It appears the political rivalry between Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema and his predecessor Edgar Lungu isn’t ending soon as the two gladiators are making the news again following their arch-rivalry.

President Hichilema in the local language on Wednesday said to a gathering in Luanshya, a Copperbelt Province near Ndola that “Ngatumpa fyala mubipila (if he continues being silly, he will be dealt with), they brought misery, kutumpa uko (that is being silly).”

The president urged his audience at Luanshya not to forget what they went through at the hands of the Patriotic Front (PF) when they were in opposition and reiterated that he and his supporters suffered at the hands of Lungu’s regime, hence the need not to entertain any plans to reclaim power.

He also urged Luanshya to leverage the empowerment programmes launched by his administration such as the marketeers booster loans under the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) to obtain capital.

“We are dishing out booster loans to traders across the country which will change lives. Apart from that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has a component on empowerment interventions that will change the economic trajectory of the world country,” he said.

It would be recalled that President Hichilema, who used to be an opposition leader declared the winner of the presidential elections after a bitterly contested “political bout” in 2021 where he defeated then-incumbent, President Edgar Lungu, by a landslide – more than a million votes.

But neither appeared to have moved on from the experience at the poll at ex-president Lungu has also been widely critical of President Hichilema.

Meanwhile, President Hichilema’s open outburst against Lungu has drawn a reaction from the leader of the opposition in Parliament, Brian Mundubile, who is also the presidential candidate for the Patriotic Front.

Mundubile in a statement on Tuesday remarked that rather than focusing on Lungu, the president should be addressing the dead business environment, reflecting on his numerous travels in office, and tackling grand corruption.

Another member of the opposition, Saili Mavegie Phiri argued that there was nothing to brag about in terms of the government’s achievements since they took office in August 2021, and noted that the high cost of living, including the rising price of the dollar, fuel, and mealie meals, was a major concern.

President Hakainde Hichilema has a positive image abroad but there seems to be a lack of significant domestic achievements and rising discontentment with his leadership in Zambia.