JOE Mwale says NDC president Chishimba Kambwili’s recently ‘employed’ spokesperson Edward Mumbi is a crooked “fellow” who must not be trusted.
Mwale, a UPND member, has cautioned Kambwili and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership to watch over Mumbi.
But Mumbi has described Mwale as a misfit, a sycophant beggar and that he should be decent.
Mumbi once served as then opposition PF secretary general.
He then moved on and became UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s spokesperson.
Mwale called The Mast and said: “that Mumbi fellow is simply a plant put by the PF.”
“He is not a person to be trusted and mark my words; by the time we’ll be going to elections in 2021, that fellow would have jumped out and gone back to PF,” Mwale said.
“He is simply a plant and Kambwili should be cautious with such people. But I’ll decisively deal with this Mumbi fellow.”
Mwale also said he was still waiting for Mumbi’s team of lawyers to approach him (Mwale).
He explained that Mumbi was the one engineering Chitimukulu’s attempt “to take me to court over those remarks I made to the Chitimukulu.”
Mwale is now threatening to sue Mumbi because: “he accused me of having been paid to say what I was saying against Chitimukulu.”
“Tell this Edward Mumbi that I’m suing him! He is the one who was engineering that Chitimukulu’s [attempt] to take me to court. He accused me of being paid to say what I said about Chitimukulu,” Mwale noted.
“He has now left the PF to join the NDC; who has paid him? But even if he has gone to Kambwili’s party, tell him that I’m going to pursue him. Let him take me to court over Chitimukulu’s issue.”
Mwale emphasised that Mumbi: “is not a person you can trust.”
“I found that fellow with HH (Hakainde Hichilema) in UPND. He is the one who was getting money from HH and UPND. [But] I have never gotten anything because I never went in UPND to make money. But these are the people who jump from one place to another,” he said.
“After being with Sata, he went to RB (Rupiah Banda) in the MMD…. So, Kambwili should not trust that fellow. But tell him that I’m still waiting for the [legal] team that he was putting up where he ‘donated’ a K10,000. I don’t know where he could have gotten a K10,000 from! He was threatening me over those remarks I made to the Chitimukulu and he was doing that at the insistence of his paymasters in the PF. Now he has gone to Kambwili but let him wait for me; I’ll still pursue him.”
Mwale, a former ambassador, wondered if the issue Mumbi was threatening to take him to court was over now.
“It can never be over with me! Let him go ahead and sue me. If he doesn’t go ahead, I’ll take him on. He can’t call me names and say I was being paid by paymasters to say whatever I said about Chitimukulu. Nobody paid me!” he stressed.
“He threatened me and said he was putting up a team of lawyers and he allegedly donated a K10,000 for legal fees, to defend Chitimukulu against me. He called me names that I had been bought. I have been waiting for him.”
Mwale alleged that he found Mumbi in the UPND and he had a problem over a vehicle.
“The PF wanted to arrest him over that. He had a police case over a vehicle which he brought in the country from South Africa. That’s what he told us that PF were pursuing him over the issue of the vehicle. I’ll take him on!” Mwale insisted.
Meanwhile, Mwale cautioned NDC members about Mumbi’s alleged treachery behaviour.
“All I can warn these NDC people is that that fellow cannot be trusted. He is not adding any value to NDC where he has gone. Tomorrow he will jump from NDC and go back to PF. If Kambwili can trust that fellow, I tell you; come and cut my finger if he will not jump out and go somewhere else. He is after money!” explained Mwale.
“His past record shows clearly that he is a crooked fellow and should not be trusted. He (Kambwili) can only trust that fellow at his own risk. Jumping from one party to another is his business. I never lost any sleep when Mumbi was threatening me. So, tell him that Mwale is still waiting for you.”
Called to react to Mwale’s assertions, Mumbi said he does not agree with politicians for the sake of it.
“I take value in the politics. When I was a member of the UPND, Joe Mwale was [also] a member of the UPND. He survived on begging, handouts from wherever,” he said.
“Joe Mwale could be coming from the angle of not too long ago insulting chief Chitimukulu and I defended chief Chitimukulu. Even today, I defend paramount chief Chitimukulu as my paramount chief.”
Mumbi added that he sympathised with Mwale.
“He was recalled from Japan because of having gotten involved in scandals to courier his business items in the diplomatic bag,” Mumbi noted.
“My warning to him is that let him be decent. Joe Mwale should behave himself and never ever should he mention my name because I’m not a sycophant like him. He is a beggar [and] I’m not. He should not spoil the relationship between NDC and UPND.”
He further asked: does resigning from UPND mean I’m untrustworthy?”
“He has to tell me what he means! Everything I have said has come to pass! When I was leaving PF, I told you that PF is going to cause problems and is everybody now not complaining about problems?” Mumbi said.
About the issue of the vehicle, Mumbi countered that he has never bought a vehicle from South Africa.
He said all his vehicles were bought locally from credible car dealers.