President Rupiah Banda says the country will not hold its tripartite elections on April 1 which is a fools’ day.
President Banda also said he will release to the public a reply letter written in response to Mr. Sata ‘s politicizing of government’s decision to evacuate his wife, Dr. Catherine Kaseba, to South Africa for specialist treatment recently.
The President said this year’s polls will not take place on April 1 saying it is, “only foolish people who vote on that day.”
Recently PF leader Michael Sata claimed that he had information that this year’s elections will be held on April 1.
Mr. Banda said the MMD was approaching this year’s elections with full determination and scientific approach to understand where the party has been, where it is today and where it is going.
“The MMD is a ruling party that has remained in office for sometime not by accident but by being methodical and getting all systems in place including renewing of the party leadership through Provincial conferences being held across the country,” the President said.
The President was speaking when he opened the fifth -5th Luapula Province MMD party conference held at Mansa College of Education.
Meanwhile, the President says he will release to the public a reply letter written in response to Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata who has politicized government decision to have his wife, Dr. Catherine Kaseba evacuated to South Africa for treatment recently.
The President said when Mr. Sata’s wife fell ill, he and his colleagues in government quickly agreed to transfer Mrs. Sata to South Africa for treatment.
He said to show gratitude, Mr. Sata wrote to him a letter to thank government for rushing his wife to South Africa for treatment. Mrs. Sata has since recovered from the illness.
However, in the same letter, President Banda said Mr. Sata went beyond by becoming argumentative and bringing in politics saying it is a shame for Zambia in this day and age to send its sick people to South Africa for treatment.
The President said Mr. Sata has decided to release the same letter written to him to the media and was published in the Post newspaper of yesterday, January , 16, 2011.
Mr. Banda told MMD cadres from across Luapula that he had responded to Mr. Sata’s letter, and he was going to make available the letter to the public so that the Zambian people could read for themselves what he said about Mr. Sata’s way of showing gratitude.
The President said he normally does not release his presidential correspondences with citizens to the general public, but added that he was going to do so this time in order that citizens could understand government position on Mr. Sata.
“In this letter I said to this man that anyone can be faced with health difficulties and your wife, unfortunately, had this problem and we all agreed quickly to help her but unfortunately you are now bringing in politics saying in this time and age it is a shame for Zambia to send sick people to South Africa,” President Banda said.
The President has also challenged Mr Sata to tell the nation why the health services are in their current state if Mr. Sata who was Health Minister for a long time had made any improvement to the health sector of this country.
“I have not been Minister of health, but since you were minister of health for a long time why is it that our health services in this country are in this state?”
President Banda said he hopes people across the country will read the government letter that will be released so that everybody could hear what government thinks about the PF leader.
The President charged that Mr. Sata waffles about a lot of things in this country. “He talks about elections that he hopes these elections will be free and fair; he waffles about a lot of things in this country.”
President Banda said Mr. Sata is not new to the Zambian people, as he was the National Secretary of the MMD, Minister of health and Minister without Portifolio.
The President said the only thing he remembers Mr. Sata to have done as minister of health was to buy uniforms that comprised a trousers for the nurses and nothing much.
But President Banda said government under his leadership has done much more than what Mr. Sata and his friends had done to the health sector.
And President Banda has questioned the PF leader’s cleverness who he said caused the problems which Second Republican President Frederick Chiluba faced over the third term.
He charged that Mr Sata was advising Dr Chiluba to have a third term, knowing too well that the people of Zambia did not favour the idea for the third term.
However, the President said that when Dr Chiluba got into problems over the third term, Mr. Sata jumped out of the MMD and went off to form his own political party.
“What kind of cleverness is this? Everybody knows the record of this man, Sata,” President Banda said.
The President said it was good that the elections were coming, and the MMD was going to tell the people what it knows about Mr. Sata so that he stops being clever.
I hope that RB and those close to him do not make any types of decisions on April 1 each year. In other words, they hibernate.
