Former UPND vice-president Canisius Banda says it is not true that Hakainde Hichilema used to pay rentals for him because the opposition party used to borrow campaign money from him.

Speaking on Joy FM’s The Platform program today, Dr Banda also said perhaps he is more educated than HH.

“It is not true at all. I am a medical doctor. I am a public health specialist, perhaps I’m even more educated than him [Hichilema]. He might have an extra buck over me, but I have my money. I can afford to go to Ster Kinekor and watch a movie ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, I can afford a holiday in Walvis Bay and sleep on the beach when I want. I have just come from the United Arab Emirates where I was eating ajwa dates. You should do ajwa dates Kunda Kunda [show host], they will enhance your health. Even your mating business will be enhanced,” he said.

“So this scorn that we pour on others, you know mocking them for poverty they are in, we mustn’t do that. We must never, never mock the poor. I’m not a poor man Kunda Kunda. I’m one of the wealthy persons and frankly, I can claim to even be richer than some people. Like Bob Marley said, he was such a poor man, all he had was money. I have more than money, I have light, I have gold with me, you understand? So it is not true.”

He claimed the UPND used to borrow money from him for campaigns.

“And if he only he knew how we were campaigning for him. The UPND used to borrow money from me for their own campaigns. The SG, may his soul also continue to inspire us, Winston Chibwe, would say ‘Dr Banda don’t you have money in your account, you can go and officiate at this event and we will be able to pay you back when you come back’. And I would get money from my wife and she would say ‘hey you, what the hell is this?’ People actually warned me, they said don’t use personal resources. But you see, I had my Hilux and it broke down in Feira for the UPND, I had my little money and it ran out, and we were helped by citizens not by the president. I think in brief, let’s just say that’s not true. That is trying to smear filth on me and it won’t stick,” said Dr Banda.