2 PF Councillors In Serenje Attempt To Stop Kalaba’s Radio Programme

TWO PF councillors of Muchinga Constituency in Serenje district and the ruling party’s Serenje Central Constituency chairman on Saturday evening tried to block Bahati PF member of parliament Harry Kalaba from speaking on a programme at a community radio station.

And Kalaba says the PF should be ‘voted for’ by the Chinese in 2021 because “it is them who are largely benefiting from the government business”.

While speaking on a live special interview on Serenje Community Radio, Serenje Central Constituency PF chairman Eliud Kapembwa, Saninga ward PF councillor Emmanuel Mukosha and Patrick Munshya of Mailo ward arrived at the radio station at about 16:55 hours and one of them switched off power supply to the radio station, momentarily halting the programme.

They then tried to force their way into the on-air studio where the interview was being conducted but Kalaba’s security personnel repelled the trio.

Within a few minutes of the scuffle between Kalaba’s security detail and the PF officials, a horde of community members emerged, telling off the ‘attackers.’

“Mulekeni Kalaba alande (let Kalaba speak.) Elo imwe teimwe ba PF pantu mwaishilefye nomba line apa (You aren’t even PF, per se, because you only joined the party recently.) Nimwebo ba MMD (you are MMD members),” shouted one of the residents in the group that watched the fray at a near distance.

Kapembwa then made a phone call saying “Honourable, tell the Officer-In-Charge to come now at the radio station”.

At 17:25 hours, a white Nissan police van, registration number ZP 2424 B arrived at Serenje Community Radio Station with five police officers on board. Second officer commanding for Serenje district, a Mr Nyirenda, told Kalaba to accompany them to the police station, of which he complied.

At the police station, Kalaba and members of his delegation were made to wait for some minutes for the officer commanding to come. When the top cop came, Kalaba, some of his delegation members and the trio that went to ‘attack’ him were taken into a room for interrogations.

Kalaba, who went into the interrogation room at 17:40 hours, was only ‘cleared’ at 18:25 hours.

He described the radio station occurrence as “ancient politics”.

“And it is the member of parliament here, [Maxwell] Kabanda, who had called from Lusaka to tell them (police) that ‘Kalaba is on radio and is insulting the President.’ But they said they have not heard me insult the President…I told them that it’s not them (police officers) who can tell me whether I’m insulting the President or not. If anything, we don’t insult, we are issued-based. We are just telling the people about the suffering that they are going through,” Kalaba said in a brief interview at Serenje Police Station.

“My take is that this is unfortunate because youths are still being used by politicians. I haven’t seen Kabanda’s children at the police – the ones who are here are other people’s children. Kabanda’s children are watching the World Cup…They (police officers) have said I don’t have anything to do with the case. I’m just issue-based and so, the leadership of the PF who are taking advantage of people, bakose (let them be strong) because nshaleke ukulanda (I’ll not stop talking.)”

According to information obtained, the trio had accused one of Kalaba’s security personnel of brandishing a firearm during the scuffle at the radio station. The security personnel, however, denied being in possession of a gun and police officers held him back for some investigations, with the trio.

Kalaba’s vehicle was later checked by the police but they found no firearm or illegal articles. After extreme red-tape that saw the process go beyond 20:00 hours, both parties were later cleared by the police. Earlier on the programme that was conducted in Icibemba, Kalaba, a former foreign affairs minister, reiterated that Zambia had been given to the Chinese.

“It’s them (the Chinese) who are ‘ruling’ this country. They are in control of businesses. Roads are being constructed by the Chinese, communication towers are being erected by the Chinese, schools, it’s them building. Where then is our freedom as Zambians?” he asked.

Kalaba also observed that the people who were “suffering so much at the moment” were PF sympathisers.

He indicated that the ruling party membership structure was presently divided into two – those benefiting and those suffering.

“Show me one PF member just here in Serenje who toiled for the party and is living quite well. There is no one! Ba PF abene abakalamba ma Chinese pantu ebakwete business (The real and top PF members are Chinese because it’s them who are in charge of business), ebalelya bwino, ebavotele (it’s them who are benefiting because it’s them who ‘voted’),” Kalaba charged.

“That’s why namu (in) 2021 kweba abantu ukutila mwebantu ba PF balepela ama contracts kuma Chinese, lekeni ama Chinese bakabavotele (That’s why even in 2021, it will be an issue of telling people that the PF government was awarding contracts to the Chinese and so, let those Chinese vote for the party), pantu batila uwakana ukwela, akana nokocha (they say he who refuses to work should not eat). You voted for the PF here in Serenje. But tell me any development that has come to Serenje [or] give me names of two staunch PF supporters here in Serenje who can tell me that ‘this government is delivering because ‘it has already announced the maize ‘floor price’, feeder roads are being worked on in our locality, our children are going to school, we have business capital’).”

He proposed the establishment of industries in “a neglected district like Serenje” as a realistic way of empowering its people.

“And if it’s Serenje…What’s in Serenje? This is a neglected place! Look at how despondent the youths are! Children are finishing secondary education at Ibolelo and at Serenje Boys Secondary School and others are pursuing teaching courses at Malcolm Moffat Teachers’ College but even when they complete, there are no jobs for them. You have Mukula tree here but you are exporting it to China, instead of putting up a Mukula processing industry here. You even have good grade manganese in Serenje but it is being mined by the Chinese. There is simply no industry in Serenje district,” Kalaba observed.

“But our concentration is on politics. If there is anything that leaders in the PF government put enough premium on is self-importance. They then come to you seeking re-election, saying pabwato, when them are comfortable.”

He added that it would be ideal that government empowers women across Zambia with capital as a way of combating poverty at household level.

Meanwhile, Kalaba pointed out that “what is supposed to be done is to ensure that the PF government is voted out of power because it has failed”.

“I don’t fear anything! When people fail, they have failed. Let farmers ask themselves whether they are ready to have no market for their produce because the government is indifferent to their plight. Let farmers ask themselves whether they want to be subjected to lies where the government buys a bag of maize at K80 before a general election and afterwards, it buys the same bag of maize at K60. Zambians themselves have the answers. If they (the PF government) continue being self-centred, kubalanga ichibi (it’s to show them the door),” Kalaba said.

He further assured the people of Serenje that he would remain resolute “even amid intimidation” and that he would vie for the Republican presidency in 2021, “come what may”.

“Abena Serenje beshibefye ukutila mu 2021, Kalaba akeminina pali bu President (Let the people just know that Kalaba is contesting the presidency in 2021.) Time to reveal the political party I contest on will come. For now, let them know that pafwe nsofu kalulu (whatever happens), I’ll contest as a President, as long as that’s what the people want,” vowed Kalaba.

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