Chief Choongo Condemns Katele Kalumba Over Attack On President Hichilema

Chief Choongo of Monze District has condemned remarks attributed to former Cabinet minister Dr Katele Kalumba against President Hakainde Hichilema, describing them as disappointing and un-Zambian. In a video widely circulated online, Dr Kalumba is heard making disparaging remarks about the President and issuing threats against him.

The traditional leader, a former chairperson of the House of Chiefs, said leadership should be rooted in fostering unity and promoting dialogue rather than sowing discord. He said Dr Kalumba’s standing made the remarks harder to accept. “First and foremost, it is a disappointment to have a person of the stature of Dr Kalumba because his stature is highly respected. He served as a Cabinet minister for many years in the MMD regime, he is an accomplished academician, he is a doctor and, above all, he is a traditionalist,” Chief Choongo said.

A man of that calibre, the chief said, should never have turned on the Head of State. “So it is disappointing, really, to get a person of his calibre to insult the Head of State,” he said.

Chief Choongo said Dr Kalumba, as a senior figure in both politics and academia, understood what the presidency represents. He questioned the example the former minister was setting for those coming up behind him. “For him to attack a sitting President in that manner, I feel it is disappointing. What message is he sending to the younger generation? What message is he sending to young politicians and upcoming politicians?” he said.

The traditional leader said Dr Kalumba had other and better ways to advise the Government and the President than attacking the presidency on social media. “That is very disappointing and unfortunate. His language was not good. It must be condemned by all well-meaning Zambians,” he said.

He said there was a time and season for everything, including political campaigns, during which some people deliberately resorted to lies and hate speech. That season, Chief Choongo said, had ended, and the people had spoken at every level. “The people of Zambia have decided who their MP should be, who their council chairperson should be, who their mayor should be and, above all, the people of Zambia overwhelmingly decided who they wanted to be the President of this country. And they have decided that President Hichilema should continue,” he said.

Respect for the office, the chief said, should rise above party loyalty. He said anyone who understood how a president must be treated, whether a supporter of the ruling party or not, should recognise that the presidential seat belonged to all Zambians.

Chief Choongo said whoever served as President deserved respect because the people had chosen that person to lead. He also answered those who question why traditional leaders work closely with the State. “People ask why ‘we’, traditional leaders, work with the government of the day. The answer is always because that is the leadership which is there at that particular time,” he said.

The video remains in circulation, and Chief Choongo has called on all well-meaning Zambians to condemn its language.

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