UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma says Zambians will be digging their own graves if they vote for the PF in 2021.

In an interview, Kakoma said the country was worse off today than it was when the PF assumed power.

“Zambians have opened up and are still speaking, and they are saying that President Edgar Lungu and the PF government have failed. They have given them the few years after [Michael] Sata’s death and they have given them another five years, hoping that they will see improvement to their lives, but the opposite is happening; they are worse off today than they were before PF came into power,” Kakoma said.

“So, they don’t expect to continue to be ruled by a government that has failed them. What appears to be a common position by Zambians is that they will vote out the PF government come 2021.”

He feared that the local economy would worsen if the PF were given another mandate in 2021.

“Otherwise, if they continue ruling, things will continue to worsen. Within seven years of their rule, external and domestic debt has already come close to within US $20 billion. It will be double if they give them another five years because their appetite to borrow will not stop. We have seen the cost of mealie meal going up, in some places reaching K170 per 25kg (breakfast) bag. In another five years’ time, where do you think the price of mealie meal will be?” Kakoma wondered.

He said Zambia needed a set of new leaders who could bring change to country’s governance system.

“We have seen unemployment levels rising and the PF government has only promised them one million jobs, which I think was a lie and they promised them another two million jobs if they come to power, but nothing will ever materialise. Zambians will be digging their own graves if they vote for PF again in 2021. It will be too risky for them to do that,” cautioned Kakoma.

“I don’t expect change from the same people that saturated the problem; they need another set of leaders that can bring that change. As things stand now, Edgar Lungu, PF, all his ministers even if you put another one in place of Edgar Lungu, they are the same people; nothing will change, if it is Edgar Lungu, it will be worse.”