PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says once re-elected, he will ensure that the UPND leader is arrested over the privatisation of State-owned assets because “umulandu taubola”.

And President Lungu says he has received a report that Hichilema is soliciting US$300,000 from Vedanta, promising to give them back KCM once he is elected.

Meanwhile, President Lungu says UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema needs mental help because he is always contradicting himself politically.

Speaking to miners in Kitwe, Saturday, President Lungu threatened that once re-elected, he would ensure that the UPND leader is arrested if he was indeed involved in the privatisation process because “umulandu taubola”.

“Lelo banchintumila report iyakweba ati ba mukukulu abashitishe imigodi baile kuli ba Vendanta nokubeba ati kalya muletupela ka US$100,000 kachepa bikenipo US$300,000 pakweba ati tupite, ngatwapita, twapanga ubuteko, tukamibwesesha imigodi, sana sana KCM. Fishinka ndelanda kuti mwamwipusha ulyawine ufwala ifyakashika. Uyu muntu talapila. Eshibe umulandu taubola. The desire to sell the country’s mines back to those people by HH will not be tolerated. It simply means that when I come back after the elections on the 12th, ilya imilandu yakale… ala umulandu taubola. Uyu muntu ali determined to sell this country. Kuti ulelomba US$300,000 pakweba ati ushitishe, ubweshe imigodi Ku Vedanta nensoni tawakwata (I received a report today that the thieves that sold the mines went to Vedanta to say ‘from the US$100,000 you give us, you can top up and give us US$300,000 so that we are elected. When we are elected we will give you back the mines particularly, KCM.’ I am telling you the truth, you can ask the opposition leader that wears the red regalia. He doesn’t learn from his mistakes, he should know that a crime committed is never forgotten. The desire to sell the country’s mines back to those people by HH will not be tolerated. It simply means that when I come back after the elections on the 12th, this old matter will [resurface]. He is determined to sell the country. How can he be asking for US$300,000 from Vedanta? He is not even ashamed of himself),” President Lungu said.
“Ndemyeba apa buta tutu, nali kele, let’s forget about the past wrongs but ifi ndeumfwa, umulandu taubola. Iyo privatization bachitile nga balilufyenye ukulingana ne funde, bali nokukakwa after 2021. It is important to teach people a lesson especially nga bali incorrigible. Ulya muntu ni incorrigible, tafwaya ukuchinja iyo. Balilufyanya ichalo, but he is still thinking of selling. (To be honest with you, I thought to myself that let us forget the past wrongs but what I am hearing, a crime will not be forgotten. In the privatization they were involved in, if they did something against the law, they will be arrested after 2021. It is important to teach people a lesson especially those who are incorrigible. He doesn’t want to change. He wronged the country but he still thinking of selling the country).”

He urged citizens to put Hichilema’s political career to an end, arguing that the opposition leader was wasting people’s time.

“Umuntu umo wine aleeba ati debt swap is fake, afuma apa, aleeba ama civil servants ati ‘no, I will improve on debt swap. I will increase money and give you much more and better conditions of service.’ Umuntu umo wine afuma apa, ebele social cash transfer iyo tayalebomba, iyo nkesa lunda nga naisa. Umuntu umo wine ebele nga naisa nkesa bikako FISP. But aletupasha. Nga amona ifyabombwa, ati ninebo nachitile ifi. Kwacha yachita pick up ati nineo nalenga. Chimo nokweba filya ndanda lyonse ati umwanakashi alikukana, aupwa, akwata nabana bambi. Pantu walimufwaile kubwaiche ati mukashi wandi ulya. Alefyala na bana, ati bana bandi balya. (The same person says that the debt swap is fake, then he goes to tell the civil servants that I will improve on the debt swap, I will increase money and give you much more and better conditions of service. Again, he says the social cash transfer programme is not working, but that when he is elected, he will increase the money. The same person promises that he will come and implement the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP) yet he is opposing what we do. When he sees that the projects we have done are successful, he says he is the one that did it. The Kwacha has improved, he says it is because of him. This is the example I always give out, a woman has denied your proposal, she gets married and bears children but you keep on insisting that she is my wife and she has my children),” President Lungu said.

“This just shows a perfect example of a person who needs help from a mental perspective. I am saying the utterances which are coming from the opposition leader reflect a person who needs help from a mental clinic. Because you cannot say ifi tafibomba, fikabomba fye nga naisa. Fyabomba, ati ninebo finchitile. What kind of person is he? Uyu muntu, tiyeni tumufunye for the last time. Let us put his political career to an end because he is wasting our time, he is distracting us. Munjeleleko bane nalufyanya ukulanda, nacheba ati alefwayika ku Chainama, limbi chachine. Because there is no person who is normal who can claim that FISP has failed and then say we are doing very well because of FISP. ‘Don’t worry, nga naisa nkalunda amasaka, nkalamipela 10 nomutengo nkabwesha’. He is always contradicting himself politically. (You cannot say ‘this is not working but it will work when I am elected. When it works, you claim it was you who did it. What kind of person is he? Let us retire him. Let us put his political career to an end because he is wasting our time, he is distracting us. Forgive me, I mentioned that he needs to go to a mental institution, maybe it is the truth because there is no normal person who can claim that FISP has failed and then say we are doing very well because of FISP, ‘but don’t worry when I am elected, I will increase the bags of fertilizer to 10’).”

Meanwhile, President Lungu said he was not intimidated by the Western countries trying to intimidate him.

“I will not be intimidated by the Western countries who are trying to intimidate me, to affect our elections. Zambian people will decide who gets into State House as they have always done. I want to take advantage of this occasion to say all those monitors are here to monitor not to interfere. I made it very clear when I was in Kafue that you are welcome. But campaigns, the electoral process, fyonse chila chabena Zambia, balekeni abene baisalile. So twalaisalila intungulushi tulefwaya pa 12 August. (Campaigns and the electoral process belong to the Zambians, let them decide on their own. They will choose their own leaders on August 12),” said President Lungu.