ZAMBIA President Michael Sata declared it was “good to be back home” as he arrived in Harare Wednesday for a state visit during which he will also officially open this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo.
President Sata was greeted by a 21-gun salute when he landed at Harare International Airport aboard the challenger for a three-day state visit to Zimbabwe.
President Sata, accompanied by First Lady Christine Kaseba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Given Lubinda and other senior Government officials, was welcomed by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace.
Others who were at the airport to receive President Sata and his delegation were Zimbabwean Vice-President Joyce Mujuru, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and Zambian High Commissioner to Zimbabwe Ndiyoyi Mutiti.
President Sata also inspected a guard of honour mounted by the Zimbabwean army before he left the airport in the company of President Mugabe.
“I am certain that this visit will afford our two countries yet another opportunity to interact and further consolidate the excellent relations that we enjoy,” Sata said at a state dinner hosted for him by President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe said the two countries were like siamese twins adding Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle would have been harder without the support of its northern neighbour and the rest of the region.
“You suffered reprisals by the Smith regime because of the support you gave us. Lives were lost in Zambia because of your solidarity with our liberation struggle. In spite of all these actions by the settler regime, Zambia relentlessly supported our struggle,” he said.
“It is this assistance from Zambia and other Frontline States which enables us through the armed struggle to end settler colonialism and bring about independence in Zimbabwe.
“That we are inseparable can be traced back to the old times when our two people traded and shared the great Zambezi River. Then there was the ill-fated Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which left large numbers of our people on either side of our borders.
“To this day, we have Zambians who have chosen to make Zimbabwe their home, as well as Zimbabweans who have done the same in Zambia.”
The two countries share the premier Victoria Falls resort and are set to co-host the 20th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation next year.
In addition an agreement was recently concluded to develop the US$4 billion Batoka Gorge hydro-power station on their common border which – with a capacity to produce 1,650 megawatts of electricity – would help end Zimbabwe’s perennial power supply problems.
“Such infrastructural projects are the enablers of real and sustainable economic development,” Mugabe said.
“As a matter of fact, this project is as important to our two countries as it is to the whole Southern Africa region which, as you know, is experiencing a critical power deficit.”
President Sata is today expected to visit Zimbabwe’s Heroes Acre where he will lay wreaths on the tomb of a soldier and then he will later visit the Zimbabwean Dairy Board and Tyrone Farm in Goromonzi, about 30 kilometres south-east of Harare.
[NewZimbabwe.com/Daily Mail]
Boring !
It is indeed HUMBLING to hear such applause for Zed from “uncle Bob!”
However Uncle bob should take a leaf or two from Zed, GIVE HIS PEOPLE A SECOND LIBERATION & a BREATHE OF FRESH AIR!!!! It is about time!!!!
See our Presidents hero…is this where we are heading?
Sata careful with these friendships. When he sees how well his ” friend” is living he will also want to do the same. Careful.
Birds of the same feather . . . . . Old dudes dictators Club!!!
birds ov z same feathers flock together.wats gud abt mugabe?
toast b4 TB Joshua’s prophecy strikes..hahaha
Old legends in ??
according to TB Joshua, an old president will escape death soon. Which one of the two will be saved from a heart attack, accident ,or bullet?
A very great speech by mugaz abt zed
@ mina that TB joshua will lead you astray, how come over sudden his prophecies are about presidents and not his followers( church members) ??
Undeniably linked by history but Mwanawasa had a clear verbal outspoken stance while the diplomatic approach forces a grin and bear it from Bob who is secretly relieved he didn’t get our Veep. Now that would have been one to see:)
SATA HAS VERY SHORT MEMORY. IT WAS LAST MONTH IN BOTSWANA WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABOUT DUAL CITIZENSHIP AND HE SAID THAT IT IS RB WHO WAS INTERESTED IN DUAL CITIZENSHIP BECAUSE HE WAS BORN UN GWANDA. WHAT HOME IS HE TALKING ABOUT IN ZIMBABWE? OLD AGE IS AN ILLNESS, PERIOD.
iwe,its just a figure of speech
which home is our H.E. Sata talking about?
Fools, Fools comforting themselves!!
President Sata, you r a wise man. people dont understand u, they dont know y you are there & therefore r speculating. keep it up…keep your friends close & your enemies even closer!
