Friday, March 29, 2024

President Michael Sata calls on Zambians to work hard and sacrifice in order to develop the country

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President Michael Sata
President Michael Sata

Zambians need to work hard and sacrifice in order for the country’s development agenda to propel forward, President Michael Sata has said.

Mr Sata said Governments decision to remove subsidies was meant to equitably spread the national cake to all Zambians

He said Government could not maintain the fuel subsidy at the expense of many Zambians especially those in rural areas wallowing in abject poverty hence the need to adroitly uplift their livelihood.

Mr Sata has since called for sacrifice and hard work among Zambians citing first republican President Kenneth Kaunda, freedom fighter Grey Zulu and others who greatly sacrificed for national development.

“Why should poor people particular those in rural areas continue to suffer? We can’t have fuel subsidies when majority of Zambians are living poverty. Removal of these subsidies are meant to benefit all Zambians to improve their welfare,” he said

Mr Sata was speaking in Lusaka yesterday when he officiated at the Inter-denominational Thanksgiving service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to commemoration this year’s Africa Freedom Day and the 50th anniversary of the African Union (AU).

This year’s commemoration theme is dubbed ‘Building on 50 years of African solidarity and striving towards peace, development and prosperity for all’.

President Sata said Zambians should learn to work hard like Dr Kaunda and Mr Zulu among other freedom fighters that fought hard and incalculably sacrificed their lives for the betterment of citizens.

He said the people of Zambia were currently enjoying a peaceful atmosphere because of Dr Kaunda and Mr Zulu remained disciplined, committed and focused to ensure Zambia was liberated.

He said there was need for people to remain prayerful, steadfast and committed to the work of God especially that Zambia was now 49 years after attaining independence from colonial masters.

“God is seeing all of us and all good things we do will come to us. Even you Diplomats, you should thank God for coming to Zambia as peaceful nation,” he said

President Sata read the second Bible reading taken from the book of Isaiah 61:1-3 while the first reading was conducted by Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia executive director Pukuta Mwanza from Leviticus 25:10-12.

And Rev Mwanza said commemoration of the Africa Freedom day was an important because it reminded people of the past and hence the need for Africans to look to the future with a new hope for continued peace in the continent.

“We pray with faith in a great God that he will enable us to surmount the probelsm we face and continue to overcome the challenges on our continent,” he said

Rev Mwanza said Africa was always treated as a silent partner in dealing with the West which had adverse effects on the development agenda of African continent.

He said the imposition of unfair demands of Africa governments had made it difficult for the AU agenda to be realised immediately though it had produced significant achievements in some areas.

And delivering a sermon during the fully packed church, Independent Churches of Zambia (ICOZ) chairperson Bishop David Masupa called on opposition leaders to offer positive and not negative criticism to Government.

He said it would not always help opposition leaders to negatively attack Government without calling for amicable solutions and dialogue to iron-out pressing matters.

Earlier, President arrived at the church around 13:35 hours and was received by Cabinet Minister among other Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba, Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Minister Christopher Yaluma and Defence chiefs.

As the Head of State was walking into the building, scores of Patriotic Front (PF) cadres sang songs of solidarity and police had a tough time to control the almost unruly cadres while chores members also sang melodiously inside the building.

Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini, acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda and other Cabinet and Deputy Minister also participated in the prayers.

Among politicians in attendance were National Restoration Party president Elias Chipimo who called for continued peace and harmony among Zambians while People’s Party leader Mike Mulongoti was grateful for unity and peace prevailing in the country.

68 COMMENTS

    • His calling on zambians to sacrifice! is he himself sacrificing?
      Am calling on you sir to sacrifice alittle by cutting down your salary by 80 percent…

    • This man is not normal. Can he explain how the poor will benefit from the removal when mealie meal prices are skyrockting? And why shud we sacrifice when he himself is not leading y example by cutting his cabinet and reducing his salary? This man is insane to say the least.

