The royal establishment at Chief Sailunga’s palace has summoned Patriotic Front president Michael Sata to publicly apologise to the people of the chiefdom for touching the chief’s head when he was in hospital.
Spokesperson for the establishment Yakoba Pasela, who was the senior advisor and younger brother of the late chief, said at the palace yesterday that Mr Sata has been written to, but that he had not responded.
Mr Pasela said traditionally, it was unacceptable to touch the chief’s head as Mr Sata had done when the traditional leader was admitted to the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.
He said Mr Sata’s actions were wrong and disrespectful to traditional authority.
“If he fails to appear before the royal establishment, we will involve all chiefs in the district in this matter,” Mr Pasela, who was flanked by eight members of the royal establishment, said.
He said Mr Sata had apologised to him in Lusaka, but that the establishment is demanding a public apology since a picture of Mr Sata’s action was published in a local newspaper.
Meanwhile, Chief Sailunga, who died last Thursday, was buried at the royal grave at his palace yesterday.
Speaking after the burial, Local Government and Housing deputy minister Elijah Muchima said it is a sad that the people have lost a chief who was committed to development such as the Kabompo hydro-power project.
Mr Muchima appealed to the royal establishment to choose a mature, accountable and responsible person who can spur development in the area.
He said the successor should also be able to maintain harmony among the people.
Chief Sailunga was born Alphonso Pasela in 1932 in Mwinilunga.
He served in the then Zambia Police Force from 1951 to 1978 before being installed Chief Sailunga in June 1980.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
A lot of people (your critic) would expect you to refuse but please do the honourable thing, attend.
So this issue hasn`t been done and forgotten ? Anyway let him just go and face them he will lose nothing.It is amazing how some of the little innocent things pipo do in life ends up offending others:-?
ok. If they want him to apologise let him go there to apologise while doing up a rally so that he can get more supporters. But that chief may have asked Sata to check him the temperature and if he was asked by the Chief himself why speak for someone who was not against it. If the late chief had a problem with Sata he would have told the Public. So there is no need to apologise
you i.d.i.o.t villagers, can you please be more logical. why did you take your chief to the public hospital if you knew it was wrong to touch his f.u.c.k.i.n.g head? this is nonsense. soon the truth will be out. with or without touching his head, is he not dead?
I am astonished that people are still talking about this subject at the expense of vital developmental issues. Whats wrong with touching the head of the chief? What happens when he goes to the barber shop or has a problem the ear? no medical personnel touches it, are you saying? Sata do what those people want, you wont loose anything. This LT belongs to Movement for Mad Dogs – MMD.
The big question is, WHY HAS MMD FAILED TO IMPLEMENT THE DECENTRALISATION POLICY??
Those close to MMD know that their fear is that Councils will perfome better, especially the City and Municipal Councils which are under the opposition, and that would be a threat to the survival of MMD. This is the perception of those in MMD, its sad to have such shallow minded leaders that can hold back the development of the nation for their own benefit at the expense of the masses.
Finally, are the MMD controlled Councils doing better than those under the opposition?
Can MMD tell us why Councils they control e.g. Kaoma in Western Province, Milenge in Luapula and Isoka have had misappropriation cases (not misapplication)??
This is a bad sign. Sata touched his head, and the man is dead? Am sure the Cheif must have felt his charms leave him when Sata touched him, thats why the Chief complained. Please Sata do not go own touching people’s heads, you do not have the healing hand, it seems you have the hand of death. My condolences to the Cheif’s family, just forgive him from afar, because he will finish all of you when he comes to Solwezi.
Okay…who was attending to His Highness while he was bedridden…nurses maybe, because he was in hospital…times have changed, Chiefs never use to go to ‘hospitals’…they would have their medicine men attend to them-locked up in caves with herbs, no one ‘touching’-alas today, ni ku chipatala…everyone gets ‘touched’ either way…be it professionally or otherwise-ni ku chipatala[-(
Mwata Yakoba Pasela yobe chileya? Yenu ba Kalunda baku Mwinilunga this MMD are just using you for nothing Mr Sata and Chief Sailunga were friends when they were working together in Zambia Police Force in 1951. Why didn’t you demand for public apology from Sata before the chief died? The answer is because you knew that the deceased was not going to allow you to do that. Kwashamukwenu
Screw them! what are they going to do if he doesn’t go there? money make some people act s.t.u.p.id for sure.
So what would happen if the Doctor or nurse attending to the ailing chief touched his head?Would they also have to be summoned by the royal establishment?Zambians are complete jokers.Anyway continue wallowing in your poverty since it’s petty issues like this that concern you the most.
I suppose the POST thought he would look more inspiring or close if he touched the royal highness head, hence their commanding him to adopt the bammy pose. I hope he is NOT experiencing some paraesthesia on the annointing hand.
Joke of the day from the serpent………………..’i would have found the cure for HIV/AIDS had i remained the minister of health’………….read the POST story on Mr Sata’s campaign to find this claim.
#14 He would have indeed, all he had to do was touch the heads of all those who were HIV positive in those days, by now they would be no one alive with HIV. So he is not jocking when he says he would have found the cure, all he had to do was touch them, and they would be all dead. Zambia would be HIV free.
sorry that was for #13
Good Afternoon
We should not forget that our African culture has a complex system pertaining to rituals and body language in general. It is very easy to disregard African traditional authority just by the way one conducts himself towards them. And I think I also read before that in Japan, it is also an offence to touch a child’s head, because a body part of less importance (hand) is laid upon that of more importance (head).
