Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati says he will never insult the integrity of the Zambian people.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing held at his office this afternoon, Mr. Mutati said his statement that the people of Zambia would not understand the ZAMTEL Valuation Report was not meant to insult the integrity of the people.
Mr. Mutati explained that what he meant was that the people would only understand fully the matter after government makes a presentation of a comprehensive statement to parliament immediately it resumed sittings next month.
He said a comprehensive statement would highlight the details of the RP Capital Valuation Report and other details pertaining to the sale of ZAMTEL.
Mr. Mutati said his statement was based on how people might find it trick to understand the motive behind government’s sale of the country’s telecommunications company before a detailed comprehensive statement is made available to the public through parliament.
And Mr. Mutati disclosed that government decided to sell ZAMTEL because it was financially ill.
He said government did not have money to recapitalize the company because it was not budgeted for in the 2010 national budget.
He said the money that was needed to recapitalize ZAMTEL amounted to over US$200 million which he says government could not afford.
He noted that the only option government had was to find an investor who would inject money needed to revive normal operations of the company, which he says was a good idea because government will now receive dividends and taxes, as opposed to recording zeroes before it was sold.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mutati said the Zambia National Commercial Bank, ZANACO, is currently performing well in the wake of its privatization.
He said government has been benefiting well from ZANACO through dividends and taxes it receives from the investor in the commercial bank since it was privatized.
[ QFM ]
There you go! you are doing it again insulting our intelligence— Now we’ve even become deaf, is that what you are saying Mr. Mutati Sir???? Just apologise to the Zambian people we know what you said and we respect you enough to forgive you for that miniskirt you made, oooh sorry mistake. :-\”
Mr. Mutati you insulted our intelligence, admit it! You think we can’t understand valuation issues. Some of us are trained accountants, we eat and drink these things. You think it’s only you,Shikapwasha, Mulongoti, Dora, Vera, Mangani and RB who can understand these things.Elo lwanya!
Yes just appologise. I fail to onderstand what you are trying to say. As a Catholic you should strive to serve the people through humility
Damage control..its too late mdala
don’t complicate things even more or else RB will react ka apologize to the nation sir :(:(:(:(:(
Typical gutter journalism and the TIZ fell for this without even checking the facts. How naive for them
Too late mate you can never chase after a word after it comes out of your mouth – you play and insult the people in Zambia not us who know you foolish chap!
Mutati is slow.He does not understand the sale and he thinks other Zambians won’t understand it. He is going along with RB’s highway robbery.He is the getta-way driver,a retard for that matter.Mukapia after 2011.
11,999,977 Zambians, less 23 Cabinet Ministers, are dull. The Gospel according to St. Mutati.
Ati mwe maZambians mulifikopo teti mwishibe insamushi.
Correction: 12 million Zambians, less 23 Cabinet Minister, fikopo, which means 11,999,977 Zambians fikopo.
zambians lets be sensible and not critisize just for the sake of doing so.most of u *****s on this claim all sorts of intelligence judging by your comments,the avarage zambian would not perhaps understand terminonology in the contract and thats what he meant if u r intelligent enough to read in between the lines.
An unequivocal apology is in order from the Honourable Minister. Glad he was quick to clear the air, but an apology will put the issue to rest.
I knew the POST took the statement out of proportion. Mr. Mutati has clarified here and his statement here seems reasonable.
#11 if you pick up a novel to read it, can you claim that you understood all the words used in it. If you are honest the answer is NO. So, in this case you consult a dictionary or a colleague to tell you what a certain word means. The same thing applies to the report of ZAMTEL sale. We can ask those who know what certain terms mean and in the process learn, ourselves. So, RB is planning to further insult Zambians by explaining the sale of zamtel in parliament when he never took the sale of zamtel to parly to be debated? This is again insulting peoples’ intellegency.
Dear Mr. Mutati,
Kindly know that political office is earned by favour and not merit. There are so many Zambians who are more inteligent than the whole of RB’s cabinet put together. This is the reason MMD does things the way they do coz they are now convinced Zambians are all dull. Mumfumbwe, no action, Dora issue, no action, Dr. Musonda, no action….behind doors Mutati and his cronies just laugh at how inteligent they are than the rest of the DULL zambians. No wonder Shikapwasha says the things he does coz Zambians are dull anyway!
Mutati you are an average IQ person, U cant match alot of many other zambians inlcuding mine.. What evaluation, we want the report, we have been demanding for it.. we shall do our own evelaution and make you answer in Parliment through someo of few intelligent MP or when time comes when you are kicked out of office..
