Ministry of Finance Mrs Margaret Mwanakatwe has denied being the author of a letter circulating on social media blaming the late President Michael Sata as the cause of the economic disaster the country is allegedly in.
In a statement released to the media, Mrs Mwanakatwe said that she holds the late President Michael Sata and her predecessors in the office of Minister of Finance, in high esteem for the work they did in laying the foundation for speedy and widespread development of our nation and that she cannot engage or participate in the slander, ridicule, or badmouthing the late President for whatever reason.
The Finance Minister has since requested her ministry to engage the Office of the Attorney General and ZICTA to establish the original source of the article and to take appropriate sanctions provided under our Statutes and International Law.
Below is the Minister’s full statement
IT IS NOT MY ARTICLE NOR THAT OF MY MINISTRY
Fellow citizens,
I, MARGARET MWANAKATWE, Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Lusaka Central Constituency, to this day, holds President Michael Chilufya Sata (late) and my predecessors in the office of Minister of Finance, in high esteem for the work they did in laying the foundation for speedy and widespread development of our nation.
Therefore, I CANNOT ENGAGE or participate in the slander, ridicule, or badmouthing the late President for whatever reason.
President Sata (late) did a lot for this country and deserves all our respect. Those bringing his name into public scorn should examine their conscience.
Let me emphasise that the leadership paradigm and the positive development trajectory of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s administration is an enhancement of the foundation laid by the PF Government under late President Sata.
As a member of the ruling party, that is what gives me and my colleagues in the administration the energy to ensure that the country continues to record positive results in all spheres of socio-economic development.
Further, the programmes outlined in the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP) combined with the reforms under the Economic Stabilisation and Growth Programme are meant to carry the PF Government’s vision for sustained development; without leaving anyone behind.
The FAKE ARTICLE will neither detract nor derail me from doing my best to ensure that the vision of late President Sata, carried on by President Lungu, is achieved through job creation, empowerment of youth and women entrepreneurs, and full exploration and operationalisation of the prospects for enhanced development that are in abundance in all regions of the country.
To set the record straight, I have asked my Ministry Officials to engage the Office of the Attorney General and ZICTA to establish the original source of the article and to take appropriate sanctions provided under our Statutes and International Law.
I also take this opportunity to state that, today, I just arrived from China where I led a Ministerial delegation for an asset/liability management programme on some of the loans that Zambia owes China.
Suffice to say, we had very fruitful engagements with Chinese authorities and the nation will be informed once the entire framework of asset/liability management is finalised.
On my arrival at the KKIA this afternoon, I met the Catholic Bishops delegation from The Democratic Republic of Congo who were in the country for a meeting with President Lungu. They expressed optimism about the role that our leader will play in addressing the matters laid before him.
2019 BUDGET
I take this opportunity to outline the focus for my Ministry for the next few weeks.
Following the issuance of the 2019-2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) last week, the Treasury is this week conducting final budget consultations with Ministries Provinces and Other Spending Agencies.
In the days that follow, we will be conducting integrity checks and verification of revenue and expenditure estimates for 2019 to ensure we are ready for presentation in the next few weeks.
Margaret D. Mwanakatwe, MP
MINISTER OF FINANCE.
Maybe you were drunk Madam, try to remember
The article is very accurate about the late MCS. The borrowing spree from Eurobond & China started under his watch.
The worst thing he did to Zambia was to appoint Lungu as acting president on his final journey.it’ll take 200 years to correct Sata’s &Lungu’s blunders
Sata DON’T rest in peace, you are to blame for leaving instrument of power to wrong person.
Look how they have turned against you. Did Margaret ask Kaizer, Sunday Chanda, Mukwita or E.Mwamba about the letter?
PF is cursed!!
HH will never be president no matter how delusional his pac will be. “Economic Disaster the country is currently in?” Which disaster? HH is in a political disaster for losing five times! He is a reject because Zambia does not believe in him as a leader! He is selling theft and tribalism and Zambians will NEVER buy that! He can keep his Three Mansions too! Zambia is a Christian Nation.
sharon is a MAN ( probably some boy who hardly takes a shower), only a f00l thinks he is a shemale or female. he is not funny and is likely a grade 12 drop out
~Real talk.
I swear upon my mum. Call him as he is he is plain dull and boring
@LOMBE, Spot-on she was Drunk, she did write that Zambian OP?? Lungu Ministers and their Boss never accept anything. Times will tell and if they sold our country?? We will Jail hem after their Tenure. They Lie and never accept mistakes because they do not care about the future of young Zambians.
And Kaseba is busy shopping and happy with a silly job far away in Paris…silly woman you will be reporting to these chaps!!
The problem is not ECL but HH. If HH had decided to support RB in 2011, Zambia would not be in this situation.
Sata was the worst president Zambia had…..after lungu.
