United Party for National Development (UPND) Copperbelt Provincial vice youth chairperson Kangwa Kamando has mocked former Patriotic Front (PF) media director Antonio Mwanza for ditching the former ruling party.
Mr Mwanza on Thursday resigned from the PF party, citing the lack of willingness by the party’s leadership to hold an elective general conference following their loss of power in 2021.
At a press conference held in Lusaka, Mr. Mwanza alleged the existence of a clique within the PF central committee that opposes the idea of a general conference and has taken control of the party’s operations.
But Mr. Kamando told Mr. Mwanza that consistency and endurance is at the core of truth leadership.
He said Mr. Mwanza has left PF because it is now useless to belong to the former ruling party.
Mr. Kamando alleged that PF was a criminal organization in a peaceful country.
“After August 2021 elections we witnessed a number of PF members resigning from their positions immediately UPND and President Hichilema matched to a landslide victory with the biggest margin ever to be witnessed in the Zambian political history.In 2011 when PF formed Government , members of MMD were attacked ,beaten ,property burnt and destroyed . It was against this backdrop PF went into panic mode when the lost power.Among the people who resigned immediately after PF lost power was the Former republican President himself Mr Edger Chagwa Lungu, as PF president, Antonio Mwanza as Media director, Mr Mukupa as National Chairman and Hon Davis Mwila as Secretary General,” Mr. Kamando said.
He says President Hakainde Hichilema and his New Dawn government has created an enabling environment for any Zambian to do business , belong to a political party of choice and have freedom of speech.
“Immediately President Hichilema was announced winner, He called for peace, unity and sent a strong warning against cadrism, he warned against lawlessness and pledged to protect every Zambian regardless of their political affiliation, tribe or color.Few months down the line, PF realized that President Hichilema and his government have created a peaceful environment, an enabling environment for any Zambian to do business , belong to a political party of choice,freedom of speech and enhancement human right.Jogging started in Ibex and it has continued while engaging in active politics, Davis Mwila has returned to his position to completely finish the finished PF.Antonio Mwanza has resigned for the second time after losing elections In August 2021, this time not out of fear but the irrelevance of belonging to a criminal organization in a peaceful country,” Mr. Kamando said.
Mr. Mwanza himself had indicated that lack of direction by the PF central committee was the main reason he was leaving the party.
“Two years down the line, the leadership has failed to provide direction. The leadership has failed to give a clear roadmap when the party is going to hold a general conference and elect the president of the Patriotic Front to mobilise this party for 2026.went back to the structures; he went back to the people. Our structures are in dilemma. They don’t know where to go. The membership of the party has been loyal to this party. I know the central committee; I have worked with the central committee in the last five years. The majority of the members of the central committee mean well for the party.But there is a small clique within that thinks that they can bulldoze and risk the contributions and sacrifice that people that worked with Michael Sata have sacrificed. There is a small group that thinks they can bulldoze and delay the process to elect the next leader. Even those that mean well for the party are failing to come forward to help the party because a party without a leader can’t sell,” Mwanza told journalists.
Source : Lusakatimes
