MMD faction leader Nevers Mumba says if the anger of Zambians is not halted, the country may be engulfed in a major revolution ahead of the 2021 general election.

And Dr Mumba says the Constitutional Court may need to be dismantled if people continue doubting its judgement outcomes.

Speaking during the Hot FM’s “Frank on Hot” programme, Tuesday, Mumba warned that Zambians’ mounting anger could erupt into a revolution during the 2021 general election if citizens’ displeasure was not abated.

He explained that the ruling party would not win the August 2021 general elections based on infrastructure development alone, but by meeting the people’s basic needs.

This followed a question posed by veteran broadcaster and host, Frank Mutubila, who asked Mumba where he felt the 2021 election would be either won and lost.

“I think it will be won and lost in what is going to happen between now and then in terms of meeting the aspirations of the Zambian people. Somewhere along the way, you had mentioned that there is so much infrastructure that is being built by the Patriotic Front, which means it’s a good sign that they could win the election. But my understanding takes me to believe that elections in Zambia are not won based on infrastructure, they’re based on meeting the basic needs,” Mumba said.

“The cost of mealie meal must be affordable; people should be able to take their children to school and pay their school fees; they should be able to get a job when they want to get a job. These small things are the things that make somebody win an election. And I think where we are going now, if the anger of the Zambians is not abated, we could see a major revolution in the 2021 election and I think the PF has a challenge; the opposition political parties, the MMD inclusive, we have a challenge to speak the language of the people; to listen to Zambians.”

And Dr Mumba observed that the ConCourt may need to be dismantled if it fails to fulfil its mandate.

Commenting on the court’s landmark ruling on President Edgar Lungu’s eligibility case outcome earlier this month, Dr Mumba said that doubts on the ruling could lead to social instability.

“If we have doubts about the ConCourt, let’s fight its existence so that we can deal with it and we don’t take our cases there; because if you Frank, take your case to ConCourt, I take my case to ConCourt, and we are fighting against each other, then today you win, and then you celebrate that the ConCourt has given me a good thing. Then I also take there and I win, then you get angry because the same ConCourt that gave you some positive thing, now gives positive to your friend, there’s no end to this,” Mumba observed.

“Do we think ConCourt is serving a good purpose? If the answer is no, let’s work on dismantling it! What about the judgement of the ConCourt? It becomes difficult for us to deal with the judgement, it’s already out so you can just criticise it, which means we should criticise the next judgement as well, and criticize the next judgement, and in the process, you even criticise judgements that are really fair. So, my view is that these are two separate matters. Do we have a problem with the ConCourt? I think many people do, why don’t you deal with dismantling that institution; what about the outcomes of the courts? Because the moment you start to doubt the outcomes of courts, anarchy comes in the country because you don’t know, which one is right and which one is wrong, depending on who is favoured and who is not favoured,” he argued.

Meanwhile, Dr Mumba stressed that government should take serious action on tackling corruption if the vice was to be stamped out.

He noted that the international community’s perception of the vice in Zambia still remains despite recent dismissals and suspensions of public officers.

“If you remember, there was a problem with ZamPost; a lot of money was missed and all that, and that the government or the President ensured that he fired the Minister of Community Development (Emerine Kabanshi) and he fired or suspended the ZamPost Director. That quick action shows that we are willing to deal with this matter, but in other cases where that was never done, it raises the questions and creates the perception, which America, now, is taking advantage of,” observed Dr Mumba.

“So, we must take actions that cancel corrupt attitudes so that perception could be created that we are a corruption-fighting nation, and once that is done, then that becomes our currency on the international platform.”