What kind of a president in their right mind can make a convicted fraudster , lungu , justice minister ????
President Lungu is a great president. Only fault he had was inheriting president Sata’s loans and people. Now we as Zambians need to clean up the mess that RB actually started.
The worst President in Zambia was Mwanawasa! Sata and Lungu are best.
Mr Nzelu
You can not compare RB with lungu….common. lungu is basically a thug
After spending $17 billion, we still have some of the highest unemployment rates. And are currently seeking bailout packages….
Ulibe nzelu
My friends in Government , both politicians and Civil servants , agree that things we are wrongly and some of these can be stopped as follows; DCs adds now value , also that Sundan has done , we reduce the number of Ministries, Ministers and PSs. Also that we need we donot need Provincial Ministers to Cabinet level at all.
But very important is that we need to transform our governance to run Government as a Business base d on the Singapore and now Chinese ,including Mr.Trump etc. We are ready to help you wakeup , also lest agree that yes creation alot districts from about 70 to 100 plus that double expenditure, for councils who are not productive and bukabwalala as said by for Ministers this public knowldge. Also after Mwanawasa , RB started doing wrong thing and Sata continued…
Dudu still an illegal and illegitimate MP. Why is Concourt sitting on the Prof Luo and Dudu Petitions. This shows is completely State Captured and controlled from State House. Justice delayed is Justice denied.
Although the said article was fake news most of what was written was true. But that does not take the burden away from the current government as they contributed to worsening the situation instead of taking remedial measures.
Too bad, madam. I almost congratulated you for bring so factually accurate.
Ba Sata, wanted to develop the country but behind the closed doors were opportunist who now we have seen their true colors. No direction no vision. Madam you know who wrote the letter don’t pretend when the truth has come out.
In 1978 or thenabout, Dr Kaunda’s govt formented a 10yr development plan.It address all critical areas of economic need and sustainability.At the time Dr Kaunda had in his cabinet as well as advisory and adhoc assemblies , focused professionals who researched well to address the needs of our nation.Economists like Dr Lungu, educators like Dr Mutumba Bull , economists like Kapembe Nsingo, visionary works of Simon Kapwepe, Nalomino Mundia, Harry Nkumbula, Shadreck Soko, and even then effective Alex Chikwanda and a relevant trade union etc were accommodated in the plan, budgetry concerns not withstanding.Chilubas revolution torpedoed all that with Kaundas ouster.Name one administration since , that has come up with a concrete development plan. Be mindful also that KKs plan was at the same…
Galu watchers in Zambia at it Hagain!
Another mole in govt like the one in the USA who wrote about Trump! We must believe the nonsense coming out from Margaret Mwanakatwe! One good reason we should agree is that we were not sure in what state she was. She just loves her beer and she has forgotten that she penned the note!
Well done mama and keep it up!
PF ministers: dont even respond to Kaponya (HH) and his Zambian Witch Doctor. They’re full of SHlT.
Just concentrate on building projects we can Sonta po in 2021.
Ignore Chief Mukuni and GBM. All they ever do is poop their pants on the bungee jump
I hope they washed that bungee rope with Jik bleach. That Mukuni has cholera and Zambia suffers cholera deaths every rainy season when the Vic Falls floods. Mukuni has verbal diarrhoea
Meanwhile UPND is bleeding as more popular councillors defect to PF. Nevers Mumbwe has defected to PF. Very soon Patrick Mucheleka and GBV Fat Albert.
Soon (HH) will remain wancking only with his nephew Lloyd at Zambian Witch Doctor matsurbating on fake gossip news. Filthy scum
Let’s build this thing! We know he can’t win and he will NEVER win. He is unlikable and Unwinnable.
@Mr Kudo, this is what happens when a chap associates himself with the dead. He starts to hallucinate. This chap is being haunted by the skeleton of his relative. You can tell from his language that he is at the verge of lunacy. It is a matter of time. I am not into politics, I don;t care for either party. I am just taken aback by heartless and senseless chaps like this Kudo thing.
Sharon waba e tall lay. Can you honestly compare the honourable P L Mwanawasa to those vipuba. Even MCS you are mentioning honoured Levy by naming the stadium in Ndola, Hospital in Lusaka, bridge in luapula, levy park etc. He named these in full view of the tribalist kanitundila.n
Forget about Sharon. It is a missed call. Most probably demon possessed
We know which Party can do that, they were always filled with jubilation each time Sata was reportedly sick. They have continued to celebrate his death. When Sata finally died most of them experienced orgasms. I don’t know which god they worship
They worship HH.
The letter had points. But it does not mean that haluza hagain will take over. Haluza acted just like sata at privitization, he stole evetything. So haluza uko, lungu should correct the situation then we will chose who takes over after 2027, from with pf
Hazaluza Hagain.
