Maravi

Sata calls for meeting with PF mayors

Sata calls for meeting with PF mayors
By Mwala Kalaluka
Sun 28 Feb. 2010, 04:30 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata yesterday addressed a meeting with mayors from PF-controlled councils on the Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces to discuss issues of development and service delivery.

Addressing the mayors at Lusaka Civic Centre, Sata charged that Vice-President George Kunda is a finished politician. He said finished politicians made a lot of noise.

Sata was commenting on Vice-President Kunda’s description of him as a mad and erratic person during meetings he addressed in some Eastern Province towns.

“Finished politicians make a lot of noise,” Sata said. “If you look at my friend with his…when he is in Livingstone he is talking about Michael Sata and the PF-UPND Pact.

When he is in Livingstone, he says I am mad and erratic. When he is Nyimba, I am mad and erratic. When he is in Petauke, I am mad and erratic. When he is in Katete, I am mad and erratic and the children are asking who this is? They will look at his undernourished lips.”

Sata said Vice-President Kunda’s attacks against him were an indication that he had nothing to offer the country.

He said the councillors in PF-controlled councils were very lucky because the MMD leadership, through its inexperience had pre-emptied their 2011 campaign strategy following the stance they had taken over the running of such local authorities.

“You are very lucky all of us who are here because if our colleagues in government and their associates were experienced politicians, they would not have revealed this idea now,” Sata said. “They have made this clear that this is what they are going to use for their campaigns.”

Sata said the meeting was organised against the backdrop of allegations by the MMD of non-performance by PF-controlled councils in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.

“We are meeting for the first time and from now onwards, we are going to have more regular meetings and meetings will not be concentrated in Lusaka. We will rotate even where we do not dominate councils. I thought I should call this meeting to share with you,” Sata said.

“At the moment our government has nothing to offer. They will rise to fight you people and when they fight I have told you several times, you find our colleague comrade President of the Republic of Zambia Mr. Rupiah Banda says you are not performing. I agree with him, you are not performing.”

Sata urged the councillors to use councils as a spring board.

“If you can’t even cut the grass at Nakatindi Hall, you are making yourself mincemeat for Rupiah. Comrade Rupiah Banda is very much aware, because Rupiah Banda took over from me as governor of Lusaka, that the source of income was very clear,” Sata said.

“Today the government is boasting that they evacuated those people from Misisi taking them to the Independence Stadium. How long are they going to be at Independence Stadium? Is that a permanent solution? And you are sitting here as a council.”

Sata said everyone would hammer the councillors if they failed to function.

“Is it going to be a yearly event that when the rains come, we lose lives?” Sata asked. “Do what you can within your limit. Next year when we come in government, we will show you. Next year it will be something else.”

Sata said the councillors should go on the rampage and tell their electorate on the operation constraints they were facing as councils.

“Ba Mayor, go and tell the people. You have to move with the people because if you don’t, the people, all of you, are going to lose elections,” said Sata.

Mayors from Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, Chililabombwe, Mufulira and Chingola attended the meeting where they also presented their budgetary figures for the year 2010 and the disbursements of financial resources to their council for the previous years starting from 2006.

Labels: COUNCILS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MAYOR, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:57 PM