State House Spokesperson Amos Chanda has insisted that Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) leader Charles Milupi must seek psychiatric attention, saying he is a lunatic who is getting more delusional every day.

Speaking when he was called-in on Hot FM’s Red Hot Breakfast Show, Monday, Chanda insisted that Milupi and his colleagues in the 10-member Opposition Alliance were mentally unstable and needed psychiatric help, and reiterated that he would take legal action against Milupi.

“Any person who vividly remembers an event that did not take place, surely, is a lunatic! They are hearing voices, psychotic voices from somewhere. If an event did not take place and you insist, as Milupi is insisting that I am a suspect, well, I don’t have any better description of such a person. If you can hear voices when people ain’t talking, surely you must see a doctor. So, if, as I have seen in the last few days that Milupi is insisting and some of his friends like Sean Tembo, well, it’s not a joking matter, those individuals must see a doctor. I am not a psychiatric, but I strongly feel for them,” Chanda said.

“All my life, I have never been to Sesheke! So, how can Milupi remember me being in Sesheke and what do you describe his state of mind if he insists I was in Sesheke? I have never been. During the campaigns I was in Cape Town at the Mining Indaba. If there is one by-election where I have played no role because I was on assignment abroad, it was in Sesheke. How can Milupi remember me commanding a militia in a district where I have not been? These phones are recorded, so can he produce a phone record of Amos Chanda from Cape Town issuing instructions to a militia group? I do not know the existence of a militia, but suppose it exists, can he, if he insists he saw me in Sesheke, produce evidence? I sympathise with him because I know the state of mind of a person who remembers an event that didn’t take place.”

Chanda said the President was equally disturbed by the accusations coming from the Opposition Alliance.

“The President was extremely irritated at the behaviour of people who first want to destroy the country before they can rule it. He understood the situation as cheap politicking, but he understood the seriousness of it because they put it in the international media to create instability and doubt in the international market that this is a country where there is human rights abuses, crimes against humanity. Therefore, perhaps they thought they would achieve what they have achieved just in the months before where they have lied about the sale of Zesco… just creating doubt in the minds of the financial market and foreign direct investors. That is the ultimate objective and if it weren’t so serious, we wouldn’t be wasting time on that. But they are bluffs, they themselves cannot invite the ICC, but we have invited them,” Chanda said.

And commenting on Maj Richard Kachingwe’s decision to ditch the UPND, Chanda said it was disappointing that HH and his UPND could malign their confidant.

“Mr Kachingwe is a very well-known campaigner and confidant of Mr Hichilema. I can feel the pain of Maj Kachingwe that his son is being accused and whilst these people think it’s a joke, there is the damage and malice that is being put in the international media about innocent people. So, all I can say is, despite his political affiliation, I think he knows this is where the nonsense stops and I think he has moved to defend his son. I know the young man, he’s a computer analyst. He does numbers for us. But if that’s what’s annoying the UPND, well, anybody within the party reaches out to him. If I can’t [do] some calculations in State House and I think he has that skill, I can call and say ‘can you look at this’, that’s how I know him. So, I can feel for Maj Kachingwe,” he said.

Chanda also insisted that the Head of State would not dialogue with criminals in the opposition.

“If you want to dialogue with all criminals, suppose you take a bottle of water and for some reason, for some other things you took yesterday, your intestines turn up, won’t you accuse us directly of poisoning? Those are the difficulties; they are saying they won’t dialogue with the people that want to kill them. If they want to kill you in eight towers, what about when you are in one room and anything happens? Look, a roof can come down anytime by accident, you can fall on the floor… Those accusations will just come,” he argued.

Meanwhile, Chanda assured that the Ministry of Home Affairs would help curb political violence, especially ahead of the Bahati parliamentary by-election.

“The Minister of Home Affairs is under very strict instructions from the President to tolerate no form of violence whatsoever. Because of his temptation by people to create violence and then blaming it on other people, the instruction is even greater to him to ensure that the whole country is peaceful. But particularly in election times where people are using an opportunity to fund trouble. So, any violence from any quarters will not be tolerated and I am sure that is why Hon Kampyongo decided that even violence from the police will not be tolerated,” said Chanda.