Reuters reports that Patriotic Front President Michael Sata has said that Zambia’s copper exports are not being properly accounted for because major exporters are exploiting a vicious circle of corruption to avoid paying tax.
Michael Sata, who will be running against President Rupiah Banda in polls later this year, told Reuters he did not believe the export copper data released by the country’s central bank.
Sata, the president of the Patriotic Front party who narrowly lost a disputed 2008 poll, said as taxes were not collected, copper exports were not being properly accounted for.
“If you don’t tax anything, where do you get your statistics from? If you don’t tax them, you don’t have any interest in where they are sending their copper,” he told Reuters in an interview in his modest and cramped office in downtown Lusaka.
He said the export and production data released by the mines themselves were “for public relations, not for tax revenue”.
Zambia is Africa’s top copper producer but while the commodity accounts for 70 percent of its export earnings it only provides about one percent or so of its tax revenue.
Zambia’s mine taxes include a 15 percent profit variable tax, 25 percent corporate tax and a 3 percent mineral royalty. But NGOs and other campaigners have said miners have used creative accounting or inflated their costs to pay less.
[pullquote]He said he would boost the country’s thin revenue base by getting miners to pay what they owe under existing rules and accurately recording exports rather than raising taxes. He made a policy u-turn last year on the revenue issue, saying he no longer supported higher mine taxes[/pullquote]
Sata was short on specifics on how he would remedy the situation but said he would root out graft and make the companies “transparent and answerable to the government”.
He said he would boost the country’s thin revenue base by getting miners to pay what they owe under existing rules and accurately recording exports rather than raising taxes. He made a policy u-turn last year on the revenue issue, saying he no longer supported higher mine taxes
HOT ISSUE, WORKING-CLASS APPEAL
But getting mines to pay what they owe is a different issue and is currently a hot one that could appeal to the Patriotic Front’s urban base on the country’s Copperbelt.
Zambia has asked commodity trader Glencore’s Mopani Copper Mines for unpaid taxes after an audit of the subsidiary, leaked earlier this year, said it had underpaid mining dues, the country’s finance minister said.
President Banda told Reuters earlier this year an audit of three mines should enable the government to recover more than $200 million in unpaid dues
Sata has also in the past accused Chinese companies, which are hungry for Zambia’s resources, of being exploitative and creating “slave conditions”.
China-bashing appeals to Sata’s urban working-class base but he said a non-corrupt government would make the Chinese “behave” and their investments would be welcome.
“It is the corruption which leads the Chinese to behave with impunity. If there was no corruption the Chinese would respect our laws, would respect our people, would respect our country.”
[REUTERS]
Ni pa bwaatoooooooooooooo! Lets go ba Sata ba Katemba not uyu galooooo yamunyokola njala
has sata just woken up now?! all these ideas he should have tabled to his corrupt thieving friends kiluba, patel nawakwi luo too numerous to itemise who think by shading colours into pf they have become reincarnated as white washed saints, rubbish opportunists!
Thia is one area that the MMD is always behind the curve. Every one in the Country, including now outsiders, know there is something very rotten about the way our govt deals with the Mines and the Tax issue. Why they are so resistant to correcting the situation and collect Taxes that legitimately belongs to this Country raises a lot of questions.
I have never seen a govt that is soooo on the side of Foreign businesses than our MMD govt is. No one is advocating taxing the Mines companies into oblivion, but the reluctance by our govt to even collect current taxes is beyond comprehension. INDEED THIS IS WHAT CORRUPTION CAN DO TO A COUNTRY! Why we would rather go around the world with a begging bowl than raise capital by fairly taxing our own corporations in the country makes no sense!!
# 3 good observation bro,this is what corruption can do a country,lately,the president mentioned that the money being used for his fake projects is coming from the mines,is this in form of taxes or just a good gesture by the mines to the mmd?Its sad to even note that we are the biggest copper producers in Africa,yet we have one of the highest levels of poverty in the world.Botswana is what it is today because the people benefit from their natural resources,but in Zambia foreigners come first,Zambians are not even on the mmd’s agenda.What kind of leadership is this?
mwenda wrote on 15 June, 2011, 0:35
We should be careful though by recruiting X-service men or whatever they are called. You would think you are planning for just a “normal alternative” to rigging but you never know to what extent the strategy would lead to short to say it may backfire because temper fly high as people lose the elections.
Remember the last loss by PF by about 35 000 votes which in my own analysis is a very big number, people started burning and destroying property in Garden, Mandevu compounds and elsewhere. Those involved had no plan BUT THIS TIME WITH THE HELP OF EX-SERVICE MEN THE PLAN FOR VIOLENCE COULD ESCALATE AND PUT THE COUNTRY IN GREAT DANGER.
could be wrong but i seem to have a memory in the recesses of my brain about sata being against tax payment,,,, or was that just an individual thing? others can pay tax but not me!
Keep barking before you know, the Taiwanese will be on your door step asking the the $30m loan that you used in the 2008 election and have squandered with Mmembe.
attacking sata wont do.just listen to what he is saying and make a right decision instead of wasting yo time on thing u ve got no data on.u r just exhibiting yo empty and fractured analisis of issues which will not influence any one
Right on, comrade Sata.
wat sata is saying might be correct but i dont think he is the right person coz where did they take money from the sales of mines he was part of the looting that took place the fact that he was not cought doesnt make him clean.
