PRESIDENT Lungu and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, yesterday held a high-level closed-door meeting at State House, which lasted for two hours.
Mr Lungu was accompanied by First Lady Esther, Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe, Lusaka Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta and Zambia’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe Ndiyoi Mutiti.
Other officials in President Lungu’s delegation were his special assistant for press and public relations Amos Chanda, special assistant for political affairs Kaizer Zulu and technocrats from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Commerce, Trade and Industry.
Mr Mugabe and his wife, Grace, received Mr Lungu and his delegation and immediately proceeded to the meeting.
And the President told journalists shortly after the meeting that he was happy to be in Zimbabwe and to confer with President Mugabe, whom he described as a statesman.
President Lungu said he is ready to learn and acquire knowledge from President Mugabe.
“I am here for the first time officially as head of State and I am getting used to the hospitality of President Mugabe and I can say he is an elder statesman in the region and he knows all the corners in the region and so I am learning from him,” Mr Lungu said.
And Mr Chanda said in an interview that the two leaders held talks on a number of issues affecting the region, including the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
“President Lungu has held a one-on-one conversation with President Mugabe. They reflected on a number of issues, including the unfortunate developments in South Africa.
“They are trying to agree on the interventions that can help bring to an end the xenophobic attacks that have broken out in some parts of South Africa,” Mr Chanda said.
Meanwhile, President Lungu is today scheduled to address the Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary summit of heads of State and government, whose focus is on industrialisation.
Mr Chanda said Mr Lungu’s address to the summit will focus on the finalisation of the industrialisation strategy and roadmap within the time-frame the SADC leaders agreed.
“The President will specifically address SADC and argue that countries like Zambia will need to increase value addition methods so that they can get the necessary benefits from the raw materials that they export,” Mr Chanda said.
He said President Lungu will further make an intervention and argue for close collaboration among SADC countries.
Mr Chanda said the President will emphasise on the need for increased trade among SADC member states so that growth can circulate in the region.
“The President will also argue the case for enhanced productivity and competitiveness and also address the issue of the tripartite free trade area.
“Particularly for Zambia, his main point will be to argue that structural and economic transformation in the region will only come about through increased private sector participation,” Mr Chanda said.
He said Mr Lungu will tomorrow travel for a State visit to Bulawayo, where he will officiate at the 56th Zimbabwe Trade Fair.
Is it too late for Lungu to learn that there’s nothing, zilch, nil, to learn from Mugabe? Mugabe has failed to develop Zimbabwe. That’s why there will very soon be more Zimbabweans abroad than those living in Zimbabwe. Don’t spend time with failures like Mugabe. Failure, like stupidity, are contagious. Why not spend more time with Khama of Botswana who is quietly running his country in a splendid fashion?
The lesson ECL is likely to learn from these encounters with Mugabe is on how to stay in power for as long as he pleases.
Zambia has progressed too much to go back to a Zimbabwe situation. There is too much for the people of Zambia to lose from that scenario. If President Lungu shows any signs of wanting to become another Mugabe, he will be voted out at the next elections in a very humiliating way
ECL: How can I cling to the presidence in Zambia?
Mugabe: Create problems and sort them out. Then people will think that you are working. Ha ha ha! You did well with the ZESCO issue.
Learning all the crooked ways no doubt! There is a very thin line between being a good leader and a dictator make sure you d o n’t cross it Mr Lungu.
Zambia is one of the few countries doing well. The only thing you can learn from Mugabe is how to stuff up a prosperous country in as short s time as possible!!
Let’s hope it’s NOT – :
1. How to become a rabid, ranting, raving, racist.
2. How to destroy a nation quickly.
3. How to turn 30% of citizens into economic refugees within a year.
I sincerely hope that all the good work that has been done in rebuilding Zambia since the Kaunda days, is not now going to be undone by some misguided political patriotism.
Africa, my africa, my mother, why do your sons continue raping you so mercilessly?
Oh God Africa has the largest number of worshippers (christian or moslem) but why do you keep on cursing her?
