Friday, March 29, 2024

Sata condemns DPP for freeing Chinese nationals

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man of the moment...Director of Public Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga (l) listens Justice deputy Minister Todd Chilembo after launching a lift at the ministry of justice
Director of Public Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga (l) listening to Justice deputy Minister Todd Chilembo

Patriotic Front Leader Michael Sata has condemned the decision by Director of Public of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga to enter a Nolle Prosequi in a case involving two Chinese nationals who shot at 13 miners at Column Coal mine in Sinazongwe district.

Mr. Sata said that  it was unfortunate that the current Constitution does not protect the interests of the Zambian people.

And the PF leader has charged that once in government, his party will harmonize all the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commissions that have taken place in the country to come up with a document that will stand a test of time.

Featuring on Radio Phoenix program in Lusaka today, Mr. Sata said that  as supreme law of the land, the Constitution should protect defenceless people in the country.

He said  now that the Constitution amendment Bill which had people’s aspirations deleted has failed, the only weapon that Zambians have is through the ballot ahead of this year’s tripartite elections.

Mr. Sata has also called on Members of Parliament to pay allegiance to the Zambian people adding that the country is far much below its neighbors in terms of development.

QFM

73 COMMENTS

  1. “Mr. Sata says it is unfortunate that the current Constitution does not protect the interests of the Zambian people.”

    You rejected the draft constitution and you are complaining about your constitution amendment bill of 1996. In 1996 you did not care about Zambians through your constitution amendment and now you want to pretend like you care about Zambians. I have now seen that Mr. Sata is a liar. After giving us a sham constitution amendment in 1996, you want to pretend like you had nothing to do with it.

    You rejected a good constitution draft and now we are stuck with your constitution amendment of 1996. Mr. Sata, Zambians are not f00ls.

  2. 1. Capitalist – The 1996 consyitution you are refering to did not have any clauses that would have helped the current situation here i.e. The nolle that has been given to these Chinese. So your refering to to it in this case is totally irrelevant and laughable.

    Also remember that voting in parliament is by secret ballot and todate no one know who voted for it and who did not.

  3. Time change and indeed we need change. this language by PF president is welcome by any meaning Zambian. I hope you stick to your worlds and make sure the concerns of every Zambian is your main focus. You’ve saved in the two govts and i think your conscious will force you to leave a Legacy befitting Zambia. Remember you’re still the same wine bottle but we give you that second Chance

  4. You SATA haters, every time you hear sata’s name you start panicking. You actually are running away from your own shadows thinking it is sata. If he is not an issue, why are you reacting to every thing he says?

  5. What options were available for the DPP for a no show up of a witness in court under the old constitution which PF MPs opted to maintain by not voting for a new one?

  6. #2, Capitalist is simply referring you to Mr Sata’s lamentations on what he says are deficiencies of the current Constitution. Read again but I quote for you “…Mr. Sata said that it was unfortunate that the current Constitution does not protect the interests of the Zambian people….”. What Capitalist is saying is undeniable by anyone except liars: the current Constitution was made by Mr Sata’s group. That we may not know who voted for what is beside the point. As usual, Mr Sata was very vocal in defending that Constitutional amendment, we can peruse through past editions of his own vuvuzela the Post, for example the motor vehicle theft clause which caught up with him.
    Now wait, I have another comment. Cont’d

  7. The biggest problem with our friends in PF is that they fail to grasp things. They re so much brain washed that anything spoken by MCS is gospel trith. Any how your levels of education are to blame.

    Capitalist and H.H .Satana are quite eloquent

    Kkekekekekeke

  8. cont’d frm #10, You say “….Also remember that voting in parliament is by secret ballot and todate no one know who voted for it and who did not…..”. You have raised a very good and important point. The recent voting on the NCC Constitutional Bill was done by “division”, i.e. you stand in a group of “yes” or that of “no”. The division method was used as the electronic voting system (secret vote) was defective at the time. Some pundits say that if the electronic system was not defective, the Bill would have gone through, but with division, the MPs from UPND were intimidated and did not want to be seen to take a public stand especially just coming from the Pact demise. I agree with that theory as it is the only good reason why UPND MPs would take the shameful stand of disowning their own…

  9. @Bongobongo. This is a blog site, the aim is to get people’s opinions on the related article, if you can’t debate without getting personal better remain silent.

    No matter how hard he tries Sata will find it hard to detach himself from the document of 1996. If anything he was one of the top orchestrator being a senior cabinet minister and Chiluba’s top advisor.

