Intercontinental Hotel Lusaka and the Taj Pamodzi have refused to host the eagerly anticipated news conference which was to be addressed by UPND President Hakainde Hichilema on the state of the nation.
Mr Hichilema’s team from the national secretariat had initially contacted the Taj Pamodzi Hotel as the venue for the news conference.
Management at the Taj Pamodzi agreed to host the event but later contacted the UPND to cancel the booking citing pressure from higher authorities.
By lunch time Tuesday, the UPND team managed to secure venue at the plush Intercontinental Hotel after management agreed to host the opposition political party.
The UPND Communications team even went into full gear publicizing the news conference at which Mr Hichilema was expected to recount his experience in Ndola on Saturday when he was attacked together with his entourage.
But management at Intercontinental Lusaka phoned the UPND much later in the evening informing them that the event had been cancelled at the last minute.
[pullquote] “We also took into account the events of Saturday in Ndola and since we host a lot of guests, we thought it would not be prudent to take such risks,” Ms Simubali said.[/pullquote]
UPND Deputy National Secretary Kuchunga Simusamba confirmed that the two hotels refused to host the news conference.
“Yes it has been moved to our secretariat at the same time. We couldn’t agree with the hotels and we had to move it,” Mr Simusamba said.
And Intercontinental Hotel Lusaka Public Relations Manager Veronica Simubali confirmed that the hotel rescinded its earlier decision to host the UPND leader.
“We had to review our decision to host the UPND after undertaking our own security assessments especially that there have been some media reports indicating that members of the UPND will start arming themselves. We also took into account the events of Saturday in Ndola and since we host a lot of guests, we thought it would not be prudent to take such risks,” Ms Simubali said.
“We consulted our regional office in Ndola and they advised that the event be cancelled purely based on security fears.”
She added that the decision not to host the UPND goes for all other political organisations.
“From now on, Intercontinental Lusaka will no longer host political meetings until such a time that the security situation improves.”
Ms. Simubali also confirmed that the UPND will be reimbursed.
[pullquote]“From now on, Intercontinental Lusaka will no longer host political meetings until such a time that the security situation improves.”[/pullquote]
But sources have revealed that the two hotels faced intense political pressure from State House with President Sata personally phoning managements at the two hotels and threatening them.
The source said President Sata threatened to deport the managers of foreign origins managing the two hotels if they do not cancel Mr Hichilema’s news conference.
Mr Hichilema has over the last few months emerged as a strong contender for the Republican President and has attracted a good share of harassment and victimization mainly from PF cadres.
fear and panic attacks……
viva HH, 2016 is yours.
watch this space……
even lusaka times source reveal that Sata personally phoned the two hotels,,,,,, i thought the ZWD had put a spin on that story,,,,
So Sata is not busy afterall, the man plays on his facebook and phones around at tax payer `s expense,,, stone age politics!!
VIVA pf 2016 tukesa ba cepa ba Tonga
Sata has really gone too far now. He needs to be shown the door. All hotels refusing to host opposition leader are agents of the dictator Sata. Come 2016 those hotel managers will have to leave Zambia by air. There will be no but or if, they clearly do not deserve to be in Zambia at all.
I am getting angry now.All the hotels practising aparthied in Zambia deserve to be burnt .
Wanya Sata kuyabebele the writing is on the wall. Just beacuse you can not address the nation on important issues you think HH should not. You are a F0000L indeed.
SATA IS A F000LISH PRESIDENT WITH A COLONIAL MENTALITY. SURELY AFTER 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE THIS IS PRESIDENT WE CAN HAVE.
SATA DESERVES TO DIE TOGETHER WITH HIS STOOGES.
SATA is worse than MUGABE.
wanzelu boi wakamba bwino with full information abt zimbabwe mugabe ali che ali na tyming ba sata niba puba boi
Pamodzi & Intercontinental are very paramount to Zambia.
Sata has done a noble thing to save the two hotels from Kabimba’s thuggery cadres. Those PF thugs may burn the hotels, and also considering how HH pulling the crowds. Thank You Sata, epashili pa kuleka.
