The Felix Mutati-led MMD faction in Eastern province has welcomed President Edgar Lungu’s decision to fire their leader from his position, saying it was an hindrance to the party’s mobilisation programme.

And the provincial leadership says the party’s relationship with the ruling PF will soon crumble, adding that the perceived alliance had not been working well, especially in the lower party organs.

On Tuesday, President Lungu relieved Mutati of his duties as Minister of Works and Supply and replaced him with Lunte PF member of parliament Mutotwe Kafyawa, further revoking his nomination to parliament.

But MMD provincial chairperson for Eastern Province Jacob Mwanza said President Lungu had done his party a big favour to drop Mutati, because the move would help the party carry out all its activities without any hindrances.

“We are very happy with the action that the Head of State has taken to relieve Mr Felix Mutati, the President for the Movement for Multi-party Democracy of his duties in government. We are happy because now we will not have any fear of having to look left and right each time we want to do something. Why I say that is because the perceived alliance was not even working very well for our members, especially in the lower ranks. So generally, that alliance just has to crumble because now we have to do our own things also,” Mwanza told News Diggers! in an interview.

“But the PF right now, I think they are creating more enemies around themselves. PF has just become like a tortoise, which is about to die. As for our members in the province, they are very happy because this time around, Mr Mutati will apply all his energies to our party and to mobilise it the way it is supposed to be mobilised.”

And Mwanza said the current crop of Cabinet Ministers in President Lungu’s government was not inspiring.

“The President has in his own words said before that, he is the coach and as such, he can put players he feels can do a better job. But it’s not always that when the coach puts in the right players that they do the right job. Because changing team players does not always guarantee the change that is needed. This Cabinet that we have now, for me, it does not even give any hope that things are going to become better one day in this country. It does not inspire me at all,” said Mwanza.