Thursday, March 28, 2024

What the PF government told the Zambian people about President Sata’s health

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March 23rd 2012:Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Labour Fackson Shamenda said President Sata had left for India on a private visit on the 22nd March 2012.

March 23rd 2012 : Vice President Guy Scott has described as nonsense speculation in some sections of online media that President Michael Sata’s trip to India yesterday is on medical grounds.

March 24th 2012: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Given Lubinda maintained that President Sata’s private visit to India has nothing to do with his health adding that the head of state is in perfect condition.

March 26th 2012:Indian media report – President Michael Sata was on Sunday discharged from the hospital in Ahmedabad, India

March 26th 2012: Vice President Guy Scott, said President Michael Sata is on a planned private visit to India and not for medical treatment as reported in both Indian and local media.

April 8th 2013: Vice President, Guy Scott, castigated the United Party for National Development (UPND) and some sections of society for telling lies over the health of Republican President Michael Sata.

April 13th 2013: Patriotic Front Secretary General Wynter Kabimba has described as liars the presidents of MMD Nevers Mumba and the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema for saying President Sata’s health was not good and urged the people of Kapiri to tell off the opposition for lying to them.

18th December 2013: Local online media reports that President Sata collapsed at State house

21st December 2013: Chief Government Spokesperson, Mwansa Kapeya, refuted online publications that President Michael Sata collapsed in the afternoon of Wednesday 18th December 2012. Mr. Kapeya said President Sata is well and there is no need to take seriously reports indicating that the Head of State on Thursday 19th December and Friday 20th December cancelled presidential appointments due to his sickness.

February 2nd 2014:Government media reports President Michael Sata arrived in London, United Kingdom for his 14 days working holiday.

June 22nd 2014: Acting minister of Information and broadcasting Mr Mwansa Kapeya announces that President Sata had arrived in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv on a working holiday at the invitation of out-going Israeli President His Excellency Mr. Shimon Peres.

June 22nd 2014:Justice minister Wynter kabimba said while in Israel, President Sata will among other important engagements, have meetings with out-going Israeli President Mr. Shimon Peres and Israeli senior Government officials.He said the President will also hold meetings with Israeli businessmen who are interested in investing in Zambia’s rural industrialization project.

June 23rd 2014: Reports emerge that Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres was in fact leaving Israel for Washington D.C for a final meeting with President Barack Obama.The Jerusalem Post and other influential Israeli newspapers are not reporting the state visit by President Sata.
June 25th 2014:Vice President Guy Scott tells parliament that President Sata is on a working holiday in Israel and he did not know when he was coming back.

June 26th 2014: Reuters reports that Zambian President Michael Sata was receiving medical treatment in Israel, an Israeli official said without elaborating on his condition.The disclosure came a day after Zambian Vice President Guy Scott told parliament in Lusaka that Sata, 76, was in Israel on a “working holiday”.
June 27th  2014: Acting Chief Government Spokesperson Mwansa Kapeya tells the Voice of America (VOA) news that President Sata is on a working holiday in Israel.’ If he were sick, he wouldn’t have traveled,’ said Mr Kapeya.

July 1st 2014: Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz has reported that Zambian President Michael Sata had been discharged from the Sheba Medical Center where he had been receiving treatment and that he was “not in critical condition” during his stay at the facility.

July 9th 2014: Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini stops questions about President Sata’s health in parliament and directs all queries to State house

September 3rd 2014:Vice President Guy Scott, when he addressed a meeting at Mkoma II village to drum up support for Patriotic Front(PF) Margaret Miti in the Vubwi Parliamentary by-election,said that the Head of State was discharging his duties contrary to the falsehood of some sections who were alleging that President Sata was sick.He explained that the people of Vubwi must ignore to the falsehood which some society were spreading that the Head of State was sick.“As I am talking, President Sata is working and able to discharge his duties accordingly contrary to the falsehood by some section who are saying the President was sick,”Dr Scott said.

September 24th 2014:President Sata failed to show up for his scheduled address at the General Assembly, which that week conducted its annual debate, an opportunity for the U.N.’s 193 members to showcase their policies to the world. President Sata was slated to follow Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, Wednesday night.The U.N. moderator then received a notice, and after a short hesitation announced, instead, that the next speaker, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, would address the council. No alternative time for President Sata’s address was announced.

