President Edgar Lungu has warned Chilanga residents that if they vote for UPND candidate Charmaine Musonda in today’s by-election, they will not see development because that party hates working with government.

And President Lungu says those “fat boys” who like praying for his death are not humane and they may be the ones to die when they fall ill.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has described NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili and UPND vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba as foolish people.

Addressing a final rally at Musamba grounds in Chilanga yesterday to drum up support for Maria Langa, President Lungu warned residents against voting for UPND.

“Keith Mukata tried to work with us but they used to refuse him form doing so. So na Chamene nga mwacivotela, bakala chikanya (So even if you vote for Charmaine, they will be restraining her form working with us). UPND is on record that they don’t want to work with PF government, if they don’t want to work with PF government, how will they bring development if you elect that lady? Fyabupuba ifyo tafilepanga sense iyo (That is very foolish and it doesn’t make sense at all),” President Lungu said.

“Nga mwapanga mistake yakuleta ulya mukashana, muka sanga ubwafya pantu nga esha ukubomba na aba bakala mulesha nokumu shina (If you make a mistake of voting for that lady, you will suffer because if she tries to work with us, they will be refusing her from doing that). So I am telling you that let’s work together with PF is about working with the people.”

He boasted that the PF was a party which worked with everyone, regardless of their tribes.

President Lungu also mocked the UPND, saying that party’s fortunes kept diminishing whilst the PF kept growing.

“I was saying yesterday that I am sure [Michael] Sata and [Anderson] Mazoka must be chatting and Mazoka is asking Sata what he left in the PF which is making the party keep growing while his party keeps finishing. The truth is that we in the PF talk to each other, we in PF discuss matters, we in PF want to grow and we believe in the power of the people,” he said.

And President Lungu said those “two fat boys” who loved praying for his death were inhumane.

“Other people when they open their mouths, it is just insults. Even if they insult me, or they mock me…I will not respond to their insults because the intention is to derail us from working for the people of Zambia. We are determined to work for this country from north, south, east and west because we want this country to develop. Those two fat boys who were here yesterday, we respect the size of the body but we value the heart because it is everything. Bushe kuti waikala ulepepa ati umunobe afwe? Umuntu uwamano? Kulapepa ati apole ai? Ine nalilwalapo nakupola. Bambi bakalwala nokufwa fye (Can you surely sit and pray for your friend’s death? I have gotten sick before and I was healed. Other people will get sick and die instantly),” said President Lungu.

“Good people want good things for their friends. When your friend is sick, you pray for them, you don’t say that no, he is dead, you can’t know the one who will die.”

Meanwhile, Kampyongo described NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili and UPND vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba as foolish people.

“Your Excellency, kunali vipuba vibili pano. Venze na meeting yesterday. Ivi vi puba vibili, muziba nanshaba, ukapeza nshaba zikulu zikulu kambili munkala mulibe mukati ai? Nabantu kambili benangu ni chimozi mozi. Kunali vibili, chimozi chamene chima konda ku fenta mukachigwila, chinangu nichi vice-president naka small v. Benze pano benze ku nama bantu boza. Last month kwenze ma by-election. Tinaba nyankula, ba taba balea ku nama boza kuno. (Your Excellency there were two foolish people who had a meeting here yesterday. You know, sometimes when you see big pods for groundnuts, you find that there is nothing inside after cracking them, the same is true for people sometimes. So there were two foolish people, one who likes fainting when we arrest him and another one who is vice-president with a small v. They were here busy lying to the people. Last month there was a by-election and we beat them with a landslide but they came here to lie to the people),” said Kampyongo.