A DISCONTENTED member of the Patriotic Front (PF) has left the opposition political party and condemned its president Michael Sata’s statement that he will re-nationalise companies that are being privatised.
Mubanga Chileshe said such statements could cause consternation in the private sector and among potential investors.
Mr Chileshe, who announced his resignation in a statement to PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba, urged Mr Sata to desist from inflammatory statements against investors because that could stir economic instability.
Mr Chileshe was beaten with Samson Zulu on June 5, 2009, by suspected PF cadres and bundled into a motor vehicle in the middle of a press briefing they held to question the party’s policies.
He wondered what would stop Mr Sata from re-nationalising the mines if he could talk of reversing the engagement of a strategic partner in Zamtel.
He said Zamtel needs to be revitalised through the engagement of such a strategic partner.
“MTN and Zain are new on the scene, but they are doing far much better than Zamtel. We don’t need to sell it off completely, but it’s necessary that a strategic partner comes in to boost the operations of Zamtel,” Mr Chileshe said.
He said it is unfortunate that Mr Sata is talking about the re-nationalisation of state enterprises at a time the mines are just recovering from an expedited privatisation process.
Mr Chileshe wondered what solution Mr Sata would offer to issues arising from privatisation when he was Minister Without Portfolio when then President Frederick Chiluba’s administration started the privatisation of state enterprises.
“The mines are just recovering from a rushed privatisation during which Mr Sata was Minister without Portfolio and Mr Hichilema (United Party for National Development president) was a consultant on privatisation. How can he say that he has a solution to privatisation?” Mr Chileshe said.
He said Mr Sata should have challenged privatisation when he was in Government because his position was as good as de facto vice-president.
Mr Chileshe urged politicians to be careful with the statements they make on national issues.
Meanwhile, Mr Chileshe said he has decided to leave PF because there is no commitment from the party leadership to addressing alleged escalating violence.
He said the recent harassment of a party member, Oppa Hamiyaza, by suspected PF cadres when he was expressing divergent views on Mazabuka FM was evidence of growing intolerance in the party.
Mr Chileshe said the press briefing he co-hosted with Mr Zulu was in good faith because they wanted the PF to address certain issues so that the party forms the next government.
“I had the democratic right under the Zambian constitution to express myself over these concerns. Unfortunately, this resulted in my being beaten, assaulted and kidnapped in front of cameras and full view of journalists and police officers,” Mr Chileshe said.
At the press briefing, Mr Chileshe and Mr Zulu voiced out the need for the PF to have a national convention and make amendments to party constitutional provisions, which they feared are allegedly undemocratic.
In reaction to Mr Chileshe’s resignation, Mr Kabimba urged Mr Chileshe to go and partner with a party that has no rules.
Mr Kabimba said he has never known an organisation that accommodates people who betray its cause or rules.
He said the PF was not undemocratic as Mr Chileshe was claiming, because if it were, it would not be growing and winning elections.
Mr Kabimba said PF is the only political party that is growing and the public has growing interest in it.
He said the PF will be holding a general conference before the end of this year to elect national leaders in a democratic manner.
The conference will follow elections from the section up to provincial level.[quote]
Mr Kabimba said he released party election rules a few days ago for the lower organs to follow.
He supported Mr Sata’s statement that the party will re-nationalise Zamtel if it comes into power.
Mr Kabimba said the PF supports privatisation which benefits the people.
And in an interview yesterday, Mr Chileshe said the PF is not short of leaders for Mr Sata to court Mr Hichilema for presidency if he wanted to hand over power to a younger person.
Mr Chileshe said the PF-UPND pact will crumble because their memorandum of understanding (MoU) does not state how they will share Government positions if elected into power.
He said there is no guarantee that if one wins, he will appoint the other as vice-president if that is not enshrined in the MoU.
Lets go PF lets go Pact, let them know…..
nyandule uyo…get out chileshe!!
