ECL WAS MORE DEVASTATED BY KUNGO'S MURDER THAN HIS DEFEAT TO HH - ZUMANI ZIMBA
ZUMANI Zimba has disclosed that former President Edgar Lungu was more devastated by the brutal murder of former North-Western Patriotic Front (PF) chairperson Jackson Kungo then his electoral defeat to President Hakainde Hichilema.
Dr Zimba, the former Presidential Political Advisor to Mr Lungu says the killing of Mr Kungo by known UPND cadres on August 12, 2021 (election day) has largely been ignored while that of Lawrence Banda, the UPND cadre had remained a point of reference at every forum a by the governing party and its leadership.
Speaking to Afro Democracy Journal (ADJ), Dr. Zimba urged President Hichilema and former President Lungu to hold talks for genuine political reconciliation.
"I would like to share some moment of reflection with regards to the 2021 August Presidential and General Elections in Zambia. It is important to note that the 2021 Presidential and General Elections were historical in nature in many ways. There are certain perspectives and experiences at Presidential level from the point of State House that sometimes are only privy to some of us in terms of knowing what happened and how the President reacted and managed different situations which many people are not aware of,” Dr Zimba said.
Dr. Zimba said the same zeal being exhibited to fight for Banda's justice should be equally be extended to Kungo even in his death, because it was too heavy and heartbreaking to President Lungu then as it is now.
"The fact is that the death of PF North Western provincial chairperson Jackson Kungo was devastating news to President Lungu. A lot of people do not know that he was more depressed and more devastated by the death of Kungo than his own political defeat to President Hichilema. On that material day on 12th August, 2021, it was a very busy and fast day because everyone was voting country wide.”