Maravi

Kapiji, Teta and Shakas face disciplinary action

Kapiji, Teta and Shakas face disciplinary action
Written by Allan Mulenga
Wednesday, December 03, 2008 9:19:27 AM

MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga yesterday said the party will take disciplinary measures against Judith Kapijimpanga, Benny Tetamashimba and Jonas Shakafuswa for issuing statements to the press. And Mabenga charged that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata is running a government on the streets.

In an interview, Mabenga said the MMD leadership would discipline erring members because the national executive committee (NEC) had earlier issued a statement directing members to address issues affecting the party through the secretariat.

"We already told our members not to issue any statement to the press and they have disregarded our directives. So we will institute disciplinary measures on all members, including Kapijimpanga who has been today [yesterday] quoted in The Post," Mabenga said.

Asked about local government minister Benny Tetamashimba and science and technology deputy minister Jonas Shakafuswa's recent press statements, Mabenga said the matter was being handled by the secretariat and that he would not give any further information to the media because they wanted to ensure discipline in the party. He said the MMD was not divided and that there was nothing like ‘light blue’ or ‘true blue’.

Mabenga said there was need for MMD members to give undivided support to President Rupiah Banda, saying whatever challenges President Banda was likely to face in his day-to-day discharge of duties would trickle down to the party.

"We put him to lead us to victory, so we need to support him. We won the presidential election because we put a right man to lead the party and all Zambians," Mabenga said. "As members, we were convinced that he would take over from the late president Levy Mwanawasa."

Mabenga said MMD members and the people of Zambia expected a lot of things from President Banda.

"We expect him to do more for the people and we know that he is capable of doing it. We would want him to take full control of this country. People should support the party and President Banda so that he delivers," he said.

Mabenga said the party had engaged in re-organisation at all levels, so as to prepare adequately for 2011 elections.

"We have continued with party re-organisation which we commenced even before the demise of president Mwanawasa. The exercise is being done at branches, constituencies, districts as well as provincial levels," Mabenga said.

When contacted, Kapijimpanga, Shakafuswa and Tetamashimba declined to comment on the matter.

On Monday, NEC member Kapijimpanga said the issue of ‘true blue’ and ‘light blue’ had the potential to divide the ruling party. Kapijimpanga said new comers in MMD often disregarded those they joined in the party. She said at the moment, MMD needed to find out why it was losing grip with the grassroots.

Kapijimpanga’s comments came in the wake of MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba’s statement that only true blue members of the party would determine his fate. This was after Tetamashimba’s statement that Kalumba was trying to justify his failure to deliver Chiengi Constituency to President Banda.

Tetamashimba had earlier called for an audit of the October 30 presidential election to ascertain why President Banda lost in constituencies where the ruling party has members of parliament.

President Banda lost to Sata in Chiengi Constituency.

In response to Tetamashimba’s statement, Kalumba urged MMD members not to insult the people of Zambia who did not vote for President Banda.

Kalumba said parliamentarians could not force people on who they should vote for because human beings were capable of making their own decisions.

Kalumba also said only the "true blue" [original or MMD founder members] could determine his fate in the party.

Shakafuswa then asked Tetamashimba to shut up because his public statements were weakening the party. Shakafuswa said the issue of ‘true blue’ and ‘light blue’ had arisen because people were beginning to re-assess their positions in the party because of Tetamashimba’s provocative utterances and actions.

And Mabenga accused Sata of running the government on the streets, saying the PF leader had no engagements.

"If Michael Sata has no engagements day by day, let him ask us, we will give him something to do. It seems he has nothing to do at all times. He is talking about protests now because his plan A had failed. Now he wants to try plan B which is engaging in violent protests not what he claims to be peaceful," said Mabenga.

Labels: JONAS SHAKAFUSWA, JUDITH KAPIJIMPANGA, MICHAEL MABENGA, POLITICS, SATA

posted by MrK @ 9:19 AM