GBM insults Minister

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 09:39:52 +0000

c yesterday targeted Home Affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo in his latest outburst against government officials, accusing him of having stopped Mr Mwamba and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema from visiting some of their members who are in police custody in Kitwe for various offences, including aggravated robbery.

Mr Mwamba described Mr Kampyongo as being foolish, threatening that he was going to sort him out for allegedly blocking him from visiting UPND members currently in jail.

He said he had found Mr Kampyongo’s conduct to be unacceptable because the two UPND leaders had a constitutional and democratic right to visit anyone who was incarcerated and that they did not have to get authority from anyone.

The UPND vice-president for administration was speaking at the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court soon after the case in which he is accused of proposing violence against President Edgar Lungu was adjourned because Mr Mwamba was unwell.

Mr Mwamba was reacting to what he said was Mr Kampyongo’s text message which he received in which he claimed the minister insulted him by telling him that he (Kampyongo) would blow off Mr Mwamba’s tummy, adding that he would arrest him because he was a minister of Home Affairs.

‘‘This little Kampyongo is abusing his powers but he should realise that power should not be abused because if he decides to take power into his own hands, power will not take him anywhere as he will soon live to regret it,’’ Mr Mwamba has said.

Mr Mwamba said when he tried to call back to find out why the minister had sent him that ‘‘nasty text message’’, Mr Kampyongo allegedly insulted him, a reaction Mr Mwamba said he found ‘‘silly and foolish’’.

‘‘President Edgar Lungu made a mistake to think that by appointing Kampyongo as a minister of Home Affairs he will silence us, he will not succeed,’’ Mr Mwamba said.

Mr Mwamba said this shortly after the court adjourned his trial in a matter in which he is charged with proposing violence when he allegedly said he would go for President Lungu’s throat.

The matter failed to take off after Mr Mwamba’s lawyer Jack Mwiimbu told the court that his client was unwell and he could not stand trial because he had to call him from CFB Hospital where he was seeking medical attention so that he could appear before the court.

Mr Mwiimbu asked the court to adjourn the matter to a later date to allow the accused recover and for other lawyers to return from various areas where they were attending local government petitions.

But the State prosecutor Dennis Manda told the court that it was unfair that the defence were making unnecessary adjournments in a matter that had dragged on for a long time.

Mr Manda stated that from the time the matter was brought before court there had been several adjournments from the defence. He said in the interest of justice he would only allow a short adjournment.

Principal resident Magistrate Jennifer Bwalya said she had noted that the matter had been dragging for a long time and that no progress was made in the matter.

Ms Bwalya also noted that most lawyers were committed with the local government election petitions which were before many courts.

Magistrate Bwalya said in the interest of justice, she would refer the matter back to the Chief Resident Magistrate for re-allocation as she was on transfer to Chipata.

Later, Principal Resident Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile re-allocated the matter before Magistrate Thandose Chabala where Mr Mwamba has since denied the charge.

The matter comes up on November 11 for trial.