Friday, November 15, 2024

President Sata appoints Dr Mupanga Mwanakatwe, Chairman and acting CEO of ZAMTEL

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President Michael Sata
President Michael Sata

Zambian President Michael Sata has dissolved the Board of Directors of Zamtel and appointed a new Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. Government having accepted without reservation the report on the findings of the Committee Investigating the sale of Zamtel, President Sata has deemed it desirable and expedient to compulsorily acquire the 75 per cent shareholding of Lap Green Network in Zamtel. The appropriate notice under the law has been given.

This is according to according to a press statement released to the Media by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public relations George Chellah.

According to the statement, the President has ordered the dissolution of the Board of Directors of Zamtel. The Head of State has appointed Dr Mupanga Mwanakatwe, Chairman and acting Chief Executive Officer as a first step to regularize the affairs of the company.

“A new board will soon be put in place to give the policy guidance and direction to management and staff. President Sata has further directed management to address the plight of Zamtel workers with due immediacy,” read the statement.

“There should be no loss in jobs except through retirement and attrition while maintaining the highest levels of discipline and respect of law,” President Sata said.

“Zamtel workers have served with distinction in an area of sophisticated information technology. This has been so from the inception of the company,” the president noted.

President Sata once again reiterated his relentless commitment to his duty as custodian of the interests of the Zambian people and assured the Zamtel workers their traumas and anxieties would be ended.

Government will restructure ownership of Zamtel to ensure Zambians owned the bulk of the shares in a revitalized Zamtel.

165 COMMENTS

    • No let the ones that are there to continue with an exception of foreigners like Poulsen. But the govt should be paying their bills on time so that they dont bring it down again. The foundation as private sector has been laid, but Amon Jere should go because he was too close to CEO.

  1. ……right move Mr President, just hope there will be discipline not like some parastatals….and that Amon should be escorted out of the building before he plunders more.

  2. Good move. Let there be no abitrary employment of relative to have a bloted workforce once again. Apointments of the apamwambas should be on merit and qualified so that we do not tun into laughing stocks of failing to manage the company.

  3. I went through the zamtel report and the step taken by H.E Mr Sata is the correct one. Now those who benefited should be dealt with, Dora ‘sexy’ siliya.

  4. Good show! How about reducing the number of Indians at KCM and Chinese in Chambishi ?They are working as brick layers, carpenters etc. These jobs can be done by Zambians.

    • Maybe we should elevate the standards on Zambians, let’s make sure they are well educated and they become technocrats and leave carpenter, janitor, brick laying, etc. jobs to foreigners. There was a time in America when certain jobs were considered “jobs Americans don’t do”

    • Excellent point MUMBA B R. That is also the Qatar (and most of middle-eastern) model that has actually resulted in very rapid economic and social gains. We must not rush for the easy things; we must rush for the things that uplift us visibly and incrementally.

  5. At No. 2. Calling all the layfoo workers will not be in the best interest of keeping the company afflot. Remember there were too many workers and more money was going to salaries and other. Some can be recalled depending on the need

  6. Action, Action, Action. This is not a govt of talkers, it is a govt of Men of Action. Zamtel has been given back to Caeser. We are now going to ensure that the majority of shares are bought by Zambians and the dividends they will be getting will remain in Zambia.

  7. So Zamtel has been given back to Zambians right? I find such assertions quiet ridiculous if you ask me.All the best though,i hope you have the money for recapitalisation.

    • Zamtel is a profitable and self sustaining entity. All need is predence in management. If we have no talent in Zambia we can hire from abroad. Selling Zamtel should not have been an issue.

    • MMD could have recapitalized Zamtel if they wanted to too! The 300+ million dollars they used to buy shares we already owned in Zamtel and for tax buy-outs nobody can even understand was enough cash to significally recapitalize Zamtel. But the idea of missing out on kick-backs from Gaddaffi tramped evreything else, even baisc common sense and patriotism. Very sad really!

    • Ugly Truth, you remind me of late Ronald Penza who was so fatalistic he watched viable corporations die on his watch. Political goodwill is such a powerful force that it can turn around what looks like a dismal state of affairs. It is only in Zambia where selfishness can result in liquidations at a whim, sell-off of strategic assets to foreigners, and defence of lawbreakers! I support this move (and those on the table right now) totally.

  8. The good news of repossession of Zamtel is patriotic enough to begin to determine our own destiny in managing our national institutions, given the ability to sustain them with huge local investments and competence to march with the advancing high tech of the globe. Indeed to hear political rhetoric is one thing to manage is totally a different animal. The bad news is linked to management of national issues to which we hear the entire president dissolving boards of existing companies. These institutions fall under ministerial powers who can equally dissolve these boards based on cabinet resolutions.

