By NATION REPORTER
THE UPND should stop promoting the vengeance of purging professionals in the civil service based on the perception that they are linked to the opposition political parties, PF presidential candidate Mutotwe Kafwaya has said.
Mr Kafwaya has accused President Hichilema of having retired in national interest five senior Zambia Army officers including Brigadier General Oliva Mubita, Brig-Gen Jelvin Silomba, Brig-Gen Moffat Mwale and Colonel Evan Simukoko.
The Zambia Army senior officers were allegedly retired in national interest on November 2, 2022 contrary to his pledge that no civil servant was going to be fired, retired in national interest or separated on grounds of political and ethnic affiliation.
Mr Kafwaya said this when he featured on Hot FM’s the Hot Seat that the UPND administration had embarked on a crusade of vengeance and victimisation and was retiring, firing and separating hundreds of citizens from the civil service on grounds that they were employed by the PF administration.
Mr Kafwaya said it was inhuman and immoral for the UPND government to have forced civil servants on forced leave and that some of them had fallen ill yet the leadership did not care about what citizens were going through.
He said most of the civil servants who were being purged had served the country with diligence and had risen through the ranks but were now being purged on political and tribal grounds.
Mr Kafwaya said that over 100 civil servants had been sent home and were drawing salaries yet their positions had been given to citizens who were deemed to be politically correct.
“Recently, five generals were retired. But you cannot just retire officers who have served in the Zambia Army with diligence and patriotism for no any reason other than political. President Hichilema is preaching about reinstating those who were politically retired but on the other hand he is doing the same, purging citizens in the civil service some of whom have just reached their prime in their careers only having served 28 years,” Mr Kafwaya said.
Mr Kafwaya said it was important to separate the civil service from political intimidation as they were even scared to act because of the intimidation.
Mr Kafwaya also said he would rally behind anyone the PF would elect at the convention in March next year from which the former ruling party is expected to choose a successor to former President Edgar Lungu.
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