Minister of Health and Mansa Central member of parliament Chitalu Chilufya says Democratic Party leader Harry Kalaba could have been fired had it not been for President Edgar Lungu’s good heart.

And Chilufya says President Lungu will rule beyond 2021.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Senama area of Bahati Constituency, Dr Chilufya, who is the PF campaign manager for the by-election, said Kalaba’s corruption allegations against President Lungu were just a scapegoat for him as the Head of State was aware of his “dubious activities” as Minister of Foreign Affair

“The President gave respect to the people of Bahati and Mansa Central by giving their MPs key Cabinet positions; one as Foreign Affairs Minister and the other one to look after the Ministry of Health. But today, I am ashamed because I have come back here alone. We don’t even know what to tell the President because my colleague forgot what you sent him to Lusaka for and started admiring the presidency. And later, he started alleging that there was corruption. If it was not for the good heartedness of the President, he could have fired him a long time ago because he knew about all his activities,” Dr Chilufya said.

“My colleague had started planning to leave for a long time; he can’t turn around today and say he left because of corruption. That is just a scapegoat. My colleague is just making noise, icongo cababombwe tacileshe nsofu kunwa amenshi (the frogs’ noise does not stop an Elephant from drinking water).”

And the health minister has said Lungu would continue to be President of Zambia even in 2021.

“Edgar Chagwa Lungu will continue to rule; even in 2021, he is the one who will be President. People of Mansa, let’s show unity and respect to the President. The person who left this position was PF and we have to replace him with someone from PF. Development can only be facilitated by the incumbent President; the MP goes to lobby for development from the President. So why would you want to vote for the opposition? Where will he be going to lobby for development from? Voting for the opposition is a waste of time, there is no where an opposition MP would go and lobby for development,” said Dr Chilufya.

And Luapula Province minister Nickson Chilangwa said the PF was growing stronger as evidenced by the party’s victory in Kafue.

“There are people who have doubted that PF is not growing. We recently had a by-election in Kafue which was the UPND seat previously, but PF won. PF is winning and it will be winning. Since PF came into power, Mansa has changed and more is coming,” said Chilangwa.