President Edgar Lungu has returned home from South Africa where he went for a one-day state visit at the invitation of his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma.
The Presidential Challenger jet carrying President Lungu touched down at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport at about 20:24 hours.
The President was welcomed back to Zambia by Vice President, Inonge Wina, Patriotic Front Secretary General, Davies Chama, Community Development, Minister Emerine Kabanshi, State House Deputy Minister, Mulenga Sata, Lusaka Province Minister, Obvious Mwaliteta, Secretary to the Cabinet, Roland Msiska, and other senior party and government officials.
The President told journalists at the airport that he had fruitful talks with President Jacob Zulu in Pretoria, South Africa, on various matters.
President Lungu said the South African Head of state, who is also Chairperson for politics in the region assures him of his friendship.
He said President Zuma also assured him that the African National Congress (ANC) will work with the ruling PF party.
President Lungu was invited to South Africa last month by Mr Zuma for an official visit when the two heads of states met during the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
The Zambian Head of State was accompanied to South Africa by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harry Kalaba, his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, Amos Chanda and his Political Advisor Kaizer Zulu.
Earlier, President Edgar Lungu and his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, have expressed satisfaction over growing bilateral cooperation between Zambia and South Africa.
The two Heads of State have further committed themselves to enhancing the strategic cooperation and partnership between the two countries.
Briefing the Press after a closed-door meeting at the Parliament Building in Cape Town, South Africa, today, the two Heads of State said the meeting gave them an opportunity to discuss bilateral,
regional and international issues.
They acknowledged that the long-standing Zambian support for the liberation struggle in South Africa led to the establishment of deep mutual bonds between the peoples of the two countries.
The Heads of State further committed themselves to working together on regional matters especially the SADC integration.
The Presidents also reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPCC) which was signed in 2005 and further directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations
and Cooperation to convene an inaugural session of the JPCC in 2015.
President Lungu noted that the meeting accorded the two leaders a chance to exchange views on the prevailing political, economic and security situation in the region with focus in the Eastern part of the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Lesotho.
He also commended President Zuma for the role he plays as Chair of the SADC organs on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and the role South Africa plays in helping Lesotho with its political and security challenges.
Meanwhile, President Zuma has extended an invitation to President Lungu for a State visit in the second half of this year, 2015.
President Zuma further added that South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkona-Mashabani and Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba have been assigned to ensure the existing bilateral relations between the two countries are further increased for the betterment of the two countries’ citizenry.
After briefing the journalists, President Lungu was interviewed by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which lasted for more than 20 minutes, on various issues pertaining to Zambia’s development.
Waiting to see how ECL will perform. Period
Ukwikala nokubomba bwino NA ma neighbours ebuntu!!!
It would be interesting to know hoe much aviation fuel is used by the president’s jet. Also the cost of fuel of those who escort him to the airport and receive him. This is an archaic system where all these officials have to see him off. Costly too!
ECL building synergies with the Economic powerhouses in the region. We need these Joint Commissions as a nursery for security and investments. ECL is the new kid on the block and has generated excitement amongst fellow Presidents. Always thinking of networking, no country is an island. Now he is churning out State visits. It is a different ball game all together. Looking back there is something which the old Mr Andrea Masiye, a seasoned former civil servant saw in Edgar many years ago. I am waiting to see. Harry Kalaba is enjoying his work
WELCOME BACK BOSS!!! We hope your journey was fruitful. God guide & bless you sir.
Lungu is a fool, a know nothing, His bosses are mugabe and Rupiah.
No wonder Zambia is a failed state with such leaders who do nothing except to be seen at the airport to see Lungu off & back just to keep their jobs.
Is this when you have realised that the Zambian leadership is at sea? The calibre of the leaders is uninspiring. This is the reason why Zambia is a banana republic.
this is a medical trip dont start LYING AGAIN NO SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA HOUSE SAID ANYTHING IF IT WAS OFFICIAL
May be, may be not. President Lungu was shown on SABC TV meeting President Zuma. He was also shown being interviewed on one of the SABC TV channels at 21.00 hrs yesterday.
Welcm bak ur excellency,we r really in support of ur gvmnt
Ba LT, yesterday you said President Lungu left for South Africa to attend a troika.So which troika is this where he only held bilateral talks with Zuma?
Good observation! These guys lie with their thinking we are dunderheads. Good one.
Ba kamushi, mwapaka apa. Too much mafontini. VIVA ECL!!
Correcting what sata messed up, friendship with our neibas
…What is TROIKA? Can anyone help, please!!
TROIKA is a meeting of three men/women who are administrators
dictionary.com
Troika Definition
n. noun
1. A Russian carriage drawn by a team of three horses abreast.
2. A team of three horses abreast.
lol
Ba sata did not mess up anything,he avoided movements because he knew it was not worth and cause a cost on the country that is tax payers money,pipo wake up and stop these useless praising and tokin ill over the late president,2016 is near you will cry wen you here the amount EL has wasted,Even the loans he disapproved EL he. Has approved wit out thinkin the effect on zambia just like wat RB was doing, it seems pipo for eastern part are the worst leaders we have ever had,corrupt,no national interest,busy moving about and busy talking ill of other tribes
This veep is only good for seeing off and welcoming the president….we have seen more photos of her at the airport than anywhere else as veep.
In Zambia being a decorated General entails you being driven back and forth the airport at high speed to see off or welcome the president. Very interesting. Anyway it’s easy money.
A sign of a dormant military. Do you see that in the USA? The military there is too busy to have generals line up at airports to welcome and see off the president.
Going is news. Coming back is news. Drinking is news. Playing pool is news. The nonsense of seeing and receiving each other at airports even 30 times in a month is really a sad item in our governance systems. hen do these goons work ? or to them this is working ?? Vilimbe nsoni or vision true !!
I agree with KK airport cabinet. Let the Western nations start to cut aid to Zambia and these dull leaders will stop going to the airport to see Lungu off and welcome him back. Then Lungu has the guts to say there’s nepotism is public service when there’s nepotism in cabinet.
i think the departures and arrivals at the airport is now being kept busy with Edgar Lungu….Kamwendo munjila reloaded…
ifintu ni malabishi yeka yeka
The President told journalists at the airport that he had fruitful talks with President Jacob Zulu in Pretoria, South Africa, on various matters.
ba LT even if JZ is a Zulu warrior…don’t call him Zulu
LT do you guys ever proof read your articles? The English is very poor, sometimes what you write does not make sense at all.