For Immediate Release
14th October 2018
MEDIA RELEASE
PROVISION OF AIR SUPPORT TO THE PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA IS THE MANDATE OF THE ZAMBIA AIRFORCE
LUSAKA, (Sunday, 14th October 2018) — The Constitution of the Republic of Zambia mandates the Zambia Airforce (ZAF) to provide air support and maintenance of the highest standards of aviation security to the President and all government officials duly authorized to use the air assets of the State.
In this regard, to carry out this onerous constitutional mandate, the Zambia Airforce, in 2012, embarked on a programme to replace its aging fleet of transport and fighter aircraft and other associated air defence equipment. This procurement of aircraft and associated air assets is a lengthy process and still on going due to the time it takes to select appropriate aircraft and equipment and the laborious legal procedures in line with the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) Act.
The upgrading of our air defence system is in line with the mandate given to the Defence Modernization Committee, which was appointed by His Excellency Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata, May His Soul Rest in Peace. This Committee has regularly briefed His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia on the progress being made in the procurement process. Whenever budgetary allocations have been available, and procurement guidelines completed, we have, as an on-going process, purchased the required air and ground defence assets to respond to the defence and security needs of the country.
I therefore wish to inform the general public that information circulating regarding Zambia’s procurement of aircraft is not only misleading, but also manifestly malicious and designed to malign the reputation of the President and his government in general. I wish to stress that aviation security for the Head of State is not a function of State House but that of the Ministry of Defence through the Zambia Airforce as per its constitutional mandate.
The Zambia Airforce is the only State institution, which is mandated to provide air mobility to the Head of State and as such, ZAF remains the only procuring agent for government aircraft. This is the mandate ZAF has been carrying out since its inception in 1964 has supported all administrations as such.
Let me therefore stress that there is no US$400 million being spent on any single aircraft or military equipment as falsely and maliciously alleged by the Africa Confidential and other media platforms.
Again, in line with the Constitutional mandate of the Zambia Army, a decision was made to establish a Marine Unit for Special Forces domiciled at Kala Barracks in Kawambwa. The procurement process was done in full compliance with the ZPPA Act and this Unit for Special Forces was publicly launched by the President and the groundbreaking ceremony was also a public function. This was also the case with the decision to upgrade the Mina Soko Military Hospital. So there no truth in the stories being peddled around on these two projects. Now that they are tired of attacking Chinese-financed projects, they have turned to attacking all procurement projects involving the State of Israel.
I wish to state also that defence procurement is just what it is, it is informed by geopolitical defence and security considerations. We are not going to tell you on a daily basis why this military unit is based here and not there. We are not going to tell you the configuration of our defence assets, capability and range of assets and why they are being bought. We cannot trivialize defence operations in the manner some are suggesting.
Mr. Stardy Mwale
PERMANET SECRETARY
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
We are hungry Stardy Mwale. This is not the time to buy a plane whether 2nd hand or one fuelled by blood (Nkandu Luo’s). We need to stabilise the economy for the underprivileged who don’t even know the whereabouts of Zambia’s airports.
Glad this nonsense has been put to bed. The desperation from UPND is getting out of hand. UPND must learn issues based politics and not creating fake stories
Stop your stereotype mechanical
Each we comment you call us upendi. I voted for lungu. Thats the biggest and annoying insult
I work up at 2am to vote for lungu.
If you see my previous posting I have been speaking in favour of lungu and anti HH
PF will not die because of HH. It will die by committing suicide. Infact PF has already taken slow poison
And someone will go to state house freely. It might just be HH
What is sad is that many Zambians support this nonsense by PF. These are people that steal money meant for the disabled. Ha! I was on the Copperbelt recently, many locations in the towns there have no water and no toilets. Chingola, for instance, looks like an old town emerging from civil strife. When you ask these people why they vote for PF, they look at you with no answers. In one of the Mast Online editorials, they have listed the percentages of high poverty levels in Zambia. And when you look at the data, its provinces that give PF a lot of votes that have the highest poverty levels, and yet they still vote for PF.Sad!!!!
@soulosi
You were recalled ? I hope you doing well,,
Fokoff bonse ba pf
What no sense is Stardy spewing two things … What is different from what AC reported and what he is saying ? Secondly if all this is not costing USD 400 mn then what is the cost? He is only keen at refuting the cost and not stating how much it is costing the tax payer.
Bwana PS careful what statements u issue now they may haunt you in the near future.
