Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda on Friday sent a plethora of derogatory messages to Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili for criticising the way he “oversteps his mandate as Presidential spokesperson”.

Last week, Chanda featured on a special Sunday Interview in which he responded to the American State department and explained why government decided to deny Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Tandai Biti political asylum.

But Kambwili, after appearing for a court session the following day, told journalists that Chanda was overstepping his mandate, adding that his arrogance while on TV was unnecessary.

This agitated Chanda who, after watching Kambwili’s reaction, could not resist but throw a bucket of insults at the former chief government spokesperson.

Below are the text messages, which Chanda and Kambwili exchanged on August 17:

Chanda: I saw your despicable interview you gave after one of your many court sessions. In that interview, you admit that when you were in government, you used to give slow poison to opposition leaders and, therefore, you are sure “Zimbabwe government poisoned Hon. Tendai Biti and he would die in ten years.

Now, that’s the reasoning of a buffoon like you that you see others through your dirty eyes. In my six years in government, I have never heard [or] seen anything like that, but I cannot argue with self-confessed killers like you.

In any case, killing is not new to you. In Chingola and Luanshya, you maimed and killed people who stood in your way of stealing copper and scrap metal and those who resisted your car-jacking. Some of the victims of your crimes are still alive and can be presented anytime.

With your forged degrees, what do you know about sophisticated diplomacy and international relations that I don’t know!

Keep your dirty vengeance-filled mouth shut and focus on your health challenges that now seem to have migrated to your big, but empty head. You rabid dog, can you find any other way of dying than dragging me k (sic) to your self-inflicted problems?

Chanda: Don’t just read and keep quite (sic) and when you get in front on a camera again you get excited and make false allegations against innocent people.

I am properly educated and understand my role and the President who appointed me is equally more educated than you are, so what is your beef about how I do my work; have [you] seen my contract and terms of reference for you to make it your business to bark at how I do my work. If you think you can go ahead and malign me each time you see a camera or microphone, this time you will see that it does not pay to use the media to bark at innocent people

Kambwili: Thanks a lot boss Amos, most educated man.

Kambwili: The hour of reckoning is near, very near.

Chanda: I am definitely more educated than a baseless idiot like you. Respond to your crimes instead of sending empty threats

Chanda: Your conduct is below that of a dog yet you think you can lead this country using foul language. You have taken me to court thinking you can bully me and I have responded using a civil action. Why not wait for the process before you can open your dirty mouth? I did not fire you from Govt, the president did because of your misdeeds, so why hold grudges and lie about me. If you think you can take away my freedom and ability to take you [on], you are mistaken. I know you are communicating with some insiders lying to you; typical of behaviour of prostitutes like you and then you are descending on an innocent person

Chanda: It is painful for overrated and bloated ego fools like to hate those who have surpassed you in your ambitions. President Lungu is there regardless of your ill wish. I’m here whether you like it or not. When time to go comes and it will definitely come I will proceed to do something else. I am not as limited as you are, stinky stupid fool!

Kambwili, who is also NDC political consultant, then turned to News Diggers to express himself over the bitter exchange.

“This world is very shocking! First and foremost, that boy Amos should be the last person to insult me and call me all sorts of names because at the time he was supposed to be fired by Mr Sata, I am one of the people that went and spoke to Mr Sata to have him sent in foreign service and today, he has forgotten where he came from and he can have the guts to call me all sorts of names and insult me openly like that. I used to enjoy a very good relationship with that young man. You know that my wife lives in England and every time I went to England when he was first secretary for press, he would come, pick me up, drop me home and we would talk nicely. He had a lot of respect for me but today, this is how corruption and theft makes people big-headed,” Kambwili said.

“That boy, prior to being at State House had lost his job. Fred M’membe was looking after him, paying school fees for his children and paying him an allowance of K10,000 a month because that boy was suffering like no man’s business. He had nothing to talk about, not even a bicycle. Not even a cabin or a one-roomed house. He never worked for PF; he was never identified with PF. The first time he was given an appointment by Mr Sata, it was actually George Chella who spoke to Mr Sata that he needed someone to assist him and he identified somebody and it was on the basis that he was suffering to the extent that his wife almost deserted him. He had nothing! When he was sent to England, it was because I put in a word to Mr Sata that he should not lose his job but he could be sent into foreign service. And that time, I was a very important man to him, extremely wise man and someone he trusted so much. But today, having been in a group of corrupt individuals that have turned State resources into personal resources, he has the guts to insult someone who made him to be where he is today. It is very unfortunate. If this is the way politics are, then they are an extremely dirty game. Amos is the last person I expect to insult me and to be calling me all sorts of names.”