But even u mmd why are u not taxing the mines tell us
Ask HH he knows where the money went.
wat sata is saying might be correct but i dont think he is the right person coz where did they take money from the sales of mines he was part of that looting
But even u mmd why are u not taxing the mines tell us
Agony is belonging to pf. “He said he would boost the country’s thin revenue base by getting miners to pay what they owe under existing rules and accurately recording exports rather than raising taxes…..He made a policy u-turn last year on the revenue issue, saying he no longer supported higher mine taxes”. There you are pf cadres, you have heard it from the horse’s mouth, what do you say about your daily cry for windfall tax which your flip flop leader abandoned sometime back? obviously mr sata is not in sync with his cadres, they say one thing and he is saying something else! this tells volumes about pf policy or rather the absence of it, everything is on the whims of sata, how do you run a country like that?
Ba Sata’s facial expresssion most of the time its like he smells something rotten !! Needs a litlte image building- cobra !
Good luck in the elections anything but RB out .
BA SATA MUSATAFYE IFYAISA MUCHIMUTWE CHENENU,YOU ARE A FAILURE,YOU LL NEVER MAKE TO STATE HOUSE
-> “Sata was short on specifics on how he would remedy the situation “ end quote.
-> “He made a policy u-turn last year on the revenue issue, saying he no longer supported higher mine taxes” end quote.
Enough said.
Not only does he look like he has smelled something rotten, but he has also eaten a raw lemon and drank a concoction of munkoyo and sour milk with no sugar
My brothers the face expresses serious business and unhappy with what is going in the country concerning night businesses and kick backs by the so called investors who want to rip off our beloved countries’ resources.
All those who have so far opposed to what Mr Sata is saying regarding our precious resources , NOT ONLY COPPER but ALL NATURAL RESOURCES are rotten in their heads and are about to die so they want even innocent people to die with them and MMD. Just look at the bazungus did with our money in the seventies and early eighties when price if copper was only fetching $2000 per tonne. It was fantastic because all suburbs and not only mine townships had facilities ranging from sports recreation, equipped health centres, schools, street lighting, tarred roads, proper drainages, swimming pools and TODAY with copper soaring at $11000 per tonne, what has MMD done with our money? The vote will tell MMD what we feel in 2011. Viva Sata. Lesa amipale tata twachula. Vivia PF…………
And what is wrong with someone making a policy U-turn if facts points in a different direction? Only an i.di.ot and stubborn politician refuses to learn and change course if facts say otherwise. So it is good that an “old dog can learn a few new tricks” in this case.
And isn’t this a slap in the face of those who say Sata is stubborn and and listens only to his own opinion? Apparently they are wrong, aren’t they? JUST SAYING!!!!!!!!!
You need men like this one to turn Zambia upside down otherwise you continue ukubuta with RB!!!!
#3 Well analysed indeed………. Its true why are we scared to bring the issues of taxation regarding the mines, equally this beats me…….. Corruption need some kind of ARVs inasmuch as its incurable mwe!!… South African government has made sure every mineral dug out is accounted for and policies are there regarding productivity for taxation purpose so dirty hands are not near minerals or is minimal….. We need very strong policies, independent anticorruption agency especially the Task-Force which Max Nkole did very well. The rugs to riches race by politicians has gone out of hand….. accountability is not one been honesty it’s about strong policies in place to cub corrupt hands…Viva Sata on this on Viva PF
Rb will enjoy this yr independence day under a mango at his far if not woodlands police
Trust this two faced snake? He rallied his troops , NGOs and the rest from matero Univeisty to Kulima Tower and yes to some house in Bwinjifumu road to rally behing high taxes and windfall taxes, and then today he turns around and says he will not raise taxes.
Really? Does this party have a policy document to follow. Does this party have an economic portfolio to advise this man? Or is everything run as a Katemba.
The country’s economy is huge and complex and cannot be run based on some Taiwanese notes scribbled on some scrap paper, which Mr sata loses from time to time and just decides to follow the wind.
Anyway confirms that PF is Zambia’s all time great Kaponya party with no organisation skills whatsoever.
Zambians are not GULLIBLE. Prepare to be shocked!!
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Sata was short on specifics on how he would remedy the situation but said he would root out graft and make the companies “transparent and answerable to the government”.end quote
Sata has also in the past accused Chinese companies, which are hungry for Zambia’s resources, of being exploitative and creating “slave conditions”.
China-bashing appeals to Sata’s urban working-class base but he said a non-corrupt government would make the Chinese “behave” and their investments would be welcome.
“It is the corruption which leads the Chinese to behave with impunity. If there was no corruption the Chinese would respect our laws, would respect our people, would respect our country.”
at 24 as i copied from the news, it seems like sata appeals to urban working class more on issues of tax (more money in your pockets in 90 days), corruption which is questionable etc what meesage does he has for the rural areas where they have benefitted more from fertilizer, or farming input support.Could it be too early to say that while Sata appeals to urban, RB appeals to rurals with the hospitals, clinics and roads taken to these areas? if so then its more work for Sata to win because even the urban areas are also divided.
MMD Chief bootlicker #22, Keep dreaming bwana, MMD is gone this year whether you like it or not. Just wait for parliament to dissolve cause it appears you have eyes but dont see, ears but dont understand, THIS IS A YEAR OF CHANGE and BIGGER THAN THE 1991. ITS ALREADY DONE JUST WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION. Viva Sata Ubwatoooooooooooooooooo
Zambia is Africa’s top copper producer but while the commodity accounts for 70 percent of its export earnings it only provides about one percent or so of its tax revenue. The uneducated sata is educating the educated zambians burried in curruption
Shame on you # 22 MMD Chief Bootlicker I believe you will never see sense in what is genuinely said by Sata yet you are one of the many suffering Zambians. Possibly the little handouts you are receiving from MMD is keeping going for now but remember it who long you would back where you belong Chibolya
SATA no platform, no direction and as usual very simplistic and unpredictable. He is talking about things he clearly has no knowledge of. Ah lol. Anyway VIVA UPND.
