NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) youth chairman Charles Kabwita says the reason why young people, especially members of the ruling party, are violent is because government has not created the jobs which were promised.

Reacting to PF deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri’s remarks that youths who engage in political violence are foolish, Kabwita said it was the leadership that was foolish for having lied to the people of Zambia.

“The only reason youths have resorted to becoming violent is because these leaders who are in government today have failed to fulfill the promises that they made to them during the campaigns of the 2015 and 2016 elections. President Lungu is on record as saying he would create employment for the youths that are now languishing in abject poverty and he made this statement arising from the fact that the youths in Zambia have not benefitted from the PF leadership. The level of unemployment is still very high in this country. Therefore, it is surprising to hear Mumbi say youths are foolish because they are being used by politicians to fight their political battles because she is part of the people that are governing this country,” Kabwia said.

“The position of deputy secretary general in the PF hierarchy is very senior. So Mumbi shouldn’t even blame the youths for the violence happening in this country now because she could have used her position to ensure what was promised in 2015 and 2016 was fulfilled, and this is Mumbi Phiri who just left Parliament recently where she was nominated by President Edgar Lungu to represent the PF government in Parliament. What contributions did she render to ensure that the levels of unemployment improved? Nothing! All Mumbi knows is to be vulgar. This is a woman who told GBM that because he is fat, he can’t see what is under him, that is Mumbi for you. So for us as youths, we are not inspired by Mumbi Phiri’s leadership and it’s unfortunate that these are the leaders we have. Leaders who are not ashamed of lying to the people they govern, shame on them! Actually, it is these same leaders who are foolish for having lied to the youths in this country when they knew they have no capacity to bring that to fruition.”

Kabwita called on youths to mind the insults from leaders like Phiri and simply work hard to ensure the PF was removed from power in the next elections.

“My appeal to my fellow youths who are being insulted, who this government has not created employment for, is that it is high time we restrained ourselves. This is time for us to come together and look at the people that are giving confidence whom we can give the mantle to manage our affairs. The current leadership has failed lamentably, all the current leadership knows is to get things away from the poor Zambians through corruption. The leaders that we have in government do not care whether you have eaten, whether you have a job or not, all they care about is staying in power forever by using you the unemployed youths to throw stones on each other. But why should we be fighting each other when we pray together at Church as brothers and sisters? Let us say no political violence, stop fighting for these corrupt leaders. The reason why they are asking you to go and kill each other, to fight or throw stones at each other is because they want their stay to be prolonged in power. But let us say no to political violence because the only reason they are using us to fight their political battles so that their stay in power is prolonged,” Kabwita said.

He said Phiri was right to refer to violent cadres as foolish.

“To some large extent I even think Mumbi Phiri is right, mwefipubamwe (you are such fools). You are being used fi (you) PF youths to throw stones and fight amongst each other in order to protect these who have stolen, shame on us youths! I think by and large we need to come together as youths and ensure that we put leaders who are sober, not thieves. We don’t need thieves to govern us. We have thieves in government today and these people will never change because a thief will always be a thief. For these people in PF even if Jesus Christ came and asked them to confess, they will confess but the moment he leaves, they will still continue with their thieving style. So what we need to do is that people who stole money from their widowed clients when they were practicing law and their certificate of practice was confiscated by LAZ, we thought that they had repented because LAZ punished them, but they are still stealing. I think it’s time now for us youths to provide a political liquidation for these criminals,” said Kabwita.