United Progressive Party President Saviour Chishimba has defended his decision to contest the Lusaka mayoral election.
Dr Chishimba contested the last presidential election and finished sixth with 9,221 total votes representing 0.25 percent.
On Tuesday, he filed in his nomination papers for the vacant position of Lusaka Mayor.
But Dr Chishimba says there is nothing wrong with going for a much lower position in politics saying service is service, whatever the level, and must not be limited to the Presidency.
“2021 is three years from now. We want to implement what we have been proposing in terms of transforming councils into “counties” or “city states. Councils are statutory corporations that must generate revenues for various projects for service provision. Local authorities must also be the major boosters for small businesses, which is essential in job creation,” Dr Chishimba said in an interview.
He added, “I was in Israel for three months and returned last week. Councils run major investment projects. They also have major industries in industrial parks. Mayors are more powerful than ministers.”
Dr Chishimba said a mayor with a vision and direction can transform a city and results can be seen in a year adding that Lusaka is the heart of Zambia.
He said there is nothing that will stop his party from organising for 2021 elections while transforming Lusaka.
“We had initially adopted our SG and all his papers were cleared, but this position changed when senior members of the council including the SG himself Cde Mainda Simataa, reviewed and decided that Lusaka needed to be put on fast track path of transformation and as such it needed my direct involvement in view of the direct positive relations that I have built with agencies locally and internationally.”
Dr Chishimba maintained he will still run for the Presidency in 2021.
“There are many leaders around the world who have served their countries as Prime Ministers before, but they have also taken up ambassadorial positions after leaving office. Abraham Lincoln served as senator. He made attempts to run as President several times but when it never worked he continued as senator. When his time came, he won the presidency,” he said.
Dr Chishimba said, “It beats my mind how we want to belittle the mayoral position in the Capital City of our country. Nigeria has a full Cabinet Minister in charge of Abuja. The position is called Minister of the Capital (Abuja). The Capital City is not like any other.”
He observed that some of the political party presidents have never even entered parliament, but that all they want is to rise directly to the presidency.
“Why should I wait until 2021 if I believe that given an opportunity to run Lusaka, there are massive development projects that can be executed without waiting for central government funding. I literally mean these words – there are multiple alternatives of resource mobilisation. I will be taking about them soon.
i think Saviour Chishimba would be a better mayor; Let us support him;
Really?
True …..
Chimbwi no plan. He misappropriated funds at a Youth program. Instead of contesting mayoral elections, as party president he should be growing his party, he should be attracting you g and fresh politicians. He should be engaging the grassroots in the markets, communities etc so he can be winning council seats. We are cursed with useless opposition!!
Any other Party President not named HH and Lungu, would take the Lusaka Mayoral position if offered, it is as simple as that people.
He shouldn’t be kidding himself.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Between HOP President Saviour and legal OF President Miles, I would vote for Saviour.
Zambian hungry Politicians…kuti waseka…one day running for President….zikavuta and Njala yanyokola ati I want to be Mayor…..typical Politicians of the belly just trying to be in any position where they can abuse Tax payers money..so these guys can’t survive without abusing Tax Payers money or outside Politics
Am getting worried now i hope HH wont stand as a Councilor in 2021
With these kind of opposition leaders HH…Savior Chishimba..Kambwili…Nevers…Tayali etc dont be surprised if Edgar Lungu will become President wamuyayaya because I see a situation where Zambians will just say fuq it lets stick with Lungu till death do us part
No wonder development is very hard to come by…People that want to be our Leaders just want to be in office for selfish reasons…look at Savior Chishimba….look at Kambwili…Sampa…HH
..GBM…Nevers (though he has been relegated to a much lower division), Kalaba and the list goes on and on..The last true leader that we had was Mwanawasa and it will take centuries to come up with a leader like him
I used t like Saviour Chishimba until he got his head so far up Mosad’s behind…all he talks of is Israel this and that; he is a lost black man who thinks the Israelis love him and they are the chosen ones not knowing the detest his kind….the man thinks he is a Jew ..how they must laugh at their black slave back in Israel.
Savior Chishimba which dressing be this now???? We are in 2018….Chachacha movement was more than 6 decades ago…
Anonymous – Saviour is a lost man he dresses like a conscious black freedom fighter yet he worships the Zionists …he is one confused young man!!
@Jay Jay
Spot on i agree with you my brother Savior Chishimba is a lost soul
Anonymous – even on Facebook he was a nuisance with his Israeli claptrap…he is happy to bootlick the Israelis and claim to be a freedom fighter yet never says a word about them encroaching on Palestine land.
Pwahahahahaha you guys are crazy. Kindly give this Savior Chishimb a huge break. Let him try. If he makes it, so be it. If he fails, so be it.
