By Patson Chilemba
Mumbi Phiri says Paul Moonga’s decision to produce three more children and call to end family planning to benefit from free education can only be answered by his wife.
And Mumbi Phiri said she supports PF secretary general Davies Mwila when he says that old people, like those in their 70s should leave room to the younger ones to take over, saying even plastic surgery will not change some people’s age.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the recent statement by member of the PF central committee Moonga that he will produce three more children to benefit from President Hakainde Hichilema’s promised free education, and called on other Zambians to do the same by stopping family planning, Phiri said the right person to answer that question was Mrs Moonga.
“That question you can only ask Mrs Moonga, if she agrees that she will have three children because there is free education. How do I answer on behalf of somebody’s husband?” Phiri said. “That’s all I can’t comment. It’s him who said. He said this has motivated him to have three children. It’s him who wants to have children. He’s speaking on his personal capacity that’s why he says he will have three children so that is their in-house thing. That’s all.”
Phiri said some of the things were not even worth speaking about publicly given the African cultural setup.
“That’s up to the Zambians to decide. Nobody can tell you, those are individual things which you can do on an individual basis. And you know us being Africans it’s not everything that you can be talking to on the media. It’s a taboo,” Phiri said. “Me I can’t discuss, I don’t know according to him. That’s why I have said that is an in-house thing. If I want to get pregnant do I have to announce to the world that I am getting pregnant now?”
Moonga said he will add to his 11 children by producing three more to enjoy “education Yamahala.”
And Phiri said she agreed with Mwila over his call for old people to join him, former president Edgar Lungu, and party national chairperson Mukupa into retirement.
“Even myself I have publicly said when PF is gone I will retire, and for me I have said I will never be a political prostitute. And Mr Davies Mwila was wondering why some old people, and he gave an example, you are 70 years old you still want to continue in politics,” Phiri said. “He has been misquoted (by those same people), there are all sorts of things which are being said but truth is truth. You can never reverse your age, even if you go to plastic surgery if you are 90 you are 90 there is nothing you can do.”
Phiri further said she would not comment over the aspirations of presidential contenders Chishimba Kambwili and Given Lubinda, saying the people will decide, and that it was not about the 54 members of the central committee as the grassroots should speak whom they wanted to lead the party.
