Maravi

We won't wait for elections to develop Zambia - Sata
By Ernest Chanda in Chongwe
Sat 04 May 2013, 14:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says he will not wait for elections in order for him to develop the country. And Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II has praised President Sata for delivering to Chongwe, what she said she suffered for when lobbying from the previous administration.

Launching the tarring of the Chongwe-Chalimbana Road yesterday, President Sata said during his time as minister in the two administrations, such road works were associated with elections.

He said investors could only be attracted to an area if there was a good road network.

"When I was in UNIP with Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya, and when I was in MMD, such kind of projects were only associated with elections. The people who are going to use bicycles, the people who are going to walk; many people are dying because of dust. When I was district governor for Lusaka, I had problems with the youth in Lusaka. Senior Chieftainess Mukamambo gave me land which we called Kanakantapa Youth Resettlement Scheme," he said.

"And today if you go to Kanakantapa, some of the youths have progressed very well. Others have not done anything. Lusaka is supposed to start growing eastwards. To attract investors, we have to do all these projects. You councillors, members of parliament, tell us all the roads in your areas so that we can move in. And your royal highness, please write the problems which you have in Chogwe, we shall attend to them."
President Sata later officially launched the construction of Chalimbana University.

And Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya said she was happy that the projects for which she faced dethronement were being fulfilled by President Sata's administration.

Prior to the 2011 general election, then president Rupiah Banda during a public rally in Chongwe, threatened to dethrone Nkomeshya if he won the election.

"And today I stand here and the President of the Republic of Zambia in the name of Mr Michael Chilufya Sata is able to invite me to share a platform with him. I'm grateful to you, Your Excellency. You heard my cry; you saw how I suffered to ask for the development of these people in this chiefdom, in this province. How can I say thank you to you? What words can I use?" asked chieftainess Nkomeshya.

"Today is a great day in my life; and this day brings to me a lot of memories because of what I have passed through. And If I were to shed tears, I would do so because of the difficulties that I have gone through, but in the name of the Lord, he always makes me strong. I'll not tear off; instead I'll praise the Lord. This Chalimbana Road, the Chalimbana College, the Palabana and many other institutions and roads in our province which I have been fighting for many, many years of my life; and some of these projects in this chiefdom at one point they almost cost my chieftaincy in this Republic of Zambia."

Earlier, chieftainess Nkomeshya thanked President Sata for giving her a platform to speak after the Road Development Agency officials who were the organisers of the function left her out of the official programme together with Chongwe member of parliament Sylvia Masebo.

She implored organisers of similar functions to, in future, respect local authorities by recognising them.

And Masebo said she would be President Sata's campaign manager in the 2016 election.

"I want to say thank you to the President because there's nothing for me to do here, because everything you have done for me," said Masebo.

Labels: DEVELOPMENT, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 8:01 PM