Another United Party for National Development (UPND) councillor in Kasempa district has ditched the opposition political party to join the governing Patriotic Front (PF). The decision by Dengwe councillor Japhet Kapumba to change political camp has shocked the UPND.
Announcing his defection in Solwezi on Tuesday, Mr Kapumba said he has decided to join the ruling party because he wants to see development in the district.

“I have served in UPND for two terms and I hope and trust that the people of Kasempa have seen what I have done. But today I have decided to resign as councillor to join the party I love – the PF,” he said. Mr Kapumba said he joined PF because of its good leadership under President Edgar Lungu.
He has been inspired to join PF because of the development taking place across the country. “I don’t want the people of Dengwe to remain behind. I want them to be like the people in Muchinga,” he said.

North-Western Province PF chairman Jackson Kungo, who welcomed Mr Kapumba, thanked the former civic leader for making a bold decision to join the ruling party. “He has seen the leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who is not segregating in terms of spreading development,” Mr Kungo said.

He cited the completion of the Solwezi-Chingola road and the newly-built dual carriageway in Solwezi as some of the projects undertaken during President Lungu’s administration. Mr Kungo said UPND councillors are finding it difficult to work in the opposition, hence their decision to resign and join PF. He dismissed assertions being made by the UPND that PF is buying its councillors.
“These councillors have a challenge. Whenever they want to see the DC [district commissioner], the minister or any officials in the ruling party, they are criticised by their leadership,” Mr Kungo said.

He said UPND councillors are leaving on their own because of the leadership problems in the opposition political party. “We don’t buy councillors. If they are selling their councillors, let them tell us how much they are trading them,” he said. When contacted for comment about Mr Kapumba’s resignation, UPND provincial chairman Grandson Katambi expressed shock about the turn of events.

“I spoke to him this morning around 11:00 hours when I heard that rumour and he assured me that he was here [UPND] and was on his way to Lusaka. “That’s really shocking and there is nothing we can do about it,” Mr Katambi said. Since February 13 this year, 13 UPND councillors have resigned to join PF in North-Western Province.

These included councillors for Mudanyama, Kanong’esha and Kanyama in Mwinilunga district. Others were for Dengwe, Nkenyauna and Kanongo wards, all in Kasempa district, and Tuvwanganayi and Kamalamba wards in Solwezi. The rest were for Kalilele and Kangwena wards, both in Mushindamo, as well as those for Kaminzekenzeke and Kalengwa wards in Mufumbwe and Liyovu ward in Zambezi West.

Of the 10 local government by-elections held in the province so far, the PF has won five while UPND has retained five