  10. I agree with that theory as it is the only good reason why UPND MPs would take the shameful stand of disowning their own Bill.

  11. “harmonize all the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commissions that have taken place in the country to come up with a document that will stand a test of time.”

  12. #8 Bongobongo, the answer to your question is that we are obliged to correct Mr Sata’s lies because he came on public radio. If he confined his lies to within PF circles, i.e. to his disciples like yourself, we would not bother to comment. But the moment he tries to lie to the nation we will surely take him on and embarrass him, remember to tell him that in your next meeting.

  13. PF has the tragedy that it cannot accuse others of ANY wrong doing which Mr Sata has not committed himself personally. We only have to peruse past editions of his vuvuzela the Post to compare the lies that he tells today and what he actually said in the past. It’s agony ba PF!

  14. #18, we know that you have tried many times to incite riots in the hope of depicting Zambia as a failed state. But you have failed miserably because you have mistakenly assumed that Zambians are foolz.

  15. Didnt the courts of law enter a nolle prosequi for those western province separatists recently? Years back, Kambarage’s case was acquitted. Ludwig Sondashi famously said at ont time, “if i dont choose people from my own province, who is going to?” when a certain Mulwila woman was appointed NPF chief executive. Ludwig got away with nepotism. Chiluba’s long awaited case was acquitted. Mpombo bounced a cheque and was let off with a light sentence. Kambwili rigged voting in parliament when he voted twice in Sikota’s place who was not in the august house. A family tree was established in MMD hierarchy and nothing was done about it. What i am simply sayng is so many bad things have happened in Zambia over a long period of time but life has continued. Thats why they say sometimes law is a…

  16. #20 – You are below par and lack common sense in your postings. Put Mr. Sata aside, do you think releasing the chinese is right? Pls steer away from partisan stances

  17. “He said now that the Constitution amendment Bill which had people’s aspirations deleted has failed, the only weapon that Zambians have is through the ballot ahead of this year’s tripartite elections. Mr. Sata has also called on Members of Parliament to pay allegiance to the Zambian people adding that the country is far much below its neighbors in terms of development.”
    I don’t believe he said this.
    I need to hear the tape for myself. Either Mr Sata is dull or what. I wonder whether Zambians can see the problem with these statements.

  18. If any member of the public has reason to believe that the DPP has not acted in the interest of justice, they have every right to petition him. A Tribunal will be appointed by the President to look into the matter and if he has done wrong, the Tribunal will recommend to the President for his removal. Mr Sata once again, is playing to the gallery, what an opportunist!

  19. Mr Sata’s statement:

    Q: True or False, give reasons
    A: Both, he doesn’t know where he stands or where he is going.

  20. Satana Zondwe should just shut up, this is his and Chiluba’s constitution. Besides, China last year released a Zambian drug trafficker who had been sentenced to death. The injured Tongas have been given hefty compensations while Sata is still as yet to compensate the Chawana residents he instructed Kadobi and Scorpion to panga out.

  21. #26 Nubian Princess
    Seizing opportunities is not the same as opportunism. Opportunism is taking advantage of opportunities without regard for the consequences for others. It is essentially self seeking and self serving. If that is a quality you would espouse in a leader, good on you.

  22. It was a political deal. They freed a naive female Zambian drug mule for those chinks that were on the run.

  23. #30 Ngombala Muhapi wa Linaha
    Nations negotiate. Two dead bodies of Israeli soldiers were handed back to Israel in exchange for the release of hundreds of Hamas prisoners. If one Zambian in China is saved from death row, it is worth the exchange to enter a nolle in this case. If what you are saying is true, why isn’t it so widely known?

  24. you dull chaps amaze me on how you get defend your preferred leaders,can’t you for once condemn the shooting which inflicted injuries on your brothers ? tribunal my ….,Dora got away from that so can anyone as long as the president likes them…for reasons best known to himself

  25. What mr sata is saying is merely that he has found discrepancies in the constitution and he would like 2 change that,should i not believe him because he was in govt before?Need i mention mr sata has never had full autonomy over the constitution making process,he was just a cabinet minister,a hardworking one too.i mean our people are being SHOT at and we enter a nolle!!Mr sata says he will change that,i believe him,why not,or maybe i should believe in the current government who only want a constitution 2 keep them in power?!!Michael sata,man for the poor,our man!

