About 11 PF officials in Wusakile Constituency on the Copperbelt have resigned to join a breakaway movement being organised by former minister Mwenya Musenge.

And renowned PF cadre Maxwell Chongu has warned senior party officials from burring their heads in the sand over the resignations.

But Provincial Chairman Steven Kainga says those who have resigned were not genuine officials, adding that he was ready to meet Musenge and Roan member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili on the battle field.

Idah Kasonde, Sankanani Mukwasa, Jane Chomba, Christine Banda. Eunice Mofya, Carthern Mwelani, Annie Mulenga, Violet Sibale, Carol Mufuzi, Nachomo Given and Nambela Judith are some of the female officials from Wusakile branch who have joined others in the breakaway movement.

Others who have left PF are former Chimwemwe information and publicity secretary Steven Chewe.

But in an interview with News Diggers! Kainga said Musenge was misleading the said ‘officials’ in order to destabilise PF because he was bitter after being expelled from the ruling party.

“Honourable Musenge does not have a political party, so he cannot be misleading members to resign from the PF. I think the same people who are saying they have made a political party are the same people who are in a hurry to say they are getting people from PF and I think its bitterness,” Kainga said.

“This is being done out of bitterness, otherwise, they could have accepted do it in a proper way. Zambia is a democratic nation and people are free to make their own political parties. But if they are cheating and making people understand that they are doing this and winning people and to destroying PF, I think they are cheating themselves.”

He said the ruling party was still intact on the Copperbelt.

“Those are not in the structures. Those are just masqueraders trying to make PF look like it is being made to lose people but as for me as far as am concerned we had a meeting some two days ago in Kitwe and the constituencies gave us a report to say they are intact. If we were to check our records, you would find that those are not genuine members of PF. So for me we are on track and we are working. We wont even give it time to concentrate on hearing such. I think the best thing for us to do is to continue mobilizing the party and making it grow.”

And Kainga said he was ready to face Kambwili and Musenge.

“We are equal to the task because we have been with these people and we know them. We know their weaknesses and if I was to tell you, Honorable Chishimba Kambwili can never be a president because his language is very bad and if we were to go with Honorable Musenge, he lost an election when he was Minister. So I don’t see him making any impact. Those didn’t make PF on the Copperbelt. PF is made out of many people and we do things collectively,” said Kainga.

“So as for me, I don’t have any pressure because we have our structures which are intact and we will have nothing to do with those two. Because if we were to say they are so powerful, we would have not even expelled them. We would have been fearing because it would have jeopardized our work. If they are men enough, let them come and face us by contesting the Road constituency by elections and we will face each other and we will see who is powerful if they are men enough.”

Meanwhile renowned PF cadre Maxwell Chongu has warned senior party officials from burring their heads in the sand over the resignations.

“Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe, stop denying the truth. Your Wusakile chairman has appreciated the information saying he has always had problems with these people… The best way to safeguard the Patriotic Front is to expose pretenders, not always saying it is well’,” Chongu said.

“You cannot say they were not members, suppose we need that number to cross the 2021 election, will you say we don’t need them because they are not PF? Today we should reject people that voted for us just because we are in those officers rubbishing them? Are you sure?

He reminded the senior PF officials of Michael Sata’s political approach of embracing everybody.

“The late Michael Sata once said at a rally in Kafue “ikafika inshita yakweba ati nefipuba fyonse tulafifwaya muchilonganino for us to win (time will come when we will need even mad people in our organisation for us to win),” said Chongu.

“We need everyone on board for 2021 won’t be easy if we continue with this mentality.”