Banda is a Judas Iscariot, charges Sata

Banda is a Judas Iscariot, charges Sata
By Chibaula Silwamba in Milanzi
Sun 25 Apr. 2010, 04:10 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata braving the rains during a rally to drum up support for Milanzi Constituency PF parliamentary candidate Albert Banda in Katete on Thursday - Picture by Thomas Nsama

RUPIAH Banda is a Judas Iscariot, Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has charged.

And Eastern Province PF publicity secretary, Mung’omba Ngoma said his father, Jackson Ngoma, who a couple of months ago claimed that he was in the same jail cell with Sata when the PF leader was jailed for criminal offence, had been given cattle by the government to malign Sata.

Addressing a campaign rally to drum up support for PF parliamentary candidate, Albert Banda, in the Milanzi constituency by-election for the polls set for next Thursday, Sata said President Banda was a traitor to the people of Katete district for failing to bring them development.

“All these people cannot be leaders, there should be one leader. Jesus Christ had 12 disciples. Out of 12 disciples there was one Rupiah Banda – Judas Iscariot. The person who sold Jesus is Judas. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ. The person who grabbed fertiliser from you is Rupiah Banda, your fellow easterner. Isn’t it? Is it a Bemba who grabbed fertiliser from you?” asked Sata as people responded: “Awe! No!”

Sata further said: “The person who did not build you a road, is he Bemba? Is the President Bemba? See now! If you don’t fight, if you don’t work, don’t eat. People are desperate, they have been sitting here, they don’t even want to go because they want to see, ‘who is going to liberate us?’”

Sata said the people of Eastern Province want a leader who would represent them well, not cowards. “There are so many people from within the Eastern Province here that Rupiah Banda deceived that ‘don’t go to MMD’. But now Banda is on the plane. He used to ride a bicycle here but now he can’t come on a bicycle. He has even stopped sleeping in Katete. He sleeps in Chipata and just comes here to hold campaign rallies. And you are ndwii.

When Jesus was put on the cross, when women went crying, Jesus said: ‘don’t cry for me, cry for yourselves and your children’,” said Sata at Omdodzi Primary School in Mwandafisi area. “When I came here, I went to the school.

I saw these little children, 46 years of independence, a country province which produces a President, which produces a Deputy Minister of Agriculture, school children are still sitting on the floor in classroom. What type of a country is this?”
Sata said President Banda was enjoying alone while many Zambians were suffering.
“At the moment Rupiah Banda is very happy; he has no obligation to MMD, he has no obligation to UNIP. Since he became President he has traveled more than Mr Kenneth Kaunda who was president for 27 years.

Rupiah has been to various countries world over. He has traveled more than Kenneth Kaunda, more than Frederick Chiluba and more than Levy Mwanawasa. He goes there to enjoy himself. He has no obligation because he never stood on the platform as I am standing to promise you what he will do for you,” Sata said.

“Rupiah Banda doesn’t care because he has hijacked the power of Zambia. You read about hijackers, they hijack aeroplanes, they hijack taxis, they hijack cars. Rupiah Banda with the help of Chiluba, while we were sleeping, they hijacked. He is now President of Zambia and the law says he is President of Zambia. There is nothing we can do. But if you speak, people will hear. You will help many people here in Eastern Province but you are cowards. You are very intelligent people here except you are cowards.”

Sata, who had visited the in-laws of agriculture deputy minister Allan Mbewe on his way to the rally site, bemoaned the road network in the area.

“Across there, there is an MMD deputy minister, Allan Mbewe. I stopped and I wondered whether this is the road for the deputy minister of agriculture,” Sata said. He warned Albert Banda that if he did not speak for his constituents when elected parliamentarian, God would punish him.

“When you go to Parliament, don’t be like that Mbewe there. Don’t go to Parliament for a Toyota VX vehicle. I have been running this party for 10 years.


I have not been to Parliament during that 10 years but I still drive a VX. You have come on your own, you want to be member of parliament. When you want to be member of parliament, you leave your blanket, you leave everything, go and speak for these people.

If you don’t speak for these people God will punish you,” Sata said. “Katete district can feed the whole Zambia but we the leaders, especially you the leaders from Eastern Province, have let these people down.” Sata accused President Banda of having sidelined Katete people during the Kenneth Kaunda government.

“When Kaunda had problems, they formed an organisation called Umodzi Kumawa. Rupiah Banda called you people from Nyimba, Petauke and Katete ati ndimwe bapungila You are by the roadside. Even now, ndimwe bapungila. You have to stand up and be counted,” Sata said. “You Albert Banda go to Lusaka to talk. When you talk, government is very scared of a person who talks. Rupiah Banda knows very well he has no position in MMD. That is why he is leaning to Frederick Chiluba.”

Sata urged the people to fight for change of government. “There was Kaunda, he was saying: ‘in heaven God, on earth Kenneth Kaunda’. But people removed him. If you become proper MP, you speak for them and every time when Parliament is not sitting you come here and see them. We want these children to be educated,” Sata said.

“Look at the road passing through Mbewe’s in-laws I have been with you. So when go, speak the truth on behalf of these Chewa people. Katete grows cotton, sunflower, maize etc. These past five years, Katete has gone down. Why? Because you the leaders have abandoned your people.”

Sata dismissed insinuations that he would stop distribution of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to HIV patients.

“People are saying, ‘Sata will kill elders, Sata will take away ARVs.’ How can I stop distribution of ARVs? I brought ARVs when I was Minister of Health and if I had remained minister of health I would have found cure for AIDS,” said Sata. “Forty six years after independence people are fighting with cattle for you to draw water. We need change! I believe in leaving Zambia better than I found it.”
And Albert Banda said he wanted to the represent people of Milanzi to improve their welfare.
“I am asking for a vote so that I can represent you in Parliament; this is coming from deep down my heart,” Albert Banda.
Addressing another rally at Mbalame village, Sata wondered why the government had not evacuated the late member of parliament Reuben Chisanga-Banda to South Africa for specialized treatment.
He said Chisanga-Banda was left to die in UTH while President Banda, whenever he has a knee problem, he is quickly flown to Cape Town, South Africa treatment. And Eastern Province PF publicity secretary, Mung’omba Ngoma said his father, Jackson Ngoma, who a couple of months ago claimed that he was in the same jail cell with Sata when the PF leader was jailed for criminal offence, had been given cattle by the government to malign Sata.
“You heard me on Radio Breeze. Do you hear my father, Jackson Ngoma on Breeze? He has failed. He was given money by Rupiah so that he could be ranting, saying Sata did this and that.

I asked him ‘what has Rupiah done for you? Me, as your son, I am also suffering. You don’t even have cattle at your farm’. He was given five cattle to start saying bad things about Mr Sata,” said Mung’omba Ngoma.

People, chanting PF slogans and flashing the party symbol, have been mobbing Sata and his motorcade at Katete town in solidarity with him. Others were shouting: “We want change! We want change!”