National Democratic Congress spokesperson Eric Chanda says the recent raiding and searching of Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili’s by the Anti-Corruption Commission and Police is an act of political persecution

And Chanda says Lusaka Province needs a minister who understands economic issues, not a cadre.

Meanwhile, Chanda implored Higher Education Minister Professor Nkandu Luo to change the way she was running learning institutions.

Speaking when he featured on UNZA Radio’s Lusaka Star program, Tuesday, Chanda said there was a witch hunt against Kambwili.

“When Honorable Dr Chishimba Kambwili was called by the ACC, he went there, they started asking him questions about a company called Mwamona Engineering to which he is not even a director. You and me have been to school, we know the rules of a company, it has directors and that is an entity in itself. If it has issues, the directors can be sued in their capacity because it’s a limited company. Now here you are, having the ACC asking somebody who is not even part and parcel of the directorship of that company, is that not witch-hunting? Is that not trying to find wrongs in some body?” Chanda asked.

“When he was called they started asking him from years immemorial, asking him to start explaining ‘where did you get this money you deposited in your account’ those are issues we call witch-hunting and a process of persecution because you don’t have a clear case against somebody but you just want to persecute him, for the sake of persecuting, settling political scores. We are saying stop wasting tax payers money, ensure that when you are constituting an investigation, there is enough evidence and a person must be clear that I have committed an offense.”

And Chanda said President Lungu should appoint people who understand governance and development issues as ministers, not cadres.

“Please President Edgar Lungu, go down to the people, hear what the people want, do what the people want, tell your ministers to go to get to work and ensure that they provide leadership to this country. We cannot have so many ministers but what we are achieving is very minimal. I think for a country like Zambia, President Edgar Lungu you are even better off with five ministers than all this rot who are just there, just getting money. And please, ensure that you give this country deserving people to run this country, look at Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces, these are economic provinces which we need a minister, well informed, who understands the economic factors of this country, mwaya mwatupela ba cadre ati Lusaka Province Minister (you go and bring a cadre and say this is the Lusaka Province Minister),”

Meanwhile, Chanda advised Professor Nkandu Luo to change the way she was managing higher learning institutions
“It is so painful to see what is happening in the education sector in Zambia, thank you Dr Kenneth Kaunda for educating bamayo ba Nkandu Luo but the steps she has taken towards education in this country, I am not happy. You cannot have universities closed for petty reasons, really it’s so shocking. You say you are closing UNZA because of cholera, there is East Park Mall here, people socialize there, there is no cholera, there is Mayela night club just here in Kalingalinga next to UNZA, there is no cholera, there is Kalundu here, there is no cholera, only at UNZA there is cholera?” asked Chanda.

“Look at CBU, the wrangles are simple, one man, the vice chancellor who has not lived up to the expectations, he has differed with lecturers, he has differed with students, he has even differed with the cleaners at the institution, you are just keeping quiet, supporting one man at the expense of the economic development of this country, can you sort out that vice chancellor and ensure that the university continue running smoothly. I am not happy with the way ba mayo ba Nkandu Luo is managing the education sector of this country, you need to change! Elo ba Lungu, you cannot take somebody uufililwe ukusunga abena Munali, mumunali fye muno, we have problems she cannot come to help us, twaikala kwati bana banshiwa, it looks like we have no MP. Naba Mumbi Phiri balipo bwino because nangu namukwata ubwafya balebutukilako ati iyoo mwebantu katucule bonse, nomba bamayo ba Nkandu Luo katwishi ifyo mwabapanga, she can’t keep Munali, baleta ubwafya bwabo naku ministry of higher education, twapapata tweleleni (how do you get someone who has failed to run her constituency and make her education minister? Even Mumbi Phiri was better as Munali MP. She used to listen to the people and suffer with them), education is an education sector, let’s ensure that we handle education in a proper manner.”