Makebi lashes out at Hichilema over “you’re foreigners in Mufumbwe remarks”

191 Views National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity presidential running mate Makebi Zulu has criticized President Hakainde Hichilema over remarks made in Mufumbwe, saying it is wrong for the Head of State to tell Zambians they are foreigners in their own country. Zulu was responding to comments the President made during an engagement meeting […]

191 Views

National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity presidential running mate Makebi Zulu has criticized President Hakainde Hichilema over remarks made in Mufumbwe, saying it is wrong for the Head of State to tell Zambians they are foreigners in their own country.

Zulu was responding to comments the President made during an engagement meeting in Mufumbwe over the weekend. According to Zulu, President Hichilema told residents that he will not allow people from the Copperbelt to go to Mufumbwe and Kikonge gold mine areas because they are foreigners in those areas.

Reacting to the sentiments, Zulu said the President’s statement is divisive.

“Did you hear what Hakainde Hichilema said in Mufumbwe?

“Ati your brothers and sisters should not allow or tolerate you to go and work with them in those gold mine areas of Mufumbwe and Kikonge mines, because you are foreigners in those areas.

“How have you become foreigners in your own country? Isn’t Mufumbwe and Kikonge part of Zambia?

“President Brian Mundubile and I want to assure you of “One Zambia, One Nation,” and we reject any sort of division among our people. Vote him OUT,” said Zulu.

According to Zulu the comments are unacceptable because Zambia is one country and no Zambian should be labeled a foreigner within its borders. He argued that mineral resources are national resources and that all citizens should have the right to seek work wherever opportunities exist.

He believes the statement coming from the President three days before the vote sets a bad example and risks creating division among communities. According to Zulu, leadership at this time should be about uniting people, not drawing lines between provinces.

North-Western Province has seen increased activity around gold in Mufumbwe and Kikonge, with both local and outside workers moving into the area. That has at times led to concerns from residents about jobs and business opportunities.

Zulu is on record acknowledging that host communities should benefit from projects in their areas, but he said that should be done through proper planning, skills training and local empowerment, not by telling other Zambians they do not belong.

“If the issue is about jobs for local people, then let us talk about skills, let us talk about contracts for local suppliers, let us talk about community development,” he once said. “Let us not solve it by calling a Zambian from the Copperbelt a foreigner in Mufumbwe. Mufumbwe is Zambia. Kikonge is Zambia.”

He said the NRP ticket under presidential candidate Brian Mundubile stands for national unity and will not tolerate politics that seeks to divide Zambians along regional lines. He told voters that the choice before them is between leadership that unites and leadership that divides.

“President Brian Mundubile and I want to assure you of One Zambia, One Nation,” Zulu repeated. “We reject any sort of division among our people.”

Zulu also urged traditional leaders, civil society and other stakeholders to speak against language that sets Zambians against each other. He said the country has managed diversity for many years by respecting the principle that every part of Zambia belongs to all Zambians.

He called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia and other institutions to ensure the campaign period ends peacefully and that leaders refrain from statements that could incite tension.

The remarks have sparked debate online and in communities, with some defending the President’s position as a push to prioritize locals for jobs, and others agreeing with Zulu that the wording was wrong.

Zulu insisted the issue is not about opposing local benefits. He said communities around mines must see real benefits, but that cannot come at the cost of national unity.

“How have you become foreigners in your own country? Isn’t Mufumbwe and Kikonge part of Zambia?” he asked again.

As campaigns close, Zulu said his party will continue to campaign on the message of unity, jobs and equal opportunity for all Zambians regardless of where they come from.

“Vote him OUT,” he concluded, referring to President Hichilema.