    • Bwana, who is the head of cabinet? Any company in which the govt has shares and veto powers, the decisions are altimately on the head of the president as head of cabinet (as you have correctly pointed out.) Do you realize the president has veto power over his Cabinet decisions?

  9. “During a special programme on Breeze FM last Saturday, Prof Lungwangwa said it was unfortunate that Hichilema said the PF-UPND pact would reverse the sale of Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel) once it gets into power.”

  10. Wonder where the money to keep this company afloat will come from…..either Zamtel will return to its previous state of mediocrity or it will be re-sold to some other company.

  11. Thank you very much ba Sata – show these crooked ex-ministers and crooked foreign investors that the era of bribing their way into investing in zambia is officially over

  12. CONGRATULATIONS PF. READ THIS AGAIN! President Sata once again
    reiterated his relentless
    commitment to his duty as
    custodian of the interests of the
    Zambian people and assured the
    Zamtel workers their traumas and
    anxieties would be ended

  13. Good news indeed! A person who was peddling lies of Sata being dead on Wikipedia has be tracked. He belongs to the same Tonga website that was peddling these same lies during campaign period. We all know which online that is. Days  are catching up with them.

  14. Bad action for bad results. With due respect, once the dust settles, Zambians will look backand reflect on all these decisions. We will have many years of burying the holes we are creating. It does not mater whether the majority are in favour of the possession; posterity will tell…it is a bad move. It was a bad decision by Rupiah and team to sell Zamtel the manner they did; and it is a bad move to repossess it without due process of the law. Someone who cares about the future of Zambia should mark my words! This hype will one day settle down as we think again!

  15. What HH said on ZAMTEL SALE

    “RP Capital Partners which valuated Zamtel assets was contracted without tenders because they wanted kick backs. There is no question about it. What else did former minister of communications and transport but now Minister of Education Dora Siliya share with RP Capital Partners over a cup of coffee? Was it just a cup of coffee or the other things, commitment to the corrupt team? State House was involved, Dora, President Banda’s children were involved,” said Hichilema in an interview. “We are all aware that the children are travelling all over now. Somebody was caught with some cash. And they are covering it. What other reason would be motivating Dora? And look at the defence, it’s like bees just stinging around when people complain.

  16. Former Republican Vice-President Enoch Kavindele is called names; I am called all sorts of names,” Hichilema

    He said President Banda and Siliya’s verbal onslaught on Zambians and institutions opposed to Zamtel sale showed that they were covering their “corrupt” tracks.

    Hichilema argued that many Zambians had opposed the transaction from its beginning but President Banda and his team did not heed the advice.

    “It’s extremely important that the people of Zambia do realize that we had raised the flag on the privatisation of Zamtel a long time ago, starting from the tender process where they appointed RP Capital Partners without tender against the Public Procurement Act of 2008,” Hichilema said.

  17. Shinkamanyela, you are now spreading falsehood bent on promoting unnecessary antogonism among the Zambian people who have lived in harmony for many decades.

  18. The government froze ZAMTEL’s accounts without a court order, it has repossessed the company without a court order. Where is the due process?

    The country’s biggest problem is unemployment and this is how the government chooses to spend money? ZAMTEL will needs millions and millions of dollars to re-capitalise and any funds which LAP Green has invested will have to be given back to it otherwise the government will be stealing capital that is not its own.

    Investors will see this as lack of security for their investments. One government just changes what the previous one did without judicial due process.

    • Ignorant truth teller,you dont compensate someone who bought property without following the due process of the law just like you dont compensate someone who buys stolen property!

  19. So now Sata is behaving like Chiluba, what ever KK did was bad and now what ever Banda did is bad to Sata Ka? So now even the next government what ever Sata will do now they will come and reverse ka? The trend has been set….

  20. “I am sure you have followed that there is going to be a number of clowbacks on retrenchment payments, it’s not that it’s wrong, on reinvestment. There is a paragraph where they are saying the government is going to reinvest part of that money. Did they tell us how much money they are going to reinvest? You have sold a company so that you bring an investor, but you are now going to be responsible for reinvestment, from the same money you are going to be paid. That is all wrong.”
    Hichilema questioned the government’s decision to sell Zamtel with the newly installed optic fibre network, which cost about US$85 million, for only US$257 million, meaning that the rest of company’s infrastructure was sold for only US$172 million.