Oh! my God Mutati should not compare Zanaco to this useless sale of Zamtel where there are cuts for concerned ministers such us Mutati, Lungwangwa, Dora and the big man RB. What HH wanted with the other well meaning opposition parties was zambians to have the largest shares in the company the way we did with Zanaco where zambians own 51% of shares and the foreign company owns 49%, as simpale as that. We know you guys in MMD you are a group of thieves who want to benefit from poor people. We have to learn from our past for us to make good decisions in future. Chiluba made grave mistakes by selling all companies to foreigner without consideration for zambians and those people just got our machines to invest in their countries. Shame on GRZ for repeating mistakes of Chiluba.
Mutati now I understand why when you are talking to an audience you present like someone citing a poem, most of your speaches are memorised in advance, hence when the press ask you a question you have no answers.
I don’t know what Mr. Mutati said or did not say, but one thing is starkly clear, whoever wrote the headline on this story CANNOT by any stretch of the imagination be very intelligent: “Zambia: I’ll never insult people’s intelligency – Mutati” Really? “Intelligency”? Zambian journalism!! It makes my stomach turn.
Zam-English all over Zambian blogs!! And you are surprised you are ruled and led by the leaders you have? What is “Intelligency”?
Ok, but what was wrong with saying so clearly like this: ‘The full report will be made available to Zambians through parliament when it opens.’ 14 words. But you went on to talk about precedents etc etc. Why cant politicians just say things simply?
Are reports pertaining to privatisation of public assets not governed by Parliamentary instruments or Laws and not by how complicated or easy to understand they are? I thought they are rules and laws already in place to deal with these issues. Someone needs to be prosecuted if they are simply sidestepping laws meant to regulate such a vital area as PRIVATISATION OF NATIONAL ASSETS.
Not even in advanced countries are all people expected to understand PRIVATISATION ISSUES, but governments in these countries do not behave like criminal syndicates out to make personal fortunes. If the whole process of privatising ZAMTEL was as clean as RB claims, why in the h.e.l.l is govt so reluctant to let Zambians form their own independent opinions by releasing the report?! COME ON NOW!!!!!
This whole thing stinks. He thinks admitting to their failures to prioritize well and run Zamtel efficiently justifies the lack of transparency behind their dealings. Of course not every Zambian may understand every detail in the report but that does not give Mutati and and his thieving friends the right to sell the nations property in secrecy. This is a move to buy time and cover tracks and it ‘reaks’. Anyone that knows these guys personally understands that they are convinced they belong to a class of foreign educated untouchables more intelligent than the poor they are supposed to serve. As if it weren’t enough that they use their positions to further empower themselves with unjustifiable perks for a country this poor they also insult our intelligence. Being transparent is not…
Being transparent is not complicated. His justification of his earlier comments is even worse than the comments. On one hand he makes it clear that this government lacks the foresight to put aside a measly 200 million dollars (measly because every year cabinet ministers waste that money on themselves), while on the other hand he wants to say Zambian’s, while unable to understand/follow their dealings on the Zamtel deal will all of a sudden acquire that ability when this is presented in parliament. At this rate, we will never progress, the Mutatis’ though, will never even have to understand what it is to be poor and Zambian for their families do not have to put up with our healthcare, terrible schools, expensive internet for their children are abroad and we pay for it.
Sir you cannot hide from what you said. It is clear that you insulted everyone. Mind you some of these people you insulted are by far more educated than you and they can understand things in a far much better way than you and your Ministry. So don’t think you can get away with this. You seem not to understand what the whole issue is all about yourself. My advise is:Do not talk when you cannot understand what you want to talk about. Talking is not all about empty rhetorics but coordinated thinking. You seem not to have passed you comprehension classes at school.
ABENA-Surely no one else will comment better than what you have said. I especially like that bit where you say “while on the other hand he wants to say Zambian’s, while unable to understand/follow their dealings on the Zamtel deal will all of a sudden acquire that ability when this is presented in parliament.” I know the Mutatis. They are both humble and well to do. May be Felix was “forced” to say what he said by some one above.
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MMD Chief Bootlicker what is so ‘typical gutter journalism’ about this:
Mutati regrets his statement on Zamtel evaluation report
COMMERCE minister Felix Mutati yesterday regretted his statement that Zambians would not understand the government’s sale of Zamtel from valuation report and asked that they listen to the “rational explanation from the government”. (Quote from the Post).
Nothing better than a man who can apologise andI will not flog a dead horse! So I shall not make any comments about you or Mutati.
Mr mutati Just apologise to the Zambian people we know what you said and we respect you enough to forgive you for that miniskirt you made.There highly educated people that understand what valuation issues are.
Just admit it that you did not intend to insult the zambian people’s intensity.
Dectactorship is better than democracy. Dectactorship the leader makes decissions and implements and no one questions, while democracy we spend millions of hours debating to find a solution yet even when a solution is found you again start following procedures that never end.
