The only thing Margaret Mwanakatwe knows is drinking too much beer and speaking English, says Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili.

And Kambwili says President Edgar Lungu’s Cabinet reshuffles were targeted at weakening Felix Mutati whom he perceives as an opponent for 2021.

Meanwhile, Kambwili says he warned former information minister Kampamba Mulenga against being used to insult people because she could easily be removed.

Commenting on Cabinet reshuffles in an interview, Thursday, Kambwili said Mwanakatwe knew nothing about managing an economy and she had no backbone to oppose inimical decisions.

“Mutati had the ability to say ‘we can’t do this’ but aba bamayo she cannot have the backbone to do that. Lungu likes to work with bootlickers, people who can say ‘yes bwana, yes bwana’.
They are going to do a lot of wrong things and the economy is going to be in a total mess because ba Margaret Mwanakatwe efyo baishiba fye kunwa ubwalwa nokulanda ichisungu. Baishabafye ukutubila nokulanda fye ichisungu (she only knows drinking too much beer and speaking English),” Kambwili said.

“Lungu doesn’t want someone who can say ‘this is not correct, we cannot go this route’. But aba ba mayo bakulatila ‘kakongoleni’, baya kongola. Inkongole cino calo cikakwata mukapapa (this woman who just be going to borrow without question whenever she is sent to do so because she can’t challenge anything. Zambians will be shocked with the amount of debt that will be acquired).”

And Kambwili said the reshuffle was targeted at Mutati, who is also MMD faction leader, because President Lungu viewed him as a threat.

Kambwili observed that Mutati’s national secretary Rapheal Nakacinda had accelerated Mutati’s downfall.

“But this reshuffle was just meant to embarrass Mutati, that’s all. This reshuffle was meant to remove Mutati from Ministry of Finance because Lungu is scared that Mutati was becoming too powerful and the person who has aggravated the whole situation for Mutati is Nakacinda. Nakacinda’s talk has not been encouraging of late. My brother has grown big headed and he is the one who has made Mutati lose his position as Minister of Finance because of his rantings. The young man Nakacinda cannot keep his mouth shut. You see, you cannot bite the finger that feeds you. Mr Mutati and President Lungu enjoyed a cordial relationship which has been messed up by Nakacinda. How do you, your president is the Minister of Finance in another government then you go and issue a statement that ‘we are ready to go it alone and we can beat PF?’ That’s a very careless statement…he has messed up the so called MMD faction now we don’t know where he will be getting the money to organize the party because I am sure, the money to organize the MMD has been coming from Mutati. But now Mutati has been demoted, that’s the same as being rejected,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kambwili recalled that he had warned Kampamba against fighting for ungrateful people.

“For Kampamba, I warned her that she was being used and they would just move her or fire her. The way she has been moved, they have fired her and that’s the end. So there is no reason of fighting with your relatives, people that have helped you in life just because you are minister. I hope she will learn something that even if you talk the most, you can still be moved and fired. This is an indictment on her that she has failed to perform at Ministry of Information, so those insults she was hurling at me what have they helped her?” he asked.

He said fired Water Development Minister Lloyd Kazhiya was a sacrificial lamb adding that President Lungu had left corrupt ministers untouched.

“Ba Kaziya niba sacrificial lamb, takuli efyo bacitile. Bamona apali weak epo baikata.
Elo mwaice wandi Musukwa, I am happy for him because he has got a good attitude towards work but with the nonsense going on at Luanshya Mine with the Chinese, the nonsense going on at KCM will mess up his political career because Lungu has caused so much problems on the people of Chingola and Chililabombwe where Musukwa is MP and I know Musukwa cannot sort out those problems, he cannot sort out those problems. Cimo nokulanda ati bamuingisha imyona mumenshi. Next election if he tries to stand in Chililabombwe, he wont go through because of the problems which they created there. They have just dipped him in water. All those ministers who are corrupt, none of them have been fired because Lungu protects the corrupt,” said Kambwili.