EDWIN Zimba, spokesperson for senior chief Mwase of the Tumbuka people of Lundazi district, says the traditional leader was not for the PF but for all Zambians regardless their political affiliation.
On Friday and Saturday, Zimba was overwhelmed by phone calls from Lundazi district intelligence officers (Office of the President officers) who wanted to know Harry Kalaba’s programme in the district.

Kalaba, a 2021 presidential aspirant and current Bahati PF member of parliament, paid a courtesy call on senior chief Mwase at his palace. While there, Zimba recounted his phone conversations with district intelligence officers regarding Kalaba’s visit to Lundazi.

“The OP officers have been calling me but I have said to them a chief welcomes everybody – good, bad, rich, poor, mad and those who are normal. They all look up to him for traditional parenthood. This is not a PF chief!” Zimba charged.

“This is the first time that a high-profile politician is coming here. When I was coming to the palace, I met some officers who disguised themselves as officers from ZNS. They are gathered right at Mwase Clinic. OP officers have been calling me, but I have told them that Kalaba is welcome here.”

In an interview later, Zimba explained that: “Mulenga is the one who has been calling me since Friday, asking me what Honourable Kalaba was coming to do here.”

“He actually called me two times on Friday but I told him that he was coming for a mere visit. Today (on Saturday) he called me and asked me to furnish him with what Honourable Kalaba discussed with the senior chief,” recounted Zimba.

“He asked what Honourable Kalaba said, in relation to his presidential bid in 2021, and also on what Honourable Kalaba gave the senior chief. I told him that there is nothing and I emphasised that the chief does not engage in campaigns for anybody.”

State officers were seen around the palace, hanging around.

And Kalaba told senior chief Mwase that those that were making frantic attempts to stop him from meeting certain people were becoming contemptuous.

“You cannot start directing a chief who to meet and who to snub when no one even knows what I want to share with you (senior chief Mwase). But I’m so happy that you have welcomed us, despite jealousy manoeuvres by these people (State agents),” Kalaba said.

Kalaba further lamented evident poverty in Lundazi and Lumezi districts.

“People are suffering here. On my way here, I saw many farms on the roadside but it seems that farmers have no means to till the land. Even when they struggle to do so, there are no farming inputs and there is no market for their produce. We need to work together and develop this country. We cannot always be politicking; this is time for developmental talk – especially in your chiefdom,” he said.

Kalaba later addressed a sizeable gathering of his supporters within Mwase area, who he urged to liberate themselves from poverty by voting for him in 2021.

On his way to Lundazi on Saturday morning, Kalaba and his delegation briefly stopped at Mavundo village in chief Mshawa’s area in Chipangali district.

There he somewhat shelved politics and helped a family in tilling land and later planting cotton.

Afterwards, Kalaba told journalists that agriculture must remain the epicentre of Zambia’s economy.

He regretted that the country’s economy always depended on copper, “even when we have seen that the copper prices at the London Metal Exchange keep on plummeting.”

“It is time that we emphasised on agriculture because it is only agriculture which will create jobs; it is agriculture which will create wealth. Dr [Kenneth] Kaunda in the 60s, 70s and 80s insisted on agriculture. The Chinese that we are talking about today…. In 1980 it was the Chinese revolution that changed that country. So, if we are to get out of the doldrums, we need to be doing agriculture in all its facets,” advised Kalaba.

“We are planting cotton here but the truth of the matter is that there are no manufacturing industries in this province and yet the potential that is in Eastern Province is too massive. If only we can place emphasis on the cotton growers here, cotton will have a good price. But we are discouraging cotton growers because the price is just too low. We need to invest where it matters. We have to start using our hands, like the Chinese did in 1980, to get ourselves out of this quagmire.”

The owner of the farm, Nyongani Mwale, said: “We have been planting cotton for a long time but we never reap any profit from this crop. Once it’s marketing season, we are told that the dollar has strengthened further against the kwacha.”

Kalaba later paid a courtesy call on chief Chanje of the Chewa people of Chipangali, before proceeding to Lundazi.