October 3rd 2014:Vice President Guy Scott said President Sata will NOT resign on health grounds.The Vice President says as far as he is concerned President Sata is well.

September 26th 2014: Associated Press reported that Police in New York have said that President Michael Sata was treated in his New York hotel room by doctors but has not been hospitalized.

September 26th 2014: Dr Scott says a Head of State can be in attendance at the UN General Assembly without necessarily having to speak unless one has something particular that they want to add to the world discourse.Dr. Guy Scott dismissed reports that President Michael Sata is dead.Dr Scott said this in Parliament in response to a question by Monze central Member of Parliament Jack Mwiimbu who wanted to know the President’s health status following US media reports that he was attended to by Doctors in his hotel room.Dr Scott said the health of President Sata has been entirely normal in New York this morning.

October 4th 2014:Vice President Guy Scott tells parliament Sata’s absence is nobody’s business.This was in response to a question by Bwacha Member of Parliament Sydney Mushanga who asked him to inform the nation where the president is and when he is coming back to Zambia. Dr Scott said President Sata is in communication with government officials.Dr Scott said President Sata managed to call him and is in touch with everything that is going on back home.He added that it is not anyone’s business to live in the president’s pocket.President Sata was recently in New York where he went to attend the United Nations General assembly which he addressed but did not return to Zambia thereafter.His whereabouts are unknown to the country.

October 20th 2014: State House announced that Republican President Michael Sata left the country for medical check up abroad the previos night.

October 29th 2014: Secretary to Cabinet Roland Msiska confirmed President Michael Sata’s death in London.Dr. Msiska said President Sata died at 23:11 hours Zambian time on the 28th October at King Edward VII Hospital Beaumont Central London.He said First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba and his son Lusaka Mayor Mulenga Sata and others were present at the bedside at the time of his passing on.

71 COMMENTS

  1. Guy Scott is a liar and has no respect for parliament or the Zambian people as evidenced by all the lies he told us.I hope it’s not true that Fred Mmembe is using him.

    • This is not necessary at the moment. What are you trying to achieve? We should be seen to be pulling towards unity and bury our President with dignity. You can talk all you want when the funeral is over.

    • Like i said (not wished) a few days before the 50th Anniversary Obama will soon send us a message of condolences. These ldiots in govt are so stingy with the truth even when the obvious is known! My assessment of the medical check up was that HE MCS was not in the right frame of health. If he was going for a medical check up, the trip was going to be made in such a way that he does not travel in the middle of the night and he is able to attend the 50th Anniversary of Zambia’s independence. It was going to be planned way in advance. The ninety days slogan has come back to PF, by the way. Let’s prepare ourselves for 90 days of lies, half truths and complete ‘i don’t knows’ from the new sitting president. God, please help us. We have so much to mourn about!!!

    • Whilst everyone is in Mourning, this is what others are up to. Compiling data and trying to put salt on the injury!
      Let us mourn and bury our president in peace, let us pray that his souls rests in peace!

    • Zambians: let us leave this for later. Time to Mourn and put our President to rest with dignity. After the funeral?? We need proper explanation from the PF government on all what has been quoted above. Zambian Media, including ZNBC??? Wake up this time around. Play your role than being puppets of the Government in Power. We need debates and proper answers.

      Otherwise: we will not vote for PF?? Unless they apologize to Zambian people and redeem themselves from their lies.

    • FROM THIS REPORT ITS CLEAR THAT OUR POLITICIANS HAVE ZERO MORALS AND SOMEONES NEEDS TO BE ANSWERABLE FOR THIS LYING OVER THE HEALTH OF THE PRESIDENT THAT THE COUNTRY EXPERIENCE TO AVOID A REPEATITION OF THE SAME IN FUTURE. FUTURE LEADERS GOT TO GET AN EXAMPLE SO AS TO DO THINGS BETTER IN FUTURE. THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE SHOULD ANSWER – CABINET, CHELA G, SPEAKER, VP, ETC. THIS HAS SURELY BROUGHT DOWN FURTHER THE CREDIBILITY OF THIS COUNTRY.

    • Now, you tell me how on earth, you can give instruments of power to this lying, shameless white trash? To me the constitution amounts to nothing if morality is compromised.