Good bye Chileshi. We have been waiting for your exisit for some time now. No loss to us. Lets meet at a bye election. Contest on MMD ticket and your family will have no food becouse you will have no food after the by election. We dont know who you are representing on this matter. ZAMTEL is for Zambians hence we shall give it back to Zambians after ist sold against the Zambian’s wish. Remember democracy is for the majority. Majority is that they want their ZAMTEl. Who are you to decide for the majority. Kafwile oko!
Zamtel is for Zambians so if Chileshe believes its for foreigners he can go suck lemons
Mr Chileshe you need to know that privatisation was either a collective of ministers or a sole idea of a president. Sata may have been in cabinet but has since realised it was a wrong decision.If the mines are not benefitting the masses they can be renationalised. even the ANC in South Africa is contemplating the idea. The mines need to jack up then they wont be nationalised.
Zambia is not for Sale
Chileshe does not understand these issues. He is eating from George Kunda to discredit Sata. But do what you can, ise ni Sata/HH and the Pact. Mwapya bakapala.
If the company are being sold dubiously, then I support Sata that all those company stinking of corruption must be renationalised then sold anew. There should be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption. RB and company are selling companies in a corrupt way at the expense of poor Zambians. The first company to go for fresh biding is ZAMTELL period.
I LIKE THE PICTURE, SATA IS BEING GUARDED ALREADY, THEY BETTER RECOGNIZE,
chileshe was beaten.he wants another big beating.ask zanama ,they are so scared that they cant go there offices to today.everyone including enock kavindele, a member of MMD,was vice president of the country have questioned to the way zamtel has been handled ,except for muhabi lungu.zamtel is for zambians and our president is protecting the interests of us the people.so shut up .zamtel is here today tomor,when it is sold you will see how it will be stripped ,with some parts landing at chiluba farm.surely zambia sholud have learnt lessons from chiluba privatisation
Oh I forget to say ha Chileshe is jobless and too lazy. He is one of the likes of Siulapwa, Lufwenkelo etc who are there to work for MMD or a 50 pin. These guys should go back to the village to firm than roaming state house. What a bun.tch of dll creatures!!!!!:-?:-?:-?:-?
:d WATS WRONG IF HH CAN RULE YOU F*O*O*L????? HE IS BETTER THAN ALL THE CANDIDATES
:d/ the fact is that all parties should support divergent views.
#9, the type of bujus guarding sata are ones mandated to punch him if he makes any error of judgement.Not meant to protect him at all.
Whats the need of reporting the resignation of one member from a party of all Zambians?
Ba LT, your MMD connections are so clear to see even by a blind person but your manouvres to discredit the PF and the PF/UPND pact is very well known.
VIVA PF, VIVA SATA.
Good Afternoon
Mr Sata’s point on re-nationalisation is loud enough to be heard. So far, I can see that most of us agree with the core of his message – Power belongs to the people!
On the other hand, the man should be careful not to dogmatise the issue and use it as a bait for the presidential campaign. There are many other economic factors that need to be weighed and balanced before rushing into re-nationalisation. This is where we need to hear the pro-arguments from the economists’ point of view!
Mr Chileshe,
Mr Sata and the majority of Zambians are worried about the mortgaging of the country to foreigners. Those who plan to buy Zambian assets are doing so at their own risk. The MMD are free to sell the Times of Zambia and the Daily Mail BUT they must lay their hands off Zamtel.
No 17 Nom De Plume Dot com :d that is the funniest thing I have read this Sunday. Yes if they have to privatise something let it be the times and daily mail. Reconstitute valuable lines like communication, 25 % in state hands in terms of constitutional Zambianisation.
Chileshe You are a fool and F……….u……………….k……………you
#19 insele awe, you will be taken to the police.
Ba Sata pa chi picture, looks dead though he is standing maybe that is the reason why he had those guys guarding him.
The pact is unstoppable mwapya ne panga bakabova
Sata is the divider,he will lose the election for he has no heart.
