Wynter Kabimba is a failed political project who is very envious of my political achievements and will take every opportunity to attack me, says National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili.

And Kambwili says Kabimba is the most hated politician in Zambia because his character chases away friends.

Meanwhile, Kambwili has warned the PF to be wary of Kabimba’s affection, charging that the later is trying to position himself as presidential candidate should President Edgar Lungu drop off from the 2021 race.

On Tuesday, Kabimba, who is Rainbow Party general secretary went for Kambwili on radio saying he had left politics of insults to the NDC leader, who enjoys being on radio to insult the President and other government leaders.

But reacting to Kabimba’s attacks in an interview, Wednesday, Kambwili said Wynter was a failed political project.

“I will forgive Wynter Kabimba because he is not Bemba. He may not understand the meaning of ‘Pompwe’, so you tell him that ‘Pompwe’ is not an insult neither is calling somebody a thief an insult. Now, I will not waste time to have a discourse with someone who is a failed political project. Wynter Kabimba is a failed political project, who is very envious of my political achievements and he would take every opportunity to attack me. He has been running his so-called ‘nashala neka (one man)’ party for so many years and it doesn’t grow. I started a political party and in less than eight months, it has a national character and it is one of the biggest political parties in the country with a lot of following. So obviously the man will feel so bad,” Kambwili said.

He further charged that Kabimba was too pompous to be President.

“Wynter has always been wanting to be President. But you know that his attitude, his pomposity, his know it all attitude does not go well with the people of Zambia. He is the only political leader who was fired and the whole country celebrated. I think it’s an act of some kind of madness for a person who knows that he’s hated so much by the entire Zambia to even aspire to be President. Who is going to vote for him? Wynter is the most hated politician I have ever seen in this country and my advice to him is to leave politics. Because politics is for people who can appeal to the grassroots and can lower themselves before the poor, but Wynter is a ‘some of us’. He is a wapamwamba (elite) politician, who thinks that pomposity and answering people off the cuff would win him the elections,” Kambwili said.

“Wynter can never run any political party that would stand, that is why now his only hope is to speak the PF language, thinking that maybe when President Lungu leaves, he can call him to be Presidential candidate, the way Mwanawasa was called by Chiluba. But you cannot compare Mwanawasa to Wynter. Mwanawasa was a down to earth person and he had good relations with people. Wynter has no relationships with people, he doesn’t even have friends, look at what happened between him and [Fred] M’membe, they were very good friends. When he was in PF, he messed up the party, to the extent that no body loved him. Everybody wished him to be fired, and when he was fired, everybody celebrated. But when I was fired, the whole country sympathised with me. That is the difference between me and Wynter.”

And Kambwili insisted that Kabimba was jealous of him and UPND leader Hakainde Hcihilema’s political achievements.

“I have won three elections as member of parliament. Wynter Kabimba has never won an election, not even as a ward councilor or as a section Chairman. So he has no political history and he has no political muscle and as a result, he will attack all those who he thinks are strong. He has been attacking HH and he has been attacking me. The reason he has been attacking us is because he knows that we are strong political leaders. He has been running that political ka temba which doesn’t grow and almost all his members have moved to NDC, so you know the frustrations. Even his friends: Dr Musumali and M’membe ran away from him because the man has no relationship with people. If being President was to be voted for by an individual, Wynter could have been President already. But as long as being President is to be voted by the general citizenry, Wynter will never be,” Kambwili said.

Meanwhile, Kambwili warned the PF to be wary of Kabimba’s love for them, charging that the later was positioning himself as presidential candidate.

“I also want to warn the PF, he (Wynter) is issuing statements to try and woo the PF to consider him to run as President after President Lungu, don’t make that mistake, Wynter is a natural confusion. Wynter can never stand on any election anywhere in the world and win because he is hated by everybody. So I will forgive him because it is the frustration that he has. Because really, when you call someone who is a thief, a thief, it’s not an insult. It’s like if you call me Chishimba Kambwili and I get upset that you have insulted me, but that’s my name. Me I don’t know what insults are and I don’t insult, the only problem that I have is that I believe in calling a spade, a spade and that is why people trust me that I can form a political party and they can follow me,” said Kambwili.

“I am a man who can help the poor, but when Wynter used to be Secretary General of PF, no one used to go to his office. He used to chase people like dogs. So I can advise Wynter to concentrate on raring his ostriches, which he started when he was Secretary General of PF. Though it is alleged that even the money which he [used to get] those ostriches was ill-gotten, it is alleged that he used to get that money from PF well wishers when he was SG. Tell Wynter that I feel sorry for him because politics is not his game, let him concentrate on ostrich farming or probably let him try to go to a game called Garamoja.”