Unless I die and I don’t get to lead this country, but if God blesses me and I get there, mukanya nokunya ba pompwe! Chishimba Kambwili warned the PF leadership today.

And former vice-president Dr Guy Scott who was unveiled as the Godfather for the National Democratic Congress said President Edgar Lungu was leading a gong’a PF while the respected faction of the PF had moved to NDC.

At a ‘consultative’ gathering held at Mumana Pleasure Resort in Lusaka, Kambwili hinted that he would officially lead the NDC as its president, heading into 2021.

“When Musenge said we have a vacancy for the president, you even know that the saviour is coming. First John should do the evangelism then when we are about to launch the party, in January, that’s when you will see that the saviour has come. It is just a month away. Even when I am saying this, you know who the saviour is… When we started PF with Sata and Guy Scott, that man who is in charge of PF today was in Chawama. And we all know what he was doing in Chawama and how he was living,” Kambwili told a cheering crowed of approximately 500 to 700 people.

Speaking in vernacular in a speech laced with deep Bemba proverbs, Kambwili said before becoming Head of State, President Lungu looked like a marasmus patient.

He went further to display a framed picture of President Lungu as a PF candidate, clad in a hat, sitting next to First Lady Esther.

“I was against this man taking over the party because he stole someone’s K36,000 and he likes Jameson. And not only that he likes Jameson but he also has long hands. Even Dr Guy can bear me witness. You people in Lusaka should be the most upset because starting from Chawama, Ndozo Lodge they have bought, they have also bought York Farm, they are building their houses, in State Lodge the land they left as a forest reserve, they have grabbed it. When you go to Memorial Park, they are building houses, everywhere in Lusaka, even as you enter Kafue, those houses on the hills, they are building. Nomba balya abalenwafye Jameson ba fumya kwisa impiya ishafula ifi apapene?” he asked.

“Mwe bamunyina, nga tulelanda ukutila ati aba abanensu bang’o, baleiba, nibapompwe! Bambi muleima muleti ‘ba Kambwili bale landa landa fye’ but I am not speaking for myself, I am feeling sorry for you people, your children and your grandchildren. Because if you let these thieves steal, they will leave this country in debt. They will steal and they will go and they will be living luxurious lives because they have built houses, flats and shopping malls. When he just became a presidential candidate, he used to look he had marasmus. Today, because of public funds, he has gained weight and even his cheeks are puffy. He has even become light.”

Kambwili displays a picture of candidate Edgar Lungu before he was elected President – Picture by Joseph Mwenda

And Kambwili said when he forms government, he will form a tax force consisting of former chief justices which would be in charge of repossessing property built from stollen public funds.

He said this was because the courts were acquitting criminals.

“The ones who are encouraging them to do this are those who were acquitted. But for me I am saying tukesa imbana inama mumeno! You should continue building those houses you are building, civil servants will be staying there. Those shopping malls you are building will be hospitals so continue building, you are just building for the people,’ Kambwili said.

Unless I die and I don’t get to lead this country but if God blesses me and I get there, mukanya nokunya! Lesa nga alempala nkafike palya bafikile ba Sata, mukeshiba ati nikolwe piteni nembwa. Ukufuma fye mukulapa, mukatampa ukufuma muno chalo kwati nibakapanga bakabolala imwe. Ba Pompwe! We made PF so that poor people could have better lives, it is not to say that Jameson and his people should be the ones to have money. Some of us started business in 1993, but today I can’t even match the wealth of Kaizer [Zulu]. I can’t match Jameson. They have money which can blow your mind.”

He asid he would remain PF until January 2018 when “things would change”.

“What we need is to work together. At this time, I am PF but come January, things are going to change. Ni kolwe piteni nembwa… Someone gives you the presidency on a silver platter, you didn’t suffer for it but you destroy the party. It was ba Scott, ba Kambwili, bana Mulenga, Menyani, ba Musenge who suffered for PF. Twalelala mumpanga ukusumwa naba mosquito. Sir do you remember where we went, where the toilets were very small and we were failing to enter, we were going in the bush. We suffered to make PF! We couldn’t even access decent toilets. Ena ninshi nalala ku Chawama elo aisa tutamfya kwati tuli fipuba. And he is telling you that this one who has come today Lusambo and Dora, you are the same, can you accept that?” asked Kambwili.

“This is what God does when he wants to remove someone or when he is rejecting him, alamulowa ichilafi then you go and say senseless things which make people become fed up of you.”

And Scott said the existing PF was fake because the founders had left the party.

“I have come to find part of PF, the respectable part of PF. That other one is gong’a PF. Thank you very much for welcoming me here, I want to make it very clear that I am a consultant like him. Or the godfather, yes, I am the godfather. In Bemba they say umuchinshi tabalomba. These people who are in power at the moment, they can’t force us to respect them because the only thing which will bring respect is when you are correct and when you are God fearing and hard working to bring development to your country,” Scott said in faint English, as Kambwili interpreted to the crowed that could hardly hear the former-president.

He said it was important for the NDC to work towards one goal with the UPND as opposition political parties.

“Myself, I am not against UPND because it is not UPND which chased us, it is not UPND which bought the famous $1 million fire trucks, it is not them. Between us, the PF and UPND, we should have worked harder because you cannot have a country which has Tongas in the opposition, Bembas in government, we have to come together as Zambians and work together. Can you identify a Tonga just by looking at him?” asked Scott.

“You can say Tongas have a lot of cattle so they must be fat, what about Kambwili with his tummy? Is he Tonga? So let us work together, I don’t want to see people fighting because I know where it leads, we have seen where it leads.”

Others who attended the gathering were party general secretary Mwenya Musenge, deputy secretary general Christopher Mwale, National chairlady Mary Banda, national you chairperson Charles Kabwita, Lusaka province chairman Goodson Banda, members of the central committee Ackson Simwiza, Menyani Zulu and Kunda Kakombo.