There’s just everything very wrong with this bad PF00Lish leadership. One of the headlines on LT is about 250 kids in Lunga District learning under a mango tree & there’s another headline about Govt spending $400 million on Jets for Lungu. Only lunat!cs can defend such madness.
It’s like putting a Hennessy lid onto a 5-litre container of Chibuku.
Lungu is the greatest tragedy Zambia ever had. Forget Briton colonialists, forget KK or FTJ. Lungu’s mistakes will take 500 years & millions of lives to rectify.
wwwDOTlusakatimesDOTcom/2018/10/14/250-children-are-learning-under-a-mango-tree-at-matipa-community-school-in-lunga-district/
“I wish to stress that aviation security for the Head of State is not a function of State House but that of the Ministry of Defence through the Zambia Airforce as per its constitutional mandate.”
Who appoints everyone at the Ministry of Defence? We are not children.
@Saulosi …. boyi we thank God you are out of comma.
Welcome back mwana.
@Saulosi
Bwanji bambo mulipo….long time
Good to know you still breathing
Really laughable…so this Saulosi was recalled no wonder he doesn’t make that much noise he is feeling the pinch at ground level.
Chizungu! from PS’s office. YABA!
No need to apologize. In 1993 Zambia lost the entire NATIONAL TEAM because of an aged plane. If we buy a new Presidential plane that is no problem. Let’s buy them! More new planes please it fine! Animo Farm also buys a new car when the other one gets old.
Animo Farm with a laughing gas disease laughing at his naked father like that child in the Bible.
You better be buying F16 fighter jets with that type of money.But of course it’ll be used MIG21’S bought a huge kickback to the tenderpreneurs
No smoke without fire , Harry Kalaba resigned he was called a liar ,the British DFID asked for their money back,the $42m firetrucks and now this? Lungu’s GRZ is always surrounded by tsunami of corruption i don’t trust their denials.
No one said you are spending $400 million on a private jet for lungu, stop trying to dilute the truth with lies , the amount you are spending is under $150 million for a presidential jet , but what we are saying is even that is too much…..
Stop the nonsense
Recall Lungu
Zuma was re called
Jacob zuma was recalled
Lungu is worsening each day and getting worse than chiluba
We must apologize to guy Scot.
Robert mugabe was recalled.
I am speaking as someone who voted for this corrupt personal
I just received hardcopy of Norwegian newspaper paper with lungu s face . Honestly this guy has embarrassed Africa and Zambian s in particular
Let’s have NO respect such thieving characters. He must be removed and punished.
We know all his properties around lusaka within 3 yrs including the copper house in Ibx hill and all the flats
The state must sieze
It’s easy to bolt if you have your own jet.
The tiny West African state of The Gambia will journey into its grim past on Monday as it begins a probe into atrocities committed under former dictator Yahya Jammeh.
Dubbed the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), the panel faces high expectations of justice in this struggling young democracy.
But it is far from clear whether the man at the centre of it all will ever be put in the dock.
“Prosecuting perpetrators is a lesson to others that no amount of time or distance or power can prevent justice,” human rights activist Madi Jobarteh told AFP.
“Justice provides solace and relief to victims, even if it does not fully restore the rights, dignity and properties they lost, or ease the pain they endured.”
For 22 years,…
Continued
For 22 years, Jammeh was kept in place by a web of oppression that touched nearly every part of Gambian society.
Death squads, disappearances, sexual violence, torture and summary detention were its hallmarks.
Pa Zambia, even Rupia had to deny buying a Mercedese Benz that it was purchased by dead Mwanawasa. Just a car. Poor minds pa Zambia. So akadeke, even fentizo who has no campaign message will find his voice. When in actual fact even ministers should have a fleet of say 10 small planes that they share to take them round the country to monitor police implementation. So akadekefye, awe mwe. You know the president has to fly around
“…..When in actual fact even ministers should have a fleet of say 10 small planes that they share to take them round the country to monitor police implementation…”
While pipo die of cholera from drinking from shallow wells 5 miles from statehouse and children learn under trees for lack of class rooms ati ” akandeke ”
? Typical Congolese thinking….
Spaka…some of these id1otic sounding trolls are actually Lungu’s gang members, riding with him on the gravy train. Because no one in their right mind would be talking like that, when there’s so much misery in the country. Lungu and his minions are focused on amassing personal wealth from the national coffers at the expense of the poor suffering Zambians. But their time will come. They’ll all be arrested and their stolen loot forfeited to the State. We’ll send them to prison for a hundred years each.
Where is this money supposed to come from?
TRY WITH ENDALAMA SHAKWANOKO IF SHE WILL ALLOW YOU.
