KAMBWILI WAS WRONGLY CHARGED, CHITAMBALA TELLS COURT
By Nicole Namwinga
A witness, Simon Mwewa Chitambala has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that Patriotic Front member Chishimba Kambwili was wrongly charged with the offence of unlawful assembly.
In this matter, Kambwili is facing charges of unlawful assembly and is jointly charged with fugitive businessman Charles Kakula.
It is alleged that Kambwili and Kakula, on January 26, 2023, in Lusaka, jointly and while acting with others unknown, unlawfully assembled with intent to commit an offence or breach the peace.
When the matter came up for continued trial, Mr. Chitambala told the court that Kambwili should not be on trial, as he had actually reprimanded Kakula, who led a group in chanting what was interpreted as a tribal song.
Mr. Chitambala said he watched a video on the Smart Eagles Facebook page that showed a group of about ten youths singing outside Kambwili’s residence.
He identified the group leader as Charles Kakula, a young man he knew personally.
He further told the court 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 the witness, 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 politician.
He stated that he reported Kakula, not Kambwili, to Lusaka Central Police over what he considered tribal promotion.
Meanwhile, during cross-examination by the defence, Mr. Chitambala confirmed that he did not submit the video to the police or present it in court as evidence.
The matter has since been adjourned to June 29 for continued trial.
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