But I think he can allow HH to hold his State-of-the nation at Mulungushi Conference center, The Parliament or State House itself, there is more security there.
PF you are scared about the true picture with regards to the external debt you have accrued in such a short time. Yes, you have borrowed beyond what is sustainable and yet the Lusaka City council is busy preparing from another auctioning exercise of the city. The pressure is not from HH but from your poor planning skills or it is just sheer lack of of the planning skills. Your (PF and Sata) fall is near, and all your arrogance will count to nothing.
The hotels’ concerns regarding security are valid. They cannot risk PF cadres entering the hotel with machetes and all sorts of weapons to destabilise a peaceful conference by the UPND. PF and violence are inextricably intertwined!
Succumbing to the PF’s LOO OF LAW… Cry my beloved Zambia
UPND HAVE STARTED ARMING THE CADRES, therefore it would be very myopic for the two international hotels to host unruly UPND who would go there to beat up hotel residents with there weapons and in some cases even shoot those residents. They did not need to get a phone call from the president (if at all they did) in order for them to reason and know what would happen in their premises. Well done and hats off to the two hotels management. This is time to promote tourism and not the opposite. HH thinks supporters of the national president he publicly insults are impressed. If he keep insulting the president he will be treated as such anywhere he goes in Zambia. You see nama hotels nomba bakusula.
This party is known for it’s MAPATIZYA way of doing things. Who in their right mind would do business with them? Our beloved president MCS has absolutely nothing to do with this.
HH needs to rethink his strategy and be two steps ahead of the ruling party instead of crying about this cancellation milk this publicity to promote your next venue. The system is flawed….nobody wants to do any about it as they are corrupted with power once in govt. …how easily the PF forget when they were refused to hold a rally at woodlands stadium for some flimsy reason.
Wake up all the world loves a winner and has no time for losers!!
This is not a crisis. HH can host this media briefing at the UPND offices – or even at a rally for that matter!
Under 5 can’t never…..
nfula pakuya ilonaula ifisabo. sata knows that any time soon, he will certainly kick the big bucket. so it is ‘tufilile munsenga’, but sata should know that God is in control and not the evil demon possessing him and as such his evil intentions will yield to zero but of course it will earn him eternal fire in hell
We are paying for collectively trusting a serpent! The Bible is very clear on this animal.
What can come out of it apart from problems.
Come to NDOZO Lodge. We shall charge you K42000.
Only me see clearer than imwe mwe mpofu. Sata likes HH compared to W.Kaimbwa’s who is in-charge of the Sudanese trained cadres.
Sata is just doing Zambia a favor, because even himself has pressure do dissolve the well funded Fourth Republican Party which is within the PF. Remember they used to be a Republican Party, and who was Secretary General? The 4th RP wants to be the main opposition, but there is a HH who is an obstacle. He escaped in Ndola.
Sata don’t watch HH escaping through roof-tops of Pamodzi hotel, imwe ati no no no Sata is a dictator. Sata is as vicitm as HH.
My fellow. zambians time is now to rise against this dying serpent. in state house. nobody will fight for our freedom if we don’t collectively act. It maybe hh today, but who knows tomorrow? Forwarti with hh!!! fifa hh!!
ba shetani mwe.
Lord deliver us from the evil in State House! Amen.
SATA is doing a commendable job in Zambia while HH with his permanent bitterness is trying by all means to disrupt the good deeds. What a shame. Sata never were bitter whenever he lost elections. Maybe the young man even lost his erection.
Sata you are very Dull thus can not stop people from voting HH you will be punished by Zambians just wait we are all watching. MMD allowed you to go were you wanted but look at you? Dictators do not last long in today’s world I can p promise you.
you fool what are you saying who is HH in Zambian he is just a ordinary Zambian and sata is the Prsident chalimikalipa fye
e.k are you one of those 1diots who have been selected to be buried with your tribal warlord Sata?
Please ignore e.k., kabwa fye ako elo takabosa nefya sense like other dogs. Leave him. iwe, fuseki, kan.yele ku lukungu!!
