Don’t kubeba, Sata urges Zambians

Don’t kubeba, Sata urges Zambians
By George Chellah
Sat 04 June 2011, 04:00 CAT

Get the geysers and the free electricity but ‘don’t kubeba,’ Michael Sata has urged Zambians. And Sata says Zambia is headed for bankruptcy due to President Rupiah Banda’s dubious deals and fake development projects ahead of this year’s elections.

In an interview yesterday, the opposition PF leader said President Banda was being insincere on the source of funds for the so-called developmental projects he had been announcing.

“Typical of Rupiah; he is not telling the truth because any president needs to be transparent. Rupiah can’t say he is sourcing money from the capital markets.

Even if he is sourcing money from the capital markets, Zambians deserve to know how much money has been sourced from the markets, the interest rates and the payable period,” Sata said. “That is mandatory and it is not the President to source for money. That is why in PF we say all loans must be approved by Parliament.”

Sata said President Banda was driving parastatal companies into the ground.

“Where is Zesco getting the money to buy and distribute those geysers for free? As an institution, Zesco is already servicing huge loans, but Rupiah is still putting more financial pressure on the company. He is committing Zesco to more debt by asking them to supply free geysers and free services,” Sata said. “In any case, I find Rupiah’s thinking on this issue lopsided.

How do you give geysers to the suffering people of Mandevu? Is Rupiah telling us that after analysing the problems and challenges facing our people, particularly the people of Mandevu, a geyser is what turned out to be a priority?

“Is he honestly telling us that a geyser is what he found to be the most sought-after service in Mandevu? Has he taken time to inquire if at all the greater population of this area even has access to running water? Why doesn’t he work to improve the water and sanitation challenges in Mandevu and other townships in the country where our MPs have been trying so hard to rectify? This sort of desperation is unimaginable. Don’t be surprised to see Rupiah promising a pontoon to Kabwata, forgetting that there is no river in Kabwata.”

Sata wondered where President Banda had been with his developmental projects all this time while Zambian had been suffering.

“Where is Zesco getting the money to do this and why now because electricity development in this country is not more than 22 per cent? He is just cheating people that’s why he is going to such panicking levels,” Sata said. “Our people must just go ahead and get the geysers and the free electricity but ‘don’t kubeba!’ That’s the key.”

Sata said President Banda was playing with people’s minds and did not care for their well-being.

“We’ve seen more billboards of his face than the development itself. If he cared about the people’s well-being, he cannot be abusing pensioner’s money in this manner. Rupiah has deprived the pensioners of US $98 million over the NAPSA/ZNBS deal, including the over K70 billion he has given to his ‘relative’ Mr Robinson Zulu,” he said.

Sata said President Banda had a history of mismanagement.

“When Rupiah left Namboard, he left the institution in serious financial problems, the same happened when he left the embassy in Egypt and also when he left as governor, he left Lusaka District Council financially crippled,” Sata said.

“So Zambia is headed for bankruptcy due to Rupiah’s dubious deals and fake development projects ahead of this year’s elections. Rupiah is definitely going to leave this country bankrupt.”

Sata said heads of parastatals must be mindful that all dubious deals being conducted were at ‘owner’s risk’.

“We will recover all the monies misapplied or stolen from Rupiah himself because we know that all the monies they are milking from parastatals for these dubious transactions and fake developmental projects at least 10 per cent of it is going into Rupiah’s pocket,” Sata said.

“A President worth his name can’t deprive his own pensioners money. That’s why pensioners in Zambia today are destitutes as if they have not worked simply because their money is being abused. Some selfish individuals are benefitting from monies which other people sweated for, for many years, it’s a pity.”