PF Continues Empowerment Giveaways

The PF continues to give away goods such as bicycles under empowerment schemes ahead of the 12 August 2021 elections.  

The latest giveaways include bicycles for 50 headmen in Chief Kopa’s Chiefdom as part of the Edgar Chagwa Lungu Multipurpose Empowerment Cooperative. During the handover, Chief Kopa endorsed President Lungu for the upcoming elections. 

Concerns have been raised by civil society regarding continued giveaways during election season, as well as questions as to how they are funding such gestures at a time when the economy is failing, and many are struggling with the increased cost of living. 

However, the major opposition force – the UPND Alliance – is encouraging voters to join its Operation Watermelon.  The idea is that voters can appear to support the Patriotic Front (PF) by being green on the outside, when really they are red (UPND) and will vote for the opposition on August 12th.  

The watermelon concept also encourages UPND supporters to take advantage of the PF giveaways ahead of elections as the PF once did when it used the donchi kubeba slogan to boot out MMD.  

The strategy also hopes to reassure voters who are scared of the intimidation and threats they may receive if they are vocal in their support for the opposition. Past elections have seen those wearing UPND regalia targeted by PF cadres. In the run up to the 2016 polls tensions were also high between police and opposition supporters, notoriously culminating in the fatal shooting of UPND Mapenzi Chibulo who was gunned down by police during the campaign period.  

“We call upon all well-meaning Zambians to unite and use the watermelon concept to kick out PF. There is nothing wrong in eating whatever PF is giving you now, but on 12th August do a watermelon on them. Think of your future and that of your innocent children first. We all have the responsibility of kicking out PF. Throw away the green part of the watermelon on 12th August. Enter the polling booth as PF but come out smiling as UPND,” the UPND’s Percy Chanda has previously advised voters.  

Chanda also reassured voters that the poll is secret and that because they will be alone in the polling booth the PF will not know who they have voted for.  

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