PROBLEM KA IKILEMA DOESNT TALK ABT WHAT HE WILL DO ONCE VOTED INTO POWER. INSTEAD HE JST INCITES PEOPLE TO HATE/RISE AGAINST GOVT LEADERS AND OWEZ ATTACKING INDIVIDUALS ON HIS SPONSORED BARKING KA WATCHDOG USELESS MEDIA
Don’t insult the intelligence of Zambians. They are not all useless members of your PF. Zambians can judge for themselves if a politician is making sense or not. Zambians don’t need any direction from the violent, corrupt, nepotistic and tribal dictator in State House.
YOU ASS- HOLE, IF YOU GOT NOTHING TO SAY, JUST SHUT YOUR BEAK.
That is Sata for you. As we approach 2016 there will be a lot of bodies courtesy of the tribal warlord nicknamed King Cobra. Honestly is this a guy you can have as President in 2014? He is backward , evil, ugly and primitive.
thats the reason people did not vote for HH,Its because of people like Gooncalves, You are just full of yourself just like your boss.if at all a backward,evil,ugly and primitive Cobra wired you in 2011,it simply tells me that people think you are more primitive,ugly,evil and backward than the victor.anyway i can only advise you to dream on……………………………………………………………….
Why are these private businesses making political decisions? Tell those dull hoteliers to let HH address the nation from a purely business approach.This foolishness is why zambian firms are not expanding accross the region like Kenyan & South africans.
@tumbuka tribe hold your fire,why dyou always use other peoples tribes to shoot, isnt yours powerful enough?stop being tribal by avoiding tribal names. go national-tribal wont take you anywhere.peace……………………………………………………………………
Who doesn’t know that LT is now an extension of ZWD.
well fcuk off then and go to post online.
OOh come on Chabwera, what is your point about LT being an extension of ZWD. Do you have a memory as short as that of a chicken to forget that PF used to held meetings at intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka in 2011? OOh pleeeaaaaseeee!
yes you are right just call Lusaka times as Choma times
Post online is my favourite if you want to know. It reports as it is not your galu site that wants to twist everything. Be prepared for a rude shock in 2016. Pa Bwatoooooooooooo.
ZWD and LT are all bankrolled by Hakaisundawila Hakainyelawila.
This is the end of LT, just like ZW. This is also how ka IKILEMA will lose the erection while on top of MMD…LOL
Yes chabwera, hence me telling you to fcuk off. Don’t you get it?
Political decisions having corrosive business effect.Zambia will NOT develop if politics determines our business environment or ease of doing business rankings.
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Typical rant from a tribal supremacist! We pray that you and your evil archangel are banished from Zambia as soon as possible! Amen!
Why cant he use his house or his business premises? Better still his farm.
“State of the Nation Address” this is laughable. Wait until you “win in 2016” before you start using that term. Militia party indeed.
HH is a BIG joke. He would really want be popular by wrongly imitating what Sata used to do in opposition. HH doesnt know that he is becoming more and more unpopular by his fuulish deeds with continued hatred for Sata and Guy Scott. He is becoming un popular by clinging to being tribal and racial. With such a record who would like him to be president? If he is not president and he can behave so stuupiidly do we have any wonder how he is going to behave when he becomes one? Zambians must be careful about this dangerous crook.
Its now almost 3yrs and this serpent is not dropping dead.) Lpm and rb gave this satan enough space to sell his party on radio,tours,markets etc but him is failing to do unto others as he would love it to be done to him.to be frank with I die before sata or not,I wish sata dead so that we have piece again.iam really angry and given a gun I would shoot sata,kabimba,mmembe and nchito.
He cannot dropdead because Jehovah God know Sata and PF are the deliverers of Zambia to prosperity.
he is not dropping dead yet, my brother because satan his master is still sustaining him through juju and sangomas so that he can still continue to cause more pain to the people of God, but be patient, soon and very soon, he will drop dead. did you watch him drop on a chair in Belgium at that meeting he attended last week? those are indicators
Its now almost 3yrs and this serpent is not dropping dead.) Lpm and rb gave this satan enough space to sell his party on radio,tours,markets etc but him is failing to do unto others as he would love it to be done to him.to be frank with I die before sata or not,I wish sata dead so that we have piece again.iam really angry and given a gun I would shoot sata,kabimba,mmembe and nchito.even LT has stopped protecting PF`s sh!t.
