National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili has warned PF Secretary General Davies Mwila and his deputy Mumbi Phiri that he will institute contempt proceedings against them if they proceed with delivering a petition to his house.

And Kambwili says instead of wasting time protesting against alleged insults, PF would do Zambians some justice by protesting against high mealie meal prices, xenophobia and unbearable load shedding.

Meanwhile, Kambwili has wondered whether the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) offices have moved to the PF secretariat for donations to be delivered there.

On Tuesday, Mwila directed PF youths to deliver a petition to Kambwili’s house in Kabulonga this Friday, asking him to stop “insulting” President Edgar Lungu. Mwila also bragged that the ruling party had the power to stop Kambwili from traveling to any place in Zambia.

But speaking to journalists, Tuesday, Kambwili said it was disappointing that the two PF leaders were ignorant about the laws of the country.

“I want to warn Mr Mwila, the Secretary General of Patriotic Front, and Mumbi Phiri, Deputy Secretary General of the PF. To these two individuals, I want to say if you continue with the trajectory that you have portrayed from the time I was arrested up to today, I will be left with no option but to move the courts to cite you for contempt of court,” Kambwili warned.

“There is no way that the Secretary General of the PF can keep threatening me with sending cadres to my home to come and disturb my peace. And for my sister Mumbi Phiri, I urge you to resign from St Ann ku Katolica (in the Catholic Church), ba katolica we don’t behave the way Mumbi Phiri is behaving. How can a member of the St Ann of the Catholic church be saying that if Chishimba Kambwili is gong to be acquitted, nkenda ubwamba, umuntu awaupwa alikwata nabana, alikwata na beshikulu alaya naku church ku katolika ni Saint Anna ewingalalanda ifya musalula fya musago uyo (I will walk naked, someone who is married, she has a child, she has grandchildren, she even goes to the Catholic Church at St Ann, can she be the one who is saying that?)”

He said the PF were trying to influence the outcome of the courts with their protests.

“And trying me outside the judicial process, trying to influence the outcome that is in court is contempt. So I want to warn Mwila that this thing of citizen arrest he is talking about and sending cadres to my house and let them dare try! They will be met with contempt of court. I don’t want to dwell on matters that are in court but I just want to warn Mwila, what they are doing is actually contempt,” he added.

“I have already directed my lawyers to start contempt proceedings against Davies Mwila and Mumbi Phiri. So send your cadres on Friday you see what is going to happen. No wander this party cannot perform to the expectations of the people, how can you have the chief executive of the party being so ignorant of the provisions of the law relating to matters that are in court?”

And Kambwili advised the PF to protest against escalating mealie meal prices instead of wasting time on “useless” things.

“Why should you spend your energies to demonstrate on one Chishimba Kambwili, we expect people to demonstrate on the xenophobia that is going on in South Africa, we expect people to demonstrate over the high price of mealie meal, we expect people to demonstrate on the lack of electricity, but you are wasting your time on someone who is already in court. I want to urge you Mwila, Mumbi Phiri gather your PF cadres to demonstrate on mealie meal prices, lack of electricity and xenophobic attacks going on in South Africa bakamimona ati muli bantu (people are going to see you that you are people),” he said.

Meanwhile, Kambwili said mealie meal should be below K100 to give every Zambian an opportunity to access the commodity.

“Mealie meal to be affordable to the ordinary people of Zambia must be below K100, K159 is almost K160 that is too much for the ordinary people to afford. Please Edgar Lungu and your government, reduce the price of mealie meal, abantu balapwa ukufwa kunsala (people will die of hunger),” Kambwili said.

“And State House is quiet about the price of mealie meal. We just hear uncoordinated reports this one is saying it is smuggling that is causing the price, this one says it is HH who is controlling the millers, this one says the millers who are making super profits. We all know why the price of mealie meal has gone up and the onus is on government to reduce the price of mealie and the know what do to i have told them what to do to reduce the price of mealie meal.”

Meanwhile, Kambwili wondered whether DMMU offices had moved to the PF secretariat.

“And the other gentlemen ati Mutale (Bizwell) who was donating mealie meal at the PF secretariat yesterday (Monday), one wanders whether the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has moved to PF secretariat because if the mealie meal was meant for the suffering masses, it should have been donated to the DMMU offices at the office of the Vice-President. Why are you taking that mealie meal to PF?” asked Kambwili.

“And the same person who was donating says the is no need to declare the hunger situation as a disaster and yet he is donating why are donating if it is not a disaster. If government can afford why are you donating.”

Earlier, Kambwili visited First Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda at his residence where they had a closed door meeting. Kambwili was accompanied by his vice-president Joseph Akafumba and secretary general Bridget Atanga.