Maravi

Chiluba is cursed – Sata

Chiluba is cursed – Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba in Serenje
Saturday, August 08, 2009 1:54:03 PM

FREDERICK Chiluba is a cursed man, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has charged. And Sata said it is undisputable that former defence minister George Mpombo is a very good friend of PF.

In an interview last Tuesday afternoon, Sata said former president Chiluba had in the recent past made statements which made no sense, such as his support for the privatisation of Zamtel and justification over the sale of the mines and attacks on other politicians.

Sata said a man in Chiluba's position who had committed grave and unforgettable mistakes was supposed to show remorse over their misdeeds.

Sata's statement came after he saw many poverty stricken faces as he made a one-hour journey over a 17-kilometer terrain to address a campaign rally in Chitambo Constituency.

"What is the problem with Chiluba? I think he is cursed because a man should have remorse. He has no remorse. He should beg Zambians to forgive him because all this mess we have is because of Chiluba," Sata said.

"Even the mess we have of Rupiah Banda is because of Chiluba who brought Levy Mwanawasa, who in turn brought a UNIPIST [President Banda] because in his [Chiluba's] dubious ways, he ignored the [MMD] national executive committee [NEC]."

Sata said Chiluba recently boasted that he privatised the mines because most mine machinery had become obsolete.

However, Sata said Chiluba should always remember that the mess the country was going through was largely because of him.

"He should repent. If there was no corruption involved [in the privatisation of companies], we would have been better. But which investor did he bring to open new mines? And how many of those mines which were privatised have been re-sold?" Sata asked.

"Most generals are in prison because he did not project an innocent and disciplined leadership. He will support dubious ways of Rupiah Banda as long as he remains out of prison."

Earlier in the morning, Sata snubbed chieftainess Serenje who had requested to have a private audience with him.

In her attempts to meet Sata, chieftainess Serenje made her way to Serenje District Police Station where Sata had gone to get details over an incident where a PF campaign minibus was stoned by suspected MMD cadres.

After Sata had finished meeting the police officers and was about to start off for Chitambo Constituency to campaign, he found chieftainess Serenje waiting for him outside the station.

Sata proceeded to greet her.

"Mulishani [How are you]? Eimwe twaumfwile ati mwali naba Rupiah Banda [Are you the one we heard was with Rupiah Banda at a campaign rally]?" he asked.

In response, chieftainess Serenje just smiled with her face cast downwards and asked Sata to accompany her to an unknown guesthouse.

But while the vehicles made their way to the unknown guesthouse, Sata's vehicle suddenly made a U-turn and headed straight to Chitambo.

The meeting did not take place and Sata never communicated to the chieftainess that his vehicles had made a U-turn.

And drumming up support for PF Chitambo Constituency parliamentary candidate Mutale Chanda, Sata said President Banda thought the people of Zambia particularly those in Chitambo were blind and could not see and analyse his lies.

He said President Banda recently lied to Chitambo residents that they would be buying fertiliser at K25,000, forgetting that he told the same lie last year when he assured people of providing fertiliser at K50,000.

"If he says that I will be giving you fertiliser at K25,000, where is the one for 50 pin [K50,000]? He thinks those who come from here are blind. He comes here, lies and gets on a helicopter and goes, even burning a house in the process," Sata said. "He is not buying maize from the people but he instructed Food Reserve Agency [FRA] to buy all the maize from his farm."

Sata said it was sad that when most trained teachers had remained unemployed and those who were employed struggled with meager salaries, first lady Thandiwe Banda was getting her salary without working for it.

He said President Banda had come to plunder because apart from the intended sale of 75 per cent shares in Zamtel to his equity partner, the President's government had also sold most Serenje land to foreigners.

On the poverty levels in rural areas, Sata asked President Banda to try and stay in a rural area, saying that would help him appreciate the numerous problems most rural dwellers faced.

"Look at this place, no hospitals, no what. If you get malaria here then you are gone. Nekufi lilya akwata Rupiah Banda, ngani muno ngekalafye pang'anda [President Banda's knee problem would have been worse if he stayed here because he would just be sitting at home due to lack of hospitals]," Sata said.

"If his wife can continue getting secondary teachers pay, why can't these people get free fertilizer? They are more Zambian than he is. He has got one leg in Zimbabwe and another in Zambia. And even his candidate in Chitambo [Dr Solomon Musonda], he has got one leg in Zimbabwe and another in Zambia."

PF national chairman Samuel Mukupa said people in urban areas where the living standards were much better had rejected the MMD but wondered why rural people continued to vote for them.

Mukupa asked people not to be bought by small handouts such as game-meat and salt.

Sata charged that President Banda had run away from the country because Mahumud Cerrato, who is an evaluation consultant from Spain, had arrived in the country over the sale of Zamtel.

He said President Banda wanted to pretend that he did not know what was happening.

"I hope the same privilege of going to hospital in South Africa on lies should be extended to the people of Chitambo who have no medical facilities," Sata said. "He has done enough lies about Zamtel and Mahumud has come to take on a silver platter our national asset."

And Sata said the PF would stand by former defence minister George Mpombo and other people who had been humiliated, harassed and discarded by President Rupiah Banda such as former local government minister Sylvia Masebo and former finance minister Ng'andu Magande.

Asked if PF and Mpombo have had any discussions over the latter's resignation from MMD to join PF, as revealed by PF sources, Sata said there were no such talks.

"But one thing which is undisputed is that George Mpombo is a very good friend of PF. We have been talking to him, and several other PF leaders are talking to him to be a leader. Although he has been stricken by Rupiah Banda, we have encouraged him to hold on. The harassment won't only be from Rupiah Banda, or [works and supply minister] Mike Mulongoti or [Secretary to the Cabinet Dr] Joshua Kanganja. They will all rise against him," Sata said.

"Rupiah Banda has been standing on the side of [PF] rebels, so why should we not stand on Mpombo's side? We shall defend Mpombo, Magande and Sylvia Masebo, and anybody who has been humiliated by Rupiah Banda. Anybody who is being harassed we shall stand for them."

Sata warned that the MMD would be in big trouble after most members of parliament had collected their mid-term gratuity. He said he had asked most MMD members of parliament to hold on a bit before resigning from their party.

"There are some members of parliament who are going to declare their hostility after the receipt of gratuity. I contacted them and they have contacted me. I said since Rupiah Banda has refused to forego the gratuity, get the gratuity and show him what you stand for," said Sata.

Labels: CHIEFTAINESS SERENJE, CHILUBA, GEORGE MPOMBO, SATA

posted by MrK @ 12:54 PM