    • 1. It is true that today’s Zambian is very LAZY and this habit must go in order for us to develop. We should embrace a serious cultre of discipline and hard work.
      2. But it is also true that progress and development can only be achieved when COMPETENT and COMMITTED people work hard.

      Therefore SATA himself must lead by example. Don’t appoint incompetent people just for appeasement & when they mess up you fire them or move them to other portfolios while service delivery suffers. Employ the right people with the right attitude towards work, and allow them to bring in a new culture of discipline, hard work and commitment to duty! Please break up those super ministries like Transport, Works & Supply and Communications – this model of saving money is expensive through failure to deliver…

  1. Power consolidation for sure, President Northern Province, Speaker Northern/Luapula province, Chief Justice Northern Luapula!
    I know bloggers would condemn me for sporting tribalism, but facts are facts! Sata is the biggest tribalist I have ever seen. Preserve the unity and fabric of one Zambia One Nation, for we only have one country and it belongs to all!

    • aint you embraced to even use the name of a respected past Zambian singer while uttering total rubbish.
      How many times has Sata tried to work with the opposition like UPND but they refuse and when he appoints its members they are fired?
      Dont be ignorant.

    • @Rootkit
      Sata working with the opposition??!!!!! for whose benefit??? for Sata or for the people on the ground????

    • @ndobo, yes Rootkit is right. You guys in UPND have not liked the man. And you are the same guys who used to say Chibamba Kanyama should never take up the position of ZNBC DG.

      You forget so easily. What say you my friend?

    • @ 2, PEOPLE LIKE YOU BELONG TO THE STONE AGE!!! ANOTHER SHAMELESS LIAR THINKING WITH TRIBE!!! IS THE SPEAKER FROM LUAPULA?!! DON’T USE THIS SITE TO DELIBERATE MISLEAD PEOPLE…! DIC.K HEAD!!!!!

  2. Someone just whispered that there’s another accident in Chibombo. Yet to find out about the details.

  3. ZAMBIANS TO WORK HARD SO THAT THE POLITIANS CAN BECOME MORE AND MORE RICHER POOR ZAMBIANS HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD BUT WITHOUT ANY BENEFIT.

    • Do you recall that similar calls came from that late Kaponya of a president for Zambians to tighten up their their belts for the sake of the future while he was enjoying himself in Las vegas with prostitutes and stealing our resources? This is not different from Sata’s calls. We ll sacifice while he is enjoying himself on brandies with Christine in State house.

    • @ Kabwamba Chilende, WITH SUCH OPEN TRIBALISM/ HATE YOU CHAPS CANNOT BE ENTRUSTED WITH POWER TO LEAD THIS COUNTRY!! OR PEOPLE WILL START RUNNING AROUND! A TOTAL I.D.O.T WAS ON TV THE OTHER DAY AS USUAL TALKING RUBBISH ABOUT SUBSIDIES!! NO ONE POINTED OUT THAT HE WAS AN I.D.I.O.T – JUST OUT OF RESPECT! YET YOU WANT TO INSULT AN INNOCENT PRESIDENT! WABA ITOLOSHI , STAN NEW YORK ALL!

  4. Set an example ba Kateka. You and your government officials are enjoying and then you say i must sacrifice. Typical animal farm behavior!!

  5. Now I understand what people mean when they say he has an uncoordinated style of leadership. Sorry! the man might have dementia or Parkinson’s disease. He is neither here nor there.

    Sata once said, ‘I would like to thank my mother, my father and my parents for raising me this way,

    Enjoy! at least you have a comedian for a president. Free shows everyday. Wait a second…. where is his clown Guy Scott? He doesn’t even need a clown’s attire as he is a natural born clown. Muzungu opusa maningi ngako!

    • @ 8, what else can we do??? You are already confused!!! Just seek medical attention….! I’m sure soon you will be able to talk sense.

    • I say it all the time! Dementia, these are the symptoms and am not lying. Thats why i dont really hate this guy coz he is sick and sickness of the brain protects u from taking responsibility for your actions. You can see the glazed look in his eyes which shows that most times he is not in this reality.

