Transport and Communications Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya says people with brains should join politics and compete for leadership positions instead of always calling those leading them shallow.

Speaking on Diamond TV’s ‘Costa, the other side’ programme, Sunday, Kafwaya said challenged the intelligentsia, and in particular Christians to join politics so that they could bring sanity to it.

“It [joining politics] is necessary and important because that what produces leaders, that’s what produces a President and Vice-President, the MPs are produced through that process. Now, if you shun that, violence and dirty talk in politics on account of fearing to go to jail, for telling the truth, speaking on behalf of your nation, then you are going to promote people who don’t have good ideas for the nation to take that leadership and then you will be saying ‘our politicians are shallow, they all don’t think properly’ because you who have the brains, you all who have the necessary skills are shunning it. So, ‘give me Christian’s’, President Edgar Lungu has asked. ‘Give me your daughters. Give me those who are grounded so that we can sanitize this environment’,” Kafwaya said.

“Part of the reason why it is seen as a bad industry is because it contains bad people.”

Asked if he would re-contest his seat next year, he said it was up to the party to adopt him or not, but that he was confident he had made a good contribution.

“For me, I would like to make more contributions again to this country. So far, I think I have done well already in terms of contribution to the Zambian people, and I think if it were to stop now, I would still be okay,” Kafwaya said.

Meanwhile, Kafwaya said he never believed in using black magic to rise through the ranks.

“Well I think that’s a lifestyle [juju], those people who tie themselves kuli ifyakusamba, (juju) that’s their lifestyle. For me, I have never done it and I will never do it. I don’t know but I have heard that people tie things around themselves, here is the thing, if my journey was to stop now, I’m happy,” said Kafwaya.