Staff Reporter
Zambia’s ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) spokesperson, Joseph Kalimbwe has dismissed as false, an article in yesterday’s Newsday titled “We’re under Zanu-PF attack-Hichilema” which claimed that Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu-PF is launching cyber-attacks against UPND leadership, a development which could sour relations between the two countries.
In the article, the Newsday claimed that Kalimbwe allegedly told the paper that Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema and his party were being targeted by Zanu-PF cyber-attacks, which he (Kalimbwe) said was “scandalous.”
The article also stated that Kalimbwe told the Newsday that UPND was being attacked on social media platforms by some Zanu-PF members who were criticising President Hichilema’s personality and policies and that the Zanu-PF party has “always been uneasy” over UPND’s close relations with Nelson Chamisa.
Dismissing the article, Kalimbwe accused the NewsDay of writing something the UPND leadership never said, which he said had the potential to spoil the good relations the two countries have.
“Ignore news from Newspapers that publish sensationalized front page titles of words our leadership never said, twist tweet contents into their editorials, give others unfound titles and write articles which have the potential to politically tarnish decades long regional relations !!,” tweeted Kalimbwe.
Political analysts Tashinga Magombedze said it seems the MDC Alliance was working to strain the relations between Zimbabwean government and the newly elected Zambian government.
“The MDC Alliance have an agenda to tarnish relations between Zimbabwe and Zambia. They don’t want the newly elected Zambian government to have ties with the Government of President Mnangagwa. That’s why they are creating fictitious stories in a bid to cause a diplomatic row between the two countries,” said Magombedze.
Magombedze added that the Zimbabwean opposition will not succeed in creating a wedge between President Mnangagwa and President Hichilema because the two are friends and are also related.
“If you still remember, President Mnangagwa said he knew President Hichilema well. President Mnangagwa said he and his counterpart are related and he grew up with President Hichilema’s wife, Mutinta Hichilema, in the same town of Mumbwa, west of Lusaka. Do you think then that you can put a wedge on people who have such a historic ties?” queried Magombedze.
Since President Hichilema was elected into office, the MDC Alliance had been trying to portray ZANU PF as an enemy of UPND, an assertion that has since been dismissed by President Mnangagwa when he attended President Hichilema’s inauguration in Zambia, last month.