When you are not the architect of an idea, you might end up stabbing yourself . The man does not understand what he is talking about.This came from Sichinga.
When something is rotten to the core, no amount of money, trickery and flowering can stop the rot from sipping out.
Even REUTERS are confused at Sata’s inability to propound issues and his chameleon like properties. “Sata was short on specifics on how he would remedy the situation but said he would root out graft and make the companies “transparent and answerable to the government”.
He said he would boost the country’s thin revenue base by getting miners to pay what they owe under existing rules and accurately recording exports rather than raising taxes. He made a policy u-turn last year on the revenue issue, saying he no longer supported higher mine taxes”
The man just barks without reasoning. It is so relieving to realise that this man will never rule our beloved country Zambia.
chwechwechwechwe.
If mmd is voted out, the only logical thing will be to hand over to the young man.
I
If upnd doesnt win, we are better off continuing with RB. God have mercy on all the lost souls!!1
I do not support Sata nor will I ever support him. But what he has said is what is happening in most African countries. Most of the biggest companies have their way of dogging paying taxes. And not even dogging but sometimes conniving with a ministry involved to avoid paying taxes. It is a very sad story if you really investigate and see how these mining companies go on operating without paying taxes. May God help us.
Okay to you all cadres, rather than hallucinating and going into political verbal diarrheal, why not just address the issues I have raised.
1) Didn’t PF and Sata promise to raise Taxes and supported windfall Tax
2) In this story has Sata not said he does not believe in (1) anymore?
3) What is the economic Policy of PF on this issue. I have searched their new website and read their MMD plagiarized manifesto and there is nothing
So As Kaponyas, Ngwagwazis, Kadobis, Kabovas, Jerabos ..or whatever you call yourselves, address the above points I have raised.
Pedling into fallacies of ad hominem wont cut it. Lets debate facts here. Trust me come December I will be here blogging With or without MMD. Get that into your thick heads and get used to it.
You blame Sata for changing stances. Who introduces windfall taxes and later went against it. Between 2006 and now has MMD adjusted its manifesto. Whether under Chiluba, Mwanawasa or RB, an MMD policy is an MMD policy. “New Culture”, New Deal” new something now. all this is not being ready to take responsibility of previous admin – though same party
90 days theory started crumpling. The Snake has no basis for such funding. RB is able to fund roads and infrastructure in less than 90 days from the Chinese mining companies. The devil did not want the Chinese. USA, and other developed countries borrow money from these guys. RB formula of inviting them has worked for Zambia and is expected to work even better during his last term. Indeed they have failed in administering good conditions of service. Zambian revise these conditions in parliament dont everything to the president. Farewell SATAN YOU MISSED THE Opportunity by destroying the PACT
Sata is not my prefered presidential candidate and neither is PF my prefered party but I do agree with what he is saying in this report. Those disagreeing to this do not read and have no information.
@14 he is not an expert the specifics will come from technocrats thats there job to advise political leaders. As for what he says it makes a lot of sense all the best Sata hope you will carry the day so that we can see you implement these brilliant ideas.
@14 he is not an expert. The specifics will come from technocrats thats there job to advise political leaders. As for what he says it makes a lot of sense all the best Sata hope you will carry the day so that we can see you implement these brilliant ideas.
No.36, I agree with you that what has been said by Sata is the truth. My point is that he is not the architect of what he said, its Bob Sichinga. Sata knows nothing about what he is talking about. Even when he met Clinton, Sichinga had to write for him what to say.
NO WONDER THE ROAD LEADING TO MY HOME TAKE MORE THAN 30 MINUTES INSTEAD OF 4 MINUTES DUE TO COLONIAL ROAD NETWORK DR KAUNDA LEFT(WHICH THEY HAVE TURNED INTO GRAVEL,DUSTED ROADS)THANKS BA KK.I CRY MY BELOVED COUNTRY ZAMBIA BUT VERY RICH IN MINERALS MOSTLY IN THE HANDS OF FOREIGNERS.OH LORD HELP US THIS YEAR SO THAT WE CHANGE THIS UNCARING GOVERNMENT OF THE MMD.
How do Reuters expect him to give alternative when he does not know what he his talking about….???
Sata is saying the right things as any desperate presidential opposition candidate would. Nothing special here. its what i wud do if i wanted to impress the electorate. Just look at any contentious issue which rite now is the mines and stuff and then just blubber about the injustice of it and how i wud land and save the day bla bla bla!!! if this was coming from a ka political virgin like HH, then maybe, but not ancient relics like this clown!!
Where is the disgraced rev shikapwasha?? hiding in munali hill again
#38 Even if its the tecnocrats to advise, the advised must understand what is being explained.
But this particular man Sata has no basic education on economic maters, he does not understand anything please. He would be a stooge in state house, being told to say things he doesnt understand. God have mercy on this country!!!!
#33 its you fool who is a lost soul. We know what is happening in the back ground between your under five so called president and mmd. so just pray for yourself because you are totally lost.
IWE NOKIA BANDA,THATS WHY ADVISORS ARE THERE.SATA MIGHT HAVE GOT THE DATA FROM BOB WHICH IS OKAY KAILI MULI SENSE.WHAT WE WANT IS CHANGE WHICH WILL BRING DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY,FOOD ON THE TABLE,MEDICINE IN HOSPITALS,BETTER ROAD NET-WORK ( A DUAL CARRIAGE WAY BETWEEN THE KASUMBALESA BORDER TO KITWE TOWN WHERE WE HAVE LOST ALOT OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS) ,LOWER TAXES ON EMPLOYEE,MORE MONEY IN OUR POCKETS.
