UPND vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba says PF members have lined up their pockets awaiting to empower themselves from kickbacks, leaving many Zambians suffering as a result.

But GBM has warned that the thieves will be forced to pay back once UPND forms government.

Meanwhile, GBM urged the electorate in Lusaka to vote for UPND’s mayoral candidate Kangwa Chileshe, saying he will address issues affecting the majority of residents.

Addressing journalists in Lusaka, Wednesday, GBM said the PF only had a heart for themselves, adding that they had trivialized serious blunders because they were used to stealing and mismanaging public resources.

“Look at last year’s fertilizer programme; they delivered fertilizer very late, why? Because the supplier of fertilizer is a friend of Edgar Lungu. We know it, we will mention to you at an appropriate time. Look at the FIC Report, they are trying to underplay it, why should they underplay it? There is so much which is in that report in general. Even if not everything may be accurate, but I can tell you that from what I have seen, 80 per cent of what is in that report is correct. And for sure, if Edgar Lungu means well for Zambians, he has to look at that report. But I doubt it. I doubt it because he is also affected. Or if he is not affected, he will be affected in one way or the other. I’m still coming back to the US $1 million fire tenders, I think that kind of theft is unbelievable! I can’t believe someone selling a fire tender, a Zambian who claims to love Zambians, [sells] at US $1 million [each]. I have Googled around; I have never come across a fire tender, which costs US $1 million. The maximum they should have charged was probably $300-$350,000. But the difference is $650,000, as something for your pockets. Your time will be up not too long from now,” GBM vowed.

“We need that money back! Don’t spend it all because you will have to bring [it] back for the Zambian people. Going to the hospital, going to the UTH today, it’s a sorry site. Look at people who have no medication, we have less doctors, we have more people. Instead of using that US$42 million on recruiting doctors, buying medications, drugs for the poor, they decided to give it to one individual! And I have just mentioned a few corrupt practices, which are taking place under the PF regime. Under the watch of Edgar, he is watching, and he is letting them go scot-free, why? Because he is a beneficiary! No wonder we have seen that suddenly, now, the Kaizer Zulu’s of this Zambia today, they are multi-millionaires when they were literally nothing! They have literally nothing! Today every minister in the PF government is a millionaire. But what happens later is that the question will be very simple. This is the PF government for you. It has no heart for the people of Zambia. It has only a heart for themselves, to empower themselves. The have really lined up their pockets to the levels that many Zambians have been left suffering. They are now used to stealing!”

GBM warned that once voted into power, the UPND would ensure that all public resources mismanaged during the PF administration would be repaid.

“At a time when Zambians allow, give us an opportunity to rule this country, Hakainde Hichilema, myself and UPND as a whole, we shall ask them a very simple question: In 2010, 2011 what did you have? Simple. Late Sata was always scouting to run the party. I never saw anyone even contribute a K1. But today, they are able to talk about millions of dollars. So, these are things that we will be able to ask when the time comes. So, this is up to you, Zambians; if you are happy with the level of theft, corruption, that is taking place, continue supporting the PF. But I think sooner rather than later, you will all, even those doubting Thomas’ that are in PF itself, you will realize that what Hakainde Hichilema and myself were telling you is correct, is true. So, my dear brothers and sisters, we want you to support our candidate Kangwa Chileshe as mayor of this city because he will turn around a lot of things. The street vendors, they have been displaced. I was passing just a while ago at Zesco fly-over bridge, I saw them being chased by the council police! Now how do they survive? They should have first of all provided an alternative for those people. Once they are chased from the streets, they must have gone somewhere so that they could trade, feed their families,” GBM said.

Meanwhile, GBM urged the electorate in Lusaka to vote for the UPND’s mayoral candidate promising that he would address issues affecting the majority of residents.

“And if you look at the majority of those who are on the streets, these are young boys, these are youths. Now, youths without a job, you know what it means. They will resort to stealing, girls will resort into being prostitutes. And you will start calling them names, that’s unfortunate. You need a level-headed mayor who will actually deal with these issues. These are simple issues. Title deeds in some areas where I have been, they have not been given title deeds for years. What’s the problem, why are they not being given title deeds? If you vote for Kangwa Chileshe, you are going to see that title deed given in no time because the UPND will be on him to make sure that he provides the people of Lusaka a good service, which every citizen within Lusaka will actually appreciate. Marketeers are being charged daily, come on! Sometimes marketeers, they go without money because there is no money in the economy. There is no buying power. Why can’t these levies be levied on a monthly basis? I think that makes sense. This is one thing that the Lusaka Mayor, our mayor [in] the UPND will be doing. He has to make sure that people pay on a monthly basis. Bus drivers also, they have been charged on every trip. The bus stations are controlled by PF cadres. That will come to a stop. Because that means that other commuters that belong to other parties, they are not free, and in some cases we hear that they have been beaten and more especially if you wear a UPND t-shirt at a bus station which is a public place,” lamented GBM.

“That will come to an end. We want people to move freely without fear. Today at intercity, cadres have taken over, they literally run the bus station. The first thing that we want to see is that all the cadres, the PF cadres should move out of those places. Of course, as UPND, we have no cadres. Water blues in the city, certain compounds go weeks and even months without water. Imagine the population in these areas. This will be the job of our incoming mayor, Kangwa Chileshe. So, my appeal to you Lusaka voters is that, let’s go and vote for a mayor for UPND because I think he means well. He will change around things. Because if you continue voting for the PF, PF mayor, the same challenges will continue. And these problems that I have actually highlighted, they will still be there and we know how PF operates, they will literally take over the council again and you will have no say. So, who suffers? It’s you, the citizens of Lusaka, the voters of Lusaka. So, I urge you, I appeal to you to, vote for Kangwa Chileshe under the UPND ticket.”