  21. President Sata has pinched this process based on democratic (people’s resolutions- cabinet) to make a statement through government spokes person to the nation. The president provides a key note in tandem with their party’s manifesto. Mr Sata can’t afford to cede this turf to any lesser than president personality. This sort of style of governance slaps to the face of democracy which is inexplicable to the majority of Zambians whose expectations fall far short to be met. This style of leadership casts doubts to fair rule where Zambians from West, East, North, South and other provinces can admit to matter and play a meaning role in their own country when they witness appointments in a deliberate biased fashion. Zambians from every province have acquired and are capable

  22. He said the government should not have sold 75 per cent shares.
    “There was no need to dispose of 75 per cent; they could have disposed off 51 per cent and 49 per cent could be held by Zambians,” Hichilema said. “This is our contention and nobody will bully us into submission as Rupiah Banda and Dora Siliya are trying to do. These two President Banda and Siliya have demonstrated improper conduct, corrupt conduct in the sale of Zamtel. We will never stop talking about it.”
    He reminded President Banda to learn from what was happening in Ghana where former president John Kufour had sold Ghana Telecom (GT), the national telecom provider, to UK’s Vodafone.

  23. “When John Kufour was President of Ghana and John Atta-Mills was the opposition leader, they Atta-Mills and opposition parties objected to the way in which the telecoms company was sold. I think John Kufour thought it was a joke. When John Atta-Mills went into government, they are restructuring that transaction,” Hichilema said. “We cannot say that because there is a contract signed even though the process towards signing that contract was corrupt we should be bound by it. It means that you can go and commit a crime to start with and then legalise it and then say, ‘I have already signed a legal contract’. Not even common sense allows that.” Said HH

  24. Even if the transaction was wrong, this should have been proven without a doubt in court so that investors have confidence in the country’s judicial process.

    Even when things are wrong, laws and due process must be followed so that every one on all sides has confidence in the country’s institutions. My own view is that this could be the first of many nationalizations, the PF party constitution is clear in that it has a disdain for capitalism and supports a communist style government. This could be the start of a trend towards another communist era for Zambia.

    • You should have given this advise to Dora Suliya and Rupiah. To tell you the truth we dont need the confidence of thiefs and pls dont confuse thiefs with Investors.

  25. The court cannot even protect LapGreen in the meantime for a stay of execution thinkingv money will be stolen. But the takeover should have been delayed nonetheless. Watch the global news; Zambia is already graded as a high-risky investment destination within a week! with this you want to issue a soverign bond? what can stop this government refusing to pay back under the pretex that colonisers must pay back?

  26. firstly this is really great news.
    its important to note that most zambians were not aware of most happening in the post zamtel apart from the inform of customer base increase, isp core installation, new billing system etc. zambia being rural in majority, lap green did not see it business sense to have anything to do with installations in places like maamba, namwala, itezhi tezhi, kaoma, lukulu, the list is endless. when they too over all the computers and vechilces in these areas were taken for auction and all the empoyees (2) removed . so how do u develop these areas if infrastructures like telecomms are closed down? it looks like slowwly but sure landline was being abandoned in preference for mobile. maamba the mine is coming up plus the threma station, watch this space for more….

  27. of managing these institutions regardles of their place of origin. It is naive on the part of the president that Northerners are a better cut above the rest of Zambians for appointment to head thsese institutions. Mr Sata has failed to justify some of these appointments except to link him to tribalism. This is now a general recognition in the nation which is unfortunate to come from a student of KK One Zambia One nation. A wrong precedent is being muted for those from Northern to come and rebuff it in futere if put to their face.

    • Dr. Mwanakatwe has a PHD in Telecoms Engineeering and was teh Project Manager for the set-up and roll out of ZAMCELL, turned Celtel, then Zain and now Airtel.. He served as Technical Director and Chief Operating Officer from 1995 to 2004 when Celtel switched to Siemens technology platform from ALCATEL.. Dr. Mwanakatwe worked in France with Alcatel in various technical development roles.. As you know MTN and Aitel are simply Service Providers and do not own the actual Technology platforms. These are owned by the major corps.. Motorola, Siemens, Alcatel… That why in the past a lotof telephone handsets were Alcatel..

  28. Say good bye to that B+ Sovereign Debt rating if things continue like this. Soon you will be hearing things like politican risk has increased in Zambia due to the lack of judicial due process.

    Every legitimate businessman in any country wants to know that his investments will be at the very least protected by the law and that where there is a charge that something has been done inappropriately it is taken to court and proven beyond a doubt. The precedence set here is bad. I’m not saying the privatisation was good and I’m not saying it was bad. I’m saying that whatever happened, the courts should have taken care of this issue.