Zamtel is privatised and this was a better solution, period. Whether you read the report or not whether you will understand it or not, it wont change anything.
I for one has never been an admirerer of MUTATI. He memorises speechers which i doubt he understand himself.Its not about Zambians not understanding the report, its about transparency. I think we ve got a great chunk of people that have passed through HAVARD & YALE pa ZED. People like him ve undergone the adult correspondency ‘thing’ which is not that bad, but he as an individual must not think he will understand it more than his fellow more educated zambians at home & in the diaspora. It is the civil servants and private sector who owe the few uneducated Zambians the intepretation of such reports. Some of them make these reports not him.
We however, know most the irregularities which you r trying to keep us in the dark. Rise & Fall.
Bootlicker doesnt even understand his own words too.
It’s tricky, folks. Some how you need to understand the situation. Not everything was done in bad faith and not everybody acted in bad faith. As a seller of a wreck of a car, would it be in your interest to avail a workshop report to potential buyers? Yes, transparency is a virtue but not to the level of nakedness!
#29, ba King Cobra, which school did you graduate from? Your spelling and grammar is appalling! You can’t even use the default spell-check that LT provides? Mule tusebanya ku US uko mwaba, mukabwele pls!
@29 KING COBRA(SATAN)-This is the most unreasonable of your blogs i ve read. Shall we keep our hands closed because nothing can be done, & who says nothing cant be done? Shall will accept anything that people we put in power choose to do whether wrong? I like MARTIN KING LUTHER JR, we wont be silenced by any type of threats, will stand with our black skin & one day change will come. Like in 1991, change came. We r not cowards, we ve broken through a lot of resistance & we believe this is just but a passing time. We want someone who will have the plight of civil servant, the sick, our universities and our economy. Dictatorship comes in many forms, this is one we are seeing in ZED. Leaders hide in the fact that ZED is a christian nation & peaceful, but can do with looting & corruption.
I heard what this man said on Qfm and frankly, it was disappointing. The journalist asked about the valuation report and Mutati brushed him off, claiming the report was just ‘figures which Zambians won’t understand’. As a professional in the finance field, I felt personally insulted. I have better qualifications than Mutati and if he could understand the report, so could I. Or may be what he was saying is that even Cabinet did not understand the report? Then they should have called in professionals to do it. To claim that he was misquoted is a blatant lie which he needs to apologise for again. As the BBc guy said, Zambians forget easily. Some of you are even willing to shift the blame on reporters. Mutati must come out with a sincere apology. This is malabishi!
I think Mutati must be recommended that at least once in the Zambian political and privatisation history a valuation report will be presented to Zambians though through parliament. Let’s just wait for the report otherwise from my humble education I think the value was ok for a company which has negative assets (more liabilities than assets).
The valuation report is subject to various interpretations, hence to understand it you must go MMD’s version, my foot!
when did mutati become intelligent with his kama ACCA paper obtained through struggling
This is what chiluba did by saying lets create zambians to be christians and make zambia a christian nation and steal from them…inside him buying pairs of shoes as if he will never see shoes in his life.What a bad example of being a pesi
Zambian’s lets wake up…u see your bose stealing and the company closes u do not do any thing.Every zambian contributes money to the operation of the government and we have the right to know fools…the government minister thinks zambian do not know how to add 1+1=2 or count upto 20 and yet we have schools in zambia plus the basic english used in reports to mean the same 1+1=2
A person like chiluba should not be tolelerated even to walk the streets after stealing so much and making zambians christians fools what a country and what bad model.fo
At least Zambia know what MUTATI thinks about them. In Zambia politicians are only servants of the people before they are elected into office, thereafter they become so BIG headed you wonder.
I ve always known Felix to be a nice guy.Felix,Its good you retracted yo statement.Thats a plus for you my man.Let RB groom this guy for plot one job.
I am just speechless here. This is like saying saying “I cant insult you %&*(#$!”
#14. peter! my foot! how can you compare a reading a novel and reading privatisation valuation report?:-?
The only way to do that is to think like sata,Drop out of school in grade 2.. spent most of your life in wilderness and come back to your senses and try to sit for a degree exams:-\”
don’t also forget that zamtel problems were created when Sata and chiluba were in power and these guys were creaming off zamtel funds to use in the opreration of MMD. lol:-?