I remember reading something like this here.Don’t politicize illness??? then you include voting on fools day. ya how???
The letter Mr. Sata wrote was published in the post. All he said was thank you to the President and yes indeed it is a shame that after 46 years of independence we still need to evacuate people and we should improve our local health services. Nothing wrong with that. It is RB who is politicizing it
What was wrong in pointing out that in this time and age we shouldnt be sending patients outside the country even for simple ailments? This man is mad, let him release the letter so that his bumlickers get to know the kind of numpty they support.
And ba L T tell us who gave you this story. Teba Times?
Sata did well at the MoH. He was not president so he only do so much. Which heath have you improved Mr. RB? Painting buildings and showing them off on TV is not what I can call improvement. Why talk about Sata at an MMD conference. You are scared and you wish Mwanawasa had not picked from your farm where you were leading a peaciful peasant life.
sata continues to torture his wife pliz give your wife a break. sata was minister of health not even a microscope in labs but just jaw jaw. as senior citizen says the election date will be announced at the stroke of a pen
i did see anything wrong with waht Sata wrote..i dont sipoort him but on this one ba Bwezani be fai, he thanked you..
how can it be a shame when the same evacuation saved his wife’s life. come on guys why could sata not just say a simple thank you?? the man is an evil thankless monster who should be caged in a zoo
#6 de javu what did sata do at moh tell us. RB has built hospitals in each and every district, RB has brought MRI at UTH the only one of its kind in this region. RB has openned a kidney ward at UTH much to the relief of kidney patients. Lusaka general hosp is complete under RB. Chawama clinic is now a hosp with wards, lab, maternity, mortuary and xray just like chilenje. Isnt this taking health to your door steps
Its true it is a shame for people to be rushed to SA for specialist treatment at this age after 46 years of independence nothing political about Sata’s letter just stating the facts.
Well Sata has been a beneficiary of evacuation at Govt expenses twice over? But his modes of saying thankyou leave you thinking something is amiss.Thats why Maureen told him to stay away from Levys funeral as his apology was not to the family but to LPM.What man torments a widow? What man sets up Mesaf, Avondale and benefits? What man makes light of anothers illness as he did with Kunda and LPM? What man supports Taiwan against China? What man thinks the fight on corruption was targeted at a tribe? What will happen if he has the reigns of power?
If lamenting that it is a shame for Zambia in this day and age to send its sick people to South Africa for treatment is being political, so be it. Sata’s letter is clearly devoid of any malice.
I know our health system is not good and i think Sata should just thanked RB and not say much. I think next time Sata and the wife gets heart attacks ( Which they will have soon after the elections) Let them die.
Why cant Sata pay for his own and his wife’s medical treatment in SA? If he felt that strongly about it, surely he should have paid back the money spent on himself and the wife? If it is a matter of principal on Sata’s part, he should have kindly refused the govts offer and paid for the treatment himself. In fact, there is no reason why he should not pay now as the money could be used by some poor Zambian.
even is south africa they send some citizens to other countries. football players in england go to receive treatment in other countries depending on nature of illness. some patients are moved from usa to uk or india depending on disease. Mwanawasa was moved from egypt to france ncos it was hoped in paris thats were you find the best cardiac doctors
#10, i agree with you, RB has done a lot to improve the health sector, more hospitals and clinics have been opened through out the country. And the government has bought modern medical equipment.
And one thing Sata should know is that Morning Side Clinic he goes to in South Africa is not a government run Hospital, it is private. If he was sent to a South African government hospital, he would have died.
I really do not see what is wrong with what Sata said, I do not see any politics to it. And so what if Sata was once a health minister and he didn’t improve the health sector, does that mean RB is justified to keep it in that state? In fact I’ve always thought that is the whole purpose of voting in subsequent government, so that they improve on what the previous governments failed or neglected to do. I’m afraid I have to make the observation that we currently don’t have the sharpest president in Zambia.