  2. Sata did not die a natural death, he was poisoned. This is why people from watch dog were so sure he was going to die and they have been anticipating his death for a long time. The fact that he survived for such a long time shows he was a fighter. Re-examine the cop who was fired from state house for food poisoning. Also what happened to chiluba. There is so much hatred in zambian politics. Even a health person can be killed through food poisoining or radio active so the person dies slowly. Watch your back scot. Let your wife to continue preparing food for you.

    • He then was poisoned by the liars who cheated about his healthy that he was fine when he was sick. If the PF guys loved our president, they would have told all well meaning Christians to pray to our God who heals.
      Meanwhile, let us all be calm and pray for the mother Zambia and the Kaseba family for strength and confort in heart. Death is painful.

    • Know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
      you can’t be going around making serious unproven allegations – the man was sick, plain and simple. Every one of us will die one day.

    • PF is the worst government Zambia has ever had. Ubufi bubi kabili bulabwela. The problem with PF is that they dont even have shame of lying to the millions of Zambia. Keeping this government in power for long will spell doom for Zambia. Imagine chimbwi like Kambwili, Kabimba, Gu Scott to continue ruling this precious country, I can’t even think of it.

  3. His excellence Scot isn’t a liar. I blame HH and his messengers of death. They say a lie repeated severally may be treated as truth. When u repeatedly say one is sick and will soon die, the result is what hapnd. The late has always been well until a few days ago.

    • Will you people and your boss HH not rest for just a short time and morn our President with us. Is there anyone at Lusaka Times with a human heart and talk to others that the dead have to be respected. Your end will be very terrible. One day God will answer for those people you have heated with hell hatred.

  4. Ok, to be honnest the govt ought to be ashamed of themselves. All along refuting everything with straight faces.. What a shame!

  5. He was elected in Sept 2011 and started sneaking out of the country for medical attention in March 2012 which is not even six months after obtaining the presidency he fought for for 10 years.f In between these clandestine visits to foreign doctors, the only time he was seen in public was when he was practising his favourite hobby of swearing in relatives and tribesmates. This basically means right from the beginning of his presidential tenure he was not working at full capacity and yet ‘the man of action, pro poor president’ thought it was well and good to give himself three hefty pay rises and some people say I should mourn for him!

  6. So this is what they said about the health of the late President. So what? How does cataloguing what they said help us, as a nation, or indeed anyone. Ok, they lied here and there, so what? Is this what we should be looking at right now? No sir!

    • @Jude- Know your enemies and know yourself and you will fight a hundred battles without disaster – Sun Tzu

      Now is not the time for Zambians to be docile and have amnesia of the recent past.Your enemy is not sleeping so why should you?

    • The list is important because these ministers and government officials kept on telling lies about the heath of an important person that they should have protected by giving the correct position.Everyone knew/knows that without Sata these people are nothing and therefore, telling lies sounded better in their ears than supporting and clearly guiding the President. If you start telling lies it has to go viro…..Cover after cover!

  7. Add Africa Freedom Day conduct, failure to address the nation at the stadium on the same day, frail looking at court appearance and clearly unwell during opening of Parliament. All this time we had lies after lies from a spineless cabinet, PF stooges and a shameless Kaseba. They continued to push an unfit President for their own selfish self-preservation. Trappings of power and money were more important for them.

  8. Unfortunately, the PF’s policy of misinformation (Donchi Kubeba)has affected our ability to mourn our beloved president with sincerity

  9. What is even more sad and embarrassing even, is how Dr Kaseba was sucked into this web of lies. How was she managing going around the country/world with a smile on her face knowing all too well as a Medical Doctor that something was gravely wrong with her hubby. This comment is not meant as a personal attack on our ‘first lady’. Just wondering out loud..
    Thas said, Go well Mr Sata. You ran a good race and God decided, now was the best time for him to call you!

  10. We need an independent commission of enquiry on how this was handled: only FOOLS refuse to take stock and learn lessons!!!

  11. That is what has also been wrong in Zambia for a long time – sweeping issues under the carpet until ‘ the next time ‘. Nothing the matter with producing data now. You want us to go through the same cycle of deception, then burying our heads in the sand and ultimately not going anywhere in terms of civilised politics and behaviour.

