THE Government has described as unfounded, claims by the United Party for National Development (UPND) that the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) is impeding its political campaigns by restricting its use of the local airspace.
Defence Minister Richwell Siamunene said the UPND could not accuse ZAF of being biased towards the Patriotic Front (PF), yet the opposition party’s requests for use of airspace were made at inappropriate times.
UPND campaign manager Dipak Patel accused ZAF, in a statement issued on Monday, of interfering with the party’s campaign schedule after it purportedly cancelled a flying permit to Luapula Province at short notice.
“Once again we see the Zambia Air Force interfering with our campaigning schedule after cancelling our flying permit to Luapula at late notice with the sole intention of disrupting our rallies, draining our resources and further fanning the tensions on the ground being felt across Zambia,” Mr Patel said.
However, Mr Siamunene responded in an interview yesterday that ZAF was an impartial institution with the mandate and interest of ensuring that individuals and institutions accessed a safe airspace.
“This country has laws that govern any activity and it is wrong for the UPND to blame ZAF and insinuate that the institution is denying it flight permits to favour the PF.
“Their permit to Luapula could not be granted because that outing coincided with President Edgar Lungu’s trip to the same area. So how could ZAF allow for a simultaneous travel?” he asked.
Mr Siamunene said the Government did not meddle in the operations of any State institution, including ZAF, which was tasked to ensure that the country’s airspace was not porous.
The minister said even outside election time, the institution ensured that flight permits were granted on merit with the safety of the applicants for the service granted.
“Should UPND have been granted the permit and something went wrong, the same people could have taken ZAF to task about its intentions where safety is concerned,” he said.
Typical of UPND. They are cry babies
It’s not being a cry baby ZAF could have delayed or asked UPND to travel earlier but they decided to cancel was ECL flying round Luapula the whole day
What about Lusaka airspace there are many international flights in a day how do they manage? Why not stop all flights whenever the President is travelling
Indeed LT this is denfence Mijister as written below the picture you only forgot to say he is Richwell Siamuneke
@Saka, please remove those marbles from your mouth so that you can write properly…Ha ha!
@The True General you sound like a general of grasshoppers what sense did you get from the nonsense Siamuneke was saying.How can ZAF fail to manage the flight controlling of two Choppers in a big province like Luapula.Stop being a cadre for once and try to start reasoning properly.
The Minister is exhibiting the highest level of ignorance. In Lusaka and Ndola they are able to allow Kenyan Airways, South African Airways, British Airways and Ethiopian Airways planes to be in the Zambian Airspace at the same time and take off and land within the space of 10 minutes, How can they fail to manage to handle two choppers in Luapula province which are landing on football pitches and open spaces available. Oh please!!!! Zambians are not stupid.
You are the one exposing your ignorance. He is simply saying that for the safety of the Head of State is paramount, they do will not allow any other person, especially someone who hates him so much, to fly in the same area. You want our President to be assassinated by your haters. The State has the right to protect the President. Remember, EL is still the President of the Republic of Zambia and deserves to be treated as such by all government institutions. GBM was Defence Minister and know this. He is only playing on your minds and playing that he is the victim. These are headless politics of GBM. Unfortunately, some people are following without reasoning. If if it was HH as Republican President, the same restriction would have been employed. Why can’t you guys look at things objectively…
So being in the opposition means you hate the President what manner of shallowness is this.This explains why our country has become a failed state.According to your reasoning when our dear president flies to new York all other aircrafts should be grounded for his security.Trump is right we need to be recolonized we cant run our affairs like normal human beings.
How busy is Zambian airspace? Just saying…
It is not about how busy the airspace is – these are provisions of the Public Order Act. These actions by ZAF are within the Law.
It’s not about the size of luapula ba under 5. Zambia has laws which she has been following long before the tribal party was formed. Why should laws and air safety be compromised all because of you 1mbeciles. You can’t appreciate this All because you being lead by someone who doesn’t understand civil protocols. Ecl is head of state while hh is a chuundu chairman of an organization called upnd.