    You can’t be reckless with the political power of the executive especially when fighting corruption, use the judiciary!

  29. Be proud people for a change. Become your own investors. Here is a chance for you to invest your K2billion and not burry it. Go out there and buy shares when they become available. Quit winging on everything under the sun for God’s sake. Your kids will not eat HH or Sata. Gert off your lazy sides and do something for this country and your kids for once in your lives. Did you read Field Ruwe’s story in sunday Post and here ****
    The only really hardworking people in Zambia are the poor people while all you internet consuming keyboard punching blackberry carrying folk do nothing to help them get off of the 1 pin a datatum!! Bloody annoying.

  30. The world will know that Zambia does NOT condone corrupt investors and investment. HH warned that whoever was buying zamtel, they were doi ng so at owner’s risk. Don’t say you were not warned!!

  31. Dr. Mupanga Mwanakatwe’s education Profile: 1986-1990 PhD Satellite Communications, University of Surrey; 1981-982 MSc Telecommunications System Engineering, University of Essex, and; 1977-1981 BSc (Hons) Electronics Engineering, Middlesex University, United Kingdom. The man also has relevant work experience in the sector from the UK, FRANCE AND ZAMBIA.

  32. Dr. Mupanga Mwanakatwe’s education Profile: 1986-1990 PhD Satellite Communications, University of Surrey; 1981-1982 MSc Telecommunications System Engineering, University of Essex, and; 1977-1981 BSc (Hons) Electronics Engineering, Middlesex University, United Kingdom. The man also has relevant work experience in the sector from the UK, FRANCE AND ZAMBIA.

  33. The problem with you truth teller is, you dont know the truth well. You think the people carrying out these actions are dull, when in actual fact it is you who is dull. wake up man.

  34. in the meantime the economy is in regression.These are not the action that will improve the lives of Zambians please.So far no positive action seen in almost five months in power.It is easy reverse decisions of other people especially if you fail to appreciate why that decision was taken in the first.This decision will not add any value to Zambia but simply deminish it.Goodluck with your hipe.

  35. We are all still sleeping at the moment because all what Sata is doing for now is gospel truth until kaya……….

  36. There are people working outside the UK with PHDs in telecommunications obtained from top 20 universities in the UK. This is what kills industry and expansion in zambia – wako ni wako attitude. 

    • Then they should not work abroad. We equally have very capable men and women back home slaving away, why not use them. Doc knows this industry well from his days in Celtel, etc. He is a bloody great engineer and manager.
      Calm down people, potential clean hands investors are loving this. If you an investor with potential dirty hands, you should be afraid, very afraid. In China, Dora would be dead by now. They hang you overnight over there for corruption. You can scream all you like.
      Now how much is that Zamtel share again? Time to save up people!!!!

  37. The black Mamba, KING COBRA, MUBOBO???? has struck. Welcome back ZAMTEL. For those of you that are condemning this, lets debate next year. Unless Mumu lowefye SATA, at the pace we are on. Things will be OK in ZAMBIA.
    FIRE MULILO MOTO. MAN OF ACTION.. DOCHI KUBEBA. MMD MWASEBANA. So what’s next?? Jail for the perpetrators. DORA?? Butuka.

  38. Dr Mwanakatwe was also a member of the technical committee that was inquiring into the sale. My comment on the reversal of the sale is simply that two wrongs do not make a right.

  39. For those RB supporters find below how much Ghana got for privatising its telephone company =====

    Vodafone Ghana, formerly Ghana Telecom, is the national telecom company of Ghana. In 2006 it had around 400,000 customers for fixed and mobile telephony and internet services.

    On 3 July 2008, the sale of the company for $900m to Vodafone group was announced. After the transaction closed, Vodafone had a 70% stake in the company, while the Ghanaian government will retain a 30% stake.

    On 16 April 2009, the company was rebranded as Vodafone Ghana.

    • I remember Zimbabwean businessman and cellphone pioneer billionaire Strive Masiyiwa mentioning this in a speech a few years ago!!

  40. Thank you Hikainde for advising HEMCS properly and we als thank HEMCS for accepting Hakainde’s advise. This is want Zambia needs on a common cause work together.VIVA PF and VIVA HH.

