Sata deserves a medal – Kavindele

Sata deserves a medal – Kavindele
By George Chellah
Wed 07 Apr. 2010, 04:02 CAT

ENOCH Kavindele yesterday said Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata deserves a medal for his contributions to Zambia's freedom struggle and not vilification. And Kavindele said the MMD is boosting Sata's popularity.

In an interview, Kavindele - who is also former Republican vice-president - said bringing out issues against Sata, which happened 52 years ago did not serve any political purpose detrimental to Sata.

“But on the contrary, wittingly or unwittingly we in MMD are campaigning for Sata by bringing out his personal issues. MMD is boosting Sata's popularity because in politics there is what is known as sympathetic votes because people now are considering Sata as being harassed by the system,” Kavindele said.

“Actually, Sata deserves a medal for his contributions to the freedom struggle for he served a lot of these freedom fighters, and not vilifying him. And at independence, Sata didn't even want to be appointed for anything. He left for England whilst others where clamouring for jobs here.”

Kavindele advised the MMD to manage their propaganda against Sata properly because it was not working in the interest of the party.

“It has happened in one of the neighbouring countries where somebody produced a photograph of an individual when that individual was imprisoned for some transgressions some time back. They produced a photograph of that individual in a prison suit but people where sympathetic and still voted for him,” Kavindele said.

Kavindele, who narrated the historical events that led to Sata's arrest, said it was a fact that the PF leader served a prison term.

“In a manuscript from a book entitled 'Political History of Northwestern Province', the late historian Ben Kakoma wrote that Fines Bulawayo was in prison with Mr Sata, a former Northern Rhodesian policeman who had been summarily dismissed and imprisoned…,” Kavindele explained.

“On the occasion of his arrest, Sata had informed freedom fighter Hankey Blackskin Kalanga of his imminent arrest and Kalanga fled to the Congo. Investigations within the police revealed that Sata was the informer who had saved several freedom fighters, that's the offence Sata committed 52 years ago. We have to correct these things because in Zambia when they hear of a criminal offence they think he stole, no!”

Kavindele said at independence in 1964, there was a general amnesty for everyone including arsonists.

“This was part of the instrument of the transfer of power by the British government to the Zambian government. But came independence, UNIP had threatened that blacks who were working for the whites will be punished. So for the Northern Rhodesian government to protect their informers as part of the transfer of power, the British government negotiated that no one should be arrested for those activities,” he said.

Kavindele wondered why the issue of Sata's imprisonment, which is well known, was being discussed now.

“Sata has gone for presidential elections on three occasions and these issues have never been brought up though it was well known that he served in prison,” Kavindele said.

“I was in the Central Committee of UNIP and it was well known. Sata has been member of parliament, governor, deputy minister and during Frederick Chiluba's government he was a full Cabinet minister. All along the issue of him going to prison was well known but it never was an issue. In fact, during the struggle for independence, many things that would constitute criminality were done to the extent that some students where hanged for having committed murder in Ndola. Dr Kaunda had evoked a non-violence struggle like that of Mahatma Ghandi but he was ignored by the young political activists who were pushing for change.”

Kavindele said the late president Levy Mwanawasa would not have allowed Sata to stand against him if the latter had committed a criminal offence.

“When we came to power with Mwanawasa, ours was to be a government of laws not of men. To this extent, Mwanawasa ignored all the offences committed during the struggle such that one of his last actions as President at one of the investiture ceremonies at State House, he honoured the Order of Grand Freedom to a person who had been found in possession of explosives large enough to blow half of Kitwe. I am sure that will even today constitute a criminal offence,” said Kavindele.