UPND campaign manager in the Kafue Council Chairperson by-election Obvious Mwaliteta has accused PF agents of collecting voters’ cards from people in exchange for mealie meal.

According to Mwaliteta, the PF are panicking ahead of this month’s by-election because they had an unpopular candidate who was rejected by people in the area, hence resorting to buying voters’ cards in order to create voter apathy and disadvantage the opposition party.

In an interview, Monday, Mwaliteta however, claimed that some PF members were working with the UPND after they rejected their own candidate.”

“So far, the campaigns in Kafue are very peaceful, no violence has been reported yet and we hope this will continue until election day. However, the only disturbing report is that due to the high poverty levels that has been perpetuated by the PF, now they are going around with mealie meal in exchange with voters’ cards. We don’t know what they are going to do with those voters’ cards they are collecting from the voters, what they want is to create voter apathy so that it can give them a chance to win, but what I know about people of Kafue is that when they are fed up, they cannot vote for PF anymore! There is a lot of vote buying, a lot of electoral malpractices and right now, we have sent some people to go and report to the police about the individuals who have been buying voters’ cards in compounds like Zambia Compound, Shikoswe, they are giving a bag of mealie meal and that’s corruption,” Mwaliteta said.

“And it is worrying that such is being done by the ruling party, I thought the ruling party has got an upper-hand since they are already in government and they claim that they have developed this country. Why can’t they just go with the message than buying people? It’s very surprising! It’s supposed to be the opposition who are buying people, but it’s the opposite, it’s the ruling party that is buying people, meaning that they have difficulties. I don’t know what will happen in 2021 if they will manage to buy the whole Zambia!”

Mwaliteta alleged that some PF members were working with the UPND and that they had rejected their own candidate, vowing to vote for the opposition contender.

“Our candidate is very popular; she has been a Kafue resident; she was born in Kafue; she has been a business lady in Kafue; she has been a business lady in Kafue; she is known by everyone compared to the PF candidate who lost an election as a councillor, now after losing an election as councillor, they have elevated him to stand as a council chairperson. I don’t know how he is going to make it if he failed to make it as a councillor. So, they are really under pressure and they don’t know what to do,” Mwaliteta said.

“But the beauty about it is that in their own camp, as PF, they are also working with us, they are working hand in hand with us, they are saying they have rejected their candidate. So, they will be shocked what will happen on the 27th (of March). We are very confident of scooping the seat despite all these manoeuvres of the PF. If there will be 10 people voting in Kafue, we are going to carry the day because the people have rejected their candidate and this is why they are panicking! They have really pumped in a lot of money in this campaign, there are more than 100 (Toyota) Land Cruisers moving around every corner of Kafue! But the beauty is that we are getting feedback from their own people that they are going to vote with us because they don’t want that candidate. They are scared of a brigadier general, that position of council chairperson is very simple and requires someone who can easily be approached by people and not a military general.”

Attempts to reach the PF’s campaign manager in Kafue Given Lubinda and his deputy Japhen Mwakalombe were futile by press time as their phones went unanswered.