Kunda accuses Sata, HH of violence

Kunda accuses Sata, HH of violence
By Mutuna Chanda in Solwezi
Tue 10 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

VICE-President George Kunda on Sunday accused PF and UPND pact leaders Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema respectively of being violent.

Addressing MMD cadres on arrival at Solwezi Airport, Vice-President Kunda said Sata was on record as having spearheaded the violence in Chawama Constituency when he was in the ruling MMD.

“PF and its leader, Mr Michael Sata, have a long history of violence,” Vice-President Kunda said. “It is well documented that Mr Sata spearheaded violence in Chawama Constituency. People were injured with pangas. UPND is also known for violence with its Mapatizya formula. MMD has never been violent, with us we have the Chitambo formula which is about peace.”

Vice-President Kunda claimed that Hichilema’s recent visit to Solwezi was aimed at selling Sata for 2011 as he had paved way for the PF leader to stand as the pact’s presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections.

“Hichilema came here to sell Mr Sata,” Vice-President Kunda said.

“It appears with the arrangement that Hichilema won’t stand in 2011. He has come to sell Sata even in this by-election. Now in Solwezi and other parts of Zambia, we don’t vote for Mr Sata ... people don’t vote for Mr Sata; the reason they don’t is because he’s violent. Hichilema is also violent so don’t vote for them. As MMD we introduced the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation and we are committed to that. As government we have no problem with Zambia as a Christian nation and we shall support it in the NCC (National Constitutional Conference). We want one Zambia one nation, we don’t want people to be fighting among themselves.”

He said MMD had maintained peace since 1991 and the country’s economy would only be strengthened through that route.

“They are bringing in youths from the Copperbelt to bring violence here,” he said. “We’ve run campaigns without violence. Reject violence and vote for MMD which stands for peace.”

He said police should maintain peace in Solwezi.

“This province has a great future, not only do we have mines we are also prospecting for oil ... the future of Solwezi and North Western Province is guaranteed and we can’t afford to destroy Solwezi and North Western Province,” he said.

Vice-President Kunda’s comments on violence were prompted by North Western Province minister Joseph Mulyata who accused the opposition of ‘importing’ people from the Copperbelt to instigate violence in Solwezi.
He said the MMD was gaining popularity going by its performance in recent by-elections.

He said despite MMD losing to the PF and UPND pact candidate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba in the Kasama Central by-election, the party had gained strength from 20 per cent of the vote in the 2008 presidential by-election to 40 per cent in the recent parliamentary polls.
He also cited the Chitambo parliamentary by-election, which the MMD’s candidate won, and some local government polls as an indication of the MMD’s increasing popularity.

“In Southern Province, in Livingstone, Hichilema campaigned in Kasiya ward,” said Vice-President Kunda. “MMD got 387 votes, UPND got 387 votes; we tied. That is Southern Province, his purported stronghold. The returning officer had to toss a coin for UPND to win.”

Earlier, Mulyata said the people of Solwezi have never known violence.
“The people of this province and Solwezi in particular have told me that they’ll never disappoint MMD because development has come because of MMD,” Mulyata said. “Those who are bringing violence just want to divert government’s attention from development to violence. People in this province have never known violence at all. Government has brought a lot of development in this province and Solwezi in particular.

The opposition are not happy. They want us to follow them, to beat them up but let me warn them, we shall not sit idle. We shall not keep our heads for stones coming from opposition. One day we will be annoyed. As I am talking now there are some people who have hired buses to come to Solwezi but the question is ‘what have they come to do?’ MMD is everywhere. What have they come to do?”
Mulyata also claimed that the people of Solwezi had told him that they would vote for MMD as a way of honouring late member of parliament for Solwezi Central Benny Tetamashimba.

And acting MMD North Western Province chairman Pinakin Patel said the ruling party would convincingly beat the PF and UPND pact in the November 19 polls because the pact had no base in the area.
He said the opposition were pushing MMD by pulling down its posters and following the ruling party campaigners.

Mulyata said the opposition should desist from insulting President Rupiah Banda and ferrying ‘thugs’ from the Copperbelt Province for peace to be assured.
MMD candidate Albert Chifita said he was the best placed among the four candidates that were vying for the Solwezi Central seat to be member of parliament because he had worked in the government system and knew the channels of delivering development.

Chifita, who was Solwezi district commissioner until he was adopted to stand as the MMD’s candidate on the Solwezi Central seat, said he knew where the funding for schools and hospitals was because he had worked in the government.

Chifita warned Solwezi residents that it would be difficult for them if they made a mistake of handing the Solwezi Central seat to the opposition as the area was the heart of North Western Province.