What rules and regulations ? When lungu is flying out of lusaka to go dancing to NY are all other flights cancelled ???
@ 1mbecile Techilema
Have you herd of ICAO?
Theirs rules and regulations apply to Civil Aviation and General Aviation. Those rules are implemented by DCA and not PFZAF.
Constitution is still in place and Civil Aviation is subject to DCA
I am PF, but it’s sad that we are misleading people that if a President flies to a certain destination, no other flight can go there. We can have ten different flights in an area, there is no safety issue there. This thing that if a President is an area no other person can go there is PLAINLY against the law.
Balipena ba vodka chakolwa wrungu…VIVA HH 2016
Your no-brains, even when a visiting president is in the countries, flights in areas where he is are closely monitored and restricted for security reasons. Do not forget that Lungu, no matter how you hate him, is still Republican President. this is not about your campaign, it is about the security of our President. GBM did this deliberately knowing very well, as a former MOD, that he would not be allowed to fly into that territory. It was actually a provocation to the State Security system.
HH and GBM should respect the State machinery because they too need it.
You cannot be more right Asigai.
Clement, I agree with you. It’s illegal to deny a flight permit to anybody because the president is in the area. I mean the two aircrafts are arriving at different times.
You are wrong what is illegal is interfering with official duties of a sitting President. The security of the President is important. GBM is not Republican President. It is not about two aircrafts arriving at the same time, but allowing the President to do his duties without being disturbed. Yes, this a campaign period, but the President has other national duties to do. We do not have a power vacuum, you guys in UPND should know and understand this. You will have to wait until 11 August. Even if you go the US or UK, the same would have happened. The passage and security of the President is paramount. The problem is that some of you guys could be too young or do not understand how the state security system works. Unfortunately, just like ISIS or Islam brain washes supporter, you too allow…
Ba Kasongo Muleya…ignorance at work.
To the 1mbecile masquerading as defense minister:
Can you hear me you 5tupid liar 1mbecile?
FFFFUUUUCCCCKKKKOOOOFFFF
Ulicipuba. When the Preident lands he is driven by road. Does RATSA stop other motorists to drive in the area where the President is visiting ?
Its all choreographed as part of Lungu’s Election Rigging Moves. The illegal Ministers have been kept in their posts to help Lungu rig these elections. The compromised Concourt is in no hurry to pass judgment on these illegal Ministers. Its all being co-ordinated at State House in line with their rigging plans. ZAF has been directed by Lungu to swap ballot papers as they transport them from remote places. All these rigging manoeuvres can come to nought and hound ZAF officers should these rigging efforts fail. We should just come out to vote to neutralize Lungu’s rigging moves.
there is no defance ministry u people but yyyyyyyyyyy
Air traffic for normal planes and helicopters are two different things.
If you want to be treated like Lungu when you are not or be treated like republican president when you are not, Then problems starts.
I get amazed at how dull PF cadres are. Can someone seriously believe that because the president is in a certain province then all other helicopters should be grounded. What century are these people from?
Typical of up & down party… cry babies. They always want laws to change to benefit them. Gbv knows that quiet well it was for the safety of his Excellence. We still have a President in Zambia who by law needs to be protected.
Let me educate you guys. This issue of stopping opposition planes in an area is illegal. I am non partisan but very well travelled and learnt. Even without a complaint, ECZ must stop this rot. You can’t restrict movement of people wether by road, rail, ship or air because there is a President in an area. As long as your objective is normal, in this case it is campaigns, it is not covet ops, you are supposed to be given a permit.As well, ZAF must be very neutral in awarding permits. In any case, why is flying around not being handled by civil aviation like in all other civilised countries
Read the Public Order Act and you will have your misleading statements answered. That is why the President has told you several times – “develop a culture of reading”.
