By Chinoyi Chipulu
Zesco Board Chairperson Vickson Ncube says he will institute investigations on assertions that a Zesco worker on the Copperbelt is campaigning to stand on the UPND ticket in Mufulira-Central.
But Biyete, two days ago, said whether he worked for Zesco or not, the area member of parliament Golden Mwila (PF) should get to his senses and perform, saying when the PF was in power there was a district chairperson who was also a doctor at Ronald Ross Hospital, but quit the moment UPND won.
Last Monday, Daily Revelation ran a story where Mwila said he would engage Zesco to find out if they had permitted political campaigns of a person, he said was their employee, UPND’s Elijah Biyete, who was campaigning to unseat him as area MP.
Mwila said Biyete was a Zesco employee based at the Chingola Zesco office.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Revelation yesterday, Ncube said Mwila should present proper facts on the matter at hand for him to work with.
“You know I can’t comment because I don’t know anything. If he has anything, let him come to me with proper facts, because like this it will be difficult for me to even make a comment,” Ncube said.
Ncube said he could not confirm whether Biyete worked for Zesco or not.
“I don’t even know people employed by Zesco, remember me I chair the board. I’m not a person who sits in the office every day. Unless I have interacted with someone, I don’t know all of them,” he said. “Some I have known, some I don’t. If he (Mwila) has got issues, he tells me, maybe with that I will have to conduct an investigation to see what he is talking about.”
Asked whether it was allowed for Zesco workers to campaign for political office, Ncube said he could not comment on the matter, but if there was a specific issue, it should be taken to his office.
“No! No! No! Remember, I have said if there is a specific issue, it should be brought to my attention, then I investigate, I’m not going to make a generic statement,” he said.
Mwila said he would seek guidance from the board if they allowed workers to be involved in political activities.
“That gentleman (Biyete) should be reminded that he is a Zesco employee. I want to find out if the company allows employees to use Zesco resources to campaign for political office,” Mwila said. “He must be reminded that it is criminal, using company resources to do his political things. I would like to seek the intervention of the board,” he said.
However, Biyete insisted that Mwila had not done anything in the constituency and failed to speak for the people of Mufulira-Central.
“The thing here is whether I work for Zesco or not, he should just get to his senses and develop his constituency. In the PF era, we had a district chairperson who was an eye doctor at Ronald Ross Hospital but he quit immediately after the UPND won, so these things were happening in PF,” said Biyete.
