Maravi

MMD planning to kill me - Sata

MMD planning to kill me - Sata
By George Chellah in Kaoma
Fri 09 Sep. 2011, 14:03 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata says the MMD is planning to kill him and claim he died out of poor health. And a ZNBC crew interviewed Sata on Wednesday afternoon shortly after the rally in Kaoma but ignored the interview and instead used a false story that he had collapsed on account of ill health as their lead story during the 19:00 hours main news.

Meanwhile, Sata has said President Rupiah Banda's threat to dethrone Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli people was similar to the colonialists' style of governance.

In a special interview with Hot FM Radio from Kaoma before addressing a rally in Mangango Constituency yesterday, Sata said people should not expect anything good from Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation because its director general, Eddie Mupeso, was fired on corruption charges.

Responding to false reports in the state-owned but government controlled ZNBC, Times of Zambia and Daily Mail that he had collapsed in Western Province, Sata said it was not the first time the public media were broadcasting and publishing unfounded stories about him.

"I have not collapsed because the day in question I addressed two successful meetings in Nalolo; one in the morning, the other in the afternoon and ZNBC did not say at which point I collapsed," Sata said.

"Was it at the first meeting or before the second meeting?"

Sata said people ought to remember that it was the Zambian Watchdog, owned by sympathisers of the UPND, that initially published terrible rumours that he was very sick about three weeks ago.

"They said ‘he doesn't stand up and he's somehow dead'…I can't see a country where we allow gossip to be circulating like the Watchdog does," Sata said.

"If you remember in 2009 the UPND came into a pact with us because somebody told them that before the end of 2009, Michael Sata was dying and typical of HH (UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema) he thought if Michael Sata dies he could take over PF in the same way he took over UPND. So to answer your question, I am very strong and just going to address another meeting."

On allegations in the Times of Zambia that he had hired a helicopter on credit, Sata said he was creditworthy and trusted, saying that was why it was given to him. He wondered why the Times of Zambia had not told the nation where President Rupiah Banda got the money to buy 500 MMD campaign vehicles.

Sata said politics in Zambia had been reduced to something ridiculous because President Banda didn't understand the art.

"They think they can survive by preparing the minds of the people so that when they kill me people will say Sata has always been sick because if they are always talking about my health. They must be preparing something very sinister against my life," said Sata.

"Rupiah Banda has never been a cadre. He ascended to president of MMD after the death of Mwanawasa. UPND president Hakainde has never been a cadre, he took over UPND through money and you find on that basis you don't have morality in politics."

Earlier at a rally in Kaoma on Wednesday, Sata said those wishing him ill were merely wasting their time. He urged the crowd to expect more lies from the MMD as polling day drew near.

"You have to forgive them because they have nothing to tell you apart from lying. They came here; they told you ‘Sata is too old he can't stand'. Liars forget when they say something. They told you ‘Sata is too sick' and now they are planning to come and lie on 20th September that ‘Sata is dead'. And tomorrow yesterday you will see they will say ‘Mr Sata has collapsed'. Have I collapsed?" asked Sata as the crowd responded in a chorus: "No! No!"

"You have to forgive them because they don't know what they are saying. Today Wednesday, someone I don't know said I collapsed… in his dream. In MMD's dream they would very much wish Mr Sata collapsed. Till I die, I shall continue talking for you. I don't care what they wish but they are wasting their time."

Sata said Barotseland was lacking political leadership to develop the area.

"I feel sorry for the people of Kaoma because you are orphaned. Whatever development you are seeing here is what was left by Golden Mandandi (former parliamentarian in the Chiluba regime). When Simasiku Namakando who was MMD provincial chairman told Rupiah Banda that there is no development in Western Province, Rupiah Banda said ‘excuse me, shut up! I did not beg for your vote,'" he said.

Sata wondered why Kaoma was not benefitting from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

He complained of poor sanitation and lack of water in Kaoma that the people were being subjected to.

"When I was minister of local government, I left you CDF. Today, each MP gets K600 million CDF. Can you tell me if Austin Liato (former labour minister) cares about you. How can you allow those people in markets without toilets?"
Sata asked.

"Here in Kaoma, your MP for Kaoma Central is an opportunist. Liato was minister of labour. Has he seen the way our police live? Kenneth Kaunda cared about us. If Kaunda did not make Kaoma a Garrison town, what would be in Kaoma?"

Sata said the government had also not provided a road to Lukulu, Kasempa and Senanga districts.

"Kaoma is a very big district. But you have Chinese and South Africans coming to take your timber. God gave timber to the people of Kaoma; what benefit do we get?" Sata asked.

"We can make fish farms here and grow rice. But when you have a government, which cannot even buy your maize in September, what do you expect? Liato is using you as plates for him to eat to become fatter."

Sata also promised better conditions of service for civil servants.

Earlier during a public rally in Nalikwanda Constituency, Sata said President Banda was rejected in most parts of the country and was only saved by Western Province.

"But we have seen you are not happy just like the rest of the country. We are all suffering the same way. I have three indunas here…these indunas will remember when Sir Roy Welensky was introducing the federation how they suffered," Sata said.

"The Bemba Paramount Chief was suspended because he refused the federation. Today, we have seen a repeat; Rupiah Banda is threatening Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya that if he steals the votes again, he will chase her."

Sata said former MMD Nalikwanda member of parliament Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa failed to improve the standard of education in his constituency and Barotseland as a whole.

"Has he improved the standard of education? If an educated person like Lungwangwa is carried away by money and forgets the people who educated him, where are we going?" Sata asked.

"Western Province is a very rich province. God gave you fish, God gave you everything but what you have not given yourselves is leadership. When Rupiah Banda ordered the brutal repression which resulted in killings in Mongu, none of your MPs complained."

Sata said Barotseland required fish farming and proper fish marketing and storage.

"We want a university of our own. We have enough basic schools, what we need are secondary schools; each and every constituency must have a secondary school. We shall rule through the traditional leaders. This government has failed to buy maize from the farmers," he said.

After the rally in Kaoma ended around 17:00 hours, a ZNBC crew in a Pajero marked TV2 comprising a cameraman, a reporter from the Lozi section Mutukwa Mooya and another lady only identified as Kalaba sought to see Sata but after they failed, they left and returned after 30 minutes.

They followed Sata to Phiri's Guest House where he was lodged and found him in the car park with former Chimwemwe member of parliament, Willie Nsanda and other PF officials.

Kalaba asked Sata whether it was true that he had collapsed to which he answered: "What do you see yourself?"

Sata told her that he sympathised with her because the problem was with her handlers and not herself. But Kalaba tried to assure Sata that she would get her cameraman and have an interview with him.

However, Sata told her that although she wanted an interview with him, he knew that ZNBC would not show whatever would be recorded. Sata, however, gave the interview talking about how the campaigns were going, including the rumour about him having collapsed. After the interview, Sata, offered Kalaba and her cameraman space on the helicopter if they were interested to cover him as he continued his campaigns as they had indicated.

However, during the 19:00 hours main news on ZNBC, the lead story, quoting the Zambian Watchdog online publication, was that Sata had collapsed.

Labels: CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, DEATH THREATS, MICHAEL SATA, MMD, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, UPND

posted by MrK @ 3:20 PM