In this light, I also agree with bloggers 1 and 2 – the man of valour loses nothing by apologising.
If he had to apologise with the words that his gesture was not willfully intended to dishonour the chief, I’m sure the apologies will be taken and the matter will end there.
#10 Have I missed something, what money are you talking about?
Yeah he should apologise to make these guys happy.Sata you wont lose anything
8-| It is wise to stop being cadres when looking at issues and give mature opinions 8-| Especially concerning policy issues. I know I’ve diverted from issue at hand but I strongly feel that there is need for us to REALLY STOP BEING CADRES:-w
there`s political pressure here.Honestly speaking if sata did cross the line oplology to the headmen, those appointed to help the chief in his duties would have been sufficient, but there is undue external political pressure to embarass the man. By the way this could have heppened anywhere becasue somebody is looking for every opportunity to nail this man. It`s refreshhing to noitce that bloggeres here are mature enough not to be tribal
ThEse villageRs must grow up in their heads. They say Sata apologised at the UTH, now why do they want him to apologise again? I think Sata dont do it , they want to make a fool of you. Its the work of the MMD in their desperation. SHAME ON YOU ALL.
Tokoloshi, you are bad, really bad !. Fixing by eliminination !! You could be a very good footballer. One look and it is a goal..
Sata ukushumfwa nomba wamona #13 that is indeed the joke of the day and PF cadres are busy buying that crap of of him finding AIDS cure when he is not even a medical doctor just like the 90 days economic miracle(Satanomics at its best).
I think Michael Sata has nothing to lose by issuing that public apology. I just wonder what else these people want. Sata is not from Mwinilunga, you do not expect him to know all the Lunda traditions. He made a mistake, and he apologized, what more should he do?
I suspect this Yakoba Pasela guy simply wants to be the next Chief Sailunga. It is a campaign strategy. He wants to present himself as a powerful guy, the one who made Michael Sata appear before the royal establishment. Isn’t that a great way to market oneself as a potential Chief?
# 13.. thats either madness or mbanje,
Ppl, ppl !!! We need to reflect seriously on this. Remember what goes around comes around because history has a tendency of repeating itself. Fast forward, looking into the future, after sata`s installation as the next president in 2011, somewhere along the line due to the pressures of the presidency, his heart issues recur and…. whemm!!…. the worst happens. What does this make us? a cursed nation? that makes us people of good intetions but making bad decisions? Am not stamping for RB. Infact I don`t believe the patience of Zambains putting up with the guy
Gapa’agapa says:
April 25, 2010 at 3:46 pmJoke of the day from the serpent………………..’i would have found the cure for HIV/AIDS had i remained the minister of health’………….read the POST story on Mr Sata’s campaign to find this claim.
I know you a chap you can’t get the meaning of that. SATA is trying to mock one of the Gvt official who failed to show up on Friday for campign. He is belied to have beeb evacuted t South.Work up come on guys
Chief Sailunga and Mr Sata were friends in Zambia Police Force f1951. Mr Yakoba Pasela why didn’t you tell Mr Sata to appolgies to the public before his friend died? Mwanta munakukeng’a bu chief?
Can RB also go and apoogise for wearing a white barret at the Kuomboka instead of a red one!
#27, so Mr Sata mocks illness? Is he NOT the same chap who was ‘evacuated’ less than 2 years ago? HIV or smoking related heart conditions, i think the problem is the same; lifestyle. Then Zambians will soon start mocking his patched-up heart too.
I thought RB should also appologise for mocking the Lozi culture by wearing a white headgear instead of a red one. I am saying this because someone complained.
But, this is not to say Sata shouldn’t appologise if appologising will make them happy.
What a guy. I think Sata is using this trick to get surmoned. This way he gets to talk to the chief’s subjects. Smart way of campaigning. People open your eyes. He’s not foolish to repeat the same mistake.
Abashi Presidential Candidates with tuma underlying medical issues. We do not want a sudden disruption of some good policies, put in place, taking us some steps backwards. All those aspiring for presidence should undergo full medical exams including stress tests. We can`t take this anymore, enough is in half.
He should also apologies to the Chewa Royal Establishment for touching the back hand of Gawa Undi’s spokesman. Good lord, what is this world coming to? The tribalization of Zambia has reached frightening levels and I blame all of this on Chiluba and Banda whose administrations have gone to great lengths to give these ancient relics recognition that they do not deserve. The pathetic antic Banda pulled before the Litunga, rowling on the ground begging for mercy and insulting Aka was the epic of them all. The NCC should have abolished them all, we are a republic and should have no room for masalamusi like these.
Would you have done the same if Bwezani touched him?
This is all Bu@#%hit! Cant the Govt papers talk about anything better? How about the stabbing of Kakoma in Mufumbwe? This story dont make any sense and the villagers should just eat the MMD money and forget
I agree with #16. Sometimes we must be serious with what we are doing. It should not be commedy every time.
MCS just go and apologise, at least these chiefs are not Chitimukulu.
there is nothing wrong in apolologising to the people offended.the only problem is ,the outcry is politically motivated.this is the biggest challenge zambia has .everything is seen in a political sense.it has become so worse that even the teachings of the church in RB govt is seen in the same vein -politics.this is a sad chapter for zambia .