. Chanda

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
THE Patriotic Front (PF) has charged that it is immoral and unacceptable for the United Party for National Development (UPND) to use tribe as a political weapon.
PF publicity vice-chairperson Sunday Chanda said this in reference to media reports that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema allegedly castigated a chieftainess of Southern Province for welcoming PF secretary general Davies Chama because he is Bemba.
However, Mr Hichilema maintained that his party had not discouraged any Tonga chief from welcoming any Zambian from any tribe.
Mr Chanda in a statement said the PF was not surprised by Mr Hichilema’s reported hatred for the Bemba-speaking people, a tribal grouping to which both his national chairperson Mutale Nalumango and deputy president Geoffrey Mwamba belonged.
“We are not shocked because we understand that Mr Hichilema’s entry into politics was birthed by tribalism. To this day, he has failed to condemn the tribal political cradle on which his political career was birthed following the death of UPND founder president late Anderson Mazoka,” he said.
Mr Chanda said Zambians had seen through Mr Hichilema’s political strategy of using the Tonga-speaking people as his “political human shield”.
But Mr Hichilema on his Facebook page said all those attributing such a statement to him merely wanted to divide a peaceful nation.
“We have not encouraged any chief from Southern Province or anywhere in the country not to be visited by any people from another ethnic grouping, including Chama (PF general secretary) despite having insulted people of other ethnic groupings because we believe Zambia is one,” he said.
Mr Hichilema said Zambians from other places had businesses and live in Southern Province.