He said he was not bothered about being insulted for starting out as a scrap metal dealer because his wealth could be traced, unlike Chanda’s properties.

“He calls me a scrap metal thief, a copper thief, anyway, I am proud of my background. I have worked all my life to be where I am financially. I started my humble business of scrap metals, which is a legal business in Zambia, licensed, and I have never had a criminal record and by that I mean I have never been to court where I have been convicted of ever stealing copper or scrap metals. Selling scrap metal is a good business, humble business, why people associate scrap business with thieving is what nobody understands. I want to tell Amos that at least, I have a background of where I have made my money. From the little money that I earned when I left ZCCM, I started my humble business of scrap metals and them diversified into other major businesses and today, my business is able to mine on behalf of the mining companies. But where is Amos’ background? What has he done to have the money that he has today?” Kambwili asked.

“Just in the two years that he has been press aide, the boy bought a house near Kabulonga Shopping Centre, broke it down and made what is known as Wayaya, a drinking place. Anybody who was in Amos’ situation could not raise that kind of money to do what he did there. He has also built flats near the Leopards [Hill] cemetery, very expensive flats, he built a farm in State Lodge area, with a big house and by the way, he hired Amilan Limited to set up his farm, to do the green houses, to do the water fish ponds and he also has another farm somewhere beyond State Lodge, he has some more properties that he is building, within two years of being press aide to the President. So, can he tell us where he has gotten money to do those things when not long ago he was depending on Fred M’membe for survival? Not long ago, he had nothing, but today, the boy swims and flies in money.”

He said Chanda’s day of reckoning was fast-approaching.

“Now, I can tell him that the hour of reckoning for him to tell us where he has gotten all that wealth he has accumulated is coming. And typical of people who are guilty, for me, I was only commenting on the way they handled Tendai Biti and the way he came out on TV, arrogantly and obviously being drunk with unknown powers. It is not Amos to handle issues like that. Those issues are supposed to be handled by the Minister of Information because those are policy issues, there is no way you can have a press aide going to the TV to discuss the entire policy of government! Talk about agriculture, talk about job creation, construction of roads, the deportation of a leader of the opposition from another country, the job of the press aide is barely communication of what the President has done at State House, but the boy is drunk with unknown power, swimming in wrong waters under very big jackets because that is what excited people do,” Kambwili added.

“When I read those messages from that young boy, I literally said a prayer for him. That ‘Dear Lord, God and Father, forgive him for he knows not what he does’. And I told God, ‘Father, please help this boy to understand that insulting elders, insulting big people that have done good things for you is a sign of a person who doesn’t know where he is coming from and who does not know where he is going, but please God, help him find his root’. And secondly, you can see that the boy is in so much pain and is haunted by his conscience because of what he has done. The boy has already judged himself even before he has lost power and he knows in his heart that he is destined for jail! I want to tell him that I have been in government and I have government experience and from the things I know about the boy and what he has done, Richard Sakala’s time in prison will look like child’s play or a picnic.”

Kambwili said although Chanda was mocking him about his health, he was in a much better condition.

“I must emphasise that, despite my diabetes and blood pressure, I am in much better health than him. When you look at the boy, he looks depressed because his conscience has judged him already and he knows what awaits him because of what he has done. The boy looks frail, dehydrated and grey. We will not speculate what he is suffering from, lest I am accused of stigmatising. I forgive him for all his insults even though I know it is typical of him and his boss to call those that challenge State House corruption as dogs. I equally pity President Lungu that he can have such a useless spokesperson who is just a dealer and doesn’t know his job to the extent that even Dora’s work is made difficult by the rantings of that boy,” said Kambwili.

“That boy is very troubled because of what he and his boss have done and their corruption! Let him ask a few people, even at State House who work with him about what they think of him. And I am glad he knows that his colleagues talk to me. I have a proven track record and I worked my way up in business, and I am not ashamed of having traded in scrap metal. But with him, he is just a little thief, together with his boss and mark my words, the boy is destined for jail like Richard Sakala! Instead of insulting me, I will be visiting the boy in jail to take him cigarettes and bread for him to distribute to stronger prisoners for him to earn some favours during his stay. Thank you for the insults, I really appreciate you. Power is sweet, but it must be checked.”

News Diggers made several attempts through the weekend to contact Chanda for a response to Kambwili’s accusation but the efforts were in vain as the Press Aide was attending the SADC summit with the President in Namibia.

Yesterday, News Diggers succeeded to reach Chanda, but he could not respond to the allegations, saying he was in a meeting by press time.

This reporter will still make an effort to get a reaction from Chanda as soon as he is available.