Rupiah denies authorising Chongwe’s compensation

Rupiah denies authorising Chongwe’s compensation
By Mutuna Chanda in Kitwe
Sun 13 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has denied instructing the payment of US $5.9 million as compensation to Lusaka lawyer Dr Rodger Chongwe for the 1997 shooting incident in Kabwe.

Officiating at the 10th anniversary celebrations of Zambia National Marketeers Association (ZANAMA) at Kitwe's City Square on Friday, President Banda said he was not mad to have instructed Chongwe's payment from public funds.

“I am sure many of you were curious to see me in real life after every day I hit headlines 'Rupiah this', 'Rupiah that', 'Rupiah has given US $5 million to so and so'. Do you think I am a mad person, I can just take public money and give it to someone?” President Banda wondered.

“I am a well-balanced person. If you come to my office and you ask for money, I'll take you to the minister responsible so he can evaluate your request. So please believe me, I am not that easy to cheat. That is why a lot of people don't like me because when they come they find that I know the direction in which this country should go.”

On Monday, Dr Chongwe justified his compensation claim stating that he was happy that the Zambian government would implement the decision and that President Rupiah Banda played a part in the matter.
President Banda also warned that he would fire ministers and those in the government who worked with his enemies to frustrate his administration.

“There are many problems in our country, please give us a chance to resolve these problems and you will see once I've discovered that there is somebody in the government who is trying to work with my enemies to frustrate us, like in the case of oil, I will sack him!” he said.

“I have tried my best to keep the stability of the government as levelled as my late brother left it but I'm only human too. Push me beyond a certain point, I'll deal with you.”

President Banda said his opponents during the recent fuel shortages feasted on his image, labelling him a failure.

“One and a half months ago the people of Zambia suffered from a great shortage of fuel,” President Banda said.

“We had no fuel in this country, we had a lot of problems and they told you, they screamed on hilltops and said that 'this government has failed because look we are having problems'. Those who are old enough know that Zambia has always faced this kind of problem and they told you that 'Rupiah Banda and his government you will see they will fail to bring fuel'. Is there any shortage of fuel now?”

He said the problems that Zambia faced were an opportunity for Zambians to face them together and not an opening to kill each other.

“Supposing we had gone to war because of that, supposing we started attacking each other because there was shortage of fuel where could we go by now? Now we have fuel,” he said. “Every country must learn to face their problems with equanimity and make sure that together we cooperate. I cannot fail to bring fuel in this country. I am a well prepared leader, I have been in the business of leadership since the age of 17. I have been to school, I have been to universities, I have travelled all over the world and I know how problems are solved.”

President Banda, in reference to former Radio Icengelo station manager Fr Frank Bwalya, who is now Change Life Zambia executive director, wondered whether the clergyman was mad.

“We will find a formula to the problems which our people are facing there is no need for someone to stand up and say change this government or die. Ah! Ni ofunta wamene uja munthu ayi? Is that person mad? Who told him that we want to die? I have never heard any Zambian say 'because we have difficulties we must therefore kill each other' and I am very pleased that you look at him as cinema; he's talking things that are far away from the reality of the Zambian people. If there are problems let's talk them over,” President Banda said.

He thanked the people of Kitwe and Luanshya for not heeding to calls for them to demonstrate.

President Banda directed local government minister Dr Eustarckio Kazonga to ensure that ZANAMA was given the title deeds to Chisokone market.
This was after ZANAMA chairman general Elvis Nkandu made an impassioned plea for the title deeds and insisted that the running of markets should be left to marketeers.

“The many questions or queries Mr chairman general that you have made as what ZANAMA needs in order to go forward and perform their dream, their vision of helping our society to alleviate the sufferings of the many families that find themselves bereaved or are left alone I think you are not asking for too much when you say you want title deeds for land in order that you can use that land, that title deed in order to raise financing in order to expand your programme. For me, for me as President I say, and the minister of local government is hearing, 'give them the title deeds',” President Banda said.

“Mr chairman general and through you to all your members I am proud of you and you stood publicly and said that as far as you are concerned you will work with the government of the day otherwise who else can you work with because that is the duty of the government to cooperate, to work hand in hand with people who are sacrificing their time, their brains in making life better for the Zambians. That is the partnership that I want. Even those who may dislike you for saying what you said here in front of the people of God, they too if they were in government would have liked what you said.”

President Banda likened Nkandu to South Africa's Africa National Congress (ANC) youth league leader Julius Malema and promised to facilitate through President Jacob Zuma that the two leaders and their organsations make contact.

“I think we have learnt a lot from this young gentleman here. I kept whispering to him that one day I was watching CNN or BBC there was an interview of the chairman general of the youth movement of the African National Congress of South Africa. I think some of you must have seen him and I said 'this young man' that is the South African one 'is a great leader' but I didn't realise that I had one as good as him here and I told him that 'I am a great friend of the President of South Africa who just left yesterday. I am going to make sure that ZANAMA makes contact with the ANC youth league so that they can see that we also have visionary leaders',” he said.

President Banda said the government would rehabilitate nine roads in Ndola and 14 in Kitwe beginning January 2010 having secured funding from the Japanese government.
Earlier, Nkandu criticised the markets and bus stations Act, saying it sought to hand the running of markets to people who did not belong to them.

Nkandu said markets should be left to marketeers just as barracks were for soldiers.
Kitwe City Council's plan for Chisokone market is the construction of a modern bus station and the marketeers are expected to be relocated to newly constructed markets.

But Copperbelt PF youth chairman Elias Kamanga said his party would put a caveat on all public property run by local authorities on the Copperbelt.
Kamanga said President Banda's directive to hand Chisokone market to ZANAMA was in violation of the markets and bus stations Act which empowered local authorities to run public property such as Chisokone market.