By AARON CHIYANZO and OLIVER SAMBOKO
AS UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema was painfully denying his relatives including his own brother, more surfaced yesterday to denounce his mean nature.
Hakainde Hachilema said in response to a recent expose from his brother, Wilfred, who claimed to have been sent to prison over two missing cows that he did not the people being paraded as his relatives.
“I do not know the people being paraded as my relatives, I have never seen them, UPND president,” he claimed.
However, more of his relatives surfaced yesterday claiming that he has been mistreating them and called on Zambians not to vote for the opposition leader in the August 12, polls as he would plunge the country into deep divisions.
Mr Hichilema however publicly disowned his relatives, saying he did not know them.
“They are parading people I do not even know, saying they are my relatives,” Mr Hichilema said during the launch of the Zambia We Want and UPND Alliance merger in Lusaka yesterday.
However, speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Hichilema’s nephew Moonga Hichilema, Hiyama Hichilema and Simon said they have decided to come out to advise Zambians not to elect Mr Hichilema for the presidency because he is hard hearted and falls short of taking care of the interests of the country.
They complained that despite Mr Hichilema being rich, the UPND leader has not been taking care of his own family members.
They wondered how Mr Hichilema was going to unite the country and take care of the over 72 tribes when he has failed to unite and look after his own family.
“If he can’t take care and unite his own blood family like us, how then should he even think of seeking the presidency,” they said.
And Simon explained that he was forced out of University education after his father Wilfred Hichilema was sent to prison by Mr Hakainde Hichilema after accusing him of stealing his two animals.
Meanwhile, speaking at the same even, PF deputy National Mobilization Chairman Geoffrey Mwamba said he is pained that Mr Hichilema has continued to torment his own relatives and at the same time misleading Zambians by claiming that he is their only hope.
He said if Mr Hichilema can fail to resolve a simple family misunderstanding over an animal and instead take his own relatives to prison, how then can he manage to preside over the affairs of the whole country.
Mr Mwamba said he regreted having joined UPND and working with Mr Hichilema.
“I wasted four years of my life working with him but also thank God that I realized in time that I was working with a wrong person,” he said.
He said Mr Hichilema was in politics not serve the people of Zambian but to take revenge to his perceived enemies.
“ He wants to be in State House to come and revenge and target certain regions,” said Mr Mwamba.
