criminally did not pass on the benefits as they maintained the same prices but whenever the fuel was increased they instantly adjusted their prices upwards.
He also said pay television channels like Top Star and DSTV should also reduce their prices, something Kawana agreed to, arguing that they always argued that the prices were adjusted on account of the exchange rate, but the Kwacha was now strong but the pay television companies have not passed on the benefits to the consumers.
He added that the prices for DSTV in South Africa were lower than those in Zambia, yet the Zambian Kwacha was now stronger than the South African Rand.
