God has removed His grace from President Edgar Lungu, that’s why he is now rebuking the Church, NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili has charged.

Commenting on President Edgar Lungu’s remarks on Sunday morning where he rebuked church leaders who run big cathedrals and synagogues not to think that they were more holy than others, Kambwili charged that God had removed His grace from the Head of State.

“Leadership is not by mighty or by strength, its by the grace. And when God removes His grace from you, no matter what you are going to do, the grace has been moved away from you. And this is what has happened to Lungu. Look, he goes to church and starts insulting the Catholic and big churches that ‘if you are upset, take me on, its not by synagogues’. But we know that he was referring to the Catholic church because the bishops, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia and the Christian Council of Zambia refused to go to the NDF. And it has hurt him because what he wanted was to manipulate the Constitution. But I can tell you that our hope is in our MP and UPND MPs not to allow that Constitution to see the day of light,” he said.

“This idea of insulting everybody, castigating the church, Lungu has forgotten that when there was bad commotion in PF in 2015 when Mr Sata died, it was the Catholic church that came and helped him to become President. He has forgotten, power is sweet but it must be checked. We have a President who is very arrogant, uncompromising, a President who only thinks of his pocket. Thats why God is punishing this country. Look at the exchange rate, 1 pound to K18. Lesa ngafulwa talekufwaya (When God is angry and doesn’t want you), he brings calamity on you, My dear brother, President Lungu resign before the people of Zambia die of hunger. Not filya uchita, waiba, waya mu church ati (don’t steal and run to the Church to say) ‘I’m a man of God’.”

Kambwili further charged that since coming into power, the Head of State had become so rich and powerful such that despite his political advisor Kaizer Zulu beating up someone in Ndola on Sunday night, nothing had happened despite the matter being reported to the police.

He added that despite the Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Lawrence Sichalwe posting porn in a WhatsApp group, he had also not been arrested.

“When we were campaigning in 2011, President Lungu had a RAV4 ngakalefuma uku kumwena fye kuchushi (when its coming from this side, you will notice it by the smoking). Today the man is the richest in Zambia. The three years he has been in power, he has become so rich and very powerful that his political advisor can beat people. You know last night Kaizer beat someone in Ndola, they have reported the matter to the police [but] nothing has happened. This Sichalwe sent pornographic materials, he has not been arrested. In yesterday’s paper there was a woman in Kabwe who did that, police where quick to say ‘we are going to arrest her, that’s illegal’. What is illegal for Zambians, is it not illegal for ministers and President Edgar Lungu? Only time will tell,” Kambwili said.

And Kambwili told journalists at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court yesterday that the PF government didn’t want him to speak to the people in Chipata because of fear.

“What transpired in Chipata, its a case of a scared government and you only get scared as a government if you are not doing the right thing. Those who work hard, don’t fear competition. When people are scared of competition just know that they have failed. Because if you are hardworking, you would want someone who is even more hardworking to challenge you so that you can improve on the status call. But when you are not hardworking, you are always scared of your shadow. They are scared [and] don’t want Chishimba Kambwili to speak to the people. They know that once I speak to the people, I will tell them the truth than what they are being told on ZNBC. Because ZNBC has been rolled out to all parts of the country but its full of nothing but deceit. ZNBC and the Daily Nation are what can be referred to as image builders for the PF government,” he said.

He added that he planned to go back to Chipata to address his followers.

“And you saw how we were welcomed in Chipata, thunderous welcome. So as far as I am concerned, we did our job because the people of Chipata welcomed us even if we din’t speak to them. But we plan to go there. Ukuchenjela kwankoko, pungwa tasakamana. I can fly into Chipata even tomorrow quietly and speak on the radio, by the time they realise I’m on the next flight back to Lusaka. And we are not worried about PF misconduct, it will come to pass,” said Kambwili.