    • THERE SHOULD BE A PROBE ON THIS ONE AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE FOUND WITH A CASE SHOULD BE MADE ANSWERABLE. WE SHOULD WORK AT STOPPING A REPEAT OF SUCH AN ISSUE IN FUTURE AND THE TIME TO DO THAT IS NOW. THIS IS IN NO WAY TO MEAN THAT WE ARE NOT MOURNING. WE SHOULD BASICALLY PUT THINGS RIGHT FOR THE BETTER OF THE NATION AND NOT INDIVIDUALS.

  12. A pity that Guy Scott and his cronies are again exposed in their web of lies. I do not blame them either way. They were simply told what to say and were not allowed to discuss the issue by the late obviously. I’m sure they never saw this coming despite the previous experience in 2008. But anyways, mourn the late and hopefully people will change their attitudes towards such issues. Maybe Sata would have been alive if they had been truthful and honest with the nation. Lesson learnt, lies have short legs!

  13. It was not lies people of Zambia It was for security reasons!! Even you when your are sick, your spouse does not sound a trampet in the neighbourhood to anounce your sickness.

    • Elijah please where have you been?Even me an unsophisticated nobody knew that he was sick by following news.Which enemy is it that is so dull they thought they were fooling.

    • @Elijah

      when I am sick my spouse does not sound a trumpet in the neighbourhood to announce my sickness becuase I am a private citizen. If the neighbourhood had appointed me their neighbourhood Watch Chairman and paid my salary, medical bills, accommodation etc they would have every right to know my ability to carry out the job they were paying me for and therefore my health status.

  14. I really fail to understand why we have to keep illness of our leaders such a secrete in our society. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela had been ill with Cancer and even as he trotted around South American countries for treatment his country was kept constantly updated. The man even won an election while it was public knowledge that he was ill and could die. Cant we learn something about the importance of telling the truth. How stupid do we look now after having constantly refuted Sata was ill even when everyone could see him deteriorating right in front of us….

    • THE ANSWER LIES IN CREDIBILITY AND POLITICS OF THE BELLY THAT IS PRACTICED IN ZAMBIA. THERE IS NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE CREDIBLE AND PEOPLE WHO CAN SAY NO WHEN ITS WRONG. SCOTT AND HIS CABINET KNEW TOO WELL WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE HEAD OF STATE AND IT WAS CONFIRMED BY THE BANA NONO RECORDING OF SICHINGA. ALL THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE MADE ANSWERABLE AS A WARNING EXAMPLE TO THE FUTURE LEADERS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED TO HEAR EVEN SEEMINGLY QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS LIKE SIMUSA SINK SO LOW. JUST A DAY BEFORE THE PRESIDENTS DEATH, HE WAS ACTUALLY IN THE POST SAYING THE PRESIDENT IS DOING FINE.

  15. It appears the state house has some huge ghost which keep eating up our precious presidents,the question is why was mama Betty Kaunda’s legs paralyzed after entering one of the rooms @ state house I feel we shud relocate the state house if we need good health of our future presidents

    • I’m sure you do not follow the happenings in Zambia, Sata a had a heart problem long before he was elected and there was a time he was even evacuated for medical attention in SA. Mwanawasa was nearly a cabbage after the accident and he should have been given the job of presidency. He even struggled to speak during election campaigns. But he was forced on us. My point is that Zambians send sick people to statehouse period. Betty Kaunda that was just a story!

  16. Guy Scott & Kapeya should be imprisoned for life for lying. Their lies have cost the nation. I hope they have a conscious to apologise or they should permanently be prisoners of guilty

    • Did Cabinent commit treason when with intent to deceive and knowing very well that PresidentSata was sick unto death, they refused and/or criminally neglected to constitute a medical boad? What of the Presidential Doctor? What of Judge Chali after the petition by Changala?

      These are are matters which shoud be prosecuted for sake of posterity.

      Guy Scott and Cabinet and especially Bwinjimfum lying press are a menance to our Democracy!

  17. It’s baffling! One thing remains for sure ‘an organization can never rise above its esteem’. Truth will always overcome lies. Light will always overpower darkness. However hard one tries a lie haunts for another day……could see first AP address to the nation …always facing down in shame.