Ha ha intelligency is very trick to understand, it’s a bit like investimenty, if we don’t like it we are called unintelligenty
#17 uli to le sana anso uli chitusha. who told you that Zambians own 51% of ZANACO. shame on you go consult the records. 25% shareholding of Zamtel carries more veto powers than the 49% shares that GRZ and ordinally Zedians have in ZANACO. all you bloggers opposing the sale mali mafutu and you are shallow in mind like your pact leaders. you cant equate you parochial mentality to that of the all knowing Mutati
I thought Mutati was the only thing that had have the brains of a human being in MMD. But alas.. I was wrong!![-(
you realise that SataN was the architect of the downfall of Zamtel and today this ignorant pact leader wants to claim to be an angel. this is the more reason why i say all followers of the pact are as atupid and foolish as the grade 2 dropout who suddenly has a degree from matero university. shame on you ba figili. tamwakatekepo ichalo pafikamba pact or no pact we will wack the hell out of you
#47 Alinaswe..good! at least you can see through all these lies from the ground (from within zambia) great job my brother, keep at it!
Iwe ka # 11 wabe toloshi. What terminology is beyond the comprehension of all the literate Zambians? leave us out of your own ignorance Chimbwi. Because ichisungu chilakushupa ninshi ni bonse? Mutati is one of the sensible ministers we have (at least thats what i think) and it was plain WRONG for him to say what he said.
#37 che leo dont expose your ignorance. Hon mutati got his acca from uk when acca was acca not this acca you are picking from weird schools. ba mutati obtained his within record time. the mutatis are among the most blessed family in zambia. they have engineers doctors nurses accountants. that you cant take from them
Tekeni bola panshi
#40 Villager,no RB can not groom this guy for plot 1 for he was already groomed by Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. Which means he is far better than RB, this is the kind of man who can make a good president. he has humility, he accepts when his wrong, he stand for what is right. And he knows that democracy is power from the people who put him there. He has respect for the people of Zambia that’s why he was able to retract his statement. have you ever heard RB retract a statement all RB would say is that his stubborn. Honourable Mutati this is a good move. With such a move you will continue to have respect from the citizenry of our country & even in the many offices or jobs you represent or work on, that are in foreign countries. Bravo,it takes courage & humility come to out in public to…
Continuiation from #52….to apologise to people and accept that he was wrong.
I remember Mutati from that once-a-time excellent Catholic school. I’m glad he at least recognizes he has erred. This shows he is still a cut above what has become the usual in this MMD government. I’d have categorized him as great if he had just apologized without adding the waffling thereafter. The waffling makes us suspect he is also becoming dirty.
:((:((:(( Mutati is as dirty as RB and the sons, trust me if u understand investimate brokerage then u will know that Mutati as been paid a lot of money on the Sell and RB boys got a success fee from the buyer plus 10% on the valuation with 2.5-5% of the profits of ZamTel for the lifetime of ZamTel. Thats serous money peoples, we not even see this funds, Kafupi was stupid his sons had no education sense. RB sons are kind off educated so they are smart enough to grab the cake before the eyes of the poor Zambians. This is lession 101 ans a 3hr credits:d/:d/:d/:d/
:d/:d/ am geting bad with spellings I meant “investiments” I guess we are a educated cloud u understand, ha! am an engineering student, fi math natu physics!!:)>- I do software development for seorus investiment companies, thus i know these things!:)>-:)>-
34 muli sense mu fyebo fyobe!!!:)>-:)>-
Thanks Chafukwa. Like I said this thing stinks and what you say might explain their trying to buy time aba bakabolala. Some people think that if someone has more humility than the everyday Zambian minister then we should turn a blind eye to his/her thieving ways. Others want to make it about Sata, not understanding that a wrong deed is simply that, a da*mn wrong deed. And so to counter the argument that Sata contributed to the fall of Zamtel, we simply don’t care who it is that steals from us, we are trying to curb the trend by punishing the perpetrators and frankly trying to salvage the little that remains.
hahahah..iwe..what did u just say b4..?now u regret felix..?
You already insulted. Just say sorry i insulted you intelligence. PERIOD. All the respect we had for you has gone with just one careless statement!
This spineless bootlicker DID insult Zambians and he shall pay for it.
Its like the day KK called a journalist “Stupid *****” at the press conference. His end has come. He’s nothing without the people he’s supposed to be working for, the people who voted for him. He insulted Zambians instead of granting their wish to look at the agreement. Zamtel belonged to the people. Everything government has belongs to the people. We, the people, own Zambia. Its seems he forgot that. He will pay for it. No kind words for this insulting goon anymore.
“””KK’s words: “S-tupid I-diot”
The RP Capital evaluation cost Zambians US $12.8 million.
Its such a shame.
His initial comments were insulting as he rightly accepts & a simple apology would have stood, but to insinuate that he wasn’t trying to insult our intelligence, actually further cements his initial statement, & nullifies his apology!! This chap has always tried to play smart just as he did in Zesco, where his performance was questionable – his political ascendence is secondary to connections rather than apttitude & ability!!
An accountant of today is required to do calculations and explain the meaning of the figures to a wider audience.If mutate can’t do that ,he should go for a fresher course or better still resign.There are people who can do a good job than MMD(wolves).