Face me if you are man enough, Lungu tells Mwaanga

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 10:13:58 +0000

…… Mwaanga traverses Southern Africa spreading falsehood that Zambia is on fire

By BENNIE MUNDANDO

VERNON Mwaanga should face me if he is man enough rather than going round the Southern African region peddling lies with impunity that Zambia is on fire and that they should intervene, President Edgar Lungu has charged.

And President Lungu has questioned the dead silence of diplomats in countries where Dr. Mwaanga was sowing seeds of discord and wondered why they had failed to correct the situation by projecting a true reflection of what was happening back home.

Speaking at State House yesterday, President Lungu said he was at pains to understand why Dr. Mwaanga was gallivanting the region to create an impression that the country was on fire and accusing him (President Lungu) of destroying democracy and had given him up to 12:00 yesterday to meet him so that he could air his grievances.

He said Dr. Mwaanga’s decision to demonise the current leadership by portraying a picture that there was turmoil in the country did not befit a person who was a former diplomat, adding that democracy did not mean that people were free to break the law with impunity without being arrested.

He said he was aware that Dr. Mwaanga was headed for Tanzania any day soon to continue with his falsehood which he revealed to leaders in Swaziland and South Africa, asking them to intervene in the alleged turmoil in Zambia but challenged him to engage the Head of State if he had issues that needed to be addressed.

“If Vernon Mwaanga is man enough, I challenge him to come and see me so that we can talk about these issues because he is an accomplished diplomat. Just maybe he is too tired. He has been going around telling presidents in the region that Zambia is on fire and that they should intervene. Lately, he has been going around the Sothern African region misrepresenting the situation in Zambia.

“He has been to Swaziland and South Africa and as I speak now, he has plans to go to Tanzania just to present a picture that things are not right in Zambia. He is peddling lies that the country is on fire and that democracy has come to a standstill and that Lungu is killing good governance. I want him to face me today (yesterday) before 12:00 so that he can talk to me,” President Lungu said.

He wondered what diplomats in countries where Dr. Mwaanga had gone to spread falsehood were doing when their role was to portray a correct picture of what was happening back home.

“But where are our diplomats? We should not allow falsehood to be peddled with impunity in the region about what is happening back home. We expect them to find out what is going on back home so that they present a better picture of what is happening instead of allowing peddlers of falsehood to dominate opinion so that the region can rise up against Zambia,” he said.