I really do not see what is wrong with what Sata said, I do not see any politics to it. And so what if Sata was once a health minister and he didn’t improve the health sector, does that mean RB is justified to keep it in that state? In fact I’ve always thought that is the whole purpose of voting in subsequent governments, so that they improve on what the previous governments failed or neglected to do. I’m afraid I have to make the observation that we currently don’t have the sharpest president in Zambia.
I honestly doubt Banda’s sanity sometimes, 47 years after independence why should it not be most shameful that the nation still has zero capacity in its hospitals to deal with even the “minorest” of cardiac arrest cases? I do not like Sat but what he said was damn correct: “in this time and age it is a shame for Zambia to send sick people to South Africa,” Only an embacile can argue with such a spot on statement. Let Banda release the letter, it will only help raise Zondwe’s political status just like the Barotse saga did the other day.
the 3y3
Well said,i couldnt have said it any better.
Sata was seeing opportunities in his wife staying at CFB. He did not want her to be evacuated.
I too can hardly see anything politicised by Sata in his statement, in fact that is what the majority of sincere Zambians are saying. Indeed in this day and age we still evacuate Zambians to RSA for knee check-ups.
Very childish..am ashamed to you my President…
Well, if its the case of trying to force Kunda who is ailing from an incurable illness ya kuiletelela umwine as VP so that he can die in office and drain our coffers with a state funeral and flight and medical expenses to and from Morningside then gad damn it its a political game Bwezani has on his hands.
ashamed to call you my President..
Indeed RB denied his collegue a chance to get a ‘thandiwe’ like him, without any guilty feelings. Thus he aptly described the evacuation; ‘a shame for Zambia in this day and age to send its sick people to South Africa for treatment’.
It is indeed a shame to be sending a selected few to RSA for specialicity treatement. What happens to me or my family whom the mmd grz do not know when I need specialicity treatment? Are they going to evacuate me as fast as they did Sata and his wife? We have lost a number of our people through heart attacks. Why can”t mmd grz bring the same medical facilities here in Zambia so that we all benefit? I don’t see anything wrong in Sata’s letter, he is simply telling u to bring the same medical facilities u rush to get in RSA here. U rush to RSA and get attended to by Zambian doctors and nurses whom u neglected here. Shame on u. Maybe that is why u have started going to India for treatment. U people think u are the only ones entitled to good things, thats why some of you come back as…
Sata thanked RB for the evacuation. He went on to urge that old man to say that we need 2 improve our infrastructure in the health sector so we can avoid such expenses! Nothing wrong with that n RB is just trying 2 be funny!!
Thats why some come back as cargo. The Zambian masses are not happy at your selective way of doing things. You never give us what we ask for, a good constitution, 50+1, a lean cabinet, good medical facilities, good education facilities, benefits from our copper, sales of zamtel, etc. You tell us the economy has improved but we cannot see the improvement, you are the only ones who see and benefit. This is an election year and you have started your nonsense of fake developments. Thats why you never win along the line of railway. You brag that you have created employment, but do you care to know how your people are treated by some of the investors? The Mongu issue is jsut tip of the iceberg.
Baba Listen
However, the President said that when Dr Chiluba got into problems over the third term, Mr. Sata jumped out of the MMD and went off to form his own political party and it is big and doing so well. so Zambian keep watching Sata he will be the next President Said RB
Anyway what do you expect from Lusaka times of Zambia a subsidiary of public media
RB does not think, if your friend advises you that we can do better as a nation instead of sending a select few to South Africa, that is good advice. Besides its not like RB is paying from his pocket, its tax payers money.
Enough time given. Justifiably at a stroke of a pen and his discretion, RB will call for tripartite elections.
“But President Banda said government under his leadership has done much more than what Mr. Sata and his friends had done to the health sector.”
Which friends? RB they are now your friends ie FTJ
Kanitundila. What do you expect from this man?Lets wait and see how mr. Presido will embarass himself
Kanitundila. What do you expect from this man?Lets wait and see how mr. Presido will embarass himself.
