Mwata Kazembe Claims to Be Staunch PF Member

MWATA Kazembe says he is more PF than those accusing him of fighting the ruling party.
Patriotic Front youths in Mwansabombwe district in Luapula Province have pleaded with President Michael Sata to ‘save’ them from what they termed as continuous harassment from senior chief Mwata Kazembe of the Lunda people.
This was after the Mwata Kazembe allegedly grabbed one of the two ambulances donated by the government on Wednesday and parked it at his palace.
But reacting to the youths’ accusations, Mwata Kazembe in an interview at his palace wondered why he was being accused of harassing PF members when he pioneered the introduction of PF in the area shortly after the party was formed.
“I have always restrained myself from commenting on matters that are political. As a chief, I don’t want to be partisan but my non-partisanship shouldn’t be mistaken for disloyalty to the party in government. In fact, I am more PF than those accusing me of fighting the party. They are latecomers who should be eating bones and not T-bone, today they want to be more PF than I am!” he said.
“All those claiming that I am harassing them are not even PF. Do they really know where I have come from with President Sata? They shouldn’t appear and sound to be more PF than me. Where they there when I helped build the party here at the time it was so difficult? Now that all is well, they want to play hero! How can I fight PF, the party I helped to build?”
Mwata Kazembe said his misgivings on some individuals in the party within Mwansabombwe should not be taken as hatred for PF.
He explained that it did not surprise him that people had continued to paint a bad picture about him but that they would not manage to destroy the relationship he had enjoyed with President Sata.
Mwata Kazembe said he had nothing against the PF and its leadership and described the claims as malicious.
He said there had never been a time he harassed or intimidated any PF member, adding that he was not surprised that people lied about him.
Mwata Kazembe denied having had irreconcilable differences with any of the PF executive members from the section to the central committee.
He disclosed that he had at one point written to PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba so that he could hear him out on the perceived differences with the party but that talks stalled following former information minister Kennedy Sakeni’s death last year.
“I had written Honourable Kabimba over my desire to hold talks with PF officials and I understand he delegated the matter to his deputy (Bridget Atanga) who also instructed the late Sakeni to broker such talks but following his (Sakeni) death, the talks couldn’t go ahead,” Mwata Kazembe.
On his refusal to reconcile with area member of parliament Rodgers Mwewa following President Sata’s instructions for him to accept the latter’s apology, Mwata Kazembe said the manner in which the apology was tendered was not acceptable.
Asked why he kept the ambulance at his palace, Mwata Kazembe said he requested for the vehicle from the government which had now been given to him for onward allocation to Kazembe Zonal Clinic.
He said claims that the ambulance was part of the fleet that had been given to Mwansabombwe were false, adding that the vehicle was just a special offer through him to the people of Mwansabombwe.
“I don’t have a clinic here (palace) for me to keep the ambulance. After all when I get sick government will evacuate me for treatment outside of here. This ambulance will be given to the people of Mwansabombwe and that is why it is labelled as Mwansabombwe Zonal Clinic. It is not for Mwata. All the districts in Luapula were given one ambulance each but I was given an extra ambulance following my numerous appeals,” explained Mwata Kazembe.
On Wednesday, Mwewa directed district commissioner Victor Kasuba to retrieve the ambulance from Mwata Kazembe’s palace and take it to Mbereshi for the benefit of many.
During Youth Day commemorations at Kabumbu Primary School, the ambulance, which had been parked at the palace, was briefly released and its driver provocatively honked as he drove through a crowd of people that was attending the event.
The honking disturbed the proceedings attended by Mwewa, Kasuba, council chairperson Jacob Chilufya and several heads of government department.
Mwewa urged the youth to remain calm and instructed Kasuba to get the ambulance out of the palace and take it to Mbereshi Mission Hospital.

Posted by Editor on March 16, 2014. Filed under LATEST NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry