President Rupiah Banda has investured former President of Cuba Fidel Castro with an award of the order of the Eagle of Zambia first division for his meritorious political, social, and economical services rendered to the people of Cuba and other countries in the world.
Speaking at the investure ceremony through his chief of staff at state house Austin Sichinga at the revolutionary palace in Havana last evening, President Banda said Castro’s selflessly dedicated his life to fight for liberation of oppressed people of his country and beyond.
He said Mr Castro who studied law in the 1940’s and admitted to the bar in 1950’s abandoned his profession and instead choose to save humanity by fighting injustice.
He said the former President of Cuban who is still the commander in chief initiated and endured an armed struggle for the emancipation of Cuba.
President Banda said Mr Castro was an inspiration to many people in political and economic management steer around the world by his boldness amidst many challenges.
Mr Banda noted that in spite of the economic blockade from the United States Mr. Castro remained undaunted but instead focused his energies to provide for his country with locally generated law material and resources.
He said they have been many attempts to crush Cuba and Mr. Castro in person but the latter did not bow to such pressures and he instead continued to help African countries materially and technologically.
President Banda said he is grateful for Mr. Castro’s services and struggle for freedom of his country and others in Africa like Algeria and Angola.
He then presented a colorful award to Raul Castro Ruiz who received the medal on behalf of Mr. Castro and in his reciprocal speech, President Raul Castro said through his representative that Cuba was profoundly humbled by President Banda’s recognition to Mr. Castro’s services.
He said President Banda’s gesture was an expression of the relationship that exists between Zambia and Cuba.
He further said that his country greatly appreciates Zambia’s resolve to pay homage to freedom fighters in Africa and Cuba.
Meanwhile, President Banda and President Raul Castro held talks at the revolutionary palace.
Earlier, President Banda toured a monument of Cuban internationally hero, Jose Marti who fought against injustices of the people of Cuba many years ago.
The President laid a wreath at the monument of the late Mr. Marti.
Other activities on Mr. Banda agenda in Cuba includes meeting with African diplomats accredited to Cuba and laying of wreaths at the Cuban international heroes.
The President who arrived in Cuba on Monday is accompanied by first lady Thandiwe Banda, foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande and senior government officials.
He is expected to leave Cuba on Thursday.
ZANIS
Thank you Fidel Castro for all you have done for Zambia. But please let your own people enjoy the freedom we enjoy. Dont put up a front by sending your doctors around the world. Cuba is so backward. Cubans are just as humna as us. They deserve the freedom that we are enjoying in Zambia and other democratic countries.
Conglatulations Fidel. I hope it will bring joy to you and your family. RB come back soon and kasama central challenges.
I mean come back soon and face kasama central challenges.
OK, just why is Ba Banda awarding Castro? From one communist/socialist to another. And you folks still say Ba Kaunda was “bad”. Suck a lemon man! I follow Zed politics from a distance like most people out of Zed, and am yet to see one or two things that Banda can surely be praised for. I holds a press conferences where monkeys piss on him and spends tax payers money to relocate them from the state cabin. Why not use that money to fix the damn school or hospitals? I just don’t get our Zed politicians reasoning behind all this madness. My vent!
Fidel, please chase that man. He is rarely in his country !!
Freedom fighters plse that era is gone us we need economical empowerment, healthnation .1940s are gone come and face Mpombo, Magande, Kalumba at the convetion
Who decides the reciepients of these honours? Was it Kanitundila who woke up one morning and thought of travelling to Cuba with his darling wife and give this great honour to good old comrade Fidel Castro before the the fella expires to become manure?? I do not understand… What the hell is he doing in Cuba??? We have serious pending problems in Zambia, there goes big nose Kanitundila as a tourist to the Americas…. Bloody helll
What effect will it have on US-Zam relations ? Come on thinkers where are you ? Where is that irritant called Maestro days ?
How I wish this RB thing gave that speech in Florida. RB is one person who has always embarked on appeasing all the wrong people in the world. First it was Mugabe and gave him our maize. Next was Chiluba and he gave him freedom, Then it was Julius Sakala and he gave him the high court wrongly. Next is Dora Siliya who resigned due to corruption but reinstated to head MoE, then it was Never Mumba, now it is Fidel Castro. Who is next? I fear this Rupiah Banda soon he will give a medal to Osama. Please Zambians, we should stop Rupiah Banda. The sooner the better. Zambia is now on the wrong course because of this guy. When will we wake up and smell the coffee? Good people like Kabwela are being tried in courts for doing good. Real criminals are flying around and enjoying life. Why?
#5 Izoboli.
That’s very funny. LOL. Yes he should send our RB back. We need him back home.
#8 Ba Dr Maureen
I dont think USA will bother to even look at it. This whole thing is a joke. Obama and his administration have more important things on their minds. They must have just laughed their heads off at RB and his medals. It’s like FTJ blessing a chief.
When the west was busy supporting whites in South Africa and colonial masters in other parts of Africa, people like Castro stood up and helped a lot of countries in Africa. Please know where you are coming from before making foolish comments.
# 11, how did Castro help the said African countries? Can you elaborate?
# 11. I mean really, how the hell did Castro help Zambia? It’s like you saying, Saddam before his death should have been honored for helping Zambia. That’s utter nonsense my friend. Listen, the issue here is that, Banda AKA Kanitundila is making uncessary trips and awarding uncsessary people for, well, you guessed it….NOTHING. How about he awards Bill Clinton with his organizationfor the work he is doing in helping Zambai in particular? There are alot of NGOs we can mention.Kanitudila is trying to appease foreign governments that don’t even give a crap about him and Zed, period! Do you have an idea how much tax payers money is spent when Kanitundila travels any where not even just locally in Zed? Teachers/doctors/civil servants are all crying for raises. Do you see where am going…
On a real serious note, I think it’s time the ZAMBIAN government started giving us the people an expense report on government officials including the PRESIDENT. But then again…
FD USA Please eleborate on which areas Cuba helped us apart from sending those hordes of understrained Docs to kill our people in the rural areas. Inkondo yabene Castro ya mu
‘federal’ and we cant refer to it in this new era
#10 Thats the only solution. Infact send an SOS to all countries not to allow RB and his circus anywhere near their airspaces !
Why would you want to give him an award – when we know the aid money comes from the US. This is lack of foresight but then again it appears that RB wants to see how much of the Zambian tax payers money he can spend before he goes back to his farm.
#12 and #13 You must be very young. Had Castro not sent his Battalions to Angola – the Buffalo command would have overrun Angola, Namibia was not going to be independent, ANC freedom fighters were going to be blown up in their homes as opposed to the Central Post Office in Lusaka, and by now you most likely were going to be speaking Afrikaans. This was the turning point in the completion of the liberation struggle for Africa. # 13 you actually do not know where you are going – not withstanding the fact that RB has his priorities mixed up , if he has any at ll
No. 17 agreed on both points – ma under five. and on the second point Chanitundila should be awarded the “grandmaster of tourism” award
Useless issues, you spend millions of Kwacha to just go and give a worthless gong to Castro. He will probably throw it or stash it in his basement. This man RB has no brains, while his friends in the west are busy working out ways to get out of recession, his busy flying around aimlessly like a headless chicken. There is something seriously wrong ne nkanda yesu.
number 19 I like your comment how ever it cannot be the skin colour as a problem;; but that the man is just dull and he is in the wrong job despite his degree. he has not impressed me looking at how our nation is backward in development but keeps on spending huge amounts of money on useless trips when Zambians continue in poverty
Number 5 IZOBOLI,ala wansekesha,ati chase that man!!!!!!!! chase him,chase him………..
Mala msana wandalama,LOL! I hv imagined the frail ailing Fidel on top of the stairs to his basement throwing the medal muttering ‘damn who is this Kanitundila?’
#4,7,12 and 13: Remember Bob Marley’s words: a nation without history is like a tree without roots. Learn the history of Zambia and you will come to a conclusion that guys like Castro are heroes and people like Sadam were Zambia’s friends and Sadam gave Zambia oil when NO country is the World wanted to sell us the product because we did not have the means to pay. As a result of our economy being shattered as a result of supporting freedom fighters in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Angola!!!
Also remember that anybody who is an enemy of the USA does NOT mean he is your enemy!
#17 being “very young” is relative. If you’re 60years and am 45, to you am young. Even reading your post, I don’t think you understand my point. OK fine, so Castro helped with liberating some southern african countries including Zambia, atleast according to your post. OK, I get it! Fidel is a self proclaimed communist and has been since 1959. So, would you compare Fidel to say…KK or Mandela? H3LL NO! We have Cuban doctors (ati ma expatriates) in Zed who are under trained. My point was, did Kanitundila really have to travel to Cuba, much less give Zambia’s highest honor to Castro, at the expense of the Zambian people? The answer is NO! All we want is for Kanitundila to deal with issues at home (seriously) and not kutamanga tamanga unnecessarily. Lets debate “real” issues here…
#23 I see you’re jumping on the band wagon too! Let me ask you this…how many “world” leaders and even countries have helped Zambia and how many of these have received Zambia’s highest honor (if you know your history)? No one said anything about the US being Cuba’s enemy and so should Zambia. Our president/government continues to exploit us the Zambian people….do you not see it? Kanitundila had no business going to Cuba h3ll! If that’s the, why the h3ll did he not let the vice president handle this in Zambia at the Cuban embassy in Lusaka? These are all expenses that the Zambia people are paying and look who suffers in the end. Health workers have been crying fro raises fro years, and can’t get any because there’s no money in the GRZ coffers. BULL$H!T and I’ll say it again…
#16 ZedKid, I feel you son! Yes, the aid $$ come from the US period! And our government finds it necessary to award Castro? Something is terribly wrong here…what interest does Kanitundila have under his belly, really? I don’t fuqqin get it man, am sorry I don’t! And people say, we hae a democratic government when we teh people can even sanction what the h3ll our own government officials (including or president) spend tax payers money. It’s a damn shame if you ask me!
Mr. Mosi, unfortunately the undemocratic socialist/communist countries are the ones that supported you when you were fighting for your independence. When the imperialists are finally defeated, they come back to enslave you with “aid”. RB did not leave Zambia to specifically go to Cuba for the investiture ceremony – he was on his way from the South-South Summit in Venezuela. Your question on how Castro helped Zambia is what made me question your age – so you deliberately chose to ignore the truth (you are right age is relative – if you are 45 and I am 45 but you ignore history, I may assume that you are young). However, we are agreed that there are more important and pressing issues that the President needs to be spending his energy on – if he has any energy at all.
Absolutely. We can agree to disagree but as you’ve stated, the issues in Zambia, very often seem to be swept under the rug by our politicians. This should NOT be the norm and am afraid that, even if we have a different government, things will still be the same. Why can’t we the ZAMBIAN people hold our government officials (including the president) accountable?