Maravi

Mutati denies having affair with Vort's wife

Mutati denies having affair with Vort's wife
By Kombe Chimpinde and Maluba Jere
Wed 30 Nov. 2011, 13:59 CAT

FELIX Mutati has denied ever having an intimate relationship with Lusaka businessman Mark Steven Vander Vort's wife, Agness Katwishi Bwalya. And Mutati says the rumour circulating on the social Internet media that there is a sex video featuring him and a named ex-cabinet minister at a lodge in Kasama is "bulls**t".

Meanwhile, Mutati has declared that he is ready to be elected as new leader of the opposition MMD to replace Rupiah Banda.

In a telephone interview from Seoul, South Korea yesterday, Mutati, who is MMD chairperson for commerce and trade, said he was aware of political machinations being drawn against him by some MMD officials that were against his bid to contest the party presidency.

Mutati said Agness was his business partner and never had an intimate relationship with her.

He said he would remain focused on his resolution to advance the calls of the Zambian people.

"That is just absurd but I can assure you I will emerge victorious," Mutati said. "I will focus on my resolve to advance the calls of the Zambian people."

In a divorce petition, Mutati was allegedly having a love affair with Vort's wife, Agness, hence his decision to divorce her.

But the High Court last week said that paragraph 9E of the divorce petition filed by Vort, which implicates Mutati, was erroneously included in the petition and ordered that it should be deleted.

The court also ordered that the marriage be dissolved by consent and that Vort should have custody of the children with liberal access to Agness.

"It is hereby ordered that paragraph 9E of the petition which was erroneously included in the petition be deleted from the petition," read the consent order.

"It is further ordered that marriage be dissolved by consent and that custody of the children be granted to the petitioner with liberal access to the respondent. It is further ordered that there be liberty to apply in the question of custody."

Vort and Agness were legally married on May 19, 2000 at the Civic Centre and that they lived together as husband and wife at Plot 6/7 Njolwe road , off Leopards Hill Road Lusaka.

Vort cited his wife's love affair with the former minister as grounds for divorce.

But Mutati said: "No, no it's not true. These are just political machinations. If you look that case (of divorce) the judge agreed that my name was erroneously included in court papers. So it is irrelevant now. When you read your story again, there was where Mr. Vort indicated that she (Agness) calls a lot of Zambian married men," he said.

"I was told about that story."

He said at no time during campaigns had he lodged in Kasama with any of the former cabinet ministers.

"That is bulls**t, it is just political machinations," Mutati said.

And Mutati said he was entering the race for the presidency of the MMD because he believed in the party and its founding principles which transformed Zambia from a one party state into a multi-party democracy.

"I am ready to raise the standard of our party to the extent that those who have doubted MMD's resolve to arise from the dust of defeat to the laurels of victory shall wake up to a shock when they witness a renewed MMD as a strong and effective opposition party," said Mutati who is Lunte member of parliament and head of the opposition in Parliament.

"Because of my Christian values and the support of the people, I am ready to spearhead its re-organization and prove to the nation that the MMD is ready to lead, first, as an opposition party and subsequently setting the stage for it to once again be the governing party."

Labels: FELIX MUTATI, MMD

posted by MrK @ 6:57 PM