M’MEMBE REPORTS MWEETWA TO POLICE
FRED M’membe has reported Cornelius Mweetwa, the Minister of Information and Media to the police for his stunning revelation that the UPND, while in opposition worked well with Chishimba Kambwili to propagate tribal remarks against President Hakainde Hichilema in a scripted plot to bring down Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu.
Dr M’membe, the leader of the Socialist Party (SP) said Mr Mweetwa has made a self-confession that the tribal campaign by Mr Kambwili was in fact sanctioned and sponsored by the UPND so that Zambians could hate former President Lunge and vote for Mr Hichilema.
Dr M’membe said the revelations by Mr Mweetwa that the UPND was party to Mr. Kambwili’s hate speeches for which he was charged, arrested, prosecuted and eventually convicted had confirmed that the ruling party was involved in criminal acts to win the 2021 general elections.
He said Mr Mweetwa should therefore be prosecuted for the hate speech crimes for which Mr Kambwili had been jailed, with the State appealing the sentence for a stiffer punishment.
“On Monday between 10 and 14 hours, I watched Mr. Cornelius Mweetwa hold a press conference. That press conference at Government Complex which was streamed live on various platforms. He confessed that he worked well with Mr. Chishimba Kambwili to issue tribal remarks so that the then president Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu could be hated by the people and be brought down,” Dr M’membe said.
“This is a self-confession by Mr. Mweetwa of being party to Mr. Kambwili’s hate speeches for which he was charged, arrested, prosecuted and convicted by the courts of law. Confessing to be a party to this crime necessitates that Mr. Mweetwa be similarly charged, arrested and prosecuted for the same crime Mr. Kambwili was convicted for,” he said.
He said Mr. Mweetwa was not above the law and did not enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution which was only enjoyed by a sitting president.
“Mr. Mweetwa has confessed to promoting, encouraging and abetting tribalism, ethnic divisions and hatred. And on Tuesday, the 13th of February, 2024 Mr. Mweetwa is reported to have phoned Mr. Innocent Phiri, a journalist with KBN television to help him kill the story of his confession and promised him to be paid for that. This is also in itself a crime of bribery,” Dr M’membe said.