United Party for National Development vice-president Geoffrey Mwamba says the ongoing protests by streets vendors in Lusaka are a sign of people’s anger and hunger, adding that the country’s economic status is “rubbish”.

Featuring on Prime Television’s Oxygen of Democracy programme on Monday night, Mwamba his party would continue to politicise the cholera crisis because lives of human beings were being lost everyday due to the corrupt activities of the PF government.

“The economy at the moment is rubbish and I don’t care what anyone says but I can tell you that people are suffering. You saw that protest yesterday? It’s because of the rubbish economy, let’s not beat about the bush because things are not okay in this country. People are suffering and the only few people that are enjoying are those that are close to Edgar [Lungu], we know them and we’ve got evidence to that effect. When our time comes, we shall reveal everything to the nation. Zambians would not be going through what they are going through with such suffering had Sata been around. But today people are hungry and they can’t afford to have three square meals a day, all because of Lungu’s government. You saw the anger on the faces of those protesters yesterday? It is a sign of hunger and there is a saying in English that says ‘a hungry man is an angry man’,” Mwamba said.

He said the PF government and the President in particular had duped Zambians into voting for them on pretext that they would create jobs for the youths.

“Surely, how can people be sleeping hungry in this era? Come on! This is unbelievable, this has never been seen before and I am surprised that today someone can call himself President when 15 million people are suffering. People in all corners of this country are complaining. The Agricultural Sector unfortunately is in a mess, tourism is in a mess, the transport sector, let me just say all the sectors are in a mess,” GBM said.

“Today the kings of this country are the Chinese and all the contracts are going to them. Zambians are really suffering, look at how many demonstrations have taken place in the last few days, what does that show? It shows that people are not confident in the government. Today (Monday) what was happening in the streets? Traders were demonstrating because they want to go back to the streets to trade. Government has not created jobs for them and what is the purpose of cleaning the streets when you haven’t created jobs for people? Unless you create jobs which Edgar promised in Parliament, he’s on record, he said one million jobs but how many jobs did he create? Nothing, Zambians have been duped again.”

Meanwhile, Mwamba said the UPND would continue politicising the issue of cholera because it boarded on the lives of people.

“Cholera has to be politicised because it’s killing human beings. Already we have lost so many lives. Let me remind Zambians that in October last year, we talked about cholera but the PF didn’t want to listen, but they are the same ones who actually stopped us from holding a rally because there was an outbreak of cholera. They never took measures to eliminate it. So cholera as far as we are concerned as UPND and what Zambians should know is that an outbreak of cholera actually came out in October last year, but why didn’t they contain the situation? Why did they allow it to escalate to the levels that it has reached today? It’s because of corruption. Edgar and his government trivialised the issue of cholera and this is a situation that we have found ourselves in,” Mwamba said.

And Mwamba invited Chishimba Kambwili and Bahati member of parliament Harry Kalaba to join UPND.

“People have become corrupt just after the demise of Micheal Sata because there is no one they are fearing, they are excited and if you saw those people who were scrambling to support Edgar knew that he was a weaker person whom they could manipulate. All the people who worked under Sata have been recalled, some have been expelled from the party and others fired. Look at Chishimba Kambwili, why was he fired? Because he was a Sata boy and there comes now Harry Kalaba, a man that I respect so much who emulated what I did, he also resigned because he saw there was something wrong in the government,” said Mwamba.

“Iwe Chishimba Kambwili boi nga uleumfwa isafye tubombele capamo pantu eifwe tuli mukucita form government (My friend Chishimba Kambwili if you are listening just come and join us because we are the ones that are about to form government). Harry Kalaba you also welcome, come and join us. Let’s work together so that we serve the Zambian people because we all using the same language.”