People should understand that no one is selling Zambia to the foreigners. Take a closer look at the UK private sector, most of the successful businesses are now run by foreigners, but the UK is still benefiting from the tax that these companies and individuals pay. One might argue that we cannot compare the UK to Zambia but the process and the system is similar in any economy. We need to diversify our economy and take risks. The engagement of foreigners is paramount though a risky modus operandi. However, we have systems in place to distiguish between an ‘investor’ and ‘spy’.
Renationalization is just not a matter of emotional entitlement and political promises. Sata’s mouth is wrting cheques reality won’t be able to Cash because the minute Zambian govt officials put their signatures onto those contracts then that was really it. Like it or not you have to abide by that contract and futile political promises of renationalization of a country thats has a noose to it’s throat. To be fair Zambians need to rely on their bargaining and renegotiations not threats of renationalizing companies which have the worlds most powerful govt’s behind them. You saw what happened to Mugabe and his renationalizing campaign, no nation is an island and a leader should be responsible in his promises and their consequences
I SEE NOW THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO RESPOND ON HERE ARE EITHER GRADE 7 GRADUATES OR JUST REALLY DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR LEADERS NOT TO MAKE STATEMENTS LIKE THE ONE SATA MADE.IT IS BECAUSE OF INVESTMENT IN ZAMBIA THAT YOU SEE CHANGE,SO PLZZZZZZZZZZZ TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES FIRST.IT’S REALLY SAD THAT ZAMBIANS CAN TALK AND THINK LIKE THIS,DON’T THEY EVER WANT ANYTHING GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY?ZAMBIANS HAVE NEVER BEEN THROUGH CIVIL WARS AND HARDSHIPS LIKE OTHER AFTRICAN COUNTRIES THATS WHY THEY CAN SIT THERE AND TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED.INVESTMENT IS KEY TO OUR DEVELOPMENT.I FOR ONE DON’T THINK MMD SHOULD BE IN POWER ANYMORE,BUT LETS BE OBJECTIVE AND NOT SUBJECTIVE.IT’S SAD TO SEE ZAMBIANS WHO LIVE IN WESTERN COUNTRIES STILL THINKING LIKE THEY ARE IN SOMALIA.
Some people are crazy.Some are suffering from short memory loss.Just look at what happened to some companies like Lenco which was by far the best trailer builder the whole southern and central African,sold,equips stolen to SA,Zambians make a day noise,All is over.Now our National security is my sold.Bupuba.Anyday am going to sue Chiliba for stupidly exposing the most sensitive house plot 1 to the world.Stupidity.No Zambian talks about this.Let Sata talk
Zambia is not proud of anything.Just proud of MMD and it’s cadres.Functionless mops.We have to think twice as Zambians.
# 25 i feel your passion, but the situation on the ground is bad. Sata is being nice even by giving them a warning. The fact of the matter is we cant just sell our country. where is our sovereignity? sometimes you have to lose to win. we are better off scaring the bogus investors and leave some wealth for our children to live by in the future. investors come and go. they can run away now but 5 years down the line they will be back. KK chased them but they came back. lets not sell our souls for the little pieces of silver
:d/
I said it once and I will say it again. Re-nationalizing ZAMTEL will be the biggest economic blunder of the decade.
Mr. Sata must know that such a move will erode the confidence Zambia has built to investors. Such confidence if eroded will affect Zambia economically as growth will be stunted and may even decrease.
Mr. Sata must stop making such statements as such is dangerous for the economy of Zambia.
I would like to know if Zambians do actually support this company of which they are against the privatization of. It would be interesting to see if they even support this company at all. This is why I a calling for Mr. Sata, Mr. Hakainde, all PF cadres and all PF supporters and Sympathizers to make public if they use landlines in their homes, and if they use their cellphones, must make public their numbers so we can know weather they give their business to ZAIN or MTN or ZAMTEL subsidiary CELL Z.
So tell us, are your cellphones equipped with ZAIN or MTN sim cards or do you have CELL Z sim cards.