Mabenga has not been adopted at district level is he going to be imposed on the people by NEC i can foresee divisions rocking the MMD and this will be the beginning of its demise
We should vote for a president who understands serious economic issues you PF goons. Why is SATA campaigning when he knows that he is a nincompoomp and why are you following the un knowledgeable man since you have also acknowledged it at least for now. What kind of thinking is this you kaponyas where you vote for an ignorant person simply because you think he will be advised by technocrats.The best is to vote for the technocrat who in this case is HH. Dont you know that we are in this dire situation in the country because of this weard kind of thinking from you kaponyas.Simple logic tells you that advise can be taken or rejected and knowing your man SATA he will never take any good advises.
@46 thanks. a good leader listens to his advisors and if he agrees with what they are telling them he implements. Sata in the past was totally against Chinese investments but now he says he has nothing against the Chinese as long as they respect our laws, country and people. He may not be the author of this but he has said it meaning he understands the fact that we need the chinese but they should also respect us if this relationship is to benefit both parties. Does he need to be a lawyer, economist, scientist etc to be in State house as @ Nokia Banda states.
They could be share holders, what do you think?
How can one explain the resistance, even when a foreigner has shown you how the thieves in the name of investors have been thieving? I m ashamed to have these guys as my leaders.
Braddadocio, dont worst your time on people who have no knoweledge on the basis that other people will do his work. Let SATA declare to us voters that he is going to rely on advisers to rule this country so that we make informed decisions as we vote. He will be drawing all the presidential previledges alone including life pension and mansion for doing nothing in state house when in actual sense he will not be deserving of these things. Do you know Chiluba relied on the so called advisers and see the messy he left in the country including corruption that SATA himself was the architect. No dunderheads this time around as this country has suffered enough in the hands of presidential pretenders. VIVA HH
Whining, whining, whining till the face turns blue … forever in opposition, where u belong!!!!
listen to the elders n reason with them dont just attack peaple lyk that,its childish.Sata doesnt speak out people he speaks to peaple.his sympath for the poor is what has made him very popular.so talk about issue not tissues man
Look at the PF boat rocking before they ask “How” from their leader ………. Jeeeeeeeee
#30 NOT PF PLEASE
So what, if it came from Sichinga or not, the truth is that the statement from President Sata has knocked some sense in your grey matter. My question is, Is Gulumule big mpuno the architect of his speeches if i may ask? Get a life, mwanya muzaciona cino caka
#46, You are missing my point. What am against is the idea of following blindly not understanding what is going on. Send Sata to some night school and the you can have a platform from which to argue. Right now, with due respect, Sata understands nothing on economic issues. He has no basic education on such issues. How do you talk about things you dont understand? At least the bus conduct Chiluba could read books.
Iwe 46, sata is sexually, politically experienced than your father. After all your father is jobless. Why talk rubish about the cobra the job creator? Grow up!
NIPA BWATO FYEEEEE, INTELLIGENT OLD MAN, MAGNANIMOUS AND HONEST. HE HAS A BIG HEART FOR HIS COUNTRY JUST LIKE MANDELA.
#46, You are missing my point. What am against is the idea of following blindly not understanding what is going on. Send Sata to some night school and the you can have a platform from which to argue. Right now, with due respect, Sata understands nothing on economic issues. He has no basic education on such issues. How do you talk about things you dont understand? We made the same mistake when we put a bus conductor in state house and now you want us to repeat the same by putting in someone we know doesnt understand anything, just a stooge? Hell no!!!!!
**==we are interested in assue that effect the masses n not wat u are vomiting.Sata has an agenda zambia that is why the most informed zambians accross the railline raly behind him.he is a man for the poor.mwa mukoolo
@No 48 or Game Over.My borther your language is NOT palatable.when you are discussing matters of national interest,dont be emotional and take issues as if they are yours as an individual.don’t think your choice or your perception of HH is the standard for everybody.that’s wrong and backwardness.Have respect for other’s who have chose SATA as their leader and you’ve got no rights to insult them as kaponya’s.just a simple lecture,did you know ,the best politcal leader this world has seen doing great things are those with little education background?
Abraham lincoln of US,can he be compared to the intectuals of this generation? what about louiz the former president of brazil,? the economical boom you’ve seen and heard about is as a result of this man.the list is endless my brother.
# 39 NOKIA BANDA,
Your name talks volumes, typical of malawian mentallity, who writes for your fellow malawian brother gulumule? Do you understand the role people like Sichinga play in realms of politics and the economy?
Please dont compare a noble man Mandela to the likes of SATA-N. Thats an insult to MADIBA. Compare Sata to Chama Chakomboka
Please no grade fives in state house.
Check the POST PICTURES OF WATER HEATERS IN DRY MANDEVU COMPOUND.
This presido is an imbecile. How do you by water heaters for a place without piped water. Its like giving a feul voucher to a person without a car. Is this an eastern province thing. No wonder he cant get correct People to stand in Constituencies.
Hahahahahahaha
@51, Game over:
You are one lost HH cadre my friend!
Where on earth is the Presidency a “one-man show”? Why do you think the Executive is called a BRANCH of govt? It means it has its own structures and can independently employ people including PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORS, and there is nothing UNCONSTITUTIONAL about it. I bet your HH has advisers of sorts, and this is before he is even a mile to State House. So what more the President? One would think this is simple grade 9 civics.
Sata has just as much right, like any other presidential candidate, to engage advisers (of any kind) and rely on their opinions—-this what they are paid for anyway.
I shudder if what you are suggesting is that UPND/HH is a one-man show! Come to think of it, EVEN DICTATORS HAVE ADVISORS, why?!
