NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) president Chishimba Kambwili says the PF’s decision to constitute a 25-member delegation to investigate illegal gold mining activities in North Western Province is an investigation of thieves by thieves.

And Kambwili says President Edgar Lungu is a mercenary and Zambians should see him for who he truly is.

Last week, PF Secretary General Davies Mwila suspended North Western Province chairperson Jack Kungo pending investigations in his alleged involvement in illegal gold mining activities in the province.

President Edgar Lungu also removed Provincial Police Commissioner Hudson Hamachila on grounds that his command had failed to secure gold deposits in North Western Province.

But Kamwbili wondered how the Patriotic Front would send a team of party investigators instead of letting the State investigative wings do the job.

“That is a lot of nonsense, Brain Mundubile is not a law enforcement agency. Neither are Kampamba Mulenga, Alexander Chiteme and Chilangwa. Let this matter be investigated by the police independently. Once the police give a report, PF must act on the report of the police. That team that Mwila has sent is a smoke screen because first and foremost, Mwila is very close to Kungo…and there is nothing that Mwila can do against him,” Kambwili said.

“…Let them not think that people of Zambia are stupid; we are not stupid. Let the Zambia Police investigate and give us the report, not those people they have sent. They are going to clear that guy and they are going to play clean and yet they are dirty. So, I cannot subscribe to that nonsense  because those people are not law enforcement agencies.”

He said there must be someone very big in government trying to benefit from the missing gold.

“The North Western Provincial Chairman is just a small  boy whom every one wants to blame. There must be big people involved in that issue. I think the police and the OP must tell the truth who are involved in that gold mining. Why did they remove the Police Commissioner? They should tell us what the police commissioner has done. What was his involvement? We need to know who is involved in this and how much plunder they have done because that gold is supposed to benefit all the people of Zambia,” Kambwili said.

“Since this issue of gold started, people have gone quiet as if it is not a resource that can turn around the economy of this country.
Why have they sent the PF officials because this is a state property? And if it is a state property, we expect a properly constituted investigation coming from the investigative wing such as the Drug Enforcement Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the police and produce a report that is going to be official… but for them to go and say honourable Mundubile, honourable Kampamba and these others…it clearly shows that there are a lot of things that they are hiding.”

He said PF should not be allowed to assume state power and hijack institutions of governance.

“And why is the Secretary General involved in sending people to investigate on a property that belongs to the state? This thing of saying  in the salutation of this country; the President, the Vice President and the the Secretary General must come to an end because we are paying back to the party and its government . These political parties are not part of the state and therefore, their party officials must not be regarded…the secretary general must not be regarded as the third person in the administration of this country. I think it starts with those salutations. Mwila must stay away from state issues because he is not part of the government; he is the chief executive of the party,” Kambwili said.

“That gold they are talking about, that’s a lot of money that could have sorted out a lot of issues, but because there is no transparency in this country…  It is not only the North Western Province provincial chairperson; it is not even just about the gold mining in North Western Province where PF is getting money through individual provincial chairmen. Let’s get to these issues of the Black Mountain, how much has Nathan Chanda collected from the illegal black mountain mining going on around the Copperbelt? We are reliably informed that there is a collection of money whenever there are illegal activities on the Black Mountain by the provincial chairman. So it has now become a normal way of life for PF in each province. Whatever illegal things that are there, the people who are in forefront are provincial chairmen for PF, collecting illegal money.”

Meanwhile, Kambwili questioned the management of donations to the fight against COVID-19.

“How do you have a person who is being investigated by the Anti Corruption Commission at the helm of the Ministry of Health…? A management of the thieves by the thieves. Let them tell us why the Minister Finance called the Minister of Health childish. There must have been a [concern] that the donations are not safe in the hands of those people. That is why we say when some one is under investigation, he must be removed from his office,” Kambwili said.

Commenting on President Edgar Lungu’s third national address on COVID-19, Friday, Kambwili said the Head of State had made decisions based on what benefited him politically and not what was good for the country.

“Government closed the churches when the Coronavirus cases were only two and now the cases have escalated to [88], that is when he makes a decision to open up the churches claiming that it has a negative impact on the economy. My own thinking and this is my opinion, I beg to be challenged; One, it’s either he has been influenced by the Muslim community because today, they will be celebrating Ramadan or secondly, his friends, the so called Christians for Lungu, are so broke that they are not receiving tithe and offerings and as a result, he wants to please them at the expense of many Zambians. There should never be Christians for an individual, Christians have to be for Christ. This man is a mercenary and Zambians should see him for who he is,” said Kambwili.