NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili says President Edgar Lungu is just a playboy who must resign on moral grounds before Zambians start lining up for bread again.

And Kambwili warned that Zambians to take to the streets if the Chinese went ahead to take over ZESCO.

In an interview, Kambwili, who is also Roan PF member of parliament, wondered why President Lungu chartered a plane and carried a huge delegation to China when the country was broke.

“This country is so so broke that now we are being told that if you don’t register your borehole, for water given to you by God and not President Lungu or that fake bishop with fake degrees, then you must pay K30,000 kwacha as a penalty. And you hear things like the economy is doing very well from aba ba mucindila ubwali. I am equally disappointed that we can go and borrow $30m to rehabilitate or upgrade Mulungishi conference centre when civil servants are suffering, the police are not being paid, council employees are not being paid, shortage of medicines is the order of the day, but yet this is a priority for our friends in government. This is why I say President Lungu has failed and must resign on moral grounds before we start lining up for bread and mealie meal,” Kambwili said.

“In the meantime, President Lungu has travelled with a very large delegation to China and had to charter a very large plane when his counterpart in Tanzania always travels in economy commercially. President Lungu is just a playboy, a danger to the country who can’t take us anywhere.”

He observed that austerity measures had made the lives of civil servants unbearable.

“Look here, this month the Police command has sent out correspondence to all 10 provinces to the effect that police officers will now have no allowances for operations and no fuel for daily operations because government is totally broke and they have to foot these from their pockets. How do you expect to fight crime with no money at all? Secondly, government has scrapped off many allowances for civil servants and circulars are there and have been circulated. How will civil servants already suffering sustain their lives and pay school fees for children because they don’t rely on salaries but the small allowances they get. Surely let us feel pity for our civil servants and our people. They are suffering,” Kambwili said.

“I equally challenge this government to please look at the plight of the miners on the Copperbelt and the suppliers dealing with KCM. Vedanta Resources have completely failed and people on the Copperbelt cannot continue to suffer because of one company. This government needs to act now and keep out KCM. They have failed and are making our people suffer. Let them pay everyone they owe to the miners and let them go back. They have failed to run KCM.”

And commenting on an Africa Confidential report, which revealed that a Chinese firm was in talks with Zesco over a take-over, Kambwili warned that Zambians would take to the streets if that plan succeded.

“Let me warn that any deal that has corruption laced with it will be reversed without any compensation whatsoever. We can’t and we won’t pay back a single ngwee for loans which have Lungu and his friend’s commissions in them. Not a ngwee. And as for those Chinese chaps negotiating to take over ZESCO, tell them that we will meet them here in the streets as Zambians. Let them take their dirty money somewhere else or to the usual recipients PF. ZESCO will remain a Zambian asset come hell or high water. That I can promise you as sure as the sun rises everyday,” warned Kambwili.

“I am totally shocked that President Lungu and his government can behave like this as reported by the African Confidential. Never in my over 25 years in politics have I ever witnessed a more arrogant, irresponsible and corrupt government than that of President Lungu. Even Chiluba’s government was never this corrupt. Aba niba kabola that even shaking hands with them, you have to thereafter check to see if you still have all your fingers and wallet pa tumba. The revelations of our government negotiating to sell ZESCO to the Chinese has left me heartbroken, shocked and angry and represents the growing trend of our country being recolonised by China. I have repeatedly stated on different platforms that Zambia is for Zambians and China is for the Chinese. We have lived in total harmony as indigenous Zambians of different races participating in different sectors of our economy from construction to high scale trade and retail trading.”