Hey bloggers, lets take all the three candiates to TB Joshua, RB, HH nad Sata.
The man of God may advise which one would redeem us from the jaws of poverty. Just a suggestion!!!
:(**==Nokia Banda has no data.u are a danger not only to the society but even to yo brains.leadership is about having a mature understanding of issues n providing mature solutions.its not about what u are vomiting.there is no single man who can change Zambia but we can collectively make an impact.they will be advisers to advise the big man.Pf is wining this year.Mwa -MUKOOLO for life
#64, there are many of us have seen that HH can redeem us from the poverty levels we are currently in. The point the brother was putting across is that at least someone should have basic education even when the advisors put across their advise to you.Sata doesnt understand.
#66 dreaming is free of charge. Sata will never be president of this country, mark my words.
**==PONYAX u are lily a bowling comedian.try to comment on cartoons n not politics.SATA is a born n an intelligent leader as witnessed by an official invitation by The Oxford university to give a lecture.don’t insult him.just reason with him.we on the grassroots have intensified the campaigns for PF.SATA has already throne his political weight into the political ring so let yo candidate do the same n c how will be knocked down with a political “abakat”frm sata.viva MWA-MUKOOLO
Nokia Banda is right, advisors will give him info but the man can never understand anything. Thats what we are against. The man’s education background is too shallow for heaven’s sake. Thats why KK made education free but the dull ones could not take advantage. Please send your man to some night school of some sort.
Its not an insult to say Sata’s education back ground is shallow, its a fact, no argument please.
Sata could be right if the guys in authority did not involve themselves in corrupt activities the investors would respect our labour laws. Just across the eastern border pa Malawi no investor plays games. The laws are respected. The problem with Zambia is that some people have their hands sticking in the pockets of the investors and whatver happens to fellow Zambians is non of their business as long as they ar benefiting. Sata come on and sort the mess. I can assure you of my vote and those of my family. We are 136 and have andorsed you.
Ba #69, Sata was not invited by the University. The scheme was arranged by Bob, thinking that Sata would get some kind of a honarary degree. What can Sata lecture?
Like someone said above, when something is rotten to the core, no amount of flowering would stop the rot from sipping out!!!!
Sata will always be a didnt, period!!!
The goodness of the Zambian mind set is that when a decision has been made, there is no going backwards and no stoppages. Voting out corruption is what we doing this time.
Thank you brother on #67 for making it simpler for PF carders to understand what we mean when we say you can not campaign on the premise of having advisers even when you completely know nothng. Usually such people do not make good leaders because they will keep on changing positions as we all know presidents have alot of advisers that may give contractory views of issues and it is at that point when an enlightened and knowlegeable president chooses what he belives is the best for this country. I’m not interested in voting for somebody who i know will rely on others for almost everything to rule this country. Now it explains why SATA keeps on changing positions because each time he receives different advise from different people and since he un able to make good judgement he falls anything
You may not believe it yet but you will, that Sata has the balls and chutzpah to steer Zambia to economic utopia. You don’t need a string of degrees to govern a country successfully. If that were the case our country would have been a paradise already since we have had educated people in positions of power since independence. But no, all we have witnessed and experienced is grinding poverty and misery never seen and heard of even in impoverished countries. This stupid situation was brought about by people boasting superior academic and professional credentials. Given the aforesaid higher education for me is not an important yardstick by which to measure success in any endeavor.
@67, PONYAX:
Show me a President who understands all the dynamics of what makes a country (i.e. economics, foreign policy, social issues, in Zambia’s case, include tribal issues, poverty, etc) and I will gladly accept your statement. Even the most educated president would not claim to understand everything. If they do, trust me, they are lying.
Look, we all appreciate the fact that Sata is not a College graduate nor the most intellectually astute economist in Zambia. But to suggest that he does not have a basic understanding of economic issues that afflicts our country is pretty naive, I must say! Let us not underestimate people on the basis of education because people do not need to understand complicated advanced Mathematics to know whether they are living in poverty or not!
No. 76 Wantanshi
I guess you are in South Africa… you only need to see to what has happened in South Africa from intellectual MBEKI to Uneducated ZUMA.
South Africa is now heading toward becoming a BANANA REPUBLIC
Even KAPONYA’S like Malema now have a say
@75 Game Over:
You are still not getting it! Look, your preference to vote for one candidate over the another is a separate issue and your prerogative as a voter. But to suggest that Presidents need no advisers is quite alarming, to say the least. Even the likes of Bill Clinton, George. W. Bush, Barack Obama ( all College graduates) had/have armies of advisers in nearly every ‘department’ . This is standard practice everywhere in the world. And we cannot really tell whether the policies or ideas of a particular president are his, or a regurgitation of the advisers’ input.
This was true for LPM, true for Mazoka, is true for Sata, RB, and HH. In fact, true for Obama too! Mind you, the true measure of a leader is how he focuses the intellectuals around him to accomplish his vision!
#72 Have you been to Malawi lately? No forex and no fuel. Inflation is hitting the roof and the govt has no money because the Brits are withholding aid because they see Mutharika as becoming more and more dictatorial that is why their colleges are closed and the vice president has left the governing party to form her own party. Interestingly, Mutharika has very close ties with Mugabe and of course our very own snake is also an admirer of Mugabe – can you hear alarm bells ringing?
Gentlemen, you have offloaded too much, I was to the point. I said basic knowledge. That to me doesnt mean having a lot of degrees. Basic, basic, basic understanding of issues. Sata doesnt have that basic understanding, sorry guys, the truth hurts.