Saviour Chishimba doesn’t know difference between belief and knowledge. He thinks he can simply pray for certain things to happen in Zambia. Middle Eastern mythology really intrigues him.
The opposition in Zambia are a complete disaster. UPND and its supreme leader Akainde have been cheating and lying people about the cost ot the Lusaka Ndola dual carriageway as being expensive and exaggerated. Research shows that India is buiding a metro project in Mumbai of only 57 km at a total cost of $3.1 Billion as compared to a 640 km Lusaka Ndola dual carriageway at only $1.2 Billion. I urge the PF media to be more active, research and counter these lies by HH because keeping quiet may legitimise their lies. Zambia needs this Lusaka Ndola dual carriageway project and its off shoots. Also where is the Engineering Institution of Zambia to defend this noble project?
@Malinso,
Before you make that comparison in cost between Mumbai`s Metro and Ndola Dual Carriageway, please clarify what in your mind is a Metro = an underground rapid transit railway, right? Don’t just look at 57 Vs 640.
“…The mumbi Metro Master Plan has been prepared to provide a rail based mass transit facility to people residing in the areas that are not connected by existing Suburban Rail System so as to enable them to reach the stations within the distances of ½ to 1 k.m…”
This is 4 metro rail transport link in a congested city where massive compulsory purchase of properties is needed for the project to work…..you can’t compare this with a dual carriage way in Lusaka to ndola…
Iwe malelengania
Really laughable…do you know what a Metro system is? Surely just saying Metro you are looking at a billion dollars minimum, include Mumbai’s population density you are talking underground another billion…that’s before I even touch the hardware.
@Malinso, you sound like the kind of guys who are stealing from GRZ; building a metro project in a place like Mumbai is not the same as building a straight forward carriageway from Lska to Ndola; compare prices for doing similar projects in the region like Zim and Kenya before you justify PF corruption over the Lska Ndola road project;
That’show daft these people are…you have one @Zambian Citizen who was justifying an Ambulance costing $288K not knowing that the same Ambulances are bought by NHS for $60K from Germany…you are debating with dull people who have never been further than Chirundu.
Jay Jay, it’s corruption compounded by extreme dullness. You employee such twits, you will have to release them for lunch when you attend meetings. Otherwise you will cry.
11 candidates × K7,500 makes ECZ a fast profit maker. I can’t waste such money so that even dogs will be insulting me.
Kuwayawayafye
Wow!!!
Leadership that is anchored on integrity is worth maintaining.Most of the people who vie for leadership roles,luck personal responsibility and integrity.A person who has no respect for the people he or she wants to govern must not be near the corridors of power.A person who embezzles and deeps his fingers in government’s or council coffers should not be voted for.All those who are aspiring for leadership should be scrutinized.Mayoral position,especially Lusaka,needs a person who is above corrupt activities.A mayor for Lusaka will be handling greater responsibility in terms of financial management.We want someone who will be responsible enough and prudent in management of resources that will fall under his jurisdiction.Lusaka needs a serious mayor.
So Chishimba Kambwili wants to be mayor now?
At times politics may demand just that kind of creativity. The man has argued his agenda quite aptly and one wouldn’t be surprised if many would buy into it. In a political arena that is getting increasingly saturate it’s interesting to see some of them trying to dig hard for propellant niches
Nothing wrong with this , I applaud you SC
could’av , would’av voted for you.
If all the opposition were serious of unseating PF and had any brains they would all have sat down with SC and ironed out a deal to support him for the mayoral role instead of fielding unknowns….
All opposition behind SC would have carried the day against PF
Ba Dr, Chishimba is the worst candidate for the position of Mayor of the Greater City of Lusaka. When this guy was Chairperson pf the National Youth Development Council, he ransacked the institution(Audit Report is available) Furthermore, he kept on hiring and firing staff at will as he changes his underwear.
Please, he should not be given any change to b \e Mayor of Lusaka. He will ramsack the Local AUthority
That just what hunger can do… running round a figure 8( from one circle to the next) get an education scumbag.
AS for saviour chishimba he can be a good Mayor
Vote for him then…
So that madman by the name of maitaa is your SG? No wonder you are not going anywhere as a party.
I wish it were HH taking this stance. I wouldn’t laugh at him. Sadly he has not “weighed” himself and still Hallucinates that he can go to State House! HE WILL NEVER!
Zambia is a Christian Nation. We will have breakthrough prayers, trust God to send angels to come and remove rubbish, bind corrupt leaders, heal people in hospitals, turn kafue river in a big supplier of clean water. We will hold big prayer meetings at the stadiums and the country will be prosperous again. Do not stress.
This can work, you are right but that lady who insulted the president from the Dorcas must lead the prayers if this is happen!
Dr, you are lost and finished. Just sell your party to someone else.