  41. When there is a contract involved in a sale, you cannot simply brush it aside unless it is very clear that it was void ab-initio. Who did not follow the tender procedures? Its the Zambian govt. Not MMD govt. Who sold the ZAMTEL shares for a song? The Zambian govt. You can’t blame Lapgreen for acquiring cheap shares in a company. The Zambian govt. can’t have it both ways – having its cake and eating it. There either has to be some form of compensation or return of the value of the shares bought. Its not a sale by the MMD as a party, thus the contract would still be binding on the new govt. In short, I foresee some consequences in this compulsory acquisition. I don’t object to Zambians having ownership, but we must be seen to make decisions by the book, not only for political mileage.

  42. ZAMBIA NEEDED SATA LIKE YESTERDAY…..THANK GOD WE GOT A STRONGMAN AS PRESIDENT………….FAKE INVESTORS WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE COMING TO ZAMBIA. AM INFORMED THAT MORE THAN 5 REPUTABLE TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES WANT TO BUY SHARES IN ZAMTEL

  43. #56 Harold Muna please google Rwanda telecom and see that your Lap green were also kicked out of Rwanda for being fake investors.

  44. i have a PHD IN digital communications, a bsc in telecom, a msc in mathematical software, why didnt he appoint me????? bt the way i know Zambians,  ZAMTEL will be buried soon, the whole world is migrating to digital technology, let us wait and see……i assure you this is a bad move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • You can have all the certificates in the world but can you run a company profitably? what business acumen do you bring to the table. Good CEOs are very good human managers; they are good at organising you “educated illiterates” to do the specialised chores within a team.. As negative and short sighted as you are, you would only make good employee and not a leader or CEO…. 

    • Not sure you have the relevant experience. Dr. Mwanakatwe build the Zamcell / Celtel Technology platform in Zmabia from scrath and was technical Director and Chief Operating Officer from inception 1995 to 2004. Do you?

    • Sir there will be openings in Senior Mgt at Zamtel, Or The Comm Authority, Or the other tele com companies. Zesco too is opening up in the direction of telecoms. Why not apply there. The Ministry may have positions in your area of expertise. If I was you I would obtain exposure while you are still abroad to enhance your skill set. No one can ever say they know too much. I however, expect objectivity in an educated person as you suggest.

  45. Is it even clear yet how much money government will have to pump into Zamtel? Let alone how much money they have to pay to LAP green? My guess is a total of around $1.5 billion for both expenses.

    And all those payments will be happening when 70% of the people still live in abject poverty. what a priority, Political mileage before people’s lives.

  46. Sata vows to re-nationalise Zamtel once in power
    By George Chellah
    Fri 15 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday vowed to re-nationalise Zamtel after ascending to power in 2011.

    “Zamtel belongs to the people of Zambia. Zamtel… is only a question of 13 months before it becomes for the people of Zambia. We will ask the people of Zambia to buy shares in Zamtel. This thing, it will be re-nationalised and no compensation, no compensation! I will re-nationalise it and there will be no compensation,” http://postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=4478

  47. It is a good move but why appoint the same person as Chairman and CEO,corporate governance does not allow that,2 much power vested in one person even if it’s temporary.

  48. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a wrong move, whether you like it or not. i support waht KK, Ruth, Truth Teller, Kweena Eeeh and JJP has said. The simple fact of this matter is what Hakuna Muna said. Government is bound to all contractual agreements signed by the previous government. This populism we are witnessin with the PF government will bring disastrous consequences to this country. The least they could have done to get appropriate court orders for the said actions. This matter is no longer within the JURISDICTION OF CABINET but is a legal issue sitting with the JUDICIARY. Simple civics of separation of powers, though the president doesnt believe in all this. How can one be making decisions on a matter ALREADY WITH THE COMPETENT COURTS OF LAW??????????????????????????????????????

  49. Thats why people voted for Sata and PF, he told you that he will reverse the sale of Zamtel because people were not happy about the way zamtel was sold and sata listened to people’s cry. thanks man of action, Zambia first investor last.

  50. @ ICT- Specialist

    You can have all the certificates in the world but can you run a company profitably? what business acumen do you bring to the table. Good CEOs are very good human managers; they are good at organising you “educated illiterates” to do the specialised chores within a team.. As negative and short sighted as you are, you would only make good employee and not a leader or CEO…. 

  51. Corporate governance…CEO can not also be chairman. Lets follow proper business ethics if we are to get somewhere with Zamtel.

    • Sir,

      I suggest to read publications such as bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com), Businessweek (www.businessweek.com), Southern African Business review (www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_sabr.html). We live in a global era and living in Lundazi and exhibiting narrow views is sad. Ask and folks on the forum may educate you. Zamtel is now owed by Govt, they form the board and management. There implied intent that they broaden this. But the appointment of the Chairman/CEO is the first step.