I think LADY GAGA is a foool
Mashimba you have made my day! For real though a simple thank you would have sufficed, the mmd gov just saved your chi wifes life. Barking barking everyday, you are old, retire, play some golf, hang out with your grandkids, the stuff men your age do. Viva HH or Elias Chipimo we dont need another state funeral.
Sata can just pay back the money spent on him and his wife, end of story. Next time he can get his fat friend GBM to fly his sick heart or that of his mrs to SA.
Bloggers I’ve been looking for what RB has said since the violence broke out in WP but I haven’t been able to read his words anywhere.What has he said?
You do not need RB to tell you that Sata wants political mileage over his wife’s evacuation. It is not rocket science even for those with the brains of a small insect. All you have to do is note that he gave his letter for Post to publish, probably written by mmembe since we have been told about the writing skills of Sata when he was MMD National Secretary. Any right thinking person will see that RB is 110% correct, why do you reduce yourselves to Sata’s level?
You cannot please goons like Sata. He would still have something silly to say if his wife was not evacuated. These heart ailments which require evacuation do not go away, they have a tendency to come back with a vengeance. So let’s hear from Dr Kaseba, does she agree that next time she should not be evacuated?
#41 RB does not have to say anything because he has appointed people to carry out various duties and believes in them. Anyway since you asked, RB said that there will be no negotiations because there is nothing to negotiate. Brilliant, there is no government which negotiates at gun point, not even Sata would do that when he comes to power in 2016 and finds the BRA is waiting for him to do another flip flop. If RB comments on this nonsense at every turn he will be giving credence to low levels of thinking, we cannot have a Zambian president, our very own President Banda sinking to the level of Sata.
:-w
#44 You are very correct. We dont even know the level of support these guys enjoy or not from the populace of W province at large. W province is not a homogeneous province. Any politician trying to milk the situation politically risks alienating a certain sector of the population there. In fact W province is probably the most ethnically diverse province in Zambia – it is made up of more than just Lozi extremists.
Am sure people now have seen the calibre of the President we have. Donchi kubeba…baleya 2011
Zambia-why-Zambia,surely the entire president should have so much power to keep the entire nation at ransom of the election date. In USA its always on the 4th of November and why should election date be an issue at the expense of development. I guess democracy does work in poverty infected areas, because it appears that for you benefit, you have to boot lick somehow, somewhere and if you say truth you become public enemy. Is there a book on boot licking? can anybody help me, so that when i visit Zambia i can do the same and make money quickly. People development is not by chance. We need to do what ever it takes to move our nation forward by working together. Lets serve the people who gave us the mandate to govern and not serve ourselves. Leaders are not born but made, show up leadership.
PF supporters are such hypocrites. Just watch the vitriol they will spew the next time an MMD politician is sent to SA. If sending certain individuals to SA for treatment by the Zambian govt is wrong, surely it is always wrong and does not depend on the particular individual being sent? Sata or even Dr Kaseba herself should pay back the Zambian tax payers’ money that was spent on this occasion.
Lady Gaga! You tell the truth. Nothing more and nothing less.
Well Said my Lady. Good day
Bloggers….the bottom line is lets us improve our health facilities, if you improve the facilities in Zambia you will help a lot of people than just helping the elite few.This will also serve the HARD EARNED TAX PAYERS MONEY and channel it to other developmental issues.For once lets look at the long term solution than always being myopic.Imagine your relative back home getting sick and dying because they can’t be evacuated to SA.
The clinics these “people” including SATA are rushed to in South Africa are privately owned and run by a group or groups of medical practitioners. Some of the specialized equipment found in these hospitals are not found in every public hospital in SA. So for Sata to write to RB and asking him to turn the Zambian healthy system similar to privately run clinics in SA is not only unfair but also hypocritical and was meant only to ridicule RB over the gesture. I am now convinced than ever before what KK said about SATA..”Not a presidential material”. Sata knows very well the national budget and he also knows the cost of equipment used in treatments such as blood recycling and other specialized equipment and others. He was MMD for more than 5 years. RB is doig what he can.