That should tell you that God is a fairytale and only exists in people’s brainwashed minds.
“Looking on are Zimbabwe’s First Lady Esther Lungu and Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe at State House in Harare”
Heheheehehehehehehehehehehehehee!
Zambians are dull. And you claim to have a president. Just take a close look at how the dude is wearing his neck tie. It totally defies presidential etiquette. It barely reaches his belly button. Just by looking at the man you know you have a reckless”Fontini” in the state house. This is all like a nightmare happening to Zambia. Wake up Zambians.
The man has ticked all the boxes on things you must do when wearing a suit, no belt etc…truly skin cringeing to browse through these photos of the comical president!!
….ticked all the boxes on things you must not do….
Dictator Mugabe has tormented his citizens so much that they do not distinguish rights from favours. Only a miracle will happen as he is not ready to relinquish power any time soon. He is not prepared to see anybody else rule as long as he is alive. Remember how he unceremoniously dismissed his VP Joyce Mujuru on charges yet to be verified. Further, imagine where the economy currently stands and the denominations flowing in the country reaching (valueless) millions. I wonder how these coward Zimbabweans spared him during the mass action period in 2011 when North Africans ousted their dictactors in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Gadaffi was even better by far than him. What advice can such a failure offer Lungu. Zambia is democratic and such nonsense cannot be entertained.
Sikkas Kwik
I agree with you.
EL must dress like a President NOT like ISOSI.
Am staunch supporter of EL but his dressing is surely embarrassing. We cannot have this kind of dressing at Presidency level.
EL is not improving in language and dressing etiquette.
If not careful Lungu will be voted out not for failure to deliver but for proving that he is fake.
Mrs Again madam,
for a “staunch supporter” I must say you do not hesitate to hit below the belt ka. Good for you!
Haters will Hate
Zambia has progressed too much to go back to a Zimbabwe situation. There is too much for the people of Zambia to lose from that scenario. If President Lungu shows any signs of wanting to become another Mugabe, he will be voted out at the next elections in a very humiliating way
The man is truly happy and relived back at headquarters with his mentor!!
Iwe Sikkas Kwik; that’s why your mother still wears WIGS even at this late hour and in her seventies. What’s in a tie, what is a suit, atase…..
This is why you Zambians (Africans) can never even write your own History. Everything you must copy from “azungu” including their useless culture, names, dress code, eating habits, character etc. Just look at our Asian friends; do they wear suits and Ties? Do they even know how to speak the damn English language like you who will stop at nothing, but to speak it even better than the English themselves, and you call this ati ‘kumphundzira’ (kusambilila)?
Come down to earth MAN and be a real Zambian. Remove those vima WiGS you so-called Judges/Lawayers also in our Courts of Law. Find some thing real Zambian to wear – shaaah!
These two are probably discussing how best to swallow the insults from Zwelithini and Zuma and find ways to further appease South Africa in order to have it’s borders and hospital doors open for them. Development is the last thing on their minds.
Nothing good can come out of these two miscreants whispering unmentionables to each other behind closed doors.
how come the president has no belt in his trousers, surely the first lady should have picked this up or even advisors, oh no thats not acceptable folks
ba Kainos,
good eye! Are you a detective by profession? Perhaps a wrist watch repairman?? ha! Anyway, you have keen eyes for small details.
if ka Lungu had just come through one of the airports in the US, I’d have said he took off his belt at the metal-detector and ka Lungu being ka Lungu, he forgot to put it back on.
One wonders what Lungu really hopes to learn from a dictator who has wrecked his economy and oppressed his people. For his part, Lungu has no vision, but Mugabe is certainly not a person to look to for a vision.
Has Mugabe had plastic surgery or what? His face looks pulled up. Madame Esther Lungu please learn to dress appropriately for occasions. That shirt looks like you are going to an office. Wrong outfit. Your friend Grace looks very at ease in her outfit!
“Mugabe knows a lot of farmers’ he kicked out have settled in Zambia – and perhaps he would like nothing more than seeing them all kicked out”