I used to buy toilet paper for Mumbi Phiri, says Chishimba Kambwili.

And Kambwili says he is confident that Parliament police will tell the truth about who beat who yesterday.

Meanwhile, Kambwili says Minister of Lands Jean Kapata is using ZAFFICO and some Chinese Corporatives to export Mukula logs.

Speaking to Journalists at his Kabulonga residence in Lusaka today, Kambwili wondered why Phiri was boasting that she was married to a wealthy man who even built her a mansion when he could not afford to buy toilet tissue.

“My dear sister Mumbi Phiri, if you live in a glass house don’t throw stones. I have avoided talking about you because you are a friend but you are messing yourself up. Don’t go on the radio and start defending yourself ‘no me I was married to a man who was very wealthy that’s why I built that house’ when you have not even been asked. Wait until the Anti- corruption one day asks you. Akanwa kamilandu kalaibala (a guilty mouth provokes itself or the guilty are always afraid) Mumbi don’t tell people that you were married to a wealthy man. I used to buy toilet tissue for you and bathing soap for you who is married to a wealthy man, mulekwatako insoni (learn to have some shame), I would go into your house Mumbi elo nasanga namulepula inyunshi ensho mulebomfwa mu toilet elo natila Mumbi, MP inyunshi mu toilet (I would find you have cut pieces of newspapers for use in your toilet then I would say Mumbi are you really using these newspaper in your toilet)? And then I would go to Shoprite and buy for you,” Kambwili said.

He said he did not intend to disclose Phiri’s secret but that she pushed him to do so by her claims.

“So Mumbi Phiri if I am lying come and explain how you and your wealthy man built that house you are living in. Ba wealthy man abalefilwa ukushita tissue (a wealthy man who could not afford to buy you tissue)? Mulekwata insoni mwakulasebana (have some shame to avoid embarassment). Some of these things I am even sorry to have revealed this but it’s because you forcing me, better keep quiet because ifyo twingalanda fingi (there is a lot that we can say) and it’s not that we are stupid, we just respect you. I could buy you soap and tissue iwe Mumbi Phiri but lelo (today) ati ‘I am married to a wealthy man’, kanshi bakaso ba wealthy man (then that wealthy man is stingy),” he said.

And Kambwili said he was confident that the security cameras at parliament will reveal the truth about what transpired at parliament.

“About yesterday’s issue at Parliament, I am extremely disappointed. It is part of their [PF] plan. They want to provoke me so that I react. But I am above them. Yesterday Bowman comes where I was standing with honourable [Harry] Kalaba and the national secretary for MMD [Raphael] Nakacinda, we were talking and the boy [Lusambo] just came poking my forehead saying ‘iwe chi mudala uletweba ati (you old man why are you telling us that) we are a corrupt government, we will sort you out’ but I just told him that young man I don’t know what you are talking about excuse me, we don’t behave like that at Parliament. All of a sudden he just gave me two slaps and a punch but I just moved backwards and said what kind of behavior is this? I never reacted or touched him, not even poking his tummy,” he said.

“But today he has gone on radio saying ‘it’s Kambwili who grabbed my neck’ but you see the goodness of the truth, Parliament has got cameras. The cameras picked what was happening but he [Lusambo] doesn’t know that. Those security officers at Parliament don’t tell lies, those are trained, they are not like some police in this country who can tell lies for the sake of the politicians but Parliament police are above partisan politics. They are ones who stopped him and yesterday before I knocked off they were even saying ati kwena twapapa sana ba honourable uyu muntu kanshi efyo eba (we are so surprised honourable Kambwili at the Copperbelt minister, is this how he is?) but we all know who Bowman is, so we should just blame the person who appointed him as minister because that chap belongs to cadres who are supposed to be beating people that don’t agree with the party, is that the caliber you can be bringing into Parliament?”

Kamwbili said Lusambo had a history of violence.

“I have been in Parliament for three terms and that is not a joke, it’s because the people of Luanshya trust me. Since when did you hear me beat anybody in Parliament or get involved in a physical confrontation at Parliament or even outside? But Bowman has got that history, remember what he did to Major [Richard] Kachingwe? Takwata nomumucinshi kuti waya mukwikata muli ba wiso balya ba Kachingwe (he doesn’t even have respect, how can he go and confront Major Kachingwe who is old enough to be his father)? Nomba (but) who is me? But anyway that matter is now in court and we will leave it to the courts,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kambwili accused Kapata of using soldiers and ZAFFICO to illegally confiscate Mukula logs from people in the villages and sell it to the Chinese for her own benefit.

“And for my sister Jean, my questions [for you] are very simple. You went and announced to this country that you had banned the export of Mukula but the question that we are asking you Jean is that why are you still issuing export permits to the Chinese? Poor people in the villages invest their money in the Mukula, you even give them trading licenses batema Mukula but mwaya bapoka (they harvest the Mukula but you go and confiscate it) using the soldiers and take it to Lusaka then you start using the Chinese and ZAFFICO to export and then you are sharing the money. But when we ask you to say why have you continued giving these export permits…because when you ban something, it should be across the board for everybody but when you are allowing some sections in society to trade in the Mukula then that’s corruption. You are minister in charge of land and natural resources but when people say you are corrupt you want to start insulting them,” said Kambwili.