  6. I think perception is everything. In fact the cost of running a bloated cabinet and inducing by elections could be less that what is spent on subsidies, but perception is key here.

    The Government is not perceived to be making sacrifice and working hard, how can you expect that from Zambians? The Government need to be seen to be making the sacrifice before the people can follow. Leaders lead and people follow, so lead in making sacrifice and the whole nation will follow. That is the issue now

  7. Its veru embarassing to defend the president lately. He is increasingly becoming annoying. How much hard have we worked and sacrificed while him and his colleagues are feasting on tax payers money? Man of action, my foot!

  8. Tell us the projected revenue from the cut subsidies and tell us clearly how it will be used. I hate general statements like “this will bring development”. what specifically?

  9. …ati “Mr Sata said Governments decision to remove subsidies was meant to equitably spread the national cake to all Zambians” almost vomited while reading this rubbish from the chief thief himself.His wealth is ill gotten his ministers from his old corrupt uncle is a thief.While unproductive Muchinga is developing the cash cow NWP is blacked out.St.upit man.Dirty corrupt old thug.

    • @ 15 Ng’ombe, The one who CLEARLY has ill gotten wealth is some i.d.o.t with a forged economics certificate called HH who becoming stinking rich out of selling our country’s mines for a song!!! Shame on the bastard- today he even boasts that he very rich out of corruptly liquidating our precious mines and parastatals!!

  10. Sata please get lost. You’ve increased your salary by 100 per cent. Appointed half the MPs as Ministers and Deputy Ministers. Appointed 3 to 4 Permanent Secretaries in every Ministry. All these maggots are also getting 800 litres of fuel per month. You’ve stuffed all Zambian foreign missions with your relatives and relatives of your sycophants. Embassies that used to have 15 personnel now have 80 to 100. All these maggots are been sustained by poor Zambian taxpayers and consumers. Sata yours is a criminal and irresponsible regime. Get lost!

  11. Anyway, we are yet to hear from the masses in poor rural areas how the removal of subsidies will improve their lives as we watch the ruling PF throw billions of kwacha in the water on useless byelections. Why should we sacrifice when the rich in parliament are playing with our money evry month. If Sata had said, we will first of all halt all byelections with immediate effect, remove subsidies to save so much per month/ year (in figures) and then with the money saved (in figures) we will build per province (not Muchinga Province only as is usual) universities, hospitals and schools starting this time (and within 3-5 years we will build all these institutions), then there would have been sense. There would have been no need of byelections because even the clever southerners would vote for…

  12. There would have been no need of byelections because even the clever southerners would vote for PF

  13. There would have been no need of byelections because even the clever southerners would vote for PF because they are delivering. But the PF chooses to have us sacrifice as they play with our money because they are not planning to use our money for development but play. They know they dont want to really deliver and would still be at risk of being booted out once we have a people driven constitution that will bring accountability and transparency; and this is their nightmare.

  14. This man is a bastard! Surely Sata himself failed to sacrifice & for that matter because of his GREEDINESS & dementia forgot that he had increased his salary & allowances, he raised his salary TWICE IN YEAR

    He is an imbecile, he forgery himself who can not read let alone remember his signature! He is a foreigner from Tanzania whose father settled in Mpika!

    This madman & unintelligent criminal who deserve death by hanging in front of Statehouse wants us Zambians to sacrifice when himself failed to sacrifice!

    Surely Sata & his criminal imbecile PF crooks of ministers should know that Zambians have sacrificed enough

    We Zambians honestly do not even know how the 750 Million was used by this satanist bastard

    Your time Sata will soon come when u will hang in front of Statehouse

    • @ 21 You are just another primitive thinking useful i.d.i.o.t!!!! You, and your smelling tribalism should go and hang in hell!!! You are simply decampaigning this free marson ( it lies that it goes to SDA) that you so much blindly support!

  15. This time around I am not going to sacrifice, it has been too much of this man called Mr.Sacrifice. Why should he always knock on the doors of us the poor while those serving in government do not even want to meet him?