Ba Serpent Sata. These companies belong to colonialist imperialists who are are stinking corrupt. Dont blame poor Zambian civil servants and poverty stricken ministered who receives these tokens. These are dangled by the imperialst forces. Attack america, Canada and England for sponsoring corruption. Anyway, you were a police sergent in the colonial government. You job was to whip freedom fighters and spy on them. Here you come again being sponsored by imperialsists through Reauters
No. 78, Wafwampuka, Zuma is not doing bad and the economy is’nt going down. There is real democracy here and freedom of expression with no intimidation from anyone. SA is the sweetest country in the world if you have some engineering qualifications.
The logic is simple, the problem is that the educated are the minority whilst the uneducated are the majority (In Zambia). Here is how this plays out, the few educated have the advantages to a lot of incentives including government machinery, this means the bulk of our wealth is trusted in the hands of these few individuals to manage, but alas these individuals have seized a golden opportunity to loot and plunder taking advantage of the high levels of illiteracy. A situation of scramble for riches has since been born and is what is at play in our country, very few have heart for the many people that are disadvantaged, no wonder we are seeing substandard developmental infrastructures mushrooming without considering proper tender processes.
One can have advisors but the advised should be able to understand the basics of the subject. You cant rely on being advised all the time, you should be able to know that if I press the pedle down, the car will move faster.Your man lacks that basic understanding guys. We all know that there are advisors to all the head of states, but the point is, the advised should not be like a puppet that doesnt know why its head is swinging sideways. Thats the danger we are talking about.The will be made to say things he has no knowledge about, think of it at some international conference how much he would embarance us.
Take the residents of Mandevu township for example, somebody has allocated to them “free” solar geysers for what purpose, if people cant’t access a simple commodity like water in their homes? Those geysers use elements to heat up the water and if there is no water running constantly to the geyser then what happens to the element? but again on the other hand the residents want hot water because it’s winter which is OK, thus wouldn’t mind receiving a geyser for free without taking into considerations all the relevant senses because they are disadvantaged.
Pinto is right. Even when you get advise, it has to after you have tried on your own. Dont get driven like a car that does not resist what it has been told as long as it is functional. As a car owner, if faced with a problem, you have to do one or two things before you call the experts. Thats the BASIC understanding we are talking about here please. Ba Sata lacks that basic understanding because of his education background.
Heheheheeee! Just ask ba Sata one simple question, what is GDP? He will say dont kubeba.
My grandfather is from Chief Nkula, my grandmother was from Southern. Am married from Luapula. Now am sure no one will talk about tribal issues. Here is my advise:-
If you want to just remove mmd and replace them with anything, then go for Sata, but if you want real change and sanity in govt, its HH.
Govt should be run like a business, where profits should be seen going to the share holders, who in this case are the people of Zambia. To me Ba shikulu isnt the one who can do that.
No. 78 The Engineer (Australia)
South Africa is miles ahead of Zambia in economic and political maturity but its presided over by a person who never completed primary school. I can assure you Zuma is doing very well considering the complexity of his country. This is in stark contrast to the Zambian situation where you have highly skilled and educated people but who have failed to deliver.
We have had Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Dr. FJT Chiluba, an educated Lawyer in L.P. Mwanawasa, a College graduate economist in Rupia Banda, and I am pretty confident all these men had/have more than adequate “Basic” understanding of issues. I am sure these leaders were/are able to analyse fully and make an independent decision, and yet Zambia’s problems seem more intractable now than ever before, WHY?! With all these learned men who have been at the elm of our country, why is Zambia not doing better 47 years after independence? Interesting, isn’t it?
#90 Tell that to the millions of blacks who are still living in poverty and dont have access to basic amenities. SA economy is the largest on the continent and has been so for years. It was not Zuma who made it so whereas it is the MMD administration that has made Zambia the third largest economy in the SADC region behind SA and Angola. If you take the example of Zuma, you will find that he has failed to deliver on many of the populist promises he made before he was elected which am sure would happen if Zambians were short-enough to vote for a certain ailing snake.
Yambayamba
So you rationalize that if Zambia has failed, in the hands of the ‘learned’, it is high time we tried the uneducated? By the same logic you apply, don’t you think Zambia would be much more worse off in the hands of the ‘uneducated’?
Though rhetorical, may I ask what special skill do the ‘uneducated’ have that would make a difference for the better? Ignorance?
Yambayamba
So you rationalize that if Zambia has failed, in the hands of the ‘learned’, it is high time we tried the uneducated? By the same logic you apply, don’t you think Zambia would be much more worse off in the hands of the ‘uneducated’?
Though rhetorical, may I ask what special skill do the ‘uneducated’ have that would make a difference for the better? Ignorance?
Yambayamba
You must be honest with yourself to realize that what drives you to support pf is not its capacity to transform Zambia into a better nation but an ego that seeks to SATISFY the desire that a tribes man has also ascended to the throne. No matter how you wish to deny this fact, most people see through your folly.
SINGU, salutations are in order. you have called a spade a spade.
This is the reference point by most whining fellow citizens that are calling for regime change.
The same group was silent during chilubas kleptocratic rule only to later go up in flames of criticism under progressive late Mwanawasa.
In a nutshell, they seek not progressive governments but that mentioned DESIRE.
Yambayamba i think most bloggers are missing the point. Lets examine the role a president plays in the running of a country then perhaps we will realise that it does not require one to have a degree to run the country.
@92 please dont forget that those same millions of blacks you mention are just lazy and want to be paid for doing nothing. Zuma may have made promises which he cant fulfill now simply because his advisors have told him it is not feasible to implement those promises and if they were to be implemented the economy would collapse. Thats the point we are saying those of us who think a president does not necessarily have to be a degree holder and it doesnt mean that we are supporting Sata. im a registered vote and at the moment i dont think i will even vote unless one of the candidates impresses me.