  26. #25 the saint,what you have just alluded to is so frustrating!Do you realise 80% of zambians dont know what a tribunal is?Most of them dont even know who the DPP is!But the people know that they have a government that can protect them,but that government has failed,mr sata says he will change that,period.That is what draws the masses,not your fancy grammer or your overcomplicated procedures!We need 2 feel safe,we need action,a man of action,MICHAEL SATA!

  27. #35 Concerned
    The rule of law means that the law does not discriminate. A Chinese man who shoots a Zambian must be brought to book just like if a Zambian shot a Zambian. Dr Musonda is in the dock for that reason. However, every case that the DPP brings to the courts must be in ‘national interest.’ This is an acceptable practice everywhere. Prosecutions are not brought for revenge or retribution. The UK refused to prosecute BAE for corruption in an arms deal with a Middle Eastern country because it was not in ‘national interest.’ Mr Sata has been in government before and he knows that such things happen, but here it is populism. He is just being untruthful.

  28. I am not against Mr Sata. I have always liked the man and enjoyed a few minutes in his company, but what I do not accept is duping people to think that you will do something different when not. I do not know how much you know but Mr Sata has a tendency to have his way and he has done so through out his adulthood and I fear that if he had the instruments of power he may abuse them. He sat at Mr Chiluba’s right hand in Kabwe when the Police were ‘sorting out’ the crowd that refused to accept another candidate instead of Capt Chewe. It was ONLY Ronald Penza who condemned the shooting of Kaunda and Roger Chongwe among all MMD leaders. Nakawala gang abused people right under Mr Sata’s nose. He did not ebven offer an apology! I believe he will be bad for democracy, worse than RB.

  29. This man Sata has learnt thru MMD rejection so if voted into power will follow letter of governance to the book so what is the fuss about?.Will Outarra of Cotedvoire do like Gbagbo?NO!!!Will successor to Kadaafi do like Kadaffi(and definitely not his son)?NOOOOOOO!!!So swallow yr pride ba MMD and admit SATA will be different if not the best PRESIDENT ZAMBIA EVER HAD AFTER MWANAWASA AND KK.The rest niba mbuli,ba kabollala,ba adulterer,ba young teacher lover,nama plunderers.PABWATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

  30. Didn’t Sata benefit from a nolle in-spite of the fact that there is video evidence of him having the passport he claimed was stolen by a Chinese worker in a London hotel? Donchi Kubeba indeed!

  31. Is this when this story is touching Sata’s radar? Iwe kale, these chinese were freed nearly a week ago….

  32. H.H. Sata – When you say Constitution was made by Mr Sata’s group, it seems you do not know that a constitution is an ongoing process of parliament (and where applicable referendum, commission of enquiry, NCC etc) . You might as well say each an every person that has ever been an MP in Zambia since 1964, not Sata’s group. Besides now that Sata has seen a flaw in the constitution he has a right like every well meaning Zambian to speak for the voiceless masses? No!

  33. 30. Ngombala Muhapi wa Linaha – Much as we appreciate China releasing a convicted drug trafficer, we do not condone drug trafficing or any form of law breaking. But can anyone in their right frame of mind honestly compare the act of a drug trafficer to that of poor unarmed labourers merely asking for their little money that they had worked so hard for? Come on wake up!

  34. Immaure number 2. make sure you understand life. people like mulongoti can now see what mistakes he has made because he is out of the pitch. Same like sata, Nawakwi and the rest. they can perform better if given chance because at one point they became ordinary zambians. RB has failed to do this because he has come late in the party the people are fade up of. Hence just to steal because he is going anytime.

  35. Bottom line is if it was an ordinary Zambian who had committed that crime he would be rotting at Kamfinsa. Capitalist please accept that the DPP was wrong. The fact that this is coming from one Michael Sata does not change matters. It is a fact MMD Law was applied here. Did you know that we have 2 laws in Zambia, one for me and a better one for RB and those who lick his boots? In Kalulushi at the Chinese complex Zambians are being beaten and denied their wages, but your MMD DC is doing is to encourage people to be patient while he sorts out their complaints.

  36. #1 capitalist, your pathological hatred for mr sata makes your brain develop meningitis when writing about him. Mr sata is sayin the current constitution would ve been changed had grz not deleted important aspects submitted by people. U accuse him of having come up with 1996 constitution; was he the president? I now conclude, you do not know the history of zambia. 1996, ftj was the president.