25 you are talking sense.fellas,it true we need a new gvt and leaders who take the country at heart,at one point i liked mr sata but i feel his time has expired.he seem not to understand economics better as some one who is eying plot one.belive me, if you allow sata with his very old politics you will be disappointed as there are other young and educated politician we can look at.if we change are way of thinking on this blog,and we begin to identify real leaders and not recycled politician we can make zambia a better place.
We dont need this guy Chileshe in PF/ UPND. Let him go to the MMD becoz hundreds of people are joining the pact every day.
Some comments people make about our nation worry me.People made sacrifices to come this far.What do we Zambians really want? To poke fun at some politicians or to take the country forward? I shudder to think of what our nation will be like when we are gone. Zambians be serious!
he was part of the privatisation wasnt he????
Capitalist8-x
Sata should become a headman state affairs are too stressful
At times Ba sata speaks sense however, it will take time to nationalize those companies that have already been privatized.Almost everything has been sold, next they will privatize all the citizens. I hope Sata wins so that we see if he can bring some change and rescue us from those selfish money hungry politicians.
You lowb garde Zambians who don’t understand what Sata is saying, please inside out and die off and leave space for real Zambians. If a company has been sold dubiously or will be sold dubiously,will be recovered by nationalizing it. Sata is saying any Investor involved in illegal activities will face the law of Zambia when the true govt. come in to power next year………….. And you hypocrites start crying foul that he is frightening off investments. RUN FOOLS FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
True government! You will regret. No government is perfect.
All you characters supporting PF and the non-existent pact are dreamers. Young man Chileshe who is from the PF inner circle has told you the truth but you cant see despite having eyes. Edward mumbi told, Chimumbwa told you, Sata’s niece Hon. Sinyangwe has told, Sampa bret told you. Have you forgotten that Sata stiole money contributed to late Hon. Mtonga’s widow. Imwe bangwele muzanvela bwanji. You want a repoeat of 1991 mistakes. You are talking from tyerraces without caring for the truth. Zambians not only forget easily but just like to be cheated, you are like a 16year old girl trying to fall for roamne. Shibukeni, chatile chakuti……..
Who is going to determine that this or that company was sold dubiously? Those supporting Sata should understand that in business there’s law nationally and globally. It is not easy and Sata knows what happened to RAMCOZ (he was part to the sell of Luanshya Division of ZCCM) when it was put under receivership and was about to be sold! The owner then Gokul Binani sitting in London just filed an injuction and HH’s firm could not sell the mine and it took almost 2 yrs and us the people of Luanshya suffered immensely. To me this man needs a rest and let those that want to delop Zambia do it! He will never get my my vote!
[-( Honestly ba LT the CHILSHE story is rubbish, ba editor do your job, such stories should be spiked faster than quickly. There is nothing wrong with privatisation if the Zambian people benefit from such deals, so far all we’ve had from privatisation is massive layoff’s & arrogant so called investors (chinese). Sata is right, if the nation isn’t having a fair share of the pie, re-nationalise the companies that were sold.:)>-
23. thanks for thoses comments. a lot of the guys do not want to take interest and understand whats going on. guys zamtel has been bleeding for too long. thre no two ways about it but to protect it. if you guys have the shits y not bid for it. dont just talk without thinking and having facts. knowledge is power. sata has not if taken iterest to go and talk to zamtel workers and find out what the coy is going through. cheap politics ata.
As capitalist asked,how many Zambians have Cell Z sim card?We know very well where we subscribe but refuse to be honest,hypocrite just like Sata.Zamtel has been struggling for years and here is a dangerous populist in the name of Sata singing his usual populist hymns void of development.Does Sata understand International Economics and Law.Kabimba as a well educated man should give Sata some advice.Ghana’s state telecom company had same problems as Zamtel and this prompted Kuffour to privatise it.Atta Mills was on the offensive despite him being a Professor and promised Ghanaians re-nationalisation of the company once put in power.Now is President,he has checked all the facts and reality as usual hit him so hard that he has moved camp from Left-wing to the Right on the same telecom…