Whose politicising what? If my wife gets sick will govt rush her to SA?
Really, when will our leaders get serious on real issues and leave this he said / she said stuff for the school children?
If SATA was Genuine in his gesture he should not have given the letter or saked M’membe to write it for him. Especialy that we now hear that the man puts a fullstop where he stops breathing when writing.Sata chose to use what the American would term “Hostile media” to publish something that he should have simply commuincated quitely by phone to his colleague-RB. We know these guys talk behind the scenes.
On “… the President says he will release to the public a reply letter written in response to Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata who has politicized government decision to have his wife, Dr. Catherine Kaseba evacuated to South Africa for treatment recently… President said when Mr. Sata’s wife fell ill, he and his colleagues in government quickly agreed to transfer Mrs. [Dr Christine Kaseba] Sata to South Africa for treatment” this is great Mr President and I hope that letter you have promised to release will be seen soon.
As for Mr serpentine SATA MC, it is sad that he failed to just write “Thank you Mr Presdent RB Banda for assisting my wife in the manner you did as GRZ Administration”. Very terrible man this Sata man and I hope he changes soon.
Be blest.
_
Matt…
On “… President Banda has questioned the PF leader’s cleverness who he said caused the problems which Second Republican President Frederick Chiluba faced over the third term… Mr Sata was advising Dr Chiluba to have a third term, knowing too well that the people of Zambia did not favour the idea for the third term” this is good and I hope Mr former President FJT Chiluba will give us more information on how Mr serpentine Sata MC forced Mr Chiluba to listen to people’s Third Term Bid while Sata fueled the 3rd Term confusion.
I hope Mr FJT Chiluba will also explain why he did not fire Mr Sata MC for the MMD’s Thugs that macheted my fellow Zambians in Chawama and Kanyama.
As for RB Banda continue exposing Sata MC of PF for his uselessness in the past.
Be blest all…
Childish squables, focus on developing the country so there is no need for the priviledged to be going for treatment overseas…….grow up Zambian politicians!!!!
Lady GAGA are u a Zambian? from the bottom of your heart can you say those people are evacuated to south Africa just go for special medical treatment? which person have u ever heard was evacuated to Zambia for treatment. some things cannot be defended any further!!! just keep quiet! every normal Zambian should accept that we need facilities in our hospitals, dialysis machines are an issue, check your UTH, Kitwe Central hospital. aome Zambians are comftable with mediocrity!! On Sata and his family the only reason they are evacuated is because they are politicians and any help will make the govermt get some political millage. with or withour GRZ theses guys have money they can afford to get air ambulances. How many Zambian hv heart s? how many people come on TV to ask 4 money for treatment?
#58 Sata can pay the money back and make some political mileage out of that. If he wont pay the money spent on him and the wife he can shut the f.ck up. After all this is the same man who claimed the late LPM sent to SA as a political gimmick. If that is the case, then why give the MMD the opportunity to play politics with the health of his wife? If RB had not sent the wife to SA and she had passed on, you are the same ungrateful people who would have been saying RB has blood on his shands. Just get the old snake to pay back all the money spent on himself and the spouse and then he can politicise the situation as much as he wants. You cant have your cake and eat it. If he was principled he would refused any form of assistance whatsoever from the government.
RB is running mad. Sata thanked him and advised gonvt to improve the medical services so that no one is evacuted to South Africa. I dont see any where where Sata politicised the illness.
This is just desperation on RB and MMD.
RB should have concentrated on the conference and not Sata. It looks like both men are politicizing what they dont understand. Concentrate on developmental issues pls.
