Mweetwa Offers Apology Terms

Choma Central MP Cornelius Mweetwa has said he is willing to apologise to Inonge Wina, provided the vice president first apologises for accusing opposition parties of involvement in the series of gassings that took place earlier this year. 

During a television interview in February, Mr Mweetwa called Mrs Wina “shameful and shallow” for insinuating that the gas attacks were agitating for regime change. 

On Friday the UPND MP refused to apologise again after being instructed to do so by Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini. 

Mweetwa has now amended his position to state that he will apologise to the vice president, provided she retract her false statements about opposition involvement in gas attacks and the burning of Lusaka City Market. 

“I am willing to apologise to Her Honour the Vice-President, to the Parliament of Zambia and to Mr Speaker. I am also willing to apologise to the whole country only on one condition that the Vice-President should apologise for lying to the nation, misinforming Parliament and the nation that gassing was the work of the opposition agitating for regime change because such a statement was highly inflammatory to say some people wanted to remove a constitutionally elected government by unlawful means of gassing. That statement in fact qualifies to be a criminal offence in one of our laws,” he said.

He further condemned Mrs Wina for politicising the gas attacks, adding that to make such false statements was a criminal offence.

“That gassing people lost life, it’s not child’s play. It is something that Zambians are asking for answers, so no one should trivialise gassing, we want answers,” Mweetwa said.