Yambayamba,
It does not augur well for Mr. Sata to change positions at will regardless of principle or policy. To his supporters, everything Mr. Sata decides is ‘o.k’ regardless of the rationale behind. Mr. Sata has not been consistent on a number of principle issues. You must understand that this is not a good sign in one aspiring to be President. The term flip-flop best describes what he does says. Yes, to his supporters, this flipping of positions on the part of Mr. Sata might speak of flexibillity but to a rational mind, it speaks of someone who is ready to say and do anything to win a following regardless of what is at stake. That is a bad sign!
satana wamuyaya..you are like a wind you would say anything to please people.
Bragaddacio, you are an embarrassement even to Mr SATA himself.We are not talking about electing a councillor here. Be serious with governance issues. What you are suggesting is very useless. So you agree with us that SATA’s economic promises are utopian as he does not know what he talking about. How can you vote for a president on the basis that yes is illiterate, ignorant.unteachable, un predictable,flipflops but he has good advisers.SHAME ON ALL PF carders who think like this. I dont blame you,, birds of same feathers ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. you complete the sentence.
#96 Maybe the same can be said for poor Zambians? They are just lazy and want to be paid for nothing??? I dont see your logic. Zuma was held out as an example of the kind of president who does not have a degree might be like. He makes promises he cant keep, but for you it is ok because the advisers have told him to tone down his message? Now if you are one of the poor lazy blacks as you call them that actually believed in his message and gave him your vote, how would you feel? You are actually admitting that what Sata is promising to the masses is not achievable and is merely a ruse to get his hands on power. Is that the kind of person we want to be at plot 1?
ABA TONGA
Nokia Banda, Game Over & Pinto.
you chaps are very tribal who thinks once and speaks twice.You think as if HH is most learned and intellegent man zambia has ever produced but i can assure that your man is not intellegent. i understand him very well coz iam coming from the same education background.things being equal,Sata though old is more intellegent than HH. only guys with shallow education like you can praise the man coz you dont understand that what he preaches about doesnt call for someone to go study economics or accounts to say them.
The real problem with Zambia is not the level of education of the president…
If you read the comments on this blog you realise that the real problem is how DULL Zambian are…
In fact a friend of mine once told me that every Zambian with two brains cells has left the country what is left is JUNK.. hence people like SATA have a chance to become president
Engineer, as you are on this site, guess you are included in the DULL Zambians!!! What a refreshing insight I’d say!!! As you have only two brain cells, I pity your offspring!!
Collection of Tax & royalties is not a difficult issue, it only becomes so if you’ve been oiled!!
As long as there is demand for the Ore, & as long as we own it, we can & will dictate terms. Anglo American left, others came, more will still come as resources elsewhere dwindle. We just have to maintain a bold stance, not the CHICKENS we have in Govt!!!
No 103 if i was DULL i would still be in Zambia
#92 Zambia is not number 3 economy in sadc. What measure are u using banda economics? Lula da silver of brazil didn’t have a degree but performed wonders for brazil. Kaunda did not have a degree but developed Zambia infrastructure before Chiluba a degree holder destroyed everything.
Governing and playing politics are two sides of the same coin. Sata might make all those promises but wait until he gets into government and discovers ( re-discovers ) that talk is cheap. The reality of the situation in Zambia is that the problems that are there will not be solved overnight ( or in 90 days as the snake puts it ). The problem with politics is that the only way you can get into government is by telling people what they want to hear. Take a leaf from Obama and Guantanamo bay or Iraq. The detainees and soldiers are still there.
@18, “And what is wrong with someone making a policy U-turn if facts points in a different direction? Only an i.di.ot and stubborn politician refuses to learn and change course if facts say otherwise. So it is good that an “old dog can learn a few new tricks” in this case”. there is no problem at all, it’s just that by making the policy u-turn, mr sata is now in agreement with the long standing and consistent mmd policy on mine taxes. so even pf cadres who were fed with wrong information now wonder what change mr sata will bring which is not already there in mmd.
“Sata was short on specifics on how he would remedy the situation but said he would root out graft and make the companies transparent and answerable to the government”. that is a diplomatic way of saying that mr sata does not know what he is talking about, has no facts, and is just politicking as usual, 90 days style.
@32, “The man just barks without reasoning. It is so relieving to realise that this man will never rule our beloved country Zambia”. correct 100% my friend. here is the secret of pf cadres on this blog. they are all on the payroll of mr sata and mr mmembe to make things look like mr sata has a lot of support. that is the reason why they appear to lack logic in their reasoning. these guys are actually very much aware that it doesn’t make sense to defend mr sata and pf, but they are on pf payroll remember? so don’t worry about the perception of support for pf cretaed on LT, pf has very little, if any support, among the actual electors.
@94, singu:
Forgive me, other life commitments took over but I can’t let your accusations stand. What criteria are you using to say Sata is my tribe’s mate? Are you going by the name “Yambayamba”? If so, you are really making me doubt if you are Zambian because you should be very familiar with name dynamics in Zambia.
I am one who does not like to talk about where I come from “tribe-wise” because I fill being Zambian is good enough for me. But just to clear your paranoia, I am from the Central region of Zambia and last time I checked there were no Bisas, bembas, or whatever tribe Sata is. It is very unfortunate to note that a seemingly intelligent person like you still sees politics in TRIBAL colours, despite the efforts (intermarriages and the like) KK fostered. How sad!