SATA is causing RB and MMD to dance Pelete! Imagine a speech without Sata’s name being mentioned!!! The MMD are making Sata more popular, they know very well that he is a strong contender and player in Zambian politics. Ignoring this fact by any blogger is lunacy
What we need are decent hospital facilities in this Country. Only a F’OOL like RB would think is fashionable to send people to Morningside Clinic when all he needs to do is upgrade the local hospitals including UTH. This DULL OLD F’OOL has lost direction and needs to go back to his garden soon.
what is wrong with Zambians. Sata thanked RB and he was right to say we need to change our health care systems in Zambia so pipo dont have 2 be evacuated to SA or worse still die. Please know yo facts b4 u start critisising
Sata, nxt time you or your wife are faced with a similar emergency, we’ll send you to UTH as matter of principle!
A FACT is a FACT. Don’t debate over facts.
#10
LADY GAGA – I dont know where you were at that time, just ask the lowest nurse and she will tell you. Unless you are so blind, the hospitals RB is talking about are old buildings which they are painting showing on TVZ as a campaign gimick. The idea is that when they show this rubbish on TVZ people watching will be expecting to have one built in their area. This has happened in Chibuluma Township West of Kitwe, a building has been redone but the equipmentand staffing have remained pathetic. Lady if you buy meat you dont need to tell your family that this meat do you? You can only do that if what you have bought is cassava leaves just to make them happy.
im not a politician but surely Zamabia is far away in terms of hospial facilities.Lady gaga please be objective,I have never heard or seen any foreiner being flown into zambia for medical attention not even to mention our traditional doctors.it only Zambians who are always flown out even on simple headache.
Dont just support blindly.The only foreiners you will see in Zambia are those who come to steal our copper,gold and emalralds and become rich over night .wakeup lady gaga and be real.
Do i need to be a politician to access even a simple panado in the hospitals.Lady gaga are you staying in Zambia or what. I advise that just take a day off and visit these places and get first hand information.Im one of the people who are preveledged and i have a medical scheme with my company where …
i get first class medical attention as per Zambia standards together with members of my family (children and wife). But i had a chance of taking my nephew last week to one of the famous govermenet hospitals.Nurses welcomed us very well despite so may people they were attending to but all was not well .they found my nephew with malaria and prescribed Coetum for him and some pain keelers just to be told to go and source for them at a chemist.Surely simple malaria and panado .I became to disturbed to the extent that i thougt i did not hear properly so i went to consult one of my old friends ,a doctor at certain hospital if at all what they prescribed for my nephew was a simple panado and coetum and he agreed .Lady Gaga and the likes of you are draging this country behind. Just because …….
you can afford private clinics does not everyone can.Im realy sorry for you to be commenting on every topic you know very litlle about.
Learn to do even a sipmle reserch before you comment.I have been to 36 countries both in Afriaca ,europe ,Asia,and America and i have never seen such a rundown health institution such as Zambia where even a panado can ot be aceesed in a goverment Hospital.
Angola just came out war recently and panado and malaria drugs are never short in hospitals.DRC is still in war but they have drugs.Botswana has only a population of about 2milion people with most of the medical personel imported but medicines are always there.Whats wrong with Zmabia.
So much money is allocated to health but where does it go.Im not a supporter of any political party but i…
support a right cause.Whether MMD ,PF,HH,or whosver is doing a right cause he need our support and defenately MMD have no priorities of the majority Zambians.They are job seekres are have seen a polical situation in zambia as for making quick bucks.
Lady Gaga im wondering if you even know that Zambia Produces one of the finest Gold in the world.But do you know how many Zambians are benefiting form that
Mr president… you are bragging about how you have built hospitals and improved the health sector, why then should you and your colleagues agree to evacuate Dr Kaseba to SA? you think we are foolish… Don’t open your mouth to speak and put your foot in it instead..! you piss me off..!!
kuti wa seka…..:((
Honestly i can’t any point from the starting of his speech to the end ,really Chansoni sana! MMD its not the problem but the issue is we dont want him,,,who? twapapata kabiyeni kuchipata.