    Countrymen/women let’s pursue love, truth and excellency. This great nation deserves better.

  18. If the government had told the nation the truth, the churches would have set aside a day to pray for our president now not even a day we prayed for our president. Its a shame to the government for telling the nation lies. I hope the lesson has been taught to the would be president. The president is the property of the whole nation. I wonder if we can continue believing in PF now that the founder is gone who had vision for the people of zambia. others were just following blindly.

  19. PF ARE LIARS AND WE SHOULD NOT ALLOWS THESE POEPLE TO CONTINUE RULING THIS COUNTRY. THIS NONSENSE OF SAYING LET THEM COMPLETE THE PROJECTS THEY STARTED IS RUBBISH.THESE ARE NOT PERSONAL OR PF PROJECTS,,BUT THESE ARE GOVERNMENT PROJECTS FINANCED BY TAXPAYERS.ANY GOVERNMENT THAT WILL COME AFTER 90 DAYS WILL COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS, EXCEPT FOR THOSE CORRUPTLY GIVEN TO PF CADRES.

    • Well said,they found the chiawa bridge and claimed credit as it it came from their personal pockets.You will pay for you lies

  20. This makes a very sad chronology of events that happened to our President prior to his passing. As I reflected on the same, the question that came to mind was, did he have to through all this in the name of being hard working man? Couldn’t those he worked with been compassionate to allow him to rest ?
    I liked what Dora Siliya said about MCS “you admire his tenacity, but behind that tenacity was a human being”
    This is what those close to him did not consider, there is no doubt that Mr. Sata was a very hard working man, who wanted to do a lot and I mean a lot for Zambia, it’s seems he was never satisfied as long as poverty was still among Zambians, but he was a man of flesh and blood. He was a man who was subject to human infirmities like any one of us, he was not a superman but he was a…

  21. but he was a man. I remember when he addressed the national assembly not too long ago; a number of us shed tears because of his physical frailty. One Member of Parliament said “these people (PF) are cruel, how do they allow the president to come in this condition?” From that time on wards a number of people spoke about the President needing to rest-Elias Chipimo , Nevers Mumba, HH and many other compassionate Zambians. None of these call came from any of those close to him instead there were very apprehensive when ever somebody spoke about the health of the head of state. This is unfair, MCS deserved better than what he got, they should have made him to rest so that he spent all his time with those close to him, his wife, children and granny children and kept away from public speculation…

  22. and the press. We all could have known that he is recuperating and direct our politicking to one who could assumed presidential duties. The man suffered in trying to make Zambia better, but not to this extent. Remember he was no superman but a man.

  23. We should morn about the loss of our dear leader. But the Presidential Press Unit, and his close advisors must be prosecuted after this funeral. Imagine the lies, the incredible pressure and the pain of long flight hours they subjected the president even against medical advise that he remain stationed at one place. New York to Lusaka route is extremely taxing to a normal and healthy human being. Imagine what that did to the president’s waning life. George Chellah, especially will need to be jailed. He was the chief liar.

  24. PF is just a bunch of shameless liars from head to toe. Now we have the chief liar at the helm.(90 days) is too long for these tired liars.

  25. Nga twashika – this catalogue of lies must be republished so we can begin to ask the questions of every one who deliberately lied to us.

  26. Leaders should learn to tell their people the truth even in such sensitive matters. What did they achieve by lying now that the old man is no more. We are all mortal, whether peasant or rich and powerful that’s how God made us all equal in his eyes.

  27. We need to set up peoples tribunal to try these liars starting with Scot the truth must come out they have caused the death of our beloved president

  28. That’s the only problem with Zambians, you can play around with the like a child, tomorrow they forget and even trust you, they forget so fast! Scott has no regard for Zambian people as has been evidenced on many occasions. Come on Zambia, do you forget that last year he was even made to apologize in parliament on the insults he made on the Lozi’s ?

  29. There should be no relenting over the irresponsible lies that the nation was subjected to. It took us back to the dark ages and the secretive days of the communists – this time at the expense of someone’s health, and ultimately life. I was and am still at odds with what the PF govt. stood for and how it performed, but my sentiments here have to do with how the extent of selfishness and self-aggrandisement led to having a human being pushed to plod along in very poor health.

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