Maravi

Sata, HH bring business around Solwezi town to a standstill

Sata, HH bring business around Solwezi town to a standstill
By Mutuna Chanda in Solwezi
Fri 13 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PF/UPND pact leaders Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema on Wednesday brought business around Solwezi town to a standstill when they stopped to take a short walk around, greeting passersby and shop owners. And Hichilema has said Vice-President George Kunda has diarrhoea whenever he hears of the PF-UPND pact.

Meanwhile, Sata has told Solwezi residents that Vice-President Kunda and the MMD administration were talking about him and Hichilema at their meetings because they have no developmental projects that they have delivered.

The central business district of Solwezi came to a standstill late on Wednesday afternoon as the PF-UPND pact convoy drove through the town centre after a rally to drum up support for their candidate at Kazomba.

Sata disembarked from the vehicle he was in near Shoprite to greet passersby and shop owners creating a frenzy among Solwezi residents including motorists.

A big group of PF-UPND pact supporters trotted through the main road chanting calls for change.

Road traffic came to a standstill and some motorists parked on the side of the main road as Sata and Hichilema walked through the main road drawing close to Solwezi district police headquarters crowded by their supporters and other Solwezi residents who abandoned what they were doing to catch a glimpse of the two leaders.

The two leaders then embarked on their vehicles and continued with a drive through Solwezi before separating.

And addressing a packed rally at Kazomba Market earlier, Hichilema said President Rupiah Banda and Vice-President Kunda did not sleep over the PF-UPND pact.

”When MMD hears of the pact George Kunda is having diarrhoea in his room because they are afraid of the pact,” Hichilema said. ”Rupiah Banda in Chipata is talking about Sata, Kunda here is talking about Hakainde; they are not sleeping, they are worried about the pact.”

Hichilema said neither had he sold UPND to PF nor had Sata sold PF to UPND.
”What we are doing, we are using our brains to remove the corrupt MMD,” he said.

He said the pact was about doing away with selfishness and delivering better lives to Zambians.

He said President Banda abused late president Levy Mwanawasa's name last year to win the presidential by-election.

“Do you want to be cheated again? Vote for Lumba so that you deny that abuse of 2008,” he said.

He told Lumba that if elected member of parliament for Solwezi Central Constituency, he would become a servant of the people and not their boss.

And the crowd at the PF-UPND pact rally waved their symbols of a clenched fist and an open hand on the other when a Zambia Air Force helicopter flew over the rally site while Hichilema was speaking.

Hichilema then remarked: “Look at George Kunda, that is what a foolish man can do flying in helicopter when the people of Kazomba have bad roads. He must drive on the roads to see how bad the roads are.”

And Sata said the MMD had failed to deliver in Solwezi and that was why they concentrated on personality attacks instead of telling Zambians what they had done.

“Because MMD has nothing to tell you when they have a meeting, they talk about Michael Sata and Hichilema,” Sata said. “If you have a daughter and she is married for 17 years, you are not going to ask 'where are my grandchildren, you will see them ... (MMD candidate Albert) Chifita was DC (district commissioner) can he come and tell us, is this the market he left us?”

And Hichilema on Tuesday accused President Banda of having removed people who hailed from North Western Province from leadership.

"People in Solwezi Central voted for Rupiah Banda because he said he would do what president Mwanawasa was doing," Hichilema said. "Rupiah Banda cheated because once he became President, he started doing against what president Mwanawasa was doing. He doesn't love you. Rupiah Banda has removed a lot of leaders from North Western Province. He removed Ephraim Mateyo (former Inspector General of Police), he removed David Kapitolo from Zambia National Tender Board."

Meanwhile, Hichilema said despite North Western Province having good soils, the locals could not produce food.

"Can you produce food without seed and fertiliser?" Hichilema wondered. "They are bringing fertiliser now because of the by-election. Do you only produce when there is a by-election? Do you only eat when there's by-election? What about 2010, 2011? In UPND we'll give you fertiliser for free for three years.

If you want food, fertiliser, seed, George Kunda is not a farmer, Rupiah 'Mubwezeni Kumunzi' (return him to the village) Banda is not a farmer, they don't even understand farming. That's why they need to get out. They are tired."

He said if the people of Solwezi Central voted for Lumba, they would be getting ready for 2011 to remove MMD from power.

"When your child passes to university you will be paying K7 million per term," he said. "Can you manage to pay that amount of money... George Kunda and Rupiah Banda are saying Hakainde is lying where is he going to get the money?"

He said the MMD administration was spending K1 trillion on all ministers and deputies every year.

He said when the UPND-PF pact comes to power, it would reduce the cost of spending on ministers and their deputies and use the money to finance free education from grade one up to university.

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PF-UPND, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:58 PM