Interesting stuff!
So much about the history what about the future? Surely the future of both countries is not in Mugabe or Sata’s hands.They are both clearly liabilities to their respective countries.GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
A fools guide to Operation Murambatsvina.
Author: R Mugabe
Viva mugabe!I like da way u tok to britain n Usa!”Dey want 2mediate btwn who n who?we hv enaf wise pipo among ourselves!To hell wd ur donations if u wnt us recogniz gay rites!”
Why isn’t Sata visiting the western world? Busy visiting neighbouring countries that he can even do a go-come trip in hours…?
ba 21 charit beingins at home wats so special abount western world bulldings roads please
We are treading in the pathways of sata’s idol bob eg zamtel grabbing,soon zanaco grabbing,farm in lusaka south grabbing etc.PF=ZANU (PF)
I must say im very touched to hear bob acknowledge the hardship zed endured while helping liberate zim. a simple thank you can go a long way, i also think they should get rid of the visa and passport requirements between the two countries. there is so much trade going on that they should just waive people in and out. #21 wezzy there is nothing special about the prez visiting the west. the ministers get more accomplished than him coming down here. we can solve most of our own problems down there without being given conditions and instructions from the masters..
Bob looks like a wizard he bewitched mwanawasa
But beware Bob Ukwa is Dangerous all those that embrace him perish ask Bingu you are gone mwana that is kalubemba you are dealing with
Most people have no clue what happened in Zimbabwe or why. But know one thing – you cannot rely on the mainstream media to tell you the truth about Zimbabwe, anymore than they told you the truth about Iraq (‘weapons of mass destruction’, ‘mushroom cloud’, etc.) or Libya (we have to invade and take control of their 44 billion barrels of oil reserves, because of ‘human rights’, all along killing 20,000 to 40,000 Libyans along the way).
There is too much money at stake for the usual suspects, to give you an honest account of Zimbabwe’s nationalist policies.
The MDC is just a coalition between the old colonial demographic – the Rhodesian Front and Anglo-American De Beers.
Zimbabwe owns 20% of the world’s know diamond reserves and has platinum reserves bigger than South Africa, and Anglo-American fancies itself the world’s once and future global diamond monopolist.
Morgan Tsvangirai used to work as a miner for Anglo-American.
That is what is going on, and you will not hear the above facts from the BBC, CNN or any ‘mainstream’ corporate or state owned media.
Zimbabwe has been under a credit freeze for a decade – that is how their currency was destroyed.
What happened to Zimbabwe are textbook Shock Doctrine tactics. Sudden and mysterious destruction of the national currency. The availability of a neoliberal party ready to take over and deregulate and privatise the economy.
MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti held a neoliberal speech, crediting deregulation for ending hyperinflation (even though it was the introduction of multiple-currencies), on Zimbabwe’s independence day, in Washington DC, in front of The Atlantic Council, which is chaired by Republican Chuck Hagel.
That is who the MDC is and what it does – demolish Zimbabwe as much as it can, so they can push through highly unpopular economic policies that would be voted down in any referendum.
The MDC are not just un-democratic, they are actively anti-democratic, as any TEA Party is.
LETS WAIT FOR AN ADDRESS OF ZEDIANS LIVING IN ZIM
BA ZIMZIM BALI NA MA CHEEKY SANA NINSHI TWALECHULA PA ZED
SOMEONE ASKED ME “WHAT DO GUYS COME TO DO HERE?”
NALOLESHEFYE *$^$@&
Can zimbabwe afford to pay its part of developing batoka? These guys will only drag us down , we have democratic govt , they have dictatorship with economic collapse. Sata must be very carefull here. You cant even buy salt in zimbabwe there is totally nothing.
We must be careful about this friendship with Zimbabwe, just remember how they used to thank us for helping their liberation – by insulting us, our Kwacha, calling our people crossing at borders dirty and disease carriers, etc. Now that the boot is on the other foot, they want to pretend how much they appreciated our help. But careful of these people.
There is no harm for the president to visit neighbouring countries infact he should do more of these visits to african countries than in the western because they always are after something. Mr President pliz go ahead. Wezzy you should know that we are africans and we are brothers and sisters leave the president alone after all he is not even spending much compared to what he should have spent in the western world of yours why cant you go to the western world?.