By Patson Chilemba
I don’t respond to fools, says Mines and Minerals minister Paul Kabuswe.
But Chishimba Kambwili said Kabuswe is the actual fool for having responded to someone he is calling a fool in the first place.
Contacted by Daily Revelation to respond to PF presidential aspirant Chishimba Kambwili for referring to him as a corrupt former pauper who thinks he will shield himself from being fired for engaging in corrupt activities on account of his tribe, and warning that he had a lot of data about his activities at the Black Mountain and from the mining companies, Kabuswe said he would not engage Kambwili.
“Just tell him I don’t respond to fools,” stated Kabuswe in his brief reaction to the assertions.
During an earlier TV appearance a few days ago, Kabuswe charged that Kambwili paid people to march to his house in protest against President Hakainde Hichilema’s demotion of Anthony Bwalya, saying he should not think that he was the only Bemba in politics.
But in reaction to Kabuswe, 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. “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.”
He said people on social media were saying that Bwalya had been demoted because of his tribe, something he said he did not subscribe to.
“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.”
And responding to Kabuswe’s latest salvo where he has referred to him as a fool, Kambwili said “Kabuswe is a fool himself because he is the one who said something first about me. So if he doesn’t respond to fools, whu did he respond in the first place?”
“So if you say you don’t respond to fools and you respond to a fool then you are a fool. That’s all I can say,” he said.
But asked on his assertions of Kabuswe being corrupt and why he had not reported the matter to the investigative wings as not doing so was abetting corruption, Kambwili said he would not waste his time to report such matters as many people have done the same against government officials but no action has been taken.
He said only time will tell.
“If Kabuswe thinks I am a fool just tell him that thank you very much. All I can tell him is that if you say you don’t respond to fools then you responded in the first place then who is a fool? And if he thinks I am a fool thank you very much,” said Kambwili.
