LUSAKA, Zambia

The Zambian government reacted sharply to comments by South Africa’s Finance Minister Tito Mboweni who said the nation’s economy was in incapable hands.

Zambian government's chief spokesperson Dora Siliya said the nation was extremely disturbed by Mboweni’s remarks and accused him of demonstrating that he is unfit to occupy public office, especially in a country that is held in high regard on the African continent and across the globe.

Siliya said in a statement on Monday that her government noticed a very worrying trend by Mboweni of ignoring diplomatic etiquette and embarking on bad-mouthing a sovereign state.

“Mr. Mboweni began with a tweet about our airport where he said that not much development had happened in Zambia and yet this is the same airport that used to receive five flights of South African Airways, an airline which has since been grounded under his watch,” she said. “In his latest comments on Zambia, Mr. Mboweni is so vehemently trying to paint a gloomy picture of the economic outlook of Zambia even when facts on the ground do not support his comments.”

Mboweni disparaged Zambia last August by questioning President Edgar Lungu’s decision to sack Central Bank governor Denny Kalyalya and replace him with Christopher Mvunga.

Those remarks were greeted with a reprimand from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Siliya, who is also the information and broadcasting services minister, claimed that contrary to Mboweni’s malicious campaign, Zambia had done well in the fight against the coronavirus that reputable international media like CNN noted the country as a safe destination for tourism in 2021.

She said copper prices had risen, providing hope for the country to rebound economically.

The South African Embassy in Lusaka has yet to respond.