  37. #41, of course Mr Sata was very much part of the 1996 Constitutional amendment process, he was a major player in that process. He cannot today turn around and give lectures on the Constitution.
    You see my friend, prisoners lose some of their freedoms because they committed an offence.
    Same as Mr Sata, he has lost the right to lecture anyone on a Constitution that he messed up. He is just an opportunist as the Saint has defined at #31.
    In fact Mr Sata’s comments here are just an OPPORTUNISTIC attempt to make us forget his recent gaffes on gay and lesbian rights, followed by an ill advised but complementary gaffe about removing the Christian nation from the Constitution. He just ended up convincing people beyond reasonable doubt that he stands for gay and lesbian rights.

  38. #36 THE SAINT- Like #35 I must say you are talking from an ignorant point of view. Dont get offended, the ignorance Iam refering to is that you see Zambia from your position- Educated, Comfortable home, English speaking children at home, 3 meals a day, a walk at Manda hill, Mixing with RB- So you cant believe that it is possible for some one to live on 50US cents per week. So that is how ignorant you are.

  39. #45 H.H. Sata – Typical. Iam sure a few years down the line you will be calling George Kunda all sorts of names for the botched FTJ cases and the disgraced NCC.I remember how your lot were full of praises for LPM but quickly started calling his administration the most corrupt in the history of Zambia. This was when RB was trying to secure the MMD nomination against Magande.

  40. #1 capitalist, change your name to communist or better still, ngwangwazi, eagle eagle . In capitalists countries, the president shoulders the blame for anything actioned durin his tenure of office. Simple english you cant get it. Next time mr sata ll say,”good morning zambians!” u ll complain, how come he used tenor to greet us yet in 1996, he used auto o bass. U criticise MCS in the mighty poverty so that your sponsors can buy you pamela. U ve made MCS so popular.

  41. #47, Deja Vu, so you are still out there, good morning my friend.
    Now don’t just shoot aimlessly, you may kill innocent people. Where did I say anything bad about Levy?
    Anyway, all people have their bad and good points. I will always assess a person and judge them good or bad depending on the balance of the two. RB, like Levy, has many more ‘good’ than ‘bad’ so he is good for the country. In the case of Mr Sata he is very weak on ‘good’ but very strong on ‘bad’. So by that definition he is bad for Zambia. Surely you know that, Deja Vu my friend, don’t pretend that you don’t know that Mr Sata is a liar and the wrong person to entrust state power with. Every other Zambian knows that.

  42. #48 H.H. Sata- I said your lot. The Web was full of malicious propaganda against LPM after his death. Sata may be a liar but the subject under discussion is very real no matter how deep you bury your in the sand. Your MMD is corrupt. Ask yourself- why is it that the SA and Australian etc owned mines are not having problems with Zambians as compared to Chinese owned Mines- from Chambishi to Choma. Just ask yourself why . Even RB is bloody liar except that you love his lies more than Sata’s

  43. i can never understand Zambians…i never will! surely, someone is speaking for the voiceless & he is condemned! so tell all the people against SATA, jes because you dont like him does that mean that if one of the miners that were shot happened to be your relative, will you still condemn him all because you feel he has lied to you in the past? surely, doesn’t your conscious bite you for encouraging this ill-treatment of your fellow Zambians by these foreign nationals through the MMD?? im at pains to even jes begin to contemplate about this!

  44. #49 Deja Vu, thank you for the clarification or correction if you like.
    As for telling lies, refer to my post that no human being is perfect, and that on the scorecard RB scores much more on ‘good’ than on ‘bad’, whereas Mr Sata scores much more on ‘bad’ than on ‘good’.
    But I am glad that you have admitted that Mr Sata is a liar. And that is exactly my point, that it does not make sense to replace a liar with another probably more vicious one. So whereas you Deja Vu says that you will support anything that stands against MMD, reasonable people will do a scorecard for the whole field of candidates, and support one with the most positive score. Good thing is that reasonable people are in the majority.
    You have made my day, though, with that important admission of fact.

  45. HH.Sata, for how long will you praise your so called educated team, wat level of education has your president reached? Is he a Doctor? proffesor?. Its not right to describe people who are just moderately educated as highly educated. Let this be your last time to talk about education which you dont understand.

  46. I’m very surprised that this heated debate is being promoted by people who are not the victims of the shooting.The DPP’s nolle was based on the non availability of witnesses or put it straight the complainants were not in court.Why are the victims of the shooting not complaining of the termination of this case?In the likely event that these people were paid some money for the injuries received and they feel it is of no use pursuing the matter further hence not attending court,who are we to continue pushing the matter?