  16. Which prayers can satanist Sata & Chief Injustice Chibesakunda can pray?They are luck there is no God, because if God was there, these bastards would have been the first to be struck off from the register at State house!

    Nevertheless we the Zambians people are coming to sort you out *****BASTARDS Chimpanzees! Who are so greed u cannot think properly in you broken DEMENTED heads!

    Which sacrifice did communist evil murderer UNIP Dictator sacrificed & for who?

    Kaunda took out Zambians Billions of Kwacha including Gray Zulu who was a companion in the murders that Kaunda inflicted on Zambians!

    I hate to hear about UNIP & Kaunda for destroying Zambia’s economy!

    Sata should give even ZAMTEL back to the private sector because he has employed his relatives there!

  17. Each time Sata & his stupid PF ministers open their mouth, they are only annoying Zambians!

    Nothing productive is coming out of their mouth!

    Its like they have FOUL SMELLING DIARRHOEA coming out from the other side!

    What a shame & sham of leaders of PF criminal cadres!

  18. The most foolish man on earth. He wants us to sacrifice when he is busy inducing bye elections, creating districts & appointing DCs everyday without budgeting.
    Zambia is this state becoz we have a leader who knows no order. He is allergic to orderlines. He is too uneducated to run an organised organisation. you cant just wake & remove subsidies. take ur time.

  19. MR PRESIDENT!!! BEFORE CALLING ON POOR ZAMBIANS TO WORK HARD, IN THIS CORRUPT ENVIRONMENT?? PLEASE LEAD BY EXAMPLE, START WITH MP’s TO REDUCE THEIR EXPENSES, CORRUPTION AND WORK FOR THE PEOPLE. WE DO NOT SEE THAT AT ALL. YOU ARE NOW SPENDING BILLIONS ON BY-ELECTIONS., BECAUSE YOU ARE SELFISH AND WANT TO ACQUIRE MORE MP’s IN PF. IF YOUR INTEREST IS TRULY TO SERVE ZAMBIANS?? THEN STOP DEFECTIONS, STOP BY ELECTIONS AND USE THE RESOURCES WISELY TO DEVELOP ZAMBIA. !!!!. SAD TO SEE ABUSE OF POWER AND ASKING ZAMBIANS TO WORK HARD.

  20. Zambia will never develop and PF is not the kind of leadership which can bring development. U need to have an encounter with only one minister to believe this!! Just reinstate the subsidies tulilepo tuyonawile. chalo cesu bonse

  21. We are done sacrificing !!! You have gone too far calling us to sacrifice in order to maintain your 80+ cabinet salaries and unnecessary by-elections which you intend to use against us !!! Who the hell told you that you are now an emperor of Zambia??? Remember you are talking to a who lot of hungry mouths out their !! Can you convincingly explain how the removal of those f..king subsidies is going to help my poor grandparents in KwaNaBwalya, NP? You sound retarded, which you are !!!

  22. Kolwe iwe satana why do ask poor Zambians to sacrifice when you old sick man and your dog selling children can not even drive to the airport instead you fail in a chopper with policemen dotted all around the route burning fuel for a sick i.diot like you.Humble yourself ,drive,cut your colossal salary and those your useless ministers Ps and your retarded diplomats.You failed president!

  23. if the idea is gud, y is the direct beneficiary (the poor) failin to undstand wt benefit thy r getin 4m buyn a bag of mealie meal at k80?

  24. Double their salries like you did to yours iwe kolwe.

    Were you sacrificing when you doubled your salary?

  25. And if i may ask you Bbwana SATA, what are you sacrificing in this case coz you are a Zambian too?

    you were vocal during the Mwanawasa time calling him to cut down his salaries and he did…. the first thing you did is increase you salary…. too much of opening your mouth and not doing what comes out of it yourself….!

    LEAD BY EXAMPLE:

  26. The quality of the comments on this blog leaves much to be desired. Over 90% are either insulting or tribal. We cant you make your points without insulting or exposing your bigotry? Truth be said there is a lot of laziness in Zambia which we need to get rid of and get people more productive.