Eff off
Lungu and PF are trying to dupe us by following an ancient Hebrew saying
….if your wife complains about you brininging your cow to sleep in the house, next bring 2 cows, if she still complains bring 3 , if she still complains remove the last 2 and she won’t complain about the one cow….
We are not naive, they are trying to dilute the truth with the amount of $400 million, we have known all along the amount of the lungu jet is under $150 million and we are saying that is too much….
This is why they say government has been infiltrated with common party cadres. It shows in the quality of (or lack of) professionalism. This response is not befitting such a high office of our land. What has gone wrong with our country?
This Government is fond of denying. Only concedes after being squeezed hard . Let Lungu just give up power now.He is a liability to Zambian people.Most of us regret having given him votes in 2016.Please the Opposition be united to rescue us.Dr Guy Scott warned us and we called him names. Let us apologise to him
Hope you have learned hard, as they say a leopard can never change its spots….lungu will be dancing again 2021 and issuing all free monies in your pockets, don’t be duped…
We hope the Zambia army are taking stock of the numerous cyber attacks and will engage with our specialist partners to create a new unit to counter this threat. Cyberwar and cybercrime demands specialist units in the police and the army.
@FutureZed…commenting of the affairs of our country is not cyber attack. Why are some of you so ignorant kanshi? Do you even understand what democracy means? “A government of the people, by the people, for the people.” The government belongs to the people, and not to Lungu and his buddies. Lungu and his buddies are hired servants who work for the people of Zambia. If they’re not doing a good job, they’ve to be called out by we the people. Zambia is not a dictatorship. Zambia is a democratic republic. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it.
@lie-detector, Rubbish! What do you know about cybercrime? Soon you’ll be the same ones making all sorts of noises about elections being rigged. What has protecting the country from cyber attack got to do with democracy? Do you even know what democracy is?
The fact is a presidential plane has been bought for Edgar. This is in the middle of all the poverty that the common Zambian is suffering. And this PS stands up to support such impunity, arrogance and selfishness. Let me tell this Stardy Mwale that the days for PF are numbered! Zambians may have to wait until 2021 but as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, that day will come and PF will be kicked out! And all the assets you guys have acquired will go back to the Zambian people! Just remember, every dog has its day! PF can never be bigger than the God we are crying to!
My fellow countrymen, look at these PF crooks trying to dilute the truth and our outrage by brining up rediculous figures like $400 million , we know the lungu jet cost under $150 million and we are saying is even that is too much.
Civil servants are not being paid on time, citizens 5 miles from his state house still use pit latrines and drink water from shallow wells, primary students still leave classes under trees for lack of class rooms , many millions of Zambians have no jobs ….and you want to make us be live $150 million is small change compared to $400 million for a presidential jet ??
Blah blah, blah! What’s this numskull waffling about? Can he even read this himself and tell me if it makes sense even in his head?
“Yes we bought a jet for the president but it was done by the Air force not the president”;
“No, no one bought a jet, it’s all lies”
“Yes, actually we bought a jet but it was for the defence of Zambia”;
“No we didn’t spend $400 million on the jet but we bought it but we won’t tell you how much it costs”;
“Yes the Air force are modernizing our defence assets but the authorisation to buy the jet was done by the dead Michael Sata”;
“Actually we have been buying presidential jets since 1964 and it’s new”;
“Blah blah blah”
Very incoherent, inconsistent, contradictory, inaccurate, inarticulate and misleading…
You fcukers have been caught pants down, that cunt with that gap on the teeth like the gap he has in his brains, that why he cant think scatter brain Jonathan, planes last for many years, all people do to modernize them is to change engines and instruments, ask John Travolta you think he would be a buying a 747 every ten years ask Hugh Hefner he has had his 747 300 since the 80`s and these are people with money who can go out there and purchase a new plane with their own money not other people money. People don’t even have simple medication and you really don’t have priorities Chawama why of thinking, do you even have advisors who think iwe pompwe. Send some of you !diots who maintain your fcuken current fleet to proper training and fire some of ur advisors, scandal after scandal then…
@16 You May need to ask your $atanist boss HH to resurrect Hugh Hefner so we can ask him about the jet he was using before he died!
Are we talking about resurrecting some as usual PF dull as they come out of tune and what can we expect from ur leadership, u probably think u r one of the bright ones a kaponya with the Brian in the gutter, maybe get some advise from your convicted thief of a leader who stole from a widow coz stealing is what u pricks know best………IQ ….0
What an arrogant statement from a public servant, drunk with power. Do not take God’s people for granted. As long as you are dealing with public funds, you will remain accountable to the people who are the major stake-holders, even funds received from development partners are mostly generated from tax payers. If you do not want to be bothered by the public on how you use funds, step down, leave public service and set up your own businesses so you can spend as you like will see how far you will go.
