DIVISIONS have hit the PF in Southern Province with a youth official threatening to have the area minister Edify Hamukale shown the exit for allegedly causing confusion in the ruling party. In what he called a sound warning to Hamukale, Obby Mweemba, who is the provincial youth chairperson, in a recording is heard saying that the minister was new in the ruling party and does not know the rules and conditions that govern its members.

“He must work with the leadership, he must not come here as if he wants to challenge…in PF we don’t challenge each other. We are there to work for one common goal; there are no challenges. If he feels he is here to challenge people, we are not ready to challenge him. He will find his way out, we will show him the exit door, we don’t want confusion,” he said.

“People who are confused like Chishimba Kambwili and Harry Kalaba have left. If he wants to take the same route, we will say ‘Hamukale, Hon Hamukale here is the door please can you exit because you found the party united in the province’.”

Mweemba indicated that there were serious issues that need to be looked at such as how the PF would garner more votes in 2021.
He added that Hamukale was a civil servant who must only address government issues such as why livestock in the region was dying.
“There are two things here; he is a minister in government, our government. He is not our provincial chairman, and politically we have the provincial leadership which is supposed to react to whatever issues pertaining to our party…let him concentrate on governance issues, why animals are dying in the province. When is the fertiliser coming? When are the seeds arriving in the province? I can’t issue such a statement,” he said.
“We understand that he just joined the party, he doesn’t know the rules and conditions…rather than him going to the media issuing statements on the party position, he does not sit in our political meetings at provincial level. Even at national level he doesn’t sit there, he is not a member of the central committee,” Mweemba said.

He advised Hamukale that if he had a problem with the party leadership, he should seek guidance from the PF members of central committee in the province such as Syacheye Madyenkuku, Kebby Mbewe and Lawrence Evans.

“He thinks that he is superior to these people. So as youths in Southern Province, we are saying if he wants to continue bringing these divisions, which he did not find when he joined the party, things will not be good for him. We have been allowing him, watching him issue statements without consulting the party,” Mweemba said.
An effort to get a comment from Hamukale failed by press time as his cell-phone was switched off. However, ZNBC quoted Hamukale advising PF members in the province not to harass other party members or hold on to positions in PF but allow for elections.

“He says if the harassments continue, he will be forced to recommend that President Edgar Lungu appoints a provincial committee that can subsequently appoint district and constituency committees…. Dr Hamukale has also accused the PF Chairperson in Mazabuka of suspending people before the elections are held saying the actions are not good for democracy,” the ZNBC report reads in part.