  27. How do you, firstly, sacrifice where there are no jobs? You can only sacrifice if you have job opportunities. But this government is busy with costly bye-elections jut to have the majority in parliament.

    Firstly, the government should lead in sacrificing not just the electorates. The electorates have sacrificed enough by voting PF into Government, now they (voters) availed with opportunities so that they show their sacrifice.
    Sacrifice should not be defined as just voting political parties into government and continue supporting government when they fail to deliver within 90 days what they promised the electorates.

  28. The problem with these guys in gov’t, is that they seem to assume that they are directors in a FTSE 100 company AND forgetting they are merely public servants serving at our expense. If Sata trimmed his bloated cabinet and reduced his salary it would be such a PR coup that even people against would at least take him seriously. Unfortunately they are too greedy and too out of touch for such gestures. Its very hard for neutrals to support your policies if you are incoherent in your statements…Obama and François Hollande reduced their salaries to support their policies and arguments. One also has to refer to Miles and Wynter on TV last evening, both contradicting each other and telling lies to the public.
    We deserve better than this!!

  29. HE. PRESIDENT FAILURE SATAN. CNP INDEED. Sacrfice for what? At least we been sacrificing and we have seen change in MMD and that happened without the romoval of subsdies, howw did they MMD managed? You laughed at them but why are you failing to the extent of removing subsdies? This excersise will not affect your families because you have just increased your salaries twice in a year by 100%, you will be able to afford a bag of mealie meal and free fuel. Bakabwalala imwe you will see in 2016, just wait and see.

  30. MMD left 2billion USD in reserves, knowing where that money is a good start.

    850 million USD Euro Bond is another one, we really want to sacrifice Mr President, but we want to know how you are spending our money.

    80+ Minister payroll cost, can you justify to the Zambia people why you need such a big payroll cost.

    If you can announce to the Zambian people the end of by election tomorrow, that will go along way.

  31. Ba Sata we voted for you to protect our interests but there you are increasing your salaries, you cabinet and by-elections then you ask us to sacrifice. Lead by example sir. We can’t believe you on this one sir

  32. 1.Go to UTH all of you for your medical treatment and not India.
    2.Ask Mmembe and Nchito to pay back k15 Billion.
    3. Send Chakopa back to Malawi now.
    4.Reduce your government by 80%.
    5.Stop buiding yourself a house
    6.Reduce your salary by 60%
    7.Useless By elections to be funded by a political party that induces MPs to resign not from tax payers cash.

  33. I hate what President Sata has just said.

    It is an insult to Zambians and a tired excuse of failing Zambian Presidents.

  34. Mr Sata, that is hypocritical ! You start first, and by the way, start by reducing the most biggest government in the history of zambia. You are a snake, you want the already sacrificing to sacrifice what? their soul?

  35. I’m pretty sure Zambians are some of the hardest working people. In the village, they are working hard at farming. And the women work extra with cooking, cleaning, washing, getting firewood, etc. In the compounds, they are busy working several jobs or looking for work. And sacrifice, they are used to that. Sacrificing school fees for food. Sacrificing by choosing one family member to go to the clinic instead of another. Sacrificing transport to walk long distances. No, most Zambians know sacrifice. The ones who don’t are the ones who will be least affected by the loss of subsidies. You want sacrifice, Mr. President? Just go stay in Kanyama or Chibolya, and make choices such as those!

  36. His calling on zambians to sacrifice! is he himself sacrificing? he owes more than 200 houses in lusaka by himself and what has he done so far, shame so you Sir?

  37. ati ‘mumbwe ukulia, ninshi pali uko ashintila amatako’ sata is talking now because he is sitting on money. he is the commander in chief of the armed forces, he is the highest paid in the country. what he should wait for is the time when all this will be over and he shall dance to the tune. i will come and rule my beautiful country in the near future.

  38. Nigger please you start by telling the truth tell zambians that you dont know how to be a president and that he has failed terribly he think by being rude thats being a president but that just makes zambians more pissed

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