  52. Thank goodness I was looking forward to this day…we should always strive to get the best deal from our resources for our great grand children. 
    I will definitely drink to that this Friday.
    Cheers!!

  53. No.56,you have not provided vital statistics for us to meaningfully compare Ghana Telecom and ZAMTEL.Clearly,it is not possible that the level of investments were equal nor is it true that both companies had equally updated their ICTs.Your own client base figure for Ghana Telecom at the time of sale was four times ( 400,000 ) higher than that of ZAMTEL (100,000 ).Justifiably so,Ghana Telecom was sold at almost four times the price of ZAMTEL.

    • And who told you Zamtel had antquated ICT? RP Capital did not say that!! Probally the reason why up to now they can’t avail their valuation report people have been asking for. Read the Zamtel COI report, you will appreciate how bogus the valuation process of Zamtel assets was. Just saying!!!!!!!!!

  54. For all ignorant people claiming lap green will have to be compensated tell us for what?From what i know if due process of the law was not followed to dispose off zamtel that alone renders the whole transaction null and void!

  55. @ #64 and #72, i assure you ZAMTEL has not fully migrated to DIGITAL COMMUNICATION it still has PSTN, very few subscribers are using ISDN, ZAMTEL still still connects to Europe via satellite for internet as getway, which is very expensive and slow while other countries are using underwater optic fibres which cheaper and faster, why do u think internet is 2 times cheaper in Kenya and SA??? they connect to other continents via optic fibre…NGN network is gud, LAP GREEN jst started developing it, The ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT WILL FORGET ABOUT IT, ZAMBIANS ARE ALLERGIC TO TECHNOLOGY THAT ONE I KNOW, LOOK AT ZNBC, WHY HAS IT NOT MIGRATED TO DIGITAL TELEVISION??????  

  56. @ #64 and #72, i assure you ZAMTEL has not fully migrated to DIGITAL COMMUNICATION it still has PSTN in their network, very few subscribers are using ISDN, ZAMTEL still connects to Europe via satellite for internet as getway, which is very expensive and slow while other countries are using underwater optic fibres which is cheaper and faster, why do u think internet is 2 times cheaper in Kenya and SA??? they connect to other continents via optic fibre…NGN network is gud, LAP GREEN jst started developing it, The ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT WILL FORGET ABOUT IT, ZAMBIANS ARE ALLERGIC TO TECHNOLOGY THAT ONE I KNOW, LOOK AT ZNBC, WHY HAS IT NOT MIGRATED TO DIGITAL TELEVISION??????  

  57. A psychologist colleague looked at this story and asked me what happens when a ‘wealthy man’ dies in Zambia.
    After along discussion,-i didnt know what he was up to- he picked on ‘property garbbing’ and said thats exactly what is happening to Zamtell at national level.

    At a subconcious national level, the ‘dead man’ is MMD, the ‘illigitimate children’ are PF cadres who want to now ‘own’ something at last hence the ‘propert grabbing’ we are seeing now.

    • MMD had 20 years to correct whatever was wrong at Mulungushi textiles, why didn’t they fix it? You want PF to do everything in 4 months they have been in power? Let us be reasonable folks!!!!

  58. Thank you Mr. president these day i enjoy reading the news rather than the time when RB was in power it was painful reading.CONGRATULATIONS Mr.President

  59. ICT SPECIALIST – YOU ARE A FAKE…….SPECIALIST .-..NOW LITSEN TO THIS…….ZAMTEL IS FULLY DIGITALIZED ..IE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IS -SDH/PDH ELECTRICAL,SDH-SONET,ALL SWITCHES (EXCHANGES) ARE DIGITAL WITH ISDN CAPABILLITIES,RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDE GSM,GPRS,3G,CDMA 1X EVDO EVEN MPLS TECHNOLOGY IS ALSO AVAILABLE SO WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…ZAMTEL IS JUST REMAINING WITH FTTH TO HAVE A FULL DIGITAL CONNECTION TO THE HOME….LET ZAMBIANS RUN ZAMTEL…..LETS TAKE COMMUNICATIONS TO ALL PARTS OF ZAMBIA…..VIVA PF VIVA PF……ALL THE ABOVE TECHNOLOGIES WERE THERE IN ZAMTEL…LAPGREEN JUST BROUGHT PRE PAID SYSTEM….