@93, singu:
My point @91 is to simply show all you “education worshipers” when it comes to the Presidency that having a formal education does not necessary translated into good leadership. We have had leaders who are quite educated and have turned out to be fantastic Presidents, and we have had Presidents through out history with very little formal education and they turned out to be very good leaders indeed. Examples on this score abound if you cared to look!
Nonetheless, in our case (Zambia) we seem to have had more of the educated controlling our affairs as a country and yet things seems to be going from bad to worse. Isn’t it interesting that in the era of the MMD govt with all its Dr. Fimo Fimos, both in Parliament and as Ministers, things haven’t gotten any better?
By the way @singu, show me one institution that offers “skills training in the Presidency”? Leadership training, YES! But that is just like any other formal training. An individual can be good at it or suck at it. In the same way a individual with a law degree does not automatically make them good Lawyers.
Here in the USA, in spite of all their great learning institutions, it is widely acknowledged that the job of a President is really a “JOBS ON TRAINING KIND OF DEAL.” No one comes fully equipped for the job.
And if I may say this, a “skill” can be picked up even without spending a single day in a classroom. The same way a person can have marvelous football skills without spending a single day in a football academy. Leadership skills are no different, my friend!
@ The Engineer (Australia)
I didn’t want to comment as most of the issues have been dealt with. But I’m really annoyed with the infantile behaviour of the The Engineer (Australia), for saying Zambians have two brain cells, and I wonder what race that FOOOLISH friend of yours is, and you must be the biggest ID!OT on this planet to be insulted like that by a friend and be happy, even to the extent of using it against your relatives. Unless you tell me you are not really Zambian, but just benefited from our education, do not lose your patriotism and national pride. Otherwise, you will be cursed.
I find your remarks unpatriotic and profoundly, and offensively vapid.
“Sata made a policy u-turn last year on the revenue issue, saying he no longer supported higher mine taxes”
comment: pf supporters, what is your leader saying?? that his windfal tax campaign is hogwash?? he’ll move in and do exactly what RB is doing. better of with Alabee
#97
SINGU, salutations are in order. you have called a spade a spade.
This is the reference point by most whining fellow citizens that are calling for regime change.
The same group was silent during chilubas kleptocratic rule only to later go up in flames of criticism under progressive late Mwanawasa.
In a nutshell, they seek not progressive governments but that mentioned DESIRE.
# 104 Kuju, you will insult us as much as you want. We are not saying HH is the most intelligent this country has ever produced. The comparison is between Sata and HH, do not incude the people who are not in the race brother. All we are saying is, Sata’s education background is too shallow as compared to that of HH. Sorry if this hurts you but its a fact.
Personally I like Sata as a fellow human being, I have interacted with him before.
But my preference to him is HH. Reasons are that: 1. His health is failing him.2.He is a despot.3.His education background.4.His party is undemocratic.5.He is a shrewed and unpredictable.
Lets discuss without insults or tribal sentiments. By the way am not a southerner.
Shame on you #104 . Not everyone supporting HH is from the south. Its you who is being tribal.For once, think beyond your tribe. Actually am from Northern.
Lets debate witout insults.
HH is better that Sata in education circles. Why should we argue about this? What is tribal about this? Lets forget tribes and think of our future brother, no insults.
#108 – Engineer – What a shallow way of asserting your intellegence. Do you really think by virtue of being abroad you are cleverer than people at home? I wonder why you call yourself an engineer.
People, MUSHOTA IS CRYING! Please read “Musokotwane cautions Zambians over PF”. Finally, we have gotten rid of this b.i.t.c.h. Hope its the last time I’ll hear from you. Aren’t we all human…after all.
i am not joining the education thing about mr sata either way, that is another topic, all that i and everybody else knows is that mr sata has no credentials whatsoever for the presidency of zambia. even those pf bloggers on LT know that as a fact. even mr mmembe knows that, the records are there in his own post “newspaper” written by himself mmembe.
Nokia Banda. you, face to face with Sata will teach you some thing.In fact you are just too dull a [person who even fails to see beyond your nose. So you are not aware of the wrong things happening?
LT create a window where we can vote on the blog please so that it is more interesting. Can you do that?? Na lema navo!
Dear Engineer, if you have more brian cells then all home boyz then, why are u bloggin wit us ‘ single- cell- brain’ ZEDIANS?? Are you going to grow our brain cells by bloggin with us?? Are you called a nigger in Aussie?? When are you going to find pride in your own??
Well said Mr. Sata. what you have said is correct.It is a compliment to the MMD because all along they realized that you do not have to tax the mines into oblivion but rather monitor what they produce and tax correctly.To this effect RB is on record that the problem has been identified and as a result mines will be paying an additional uS$ 200 million. Mr Sata you are alwasy behind your colleagues this is why you need to be infront to win the election. You went to Mongu to talk about Mongu- Kalabo road construction which your colleagues are already constructing. There is still time to map up a better stractegy for the coming polls.
zambians we’re dull and we have very short memories. our brains are like that of a ostrich.
#129: Zambian are indeed dull. Why is the MMD tyring to build now from 1991? Its because they have been stealing all along and their rigging tacticts have now been reviewed (PVT!). Rupiah’s name is written in dust now!
Whats HE SAYING
Wina azalila chinochaka
” To this effect RB is on record that the problem has been identified and as a result mines will be paying an additional uS$ 200 million. ”
They owe $1300 million a year – every year. Who does the MMD think they are fooling with their “but the mines, they are paying taxes” routine?
If you owed $5000 in taxes, bu payed $800, do you think the ZRA would accept that because ‘you paid taxes’?
And another thing. They owe $1300 a year both under the present regime of ‘variable profit tax’ and dividends to ZCCM-IH, and under the Windfall Tax. The only difference is collectability.