You are the one who needs to be educated. Start by saying a e i o u, then you can mature to understanding big issues about presidential security. That mass of flesh who is occupying more space than he ought to, knows this only too well because, unfortunately, he was Defence Minister once upon a time. The chap is rude and we don’t need such people at the helm of this nation. They (UPND) will need these same laws, should they, by misfortune to this great nation, become the next government.
No one should further mislead others with a public order n0nsense. We must come out of this stone age thinking and do sensiblle things. What type of thinking surely is this? Because the president is flying to Luapula, you can’t fly there. Come on, wake up guys
Ask GBM if he would have allowed this to happen during his term as Minister of Defence. The truth is he would not have allowed that. You are the ones who should wake up. If this is the way your minister would want to run GRZ, then, you are not ready to rule because you would put the security of the nation at risk. This is not about partisan politics, but about the security of the sitting President. GBM should and know better. He is only playing on your minds. Do not believe in something wrong. Even if you are in opposition, put Zambia first and the security of the State too. The Presidency is an institution and should not be compromised by people like GBM. The Security system will not allow that because they have a duty to protect the Presidency. GBM should only wait for his time, if it…
No guys. Such things could have happened in Europe or other civilised countries 200 years ago. That’s how backward we are. I laughed when I heard that others are grounded because the president is an area.really laughable
try it int USA,you think CIA or FBI will allow this GBM nonsense? They would not and actually the opposition there would not sink so low as to challenge a Presidential duty. It is not laughable, but a serious violation of national security and a blatant interference in the operations of our security system. Let the security people do their work. This is not about UPND of PF but presidential security. Understand that!!!
There is no need for GBM to do this. They were given permission to fly into Luapula, and PF and the President respected them and gave them room, why can’t GBM and UPND do the same. This shows you are just after causing trouble in the nation.
@ Asigai
FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK-OOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Upnd cry over everything. Why not reschedule and govt tree after the president. After all he will be there for 3 days only.
In Africa, every body cheats himself that the President is the everything. The world has moved from stone age, iron age to computer age. You can’t deny somebody access to an area because a President is there. If I were a President, I can’t allow such. I would even say let everybody compete. But here these chaps can’t get it, the abnormal is normal
But you seem to be moving from the computer age to stone age in your thinking. Wise up guy!
Some ignorant chap even says it’s a breach of security to be where the president is. Surely,how?
Fear of the unknown.exaggerated security
Imwe ba Congole namukonkana sana. It is no wonder, because where you are there is no respect for presidential security. Mwaliambukilwa!
Supporting the abuse of power creates unnecessary demagogues who then begin to think their Lords over us. Lungu might not even know that other people were blocked from flying but all these useless functionaries continue to do his bidding. The lame and tall excuse of “the same would happen in US” is simply not correct. Some even cite the Public Order Act as the reason for blocking the skies for others. For your information the Act’s preamble is ” An Act to prohibit the wearing of uniforms in connection with political objects and the maintenance by private persons of associations of military or similar character; and to make further provision for the preservation of public order”. My goodness should people lie with their teeth to defend things are not defensible? It is time as a people…
Letter to the ICC, EU, USA, SADC, AU, COMESA, NORDIC, RUSSIA:
How can there be free and fair elections in Zambia when Lungu:
1. is killing opposition supporters
2. campaigns on and promotes the unprecedented PF violence and killing machine
3. is preventing opposition campaigning by brutality
4. ordering Police not to protect opposition who are killed by PF
5. ordering public media not to cover the opposition
6. using State resources and media to lie to the majority illiterate and ignorant Zambians that PF are the ones funding infrastructure projects
7. invades business trading areas by allocating cadres stall spaces by force (just like Mugabe)
But ebupuba ubu at the lowest!!! The way it works is that if the president will be in chipata the opposition planes can’t be there at the same time. It’s very simple and straight forward. All these examples about Kenya airways South African airways etc shows how so many of our Zambian people are retards ..ubufontini…