Tonga Times mulaiepa ati UPND is popular come to Ndola again UPND is a choma based party
Please Lord deliver us from the evil in State. We pray for all tribal supremacists like this full e.K above that it may see the light. Amen.
Pray for what naiwe Atheist, ka e.k. ni mbwa who shud be shot like his 1d1ot president, chapwa. Iwe hamba apa! Ulenunsha pa thread, uleshinda ka E.k.
You cant be far from the truth. It isnt a national party. Even in Livingstone now people are exonerating themselves from a tribal party. They dont want to associate themselves with a bitter man. Trouble with HH is he doesnt talk about how he is going to develop Zambia. He always talks about hatred and insults the national president. He must wait for 2016 and see how most of his MPs are going to desert him.
This ***** in State House is not normal. HH has the right to exercise his freedom of association and assembly. Sata nima too vee of a president!
This ***** is taking Zambia to the periphery of chaos. HH has the right to organise and to assemble with the aim of addressing issues of common and national concern. It is his human right; it does not come from the republican ***** in State House.
This is the problem of choosing an ***** to become a president; he has no clue that the right to freedom of association and assembly is protected in international and regional human rights treaties. These rights are applicable to political party issues.
Zambia will only be peaceful when the State House ***** is dead.
God Almighty, to you we sincerely pray like never before that you…
God Almighty, to you we sincerely pray like never before that you take away this ***** in State House for the sake of peace in Zambia. It is better for Sata-n to die than the who nation be engulfed in turmoil. To you Lord we pray with thanks giving in our hearts believing that you will answer our humble pray, Amen!
Please Lord deliver us from the evil in State House! Amen
@sara you really have my thought.this man means no good for peace loving zedians.
which LORD ATHEIST
Most prayers spilled on this blog are from the devil himself in the belly of hell! Where does the word of God teach us to pray for leaders to die? Please stop spewing blasphemy in the name of Jehovah our God. Actually, you who don’t want Sata as president should start praying for him to change and treat all people fairly including Hakainde Hichilema. When you earnestly pray for Sata to be a good leader with pure hearts, then Jehovah your God will listen and either Sata changes for the better and behaves or Jehovah God will deal with him. Stop hatred, it has gone too far.
If on Saturday HH was killed by the lumpens here in Ndola, this country would be in tumoil right now.
Please Mr. President show us love and we will have peace.
Its now almost 3yrs and this serpent is not dropping dead.) Lpm and rb gave this satan enough space to sell his party on radio,tours,markets etc but him is failing to do unto others as he would love it to be done to him.to be frank with I die before sata or not,I wish sata dead so that we have piece again.iam really angry and given a gun I would sh000t sata,justice minister ,post owner and dpp
Zambia is now like Uganda under Idi Amin.
So similar, anyone who disagrees with the leader, or P.F. is
given “V.I.P. Treatment”
Ignorance at work, even a baby knows that the President doesn’t have time to phone little managers about under five meetings, management considers the safety of guests, hotels are not battle fields for Politicians.
President? Please…..what is in State House is a bitter, demented and dying tribal warlord.
Which president are you talking about? You call the F.O.O.L in statehouse a president?
Thanks to these hotels,time will tell if no PF official or Minister will be at the same hotels to tell us lies.Intimidation moving from rallies,churches,radio stations,universities,homes so where are we going to express ourselves mother Zambia,is this the democracy we fought for in 1991 mother Zambia?
I am ashamed of my self my mother Zambia once a blossom of piece now a country of thugs with pangas.
Cry my beloved country.
@e.k Ulichikopo sana AI, Ala tribal politics belong to the stone age we chinangwa iwe. Just deliver!
