By Isaac Zulu
UPND Central Province Information and Publicity Secretary Fred Khungo says the distribution of goats, village chickens and ploughs, coincided with government empowerment programmes being undertaken by Central Province Permanent secretary Milner Mwanakampwe in Mukubwe ward.
PF member of the Central Committee Thabiso Mizinga alleged that the UPND was distributing bicycles and food stuffs to the headmen and
electorate ahead of the by-election in a bid to disadvantage other political parties participating in the Mukubwe ward-by elections.
Mizinga also said the UPND got bicycles used during census and distributed them to women in Mukubwe ward among other allegations.
But responding to these allegations, Khunga said he was not aware that some bicycles were being distributed to the electorates.
He however, said two weeks ago, there was a government programme where Mwanakampe and his team were conducting an empowerment programme at Mukubwe Primary School.
“I am not aware that there were bicycles that were being distributed to the electorate in Ngabwe district by the UPND campaign team ahead of the Mukubwe ward by-election. But what I know is that there was a
government programme that took place about two weeks ago where the permanent secretary for Central Province Mr. Milner Mwanakampwe and his team were implementing the government empowerment programme at Mukubwe Primary School,” Khunga said. “And to the best of my knowledge, that empowerment programme involved the giving of goats, village chickens and ploughs to some beneficiaries that included cooperatives and women groups. As you may be aware, the permanent secretary has been going round districts in Central Province implementing the same government empowerment programmes. So that was a mere coincidence with the ongoing campaigns in Mukubwe ward.”
The UPND official who is also part of the UPND Central Province campaign team in Ngabwe district has thanked all competing political parties and residents of Ngabwe district for engaging in peaceful campaigns ahead of the October 12, Mukubwe local government by-election.
“The campaigns have been peaceful. Of course in any competition there could have been some incidences of booing and shouting at each other,
but there has never been some physical confrontations,” . “And we would want to thank all political parties participating in the Mukubwe ward by-election for the peaceful campaigns.”
He also said Patriot Front has not been visible during the Mukubwe ward by-election, saying the former ruling party has gone into oblivion.
“The Socialist Party has been visible in the Mukubwe ward by-election campaigns as compared to the Patriotic Front, which has gone into oblivion. I only saw the presence of the Patriotic Front a few days
ago when the former Central Province minister Sydney Mushanga was organising some party agents,” said Khunga.