Fake letter blaming Mr Sata is all the works of evil HH and his tribal followers!!Remember,they celebrated Mr Sata’s death in tongaland and said “its now time for Kainde to rule Zambia in 2015”.little did they know that majority Zambians in 6.5 provinces can never vote for HH.Therefore,unknown Edgar Lungu was chosen and the rest is history!!!ALL UPND WANT IS TO MAKE ZAMBIA UNGOVERNABLE-SO PLEASE IGNORE THEM!!!Zambians know that PF means business in developing this country!!MINISTERS PLEASE CONTINUE DEVELOPING ZAMBIA AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED NICELY IN 2021 BY US VOTERS!!
Come 2021 ni PF nafuti nafuti!!
But he will be sent into retirement in 2021.
Directionless, trib.al upnd of course, who else can expect a normal person to believe that trash!!??
Wanker, what you call the trash is just tip of the iceberg
@Mr Kudo, this is what happens when a chap associates himself with the dead. He starts to hallucinate. This chap is being haunted by the skeleton of his relative. You can tell from his language that he is at the verge of lunacy. It is a matter of time. I am not into politics, I don;t care for either party. I am just taken aback by heartless and senseless chaps like this Kudo thing.
Mwaiche wandi , this mess started with RB and he further misguided Lungu
Nzelu, donot be myopic , what does he know about what the National Economy , look without mentioning names , look at the 7th National Development Plan it states that Zambia had about USD6.8 in Debt and with in two years from the 2016 elections we are at about USD15B . Tell me even where a USD2 B has gone . If you are ignorant like ur leaders , I am not at all . So watch out not having strong opposition is not the passport to continue doing wrong things at all .
We the citizens patriots shall take all to book , wait and take this as a warning ,including RB , Kambwili, Mulusa and Kalaba with be state witnesses and many more .Wait and see
Well, there is a lot of precedents to draw upon. Because Zambia politicians yo-yo from one party to the other they easily forget how they conducted themselves before the crossing. Isn’t it Dora who raised the middle finger to the party whose government she is now government spokesman and eloquently (ahem) defending? There you have it. Make sure you have burned and covered all your tracks, Maggie.
Firstly I believe in PF, I believe in good deliverance by ECL and I believe in Hon MWANAKATWE so this article which is circulating on eye this I can call the efforts of failures they think by doing so they can bring downgrade on her no do good and people of Zambia will remember you but this opposition we have people are bitter they different ideas from chiluba wen he was in opposition to unip, even PF to mmd so that’s why PF will rule another 10 years trust me they will write useless articles until their inks dry in there pens you see
Truth be told…the article gives an account of our current situation.The author deserves a pat on the back.
As much as I dont like Lungu and the people of Zambia for what they have done to a once promising Zambia, the article spells out the careless attitude MCS had with finances. He didnt care where the money come from he just borrowed ad fired people. Especially on recruitment of his relatives in the foreign service, he sent every one who was related to him to manage embassies and these same people have been brough back by Lungu again at a great expense.
Am equally surprised to see that some in PF are even responding to the bitter comments by UPND flops, isn’t clear to all now that UPND and HH are dead buried by the steady developmental works Zambia is witnessing today? How else would you expect someone who has lost so much grip on his base he got on a silver plate to respond to progressive Government?
If your hope is in UPND, you better start making plans for your families because surely in 2021, you gonna die of heart attack when your HH and UPND will be crashed to eternal death by PF and President Lungu landslide victory. This is based on my assessment of how Zambia has and is transforming, its practically impossible to even think the slightest that anyone other than PF can win elections in Zambia, this is real and true!
This is the latest trick aimed at driving a wedge between socalled Sataists and the so called new comers to the PF.
I think the debate should be on the contents of the ‘Fake ‘ story. Seems to be very factual
I have always asked God to grant me enough time on Earth so that i am around the day Sata will be seen for what he actually was,an illiterate and uncouth comedian.I long for the day when our values as a people will transcend our selfishness and greed.Imagine there are still people who think the nation would have been better off had Sata not died simply because they benefitted from his rule.Today there are people who will vouch that Lungu is the best thing that ever happened to Zambia simply because they are enjoying,what a people.Maybe this is an African thing…
A lot of fake bloggers here – How else do we explain them linking every article to UPND and HH? Is it a wonder that with so many Ostrich heads buried in the sand (for obvious selfish reasons) and consequently failing to articulate on serious national matters, this country is at a stand still in terms of any progress in real livelihood issues? If the so-called ‘infrastructure development’ and wealth has not translated into changing the lives of many, what does that tell us? Much of the existing resources, proceeds from loans and ill-gotten bullion have further been usurped by the few. You cannot have such sharp distinctions between the few ‘haves’ and the many ‘have not’ and still claim you have developed. Borrowing $30million to ‘decorate’ a hall, tells you things are really amiss.