@e.k, i can see yr thinking is still closed up, go further to ask us the eastners our position.
your position doesn’t matter you easterners and you are not the deciding factor Pf won the election without your votes and mind you, you voted for MMD and RB but you lost even in 2016 PF is winning because they have performed well and people are happy.Only the opposition parties are bitter beacause they want to go to sate house.
Why Hotels NOW and not ZNBC? or Radio Chakuti? or Muvi TV?
The boy is a movie star….He is not serious with his politics! Even the police might stop rendering him assistance.
@e.K.
U will just die with jealous. Wht God is planning for Zambia no one can STOP it even the one at State House….just brood with jealous till your Death, Zambians r United Tonga, Bemba, Chewa……!!
I DONT CONDEMN Hotels. They can b Understood. The one to Condemn is SataN in State House.
Viva HH Viva UPND.
Elizabeth Chitika said Chiluba said it in 2001 that i can’t give the Presidency to Sata; “teti asunge abantu, kuntu abapatanya” and here we are.
I am very upset that innocent citizens are being harassed just for belonging to a different party. Chili ndwii mu state house and very primitive as usual. wake up and start leading, iwe chi Sata. Say something about the violence. Also there is a provision for resigning in your contract in case you are not aware.
Eulesunga bantu nomba. So, kabepele fye ubufi. Ukusunga abantu tekubakushisha mu plot 1 iyo. Kubakulila imisebo, ifipatala, ama sukuulu, proper planning etc. And this is what Sata is doing. So kabufi bwapakunya kwati RB.
HOTELS have given plausible explanation. Its only someone who frequents zero star hotels who can dispute reasons for turning down HH’s request.
Excuse me! Hotels are not cattle kraals. Why are we drawing the President into this child’s mad politics?
You have really made my day. You made me laugh by, “hotels are not cattle kraals…”. INDEED hotels aren’t cattle kraals. Why not address the nation on TV and radio where many people can listen?
When we tell you that within 2 years Sata has turned Zambia into uncivilized country like Congo DR, this is what we mean. Where on earth can you have a the entire head of State instructing private institutions not to host opposition leaders. Sata should know that there is a God who deals with people like him.
May be Choma Shabeens could host him!
i have never seen so many people dieing on our roads like it is happening now, when sata was in opposition he made so much noise on one accident which happened in Nyimba were he claimed to have found a dead body and took it to the mortuary. i wonder if it was now, how many he would have found and taken to the mortuary?
Dying on roads has got nothing to do with Sata being president. Its got more to do with deeprooted corruption and the way Zambia’s roads have been built. Head on coalition can be avoided simply by a dual carriage way, while having truly qualified drivers on our roads can cut road accidents to a large margin. But that can’t happen now because most driving licenses are given corruptly. one does not need to pass the test. One just needs to have dosh in his/her pocket or purse. Get a leaf from the British process of passing driving tests. Mind you, there are two sets of tests in the UK. A written one and a practical one with no corruption involved. I have seen people with money and can easily bribe the trainers but fail even up to five times. Zambia gov should copy from Britain.
@Tupac
State of the Nation for what? Which Nation?
WHY can’t the boy at least lie to us about what HE WILL DO ONCE ELECTED?
alilwala ukupolomya
Elizabeth Chitika said Chiluba said it in 2001 that i can’t give the Presidency to Sata; “teti asunge abantu, kuntu abapatanya” and here we are. Even KK said it the Sata can only work under somebody. Chanda Chimba iii told us but we did not believe him. I am loving rewatching Chimaba’s presentations on Youtube. It is very very true.
Fear grips state house. Go H.H… go. The i.diots are behaving like a rat under the claws of a cat!
Monkey hh!
HH is a Cow and he eats Cud!
So whats your point? Coz in i think it would be better to have a cow in state house than that hopeless creature hiding in the kabwendo under his bed pretending to be a president.
So is this the kind of environment we have to be subjected to till 2016? I trully shudder to think so. God save us.
Is this all just a hoax or somebody is thriving through these machinations with the word politics as an excuse?
