UPND deputy secretary General Patrick Mucheleka says President Edgar Lungu must be impeached and Vice-President Inonge Wina should finish his term of office because the first family seems to be on a mission to sabotage Zambia’s economy.

In a statement, Mucheleka stated that it did not make sense for the first family to be enjoying luxuries whilst the masses were suffering.

“Edgar Lungu and his family must immediately be democratically impeached and allow the Vice President Inonge Wina to complete Lungu’s last term in office. Those who are close to Mr Lungu and love him will agree that stepping down is the most dignified exit he can do for now if he was to enjoy some bit of respect,” Mucheleka argued.

“As UPND, we keep receiving and reading disturbing reports and news items of citizens in distress situations, while Edgar Lungu and his family are over-enjoying in the luxuries! Farmers in most parts of the country have not been paid their money for last season’s crop produce, while [the] majority have also not received fertilizer and other inputs for this farming season, which is almost coming to an end. Council, Zampost, National Housing and other workers are going months without salaries, retirees are languishing, students in higher learning institutions are going without allowances, schools have opened yet most pupils won’t see the classrooms due to economic hardships by parents, plus money other economic problems facing citizens.”

He noted that the first family seemed to be on a mission to sabotage Zambia’s economy.

“On the economic, citizens are losing jobs in the mining sector and other industries due to Edgar Lungu’s continued economic sabotage coupled with corruption. These are the same people that have been telling other citizens to implement austerity measures. It is increasingly becoming clear that Mr Lungu and his family are on a sabotaging mission and possibly planning to run away from Zambia. There is no way a Zambian citizen, especially who claims to be leading such a troubled country, can be acting in this reckless manner of total disregard for fellow citizens,” said Mucheleka.

And Mucheleka noted that both President Lungu and First Lady Esther Lungu had undertaken foreign trips with huge entourages while the country continued to grapple with economic challenges.

“Amidst all these problems, we are reading reports of Edgar Lungu’s wife Esther Lungu travelling to the United States of America with a delegation of 25 people just to receive some donated and obviously second-hand firefighting equipment. Our modest calculations indicates that the trip may cost the tax payers as much as K2.5 million (K2.5 billion old currency) in business class, allowances, hotels and other incidental costs associated with the travels by the First Family in Zambia. And all this happening at a time when Edgar Lungu is leading another huge delegation hibernating outside the country receiving first-class medical attention all at tax payers’ expense,” stated Mucheleka.