21/03/2022
The National Democratic Congress, NDC, would like to distance itself from a statement where the UPND- led rebel leaders of former/ expelled NDC members are quoted as saying that NDC is in support of mining in the Lower Zambezi.
We are not and have never been in support of mining in the lower Zambezi and this scheme by the UPND to use the NDC name to support their selfish lower Zambezi agenda is very unfortunate and regrettable.
It may interest the public to know that Joseph Chishala is not someone that the NDC can ever even accept back into the party even if he was to repent. His conduct has always been in disrepute and detrimental to the party agenda, dispite the party working hard to make him a Member of Parliament for Roan.
For instance, the NDC went through humiliation the first time Bill 10 was presented in Parliament. Joseph Chishala was instructed by the party to always vote with the UPND. However, he was compromised by the then ruling party and when UPND MPs walked out he refused to do so. The public may remember how NDC was insulted as they thought that the party had backtracked on Bill 10, but we had an MP that had been compromised and went against the party position.
The second time Bill 10 was presented to the house, he called the party president that morning and said that he was going to vote for Bill 10.
To cut the long story short, a plan was devised and Mr. Akafumba kidnapped Chishala to prevent him from going to parliament that day. Had he gone to Parliament, he would have voted for Bill 10.
This is a man that came to the party without anything and we had to contribute everything for his campaign in Roan. But sadly, he was a very disloyal MP that we always had to beg for how he should vote in Parliament.
The UPND knows this very well and they were part of the kidnapping plan and the place we took him to also had a number of UPND MPs that were suspected of being compromised, who had also been kidnapped.
So to see the UPND use Chishala as the face of the NDC when they know the kind of man he is shows their lack of honesty, principles and morality.
Our stance as NDC is that we are vehemently against mining in the lower Zambezi and the strategy by the UPND to use people that they can easily compromise to lie that it is the NDC stance is totally unacceptable.
I would also like to warn the UPND to stop using the NDC name for any of their corrupt and underhand methods and to stop undermining the party and its leadership. The NDC has a constitution and leadership and is certainly not in an Alliance with UPND. We are very disappointed with UPND’s continuous desperation and it is our hope that they stay away from the NDC and our positions on issues.
Issued by;
Saboi Imboela
President- NDC