  47. #52 Sangokwete, “……HH.Sata, for how long will you praise your so called educated team, wat level of education has your president reached? Is he a Doctor? proffesor?. Its not right to describe people who are just moderately educated as highly educated. Let this be your last time to talk about education which you dont understand…….”

    What are you talking about? Mwayamba kunilota?

  48. #54 So because you are not the victim of the shooting its okay for you for the chineese to pay the victims and get away from facing the law, actualy i am not surprised its normal for this gorvenment to rape the constitution and get away with it.

  49. You guys have digressed from the article at hand. The subject is ” Sata RIGHTLY Condemns DPPP…”.

    Instead of of intelligently focussing at the subject at hand ,many of you have been overwhelmed by the hatred of fear or both of MC Sata.

  50. #46 Deja Vu
    I am not ignorant Sir. I have been a University graduate since 1981.
    I remember how I got a loan to buy a used car. The loan was 5 times my annual salary! I bought the car from an expatriate who gave me avey good deal having felt sorry that I was walking to work everyday. I know what it means to live on a a tight budget Sir. I had my first pair of shoes when I was 9 years old and they were made of plastic, called ‘maliposa.’ Sir, I went to a school without running water but pit latrines. I ate ‘mugayiwa’ and beans for years! I got so used to having 1 or 2 meals a day that up till today, though earning $250,000 a year I still have 1 to 2 meals a day and I remain as fit as a fiddle in my late 50s! Poverty is in the mind.

  51. #46 Deja Vu
    Coming to the subject at hand. Oh! I feel so bad that I have had to write about myself. I am sorry for succumbing to the provocation.
    The point as far as Mr Sata is concerned is this: He understands that the DPP isempowered by the constitution not to be influenced by anyone and he also enjoys security of tenure so barring death or gross indiscipline, this DPP will be in office if Mr Sata becomes President. How will he work with him if he can criticise him like this? That is why I say that he is playing to the gallery because Sata knows the Constitution that gave powers to the DPP and Sata was part of the government that did that. It is callous for Sata to say this.

  52. Workers do have rights and those rights are expressed through the union that represents them. The law of the land has given the union powers to negotiate for better conditions of service and when these negotiations break down the unions can declare a dispute and either work to rule or withdraw labour. There is nothing in the law that allows workers to match to the managers officers and threaten their lives. Threatening by the way, in legal terms, starts with words alone. If you say, ‘I will kill you’ that is a threat and whether you are armed or not, if I shot you, I have acted in self defence. in law there is a thing called ‘duress of circumstances’ and here the defendant commits a crime to avoid ‘other objective danger.’ (Howe, 1987 A.C. 417)

  53. Sata does change each time and I would not trust him over anything.He memory has faded away with age.Zambia needs some good decisions to put its sick economy back on the rails.

  54. Sinazongwe deliver the message to these MMD killers who connive with foreigners to kill your working young men. Dont Vote MMD!

  55. Interesting to note Sata’s view as reported to the effect that “Mr. Sata said that it was unfortunate that the current Constitution does not protect the interests of the Zambian people.”
    Are we to speculate that Sata’s legal view originated from his Lawyer Wynter Kabimba? Charity begins at home. Has the PF Party Constitution adequately protected the interests, political views and aspirations of its own members? Has Sata adequately paid his own Driver & Body Guard to live a decent life, as recently revealed in the papers? This serpent is only specialised in fault-finding. When shall he (Sata) offer potential voters an alternative cridible agenda?

  56. Mr Sata has one great advantage. He is very good at bringing problems to solutions> You have a solution? Trust Sata to bring a problem!

  57. From the writings of some people its seems they want the current president to still go unopposed even in the general elections.
    Should the 13 shooting victims have died the Chinese guys would have thrown them in a mine shaft and tied grunades around them so they can die again on the ressurection day as was done by the whites at Mount Darwin in Zimbabwe.

  58. since wen did u critics praise mcs for anything he has said. aluta continua with ur critiscism but we knw where to put our vote. donch kubeba!

  59. Sata should try to go and tell the victims of the shooting to make noise about the release of the Chinese. He will realise that some out of court settlement was made. The victims are poor people who are happy if the compensation. They can not eat Sata’s rhetoric just because he wants to be president. Lets face facts money talks

  60. Of all the names on earth and in heaven only to call your self COBRA and you think I will vote for you never- I will give what belongs to Devil his and what belongs to Zambians theres HH

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