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There's nothing wrong with overloading vehicles - Sata

There's nothing wrong with overloading vehicles - Sata
By Chibaula Silwamba
Monday July 23, 2007 [04:00]

Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said there is nothing wrong with overloading of motor vehicles. “Overloading of vehicles has always been there. Only on planes, that is where there is no overloading,” said Sata as PF Ndola Central member of parliament and long-distance bus operator Mark Mushili agreed.

Sata was commenting on Southern Province minister Joseph Mulyata’s harassment of Road Development Agency (RDA) officials at a weighbridge in Livingstone so they could release the bus belonging to Lusaka businessman and MMD cadre Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, popularly known as GBM, without paying the US $2,000 penalty fee after it was impounded for evading the weighbridge.

Sata said Mulyata’s action was not an issue. But last week, works and supply minister Kapembwa Simbao said government had over the last few years spent about K133 billion in repairing roads which were damaged as a result of overloading.

During the run-up to last year’s general elections, some MMD cadres opposed GBM’s adoption as one of their parliamentary candidates, accusing him of belonging to PF. However, GBM dismissed the accusation as malicious. He said he could not distance himself from Sata because he was his relative. Meanwhile, Sata said PF legislators would not support the constitution conference bill in Parliament.

Commenting on the constitution conference bill that government released to the Zambia Centre for Inter-party Dialogue (ZCID) and other stakeholders last week, Sata said the bill was a non-starter and no Patriotic Front (PF) member of parliament would go against the party’s decision to oppose it.

“There is nothing in that constitution conference bill. They have just picked the MMD roadmap which (MMD national secretary) Katele Kalumba imposed on the ZCID that we have rejected from the word go,” Sata said. “The party says the constitutional conference bill is a non-starter and nobody can go against that decision.”

Justice minister George Kunda last week stated that the draft national constitution conference bill of 2007 had been released to the ZCID, Oasis Forum and other stakeholders and that the bill would be published in the government gazette.

He requested political parties under the ZCID and civil society and church organisations under the Oasis Forum and the Constitution Awareness Forum to forward their comments on the bill for government’s consideration. He invited stakeholders to submit their comments to him by tomorrow.

And addressing a meeting of PF officials in Kanyama Constituency, Sata wondered why Parliament would allow President Levy Mwanawasa’s salary to be increased when he was not even paying for basic services such as accommodation, medicals and food.

“What kind of god would want that all good things go to Levy?” he asked.
Sata also warned all councillors that should they go against the party’s decisions, they would be expelled.

“After I removed (Lusaka mayor Susan) Nakazwe, other councilors have started working hard,” he said, warning: “If you don’t work hard I will ‘Nakazwe’ (expel) you. Soon we will have new councillors in Mandevu and John Haward.”
He warned the councillors against going to State House to get money to destabilise the PF.

“In State House I have PF members, they will tell me the time you entered and left State House,” he said.
He encouraged the PF leadership to form strong branches at markets.

“As PF, we should build strong branches at Soweto market. I and (former president Frederick) Chiluba built Soweto market and we have to control it,” he said. “What powers does (local government minister Sylvia) Masebo want at Soweto? Masebo and the MMD should build their own market.”
Sata said the money generated at Soweto should go to the Lusaka City Council instead of central government.

“Soweto market is for the council. Why isn’t the money going to the council?” he asked.
Sata also encouraged PF members to vie for various party portfolios during elections.
“But those I will nominate, no one will stop me. The party constitution gives me powers to nominate,” said Sata.

Earlier, Kanyama member of parliament Henry Mtonga urged PF members to fight for their rights at Soweto market.

Mtonga also said he had intelligence information that about two or three months ago, some PF councillors were invited to State House where they were offered money to quit PF and join the MMD.

“They were offered a lot of money,” said Mtonga. “Let us look after our party, PF is the alternative government.”

Labels: CARS, JOSEPH MULYATA, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 6:10 AM