Claim
The Lusaka Times Website reported on 18th July, 2021 that Mr. Chishimba Kambwili had continued his tribally charged statements against political opponents. The report said that while featuring on a radio campaign on Breeze FM in Chipata on Saturday, 17th July 2021, Mr. Kambwili claimed that Mr. Hakainde Hichilima is a wrong person with a hidden agenda, who the people of Eastern province and Zambia as a whole should never entrust with power to govern. The Lusaka Times online publication further quotes Mr. Kambwili saying that, “…the opposition party is nothing but a party that has been created with the sole purpose of selling one individual who has ended up misleading the entire Southern Province that it is only right to vote for people who come from there.”
Rating Justification
The Fact Checking process has determined as true the claim that Mr Kambwili has continued using disruptive language despite his recent censure by the ECZ. On 30/06/2021, The Electoral Commission of Zambia Chief Electoral Officer Mr. Kryticious Nshindano announced the indefinite suspension of Chishimba Kambwili, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, from participating in any campaign activities in line with paragraph 11(i) (d) of the Electoral Code of Conduct. The ECZ Facebook page later announced the lifting of indefinite suspension of Chishimba Kambwili, on 8th July, 2021. This was as a result of Mr. Kambwili apologizing and showing remorse to the ECZ during the suspension. However, on 18th July 2021, during a radio campaign at Breeze FM radio station in Chipata, Chishimba Kambwili claimed that the United Party National Development (UPND) party “…a party that most of the things they talk about are not real and they just want to come into power and that political party is nothing”. During the radio campaign, he further went on to state that Hakainde Hichilima is the wrong person with a hidden agenda, who the people of Eastern province and Zambia as a whole should never entrust with power to govern. Mr Kambwili further said “that this gentleman (referring to UPND party President, Hakainde Hichilema) is a wrong leader who thinks of himself and only people from his tribe are important”. In addition, “Chishimba Kambwili has charged that Zambia risk going back to the 1970s when the country was fighting tribalism and regionalism if they vote for the United Party for National Development (UPND)” states Mwebantu. The ECZ has not yet issued a statement concerning Chishimba Kambwili’s latest remarks.