The headline is screaming something that is not explicit in the article. What are the implications of holding a State of the Nation Address as an opposition party? What does the Constitution (yeah, the current ONE) say about this? We are always charging emotions ahead of what should actually be the case. The article doesn’t even give a hint on what was to be addressed!! This sort of foments anxiety and causes rumors to fly as best as the Zambian psyche is well placed to do…
Peter…!! If you can judge how people’s tempers have risen, you can shut that stinking mouth of yours..!! People are arming themslves and you are just playing here talking about HH..!! HH has done nothing but pin pointing the failures of SATA and his Government..!! There is no where SATA can win election in 2016…!! That is why SATA thinks by blocking HH holding press conference will deter him from attracking masses, he is blind SATA…!! sata will handover power to the man he does not like,,, all these thugs will be arrested just after elections…!! These sudanese trained thugs will be caged after election..!!
unfortunately he wont even be there and alive to hand over, nature will have accomplished its task. these days he just yaps from the phone, not even those swearing in ceremonies are common
Under 5 just go to soweto market and address the nation. Why should you disturb the business houses. Alternatively, you can go to masala market in NDOLA.
Primitive Zambians, you are all busy insulting each other because of political differences. Atase! UPND, MMD, PF you are all Zambians and and the more you learn to tolerate each others opinion, the more you become civilized. Threats and insults will not put food on the table or create jobs. Put UPND in power, with this attitude, we will be in the same position as now with PF in power. We need to change now! If HH wants to rule in 2016, he must change his strategy. Go rural and win their votes. I have never heard of a democracy where ruling party and opposition cannot see eye to eye. Shame on PF. They are a disgrace!!
@31 kambinguist
The current PF govt does not let the opposition to go anywhere to mobilise support. Nevers Mumba was attacked in Kasama and the state police was mobilised to remove and escort HH from Eastern province. So which rural area are you talking about? Zambia is a democracy with freedoms of speech and assembly in the constitution. No one has the right to subject citizens to any loss of these Freedoms. It’s only in Zambia where citizens are so dormant that they do not see anything wrong in being misruled and mistreated.
Sata right now alenya fye amasushi pa state house polluting plot 1 this imbeccile. What a president!
Sata you are going soon, whether by death or vote, you’re on your way to hell where you came from.
‘But sources have revealed that the two hotels faced intense political pressure from State House with President Sata personally phoning managements at the two hotels and threatening them. This statement is incorrect in that the president cant sink so low to do this, the management at our two hotels know the risks involved and there is no way they can risk their business over cheap politics from HH a leader who is always negative and offers no solution to national issues. J Shakafuswa told parliament that beating a PF cadre is doing a service to the nation. What about beating a UPND cadre? Late Mazoka never promoted violence or politics of insults. What will cost HH is pride, Tribalism, No regard for leadership, he thinks is above all/rep-president. Wisdom not acquired knowledge is needed
if the president did direct then we have a big problem but lets not 4get that hh has nothing to offer but for condeming only!! if he is the only hope we have then why has these other opposition leaders not joined him? magande,milupi etc! lets discuss properly and not insult each other otherwise we are the real c.e.o. of this country! if sata cant deliver then we fire him and put another one to manage things but for christs sake lets put people who have experience and not trusting a stranger to drive school kids to school with no drivers licence!!
Yes you voted for him. You could not see beyond your noses that this chap will be a dictator. Sorry for you, keep on crying. You are in for it. Some of us voted wisely, tuleloleshafe. More worse things to come, wait for 2016, you will see.
AXIS OF EVIL (AOE)
HH will never be president of Zambia. He has a nuisance value and soon reaching its shelf expiry date.
NAREP is the way to go.
LAZ must explain the Land Clause confusing Chiefs
He is coming! He is coming with such force that he cannot be ignored. Quit blocking the real man of change; one who has never been in government and sees from an ordinary man’s standpoint. HH, even if 2016 is not yours, you will be president.
This is what that small sign means, the one that says, “RIGHT OF ADMISSION RESERVED…” Thus you may be let in or you may be politely turned away, finito!
HH is free to call it a ‘State of the Nation’ address. There is no law against it. Besides, when are we ever going to have such an address from the sitting President? Or is it the squatting president?