Kambwili was wrongly charged, Chitambala tells court
By a Correspondent
FORMER minister of information Chishimba Kambwili was wrongly charged with the offence of unlawful assembly, State witness Simon Mwewa Chitambala has told a Lusaka magistrates court.
In this matter, Kambwili is facing the charge of unlawful assembly and jointly charged with businessman Charles Kakula.
It is alleged that Kambwili and Kakula, on January 26, 2023, in Lusaka, jointly and while acting together with other unknown people, unlawfully assembled with intent to commit an offence or breach the peace.
When the matter came up for continued trial last Friday, Chitambala informed the court that Kambwili should not be on trial because he actually reprimanded Kakula, who led a group in chanting what was interpreted as a tribal song.
Chitambala said he watched a video on the Smart Eagles Facebook page that showed a group of about 10 youths singing outside Kambwili’s residence in Lusaka near State House.
He said the group leader was Charles Kakula, a young man he knew personally and it was him who should have been allayed before court and not Kambwili.
Chitambala told magistrate Kawama Mwamfuli that the group sang a Bemba song that loosely translated to “you told us to get on a boat but we mounted a cow” which he believed had tribal undertones.
According to Chitambala, Kambwili immediately reprimanded the group, particularly Kakula, for singing the song, a gesture Chitambala felt showed disapproval and did not warrant criminal charges against the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader.
He said that he reported Kakula, not Kambwili, to the Lusaka Central Police Station over what he considered tribalism promotion.
During cross-examination by the defence lawyer, Chitambala said he did not submit the video to the police or present it in court as evidence.
The hearing continues on June 29.