    • young greenwwll now listen, SDH,/PDH is either digital or analogy those are are jst types of switching systems, and all those technologies you have mentioned can work with analogy and digital provided there is an A/D and D/A converter in the network, why do you think intonational calls and internet is expensive in Zambia??? 

  60. I wonder how much capital is leaving the country as we speak? If the govt was confident in its case as  to the allegedly  illegal  sell of Zamtel, why did it not want to  prove its case in court? I wonder what will be the reaction of our donors who have been pushing the good governance and rule of law agenda and who are closely allied to the current Libyan regime which they played a major role in bringing about? As I recall, most Ugandans were very happy when he expropriated Asian owned businesses…………..

  61. Populist move by attention seeking Sata.Those who sold zamtel also privatized the mines,they left historic amounts of forex reserves,record amounts of FDI and an FRA bursting at the seems.Why didn’t they also plunder these if their interest was corruption? Afterall a thief has no conscience and steals from all.Bwana Sata you ain’t fooling us you’re just interested in settling scores at the expense of zambians.

  62. Thanks and well done ba Sata!!
    Move on to others now…ZANACO, Kadjem mines etc. What belongs to Zambia needs to come back.
    BRAVO COBRA !!!

  63. Mr President, you are on right track indeed……Watch out that German president is coming next month to launch their car industry.GOOD MOVE. But make sure that the business conditions will favour Zambians, too, not just their interests.

    The Germans are coming cause they have seen how coruptless your government is….Other investors will follow suit.

    BRAVO !!

  64. gentlemen, when companies bid for ZAMTEL, what was the highest bid? And who is this CEO Mwanakatwe? What is his CV? Is PF going to look at the mines also?

    • These are the 2nd and 3rd Generation of Mwanakatwes. In fact they could even younger than you. Just work hard and get your niche too.

  65. This is the kind of leadership Zambia has been lacking since Kafupi took power. A leader is supposed to get things moving.In that process he makes a few enemeis but many friends. Well done our dear Leader.

  66. THE BEMBA EMPIRE HAS CONTINUED EXPANDING. ALL THOSE WHO HAD GONE INTO ARCHIVE HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WHY DOES SATA NOT THINK OF OTHER TRIBES? THIS MAN IS A TRIBALIST, I MISS KK’S LEADERSHIP.

  67. These Lapgreen chaps that they had more than 3 million PSTN customers elsewhere. All they are good at is killing PSTN wherever they go. Worse more when they find useless senior managers and other bootlickers.

    Baba sova.

  68. Mwanakatwe is related to Sata’s daughter-in-law and they are both related to the deputy minister for Education, Neverline Willombe. Nepotism? However, this family is not Bemba but Lungu from Mbala – Mbala mafia returns!

  69. WHAT HAPPENED TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE???????????????? An individual can not be chairman and CEO who is accountable to whom. Are we going back to the UNIP and pre-Enron days????

  70. Right move, now we look forward to floating the shares at LuSE while looking for a strategic partner with the right track record as a minority shareholder.

  71. Zamtel back to its rightful owners. Am sorry RB and friends but your wish to syphone money has ended prematurely. Now let us see how you will convert your dollars to kwacha without being monitored. All bills will be marked, twalamona!

  72. Well,…Okay Zamtel is back, I don’t really have an issue with that…

    But i still have a problem with the president dissolving boards, and hiring MD’s and the like,….

  73. Rubbish! Zamtel will go back to what it used to be. Has this guy Mwanakatwe ever run a company?If the guy was smart going by his academic qualifications and age, he should be running his own company by now.

  74. I love this move, But our president should tone down on the Bemba appointments mwe. Hire someone from north western next time, a Ki-kaonde. Too many Easterners in high offices as always. We run this town lol. Every government shall have Easterners in abundance lol; I just realized that.

  75. LAP Green if you still want to invest in Zambia we will happily offer you chaps 30% of ZNBC at $257m cash in the bank!!! kekekeke

  76. Looking at some of the comments I think it is important that Govt puts in place a policy that at certain levels manpower should be Zambian. It is absurd that in this day and age bricklayers, plumbers should be imported from aboard. Not everyone can be a PhD, what opportunities are given to the Zambians? If the issue is about skillset. Let the imported labour come in with the understanding that the a duty to have an understudy/train zambians within a certain time frame. Zambians have paid a high price at the expense of these so called expts, and there is no reciprocal treatment in the countries where these expts come from.

