By ROGERS KALERO
FRANK Zimba, a UPND cadre popularly known as “Fimba Upoke” has been warned against exposing the corruption surrounding the awarding of contracts at Mopani Copper Mines by his fellow cadres who have threatened to deal with him physically should he continue with his agenda.
Mr Zimba, the man who coined the “Fimba Upoke” slogan has now landed himself in trouble for claiming that senior State House officials are allegedly determining who should be awarded contracts by Mopani at the expense of local contractors and suppliers who are wallowing in poverty and hunger.
Mr Zimba, who has been the darling of the UPND and President Hakainde Hichilema for demeaning and mocking leaders from the previous government, including former President Edgar Lungu, has been warned against exposing corruption and favouritism at Mopani in the awarding of contracts.
The sentiments, which Mr Zimba made through a video which has gone viral, has made him to become an enemy of the ruling party with some UPND zealots calling themselves “Jazakaya Family” telling him to shut up.
A zealot only known as Izande Izande, also known as “chairman Olo Olo” has accused Mr Zimba of having monopolised Mopani contracts and now that other youths had been given chance, he had rebelled against the government
The UPND youths described Mr Zimba’s sentiments as mere propaganda and accused him of being used by the opposition Tonse Alliance, reminding him that he had even become fat because he was being looked after well by the UPND government
They said what Mr Zimba was talking about was utter nonsense which youths in the ruling party cannot entertain and that he should not continue with his utterances
“You ‘Fimba Upoke’ you are talking nonsense, you are talking propaganda, you are being used by Tonse Alliance like ‘Why Me’. You are getting information from State House so that you can embarrass the UPND leadership as if it has failed to provide leadership in the country, the cadres told Mr Zimba in their video.
“You have been calling yourself ‘Fimba Upoke’ because you have become fat under the UPND government. We are telling you to leave UPND and go to Tonse Alliance, which is funding you. We don’t entertain propaganda in UPND,” said the Jazakaya Family
But investigations have revealed that many UPND officials, including some aspiring candidates were happy that Mr Zimba had come out openly about the situation at Mopani and how senior government officials and those from State House were grabbing contracts.
Some senior UPND officials and aspiring candidates who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said that among those benefitting from the contracts at Mopani included a high-ranking government and party officials.
“When you see praise singers like Zimba coming out like that, you should know that things are getting out of hand. To tell you the truth, what Zimba or ‘Fimba Upoke’ said is the truth and it is what is obtaining on the ground.
This is a government of plunderers and many of them will go to jail once the UPND gets out of power whether next year or 2031. These people must test jail. I know people who are involved in the plunder,” said one senior UPND official.
