GOD did well to make us lose elections because with Nkandu Luo as running mate, with her boasting and her lies, the country could have been destroyed, says former PF deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri.

Mumbi was reacting to a phone conversation between Professor Luo and Lyson Zulu which has gone viral in PF WhatsApp groups.

In the said conversation, Prof Luo is heard telling Zulu how Phiri was raised in their house and how she later sponsored her parliamentary campaigns.

“I have been insulted for the past 10 years uku tampila kuli Mumbi Phiri and that is a child twakulishe mung’anda mumwesu (starting from Mumbi Phiri, and that is a child who was brought up in our house). Even for her to be MP, it is because I campaigned for her and gave her money. I actually wrote her application to become a member of parliament and passed on that position. That’s why in 2011 ba (Mr Micheal) Sata came back I and said ba mayo bweleni (woman come back),” she said.

“Mumbi abamu kulisha nifwe (we raised Mumbi). My elder sister brought that child up. Every penny over her campaign, because she didn’t have any penny, I raised the money for her. Papa Gunase is saying ba Nkandu Luo baishile poka umwaiche wabo consituency (Papa Gunase is saying I grabbed by young sister’s constituency). Truth of the matter, ask anybody even including the same Chishimba Kambwili who is sending people, Mumbi Phiri was never given Munali. Munali was given to me in 2006. Then I called ba Sata and said yama ine nali mu government like you ta mwaba indalama (uncle I was in government like you, there is no money), me I’m a technocrat I’m not a businesswoman. Abeshikulu benu ba ba ku Australia, I will give you umwaiche wandi (your grandchildren are in Australia, I will give you my young sister).”

Prof Luo accused Phiri of organising people to shower insults on her.

“Today she has organised people to be insulting me. That’s why honourable [Jean] Kapata reacted the way she did. Kulatukana ba mayo aba mufyala insele shakuti (insulting the woman who birthed her, the kind of insults) I cannot even say. We have actually reported this but it’s just that the police now don’t act for PF. We are still pursuing that because we want those boys Monta na papa Gunase arrested, we don’t care even if they are PF,” said Prof Luo.

And in an audio that was also posted in PF blogs, Phiri accused Prof Luo of being a liar and thanked God that the former ruling party lost.

“Good morning everyone, this is Mumbi Phiri. You know, I have been forced to respond to Professor Nkandu Luo. And most of you who know me, you even know that I refuse even when somebody wants to say anything about her. I refuse because I don’t want involving myself in gossip). Even after we lost elections, we haven’t heard that I am in this group. Myself, I am just home, taking care of my husband, children, grandchildren and going to church. I don’t think anyone has even seen me at functions,” she said.

“Now this hatred that Nkandu Luo has is too much. And why I have responded, this is just the beginning. I think people should know the truth. One, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, he is not our relative. If ba Nkandu wants to claim that he is our relative, yes her sister was married to ba Michael’s first wife’s brother, who was the first born, ba Edwin Manda. How can we claim that ba Sata is our uncle, it’s not true. And if people remember, even when ba Sata died, ba mayo abaupwile kuli ba former clerk of the National Assembly was claiming to be ba Sata’s sister. Those of you who remember I went to ZNBC and challenged her to explain to me how we are related to ba Sata. She never did that. Nomba aba kalamba bandi (my elder sister) because she lies in the name of education, she thinks she can get away with it.”

And Phiri said Prof Luo’s claim that she sponsored her campaigns was an insult to her husband.

“She wants me to be looking bad in the eyes of people that they brought me up. When I came to Lusaka, I started grade one to grade seven at Buyantanshi primary school ku Mufulira. Grade eight up to my last term of my grade 10, I was at Mufulira secondary school. I came to Lusaka, yes I was staying with her sister, from 1985 I was at Kabulonga Girls to 1990 when I got married to my husband. Because I lived with her sister for five years, can she claim they brought me up? Ba Nkandu is just ashamed and I have told you that I have just started, I think people need to know the truth. I have got pictures of how I used to live in Lusaka, I have never wanted to talk about this but this is too much,” she said.

“And how can you claim that I had no ngwee? That is a very big insult to my husband who single handedly sponsored my campaign. Nikwisa mwampeleko nangu one ngwee and people can believe because you are a professor and yet you are lying with your straight face. Ba Nkandu imwe you had nothing, you had become broke. You were driving a green corolla iya baiche benu ba Chewe Dr Chewe who is in America. Where could you get money to sponsor my campaign? Ba Nkandu leave me alone and this is just the beginning. Next, I’m putting up ama pictures, I want people to see proof of how I was being kept so that people can make their own judgement. I’m forced now to speak because you want the people of Zambia to look at me as if I’m not grateful as you claim you brought me up. From where?”

Phiri said God did well that PF lost because the country could have been destroyed with Prof Luo as running mate.

“And with the pictures I have, when the people of Zambia see, they see what I was washing, we will see if they will look at you with the same face. And for those who don’t know, professor Luo’s grandmother was the immediate young sister to my grandmother, same mother same father. Could she do what she did, is that normal? Ukupama kwafilya. Awe kwena lesa, alichitile bwino ati twalilusa, pantu ba Nkandu amuba ba running mate nayo amataki mwakwata, ubufi mwakwata, ichalo ngachali onaika. Lesa wamulinganya. (That kind of stubbornness. God did well that we lost [the elections] because with Nkandu Luo as running mate, with your lies and your boasting, the country could have been destroyed. God is an equalizer). Wait for round two, up to round four,” said Phiri.