IF you decide to vote for TONSE, when they start beating you, don’t come to HH and say help us, says President Hakainde Hichilema.

And President Hichilema has advised citizens to store some maize in their barns for the near future, further warning that the country may not receive sufficient rains in the coming season.

Meanwhile, Miles Sampa has urged citizens to vote for UPND, stating that good things are found wherever he is.

Speaking at a community engagement in Katuba, Wednesday, President Hichilema, who spoke in Tonga, warned citizens that “pangas” would return in the markets if they voted for Brian Mundubile.

“Don’t go to Tonse; that is the same PF. If you decide to vote for those, when they start beating you, don’t come to HH and say, ‘HH help us’, I won’t help you because you don’t listen. Have you been bewitched, has someone bewitched you? Maybe the person who bewitched you died and he was buried with the charms. Do not go back. When you take your maize to FRA, build barns, this coming year, we may not have sufficient rains so store some maize in your barns so that children can eat. We don’t want hunger in homes. Hunger destroys families, store some maize in your barns. God has laughed at these gentlemen. Three days ago they had a rally on the Copperbelt and they said if you elect them, they will rule Zambia the way PF used to govern, that means pangas will return in markets, cadres will start beating you, is that what you want? If you don’t want to go back to pangas, if you don’t want cadres in markets, on 13th August, vote for UPND,” President Hichilema noted.

He said the UPND government had employed more than one million people since 2021.

“We have employed more people than any government in four years 11 months. We employed 45,000 teachers, nurses and medical staff, 20,000, in four years 11 months. We have employed soldiers. We have employed one million plus people in four years 11 months, how many presidents can do that? When we are re-elected, this year, we are changing the law around licensing; PSV drivers, you’ll only renew your license after five years. In 2021, the licence would be renewed after one year, we brought it to three years and now we’ll take it to five years. We will bring a district hospital here (Shibuyunji). We will introduce low interest rates for those who want to buy and rear cattle. We will bring you cheap loans. Going forward, we have increased Social Cash Transfer to K1,000. We are bringing a fully-fledged skills training college here in Mumbwa. We are upgrading this hospital to a fully-fledged district hospital with all facilities,” President Hichilema said.

President Hichilema urged citizens not to disappoint him by voting for independent candidates.

“I called this independent candidate who is in Mwembeshi West, not once but three times. The third time, I spoke to him together with Chief Shakumbila, he agreed that he would not contest as an independent and he would join the UPND, I spoke to him as President, he didn’t listen, he has no respect. Because if you have respect, if a UPND president tells you something, wouldn’t you listen? The President of Zambia tells you to do something, you agree then later change your mind, is that a good thing? The people of Mwembeshi East, Mwembeshi West, as it has already been said, this is our bedroom, don’t disappoint me,” said President Hichilema.

“I have brought you a road, what else do you want? Did you ever think there would be a tarred road here? Doesn’t that show that I love you? Stay away from that disrespectful gentlemen. He refused to listen to me [and] he refused to listen to the chief, how are we going to work together? If an independent is giving you money, get the money but don’t vote for them. Let’s be clever. Don’t support independent candidates, that’s a taboo. Being a President is not a joke. Those gentlemen from Tonse were ministers in PF, they used to beat us in bus stops. Their cadres used to beat people and grab money from marketeers, don’t vote for them”.

President Hichilema held community engagements in Shibuyunji, Nangoma, Mumbwa and Katuba.

Meanwhile, Sampa advised citizens to look at the credentials of candidates who were competing against President Hichilema.

“Running a country is not a joke, running a country is not like a kantemba job. When someone is looking for a job, you look at their CV to see what they have done. HH’s CV starts from university, he passed with flying colours, best businessman in Zambia that I know. When Mr [Anderson] Mazoka died, HH came and united the UPND. Even when he became President, cadreism ended. Now, those others who are standing with HH, ask them if they passed at UNZA, we know they failed, they were dropouts at UNZA. They started law firms that have never won a case before. Edgar Lungu died, instead of uniting the party, they split the PF. People of Katuba, we are neighbours in Matero there, you know me, where I am, that means that’s where good things are for you, make sure you vote for HH,” said Sampa.