PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has mocked NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, saying the opposition candidate, whose party symbol is a lamp, has run out of paraffin to power his lamp.

And President Hichilema says just by observing the body language of Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu, he can tell that the duo has lost have accepted defeat.

Meanwhile, Miles Sampa has urged residents of Eastern Province to teach Mundubile and Zulu a lesson, by giving them zero votes, because Zulu has failed to facilitate the burial of late former president Edgar Lungu.

On Saturday, Mundubile invited Zambians to support his campaign through voluntary contributions, describing it as a people-driven campaign.

Speaking during a community engagement in Chipata, Sunday, President Hichilema said one can tell by looking at Mundubile and Zulu’s faces that the two were tired.

“Kali lampi, paraffin yasila mukali lampi, yasila paraffin (the lamp, paraffin has finished in the lamp, paraffin has finished). Those two boys are tired and they are even failing to campaign. Look at their faces, they are down, they are looking down, they are tired and they have run out of money. Don’t play with campaigns, campaigns can mess you up badly. These two boys in opposition have failed to campaign, they have failed, they only do one small campaign at one corner per day. You think elections are a joke? After being full from eating left over nshima then you say you want to be president? It’s not a joke [and] you have to be strong. Yesterday, I was in Western Province, in Shangombo, near the Angolan border, today, I’m here, you have to be strong. Left over nshima is intoxicating, you get intoxicated after eating left over nshima, you even take some tujiliji (illicit alcohol) then you say I want to be president, you’ll fail along the way,” President Hichilema noted.

“Those two boys held two rallies in Kitwe and Kabwe and they declared that they had won. They said HH, prepare to leave, I said hmmm, mwachepa sana (you are not my match). Campaigns are not a joke, if you want to be president, you need to love the people. They went to North Western [Province] and came back without visiting many districts, I said these people are tired. Just by looking at them, even the body language, you can tell that they’ve lost, they’ve even accepted that they’ve lost, meanwhile, we are still going strong. Those two boys are tired and they’ve failed to campaign, look at their faces, they are down, they are looking down and their money has finished. Here where you are seeing me, I’m feeling like I have only started campaigning today. I can go another one month, another two months [and] another three months without getting tired, I’m used to working”.

President Hichilema urged farmers not to listen to the opposition who are saying they would offer a better price for their maize.

“FRA depots are open now and I instructed FRA that this year, I don’t want my farmers to queue at the bank. You weigh your maize, you get paid within two days on mobile money, first time in the history of this country. Those who delivered on the 29th have already been paid. Now, don’t be cheated by those chaps in the opposition who are telling you things that don’t exist, they are not farmers. Those two boys don’t even have a tomato garden behind their houses, they don’t know anything about farming. I’m your fellow farmer, vote for your fellow farmer who knows about farming. These two boys are talking about the price of maize, they don’t know anything about farming. Did you see the students from the university at State House yesterday, did you see them? Where will opposition be voted for? Maybe in Chadiza, Katete, Vubwi, Chipata? The whole Zambia is supporting Bally. Don’t waste your vote on an opposition or independent candidate,” said President Hichilema”.

President Hichilema held community engagements in Katete, Chadiza, Vubwi and Chipata in Eastern Province.

Meanwhile, Sampa said it was a taboo for Zulu and Mundubile to say they would only bury Lungu after winning the election.

“You people of Eastern Province, when my uncle [Michael] Sata died, you people were in the forefront making sure we buried Mr Sata. Edgar Lungu has died, you are letting one person from Malambo, the one who was a provincial minister here, the one who even failed to work for you, he has kept Mr Lungu’s corpse for one year now. The President told them to do whatever they want to do. It’s been one month now but they have not buried Mr Lungu. Isn’t that a taboo? He [Zulu] is now saying they will not bury Mr Lungu until you vote for him together with his friend. His friend also failed to deliver as a provincial minister in Northern. That is a taboo, you should teach them a lesson, give them zero votes so that they never play with death again,” said Sampa.