  77. It is a good move because MMD made a bad move. My suggestion is that Cell-Z should be split from Zamtel: Zamtel should find a partner for this unit as it is no much for both MTN and Airtel. Zamtel should sell 50% of Cell -Z to a serious mobile operator like the way Safaricom runs in Kenya..etc

  78. PLEASE HOLD YOUR GUNS. ZAMTEL SHARES WILL BE FLOATED ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE AND ZAMBIANS WILL BUY THE SHARES AND IT WILL BE ZAMBIANS WHO WILL BENEFIT. JOB WELL DONE PRES. SATA. TAKE THOSE SHARES TO ZAMBIA STOCK EXCHANGE WE SHALL BUY AND RE-CAPITALISE ZAMTEL. PERIOD.

  79. #76 Mwamba, why are you afraid of calling yourself by your real name: MWEEMBA? Who told you Mupanga Mwanakatwe is Bemba you ignorant tribalist?

  80. Every time there is a SataNIC news conference or press release, an appointment will surely land on another Northern Janjaweed. The man’s tribalism stinks.

  81. Good move Cobra, however I am not sure that Guy with a lot of academic degrees would be the right person for the boardroom. He seems to have operated a small estalishment in cellular systems, his skills will be necessary at UNZA or CBU.

    KN

  82. More Bemba appointments, Learn to balance appointments and unite the nation, we have educated people in all provinces. Problem with Bembas is they can be educated but they’re never patriotic, they prefer to enrich themselves at the expense of the nation. Good move in repossesing Zamtel though, good you took HH’s avdice for once.

  83. The move is fine, made without apologies. The Zambian people must just work harder and smarter to prove all who doubt them wrong. Its actually unfortunate for Zambians to think of themselves as incapable of success. I find it very debasing and insulting.

  84. As Wynter Kabimba said the other day, there is always “an added advantage” to every qualification for a job. For now being a Bemba is an added advantage !

  85. Gud mov mr presdnt!nw compel zsic 2pay us our contributions us former employees of zamtel,we hav not bin paid up 2nw,yet RB n his stoogies usd 2boast dat we wr al paid.former employee…

  86. The company will go broke, telephone lines will stop working again, poor service, customers complaining all the time, and poor balance sheet. The difference is that the next time you try to sell the company nobody will buy it until it is scrap and then they will move in to buy it with $1 – the way ZCCM mines were bought. Only ignoramuses are celebrating. Economics doesn’t care about partriotism, very soon you will be fighting among yourselves for food. It’s amazing people are not seeing how things are quickly crumbling. Secondly, Zambia is now likely to find it difficult to borrow that $500Million, because of uncertainty that PF govt has created. It’s a dark day in Zambian history…

  87. We are on the right healthy track. Definition of “Sataology” – All clear, no invasive foreign bodies, as Zambians own their property again, leading to improved quality of social life, physical and mental well-being! 
    Well done Dr Sata!

  88. THose of you who dreaming about that Zamtel shares will be floated on the stock market….WHO will buy those shares with this uncertainty that Sata is creating in the economy? Can you even see how activity on LUSE is now flat-lining? It’s ridiculous. I have never known a population that celebrates going backwards…

  89. ni donchi kubeba,i don’t think a well meaning foreign investor will be afraid of investin in the country just because we are getting what’s rigthfully our.Can you buy a company in there countries in the manner they got zamtel ba truth teller.

  90. My only concern is that His Excellency is quiet on the plight of former workers who have actually suffered more than the ones who were retained.

  91. This is great move bene Sata. May God bless you always. Really now I can call my self a Zambian under the leadership of Sata. Good Move indeed.

  92. all the digital equipment that we have was bought prior to the sell of zamtel.lap green has not done anything in terms of buying equipment,they were reaping what they didn’t sow…..

  93. Reverse China Zambia textiles in kabwe as well including the one in Kafue and Mansa batteries, Mununshi banana scheme, Zambia Breweries, RB Farm, Dora’s bakaso, but privatise Gregory Cifire, Mumbi, Kawana.

  94. Shame on Zambians supporting LAP GreenN! Shame on you. A thief gets in your house, sodomises your dad and you tell the police that he did nothing wrong? Look at it in that way!

  95. Excellent issues altogether, you just gained emblem new|a new} reader. What could you suggest about your submit that you simply made a few days in the past? Any positive?

  96. Fantastic points altogether, you simply won brand new|a new} reader. What may you recommend about your submit that you made some days ago? Any sure?

  97. is that a real step , to take over libyan money that invested and provided jobs to zambian people, is that how things should be? Sata and his ganges will never give profe of currption in zamtel cuze he already promised before the ellection to reverse zamtel no matter. i`m so sorry for foriegn investments in zambia.

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