By Staff Reporter
PF presidential aspirant Chshimba Kambwili says Mines minister Paul Kabuswe is a corrupt former pauper, who thinks he will shield himself from being fired for engaging in alleged corruption on account of his tribe, warning that he has a lot of data about his activities at the Black Mountain and from the mining companies
And Kambwili said he does not think anyone will be appointed to replace demoted Anthony Bwalya because Clayson Hamasaka was already appointed to fill that position a long time ago as Media Director at State House.
But Mines minister Paul Kabuswe charged that Kambwili paid people who marched to his house yesterday, saying he should not think that he was the only Bemba in politics.
Reacting to Kabuswe who told him not to seek power by using tribe, Kambwili said he was neither a regionalist nor a tribalist, saying if Kabuswe paid attention to how he addressed the people who marched to his residence when they were singing that “wanina pa Ng’ombe”, he told them that tribal politics have no space in Zambian politics and that he even castigated them for singing that.
He said he told them that all the tribes must unite, saying Kabuswe must just keep his job as “he was not even UPND” because he joined them at the 11th hour and therefore he would want to issue statements to please his “masters.”
He said he had told the whole world that in his nucleus family, three of his siblings were married to Tongas and therefore he does not practice tribal politics.
“And let Kabuswe know that that Kabuswe doesn’t even have power at Ministry of Mines. They have created what they are calling as Mining Advisory Committee which makes decision. That is a moribund minister and he’s just a corrupt chap who is getting a lot of corruption from mining companies and soon or later he will be locked up. So if he wants to cover up his illegal activities like the money that he has eaten from the Black Mountain, let him keep accusing others of being tribalists,” Kambwili said to Daily Revelation media. “Me I am as clean as Dr Kaunda’s handkerchief. My record in politics anybody can see it. But Kabuswe was just a pauper but look at how much money he’s got today. So tell him to keep his corruption because he is destined for jail. Tell him that you are destined for jail and you are trying to cover up the illegal activities that you are doing in the Ministry of Mines. And if you live in glass houses don’t throw stones, because if I decide to take on that Kabuswe he will not last 24 hours before he is fired.”
On the demotion for Anthony Bwalya from being presidential spokesperson to now serve as deputy High Commissioner in Tanzania, Kambwili said he could not comment on that demotion because he was not aware of the circumstances leading up to that, except the speculation, saying when one makes a decision without giving a reason for that decision, space for speculation was inevitably opened up.
He said people on social media were saying that he had been demoted because of his tribe, something he said he did not subscribe to.
“But looking at the circumstances surrounding the young man, the young man was disowned a long time ago. I have never seen a President who travels without his press aide, without his spokesperson. But the young man Bwalya, the President started leaving him a long time ago. You only see him seeing off the President and receiving the President. I have never seen such in my whole life (laughs) where the presidential spokesperson is left,” Kambwili said.
He also said he did not think that anyone will be appointed to replace Bwalya because Clayson Hamasaka was already appointed a long time ago as Media Director at State House.
“He was already replaced by Hamazoka. Is it Hamazoka or Hamasaka? Yes, there is nobody who is going to replace him. They already brought Hamasaka as Director of media at State House which position has never existed from independence,” said Kambwili. “But like I’ve said I cannot tentatively say he was relieved of his duties or transferred because of his tribe because only the President knows why he demoted him. And in this country people must never use the tribe for anything else … And if Kabuswe is going to ride on his tribe to keep his position despite being corrupt I warn him that if you live in glass houses don’t throw stones. We know Kabuswe’s deals. He has eaten money from the black mountain and the chap has even grown a potbelly which he never had. Alefwala amatoloshi kwati ashitile pa salaula. Today he’s looking clean because of corruption.”
But appearing on ZNBC TV, Kabuswe said one of the undertakings President Hichilema did was to unite the country, saying there was a saying that Bembas like himself were being used as rubber stamps to show that the UPND was not tribal, but that that was further from the truth.
He accused Kambwili and the others of funning tribal politics, saying they risked causing a tribal war which they will fail to stop.
Kabuswe said everyone had the right to rule the country and that the PF should not use the tribal tag to try to get back into power again.
“I will call them cheap politicians … It’s not because of tribe that our economy is going to thrive. The table of President Hakainde Hichilema accommodates all tribes. That’s why we won’t allow you Kambwili to start peddling tribal politics. There is no tribalism in UPND,” said Kabuswe.
