Travel consultant confirms State House made bookings for alleged imposters

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Travel consultant confirms State House made bookings for alleged imposters

Travel consultant confirms State House made bookings for alleged imposters
Written by Staff Reporters
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 9:27:41 AM

A TRAVEL consultant from Cathay Pacific Lusaka office Melody Mumba yesterday confirmed that a David Banda from State House made bookings for 26 passengers to travel to New York.

And sources at State House have revealed that the seven alleged imposters that were recently arrested were actually promised jobs in the foreign service by President Rupiah Banda.

Mumba, when asked to confirm a proforma invoice from Cathay Pacific which she signed and addressed to the Head of Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), State House, confirmed that a booking was made by David Banda.

However, Mumba said Banda later cancelled the booking as one of the passengers had died.

According to the invoice, 26 passengers were supposed to have left for New York on January 6 and 7, 2009 from Lusaka en route to Johannesburg and Hong Kong.

The tickets were one-way business class amounting to US $186,000 for all the passengers.

Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso on Saturday disclosed that a second magistrate from Ndola, who is now deceased, was among the group of people from the Copperbelt that were using President Banda's name to stay at a lodge in Lusaka without footing the bills.

Mumba said Banda used to go to their travel agency with a woman from the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

She said the other bookings could not be made because details of the children that were supposed to travel were not made available.

But when contacted for a comment on Saturday, State House chief analyst for press and public relations Dickson Jere said the seven people could not have been arrested if what they were saying was correct.

"Why have they been arrested if what they are saying is true?" Jere asked.

And when contacted yesterday after Mumba confirmed that David Banda from State House was making arrangements for the 26 to travel to New York, Jere said The Post could go ahead and publish the trash they always publish.

"What do you want me to say? What do you want me to tell you? You write the story. You already publish trash, so you publish the story," Jere said.

MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba on Sunday disowned people that were using President Banda’s name to stay at the lodge in Lusaka without footing the bills, saying they did not belong to the party.

Tetamashimba said the MMD had noted that people masquerading as appointees had the potential of tarnishing the image of both President Banda and the party.

But sources at State House said President Banda was aware of the seven people that were accommodated at a named lodge in Chilenje.

The source said President Banda had been communicating with the families since they moved to Lusaka, but only stopped communicating after the death of one of the people who was supposed to travel with the families.

"The President was in constant touch with these families and he only stopped after the death of magistrate Tembo, so we are actually surprised that he is quiet now," the source said.

The source said the families even sold off their properties in Ndola after being promised jobs because they were supposed to leave Zambia on the January 6 and 7 this year.

Labels: ALLOWANCES, BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, BONNIE KAPESO