Look numskull, we are a poor country and we cannot compete with the US and their Air Force One presidential jet. In fact even Trump canceled the Air Force One jet contract saying it was too expensive… look it up.
The point is Lungu has no enemies that would want to k!ll him. And even if he died today, there won’t be any Constitutional crises that will paralyze the country. In fact that would probably be the best thing that could ever happen to this country.
Kids have no decent education; majority of people don’t have access to clean water and decent food, health care or shelter. Workers are not getting paid on time students are rioting due to lack of food allowances. Meanwhile the economy is paralyzed due to debt burden.
And you are there shamelessly purchasing a presidential…
…And you are there shamelessly purchasing a presidential jet worth $150 million. And you want to stand on the altar justifying such reckless and misplaced priority spending.
Negro please… STFU and sit down!
I will be writing to my MP and the UK parliament to complain that my tax monies given to Zambia as aid allowing lungu to purchase luxury private jets
https : // w w w.writetothem.com
Everyone in a European country should write to their MP to complain, maybe lungu will then prioritise the poor…
I read somewhere that the Planes costed $30 million and $45 million respectively. either ways, they came at a time people were complaining about the current harsh economy.
You UPND dogs can’t you see that this procurement was done by MCS and we can’t have an Air force operating outdated Aircrafts. @sparka you are a useless tribalists you want citizens to die like what happened in Gabon with the Buffalo aircraft and our national team??
Citizens to die where ? Are the millions of poverty stricken and unemployed citizens going to be using those luxury presidential jets ??
Government has acquired 4 aeroplanes one of which will be a presidential jet. That why imwe ba UPND always loose your hatred is too loud. Try using your Dundumwezl brains for once
@sparka write to your MP there wherever you are we also have our mps here in Lusaka who we voted for
This is the mosts stupid, corrupt and incompetent leadership Zambia has ever had.
Its priorities are upside down and actions like those of clowns.
So according to you our Air force is not supposed to acquire new planes unless citizens die ??. And you want us to vote for your tribal leader HH with such thinking???. You lie boys!!!
You are really an !doit iwe, buffalo tell us about the buffalo plane as far as we know the plane never crushed any the report has never been released, Ulichikopo iwe. People are sick with no medication and all you can think about is UPND or PF I am neither of that sh!t, as a neutral I don’t condone the spending these fcukers have embarked on, where there is wrong just sya here we are wrong.
Mate, get your thick stuff around your brains because it is clouding your judgment. None of the so called air force jets will be used by the air force for the defence of the country according to this fella. All 5 of them will be for commercial use… so what are you yapping about. By the way we don’t really need to extravagantly spend on defence because we are not at war with anyone and I doubt anyone would want to invade that sh!thole country called Zambia, I mean for what? I guess perhaps except the Chinese who want to make it another province of China.
And even if it was authorized by Sata that doesn’t make it any less reckless. You just can’t deny the fact this is reckless and irresponsible expenditure.
Mambwe,what do you smoke?
These guys are a disaster. Trying in vain to divert attention. Just what the hell is going on here. The fact that money is being spent is not a joke. Look at the poor at that Chunga damping site. If you have the heart and feel for the poor you cannot even spend a single ngwee even on those beers. I am just waiting for the Lord to come and judge you harshly for all to see.
You are a disaster!!!!
Ba upnd I will repeat your hatred is too loud that’s why you are only popular on social media. We have an Air force which has to upgrade it’s fleet and it’s that simple. You will choke on your hatred you UPND cadres trying to sound as if you are more patriotic than others but we know you and your tribal leader HH
Air force upgrading does not mean a luxuary presidential jet for lungu iwe akawalala…..
$150 million for those presidential or VVIP jets or what ever you call them can be used to uplift the lives of millions of our poverty stricken unemployed citizens , $150 million can be used to provide an education and training for all our steet kids….
There is absolutely no justification in spending colossal sums on purchase of Air Force planes whether for commercial or defense purposes. Zambia’s situation and position now in the region is by far different from the 1970s’ and 1980s’ KK’s days of supporting Southern Africa liberation struggle, when it was justified to equip our security forces adequately. Zambia is now part of SADC and COMESA set up to harmonies trade and relations in the region. The Air Force now needs to be engaged in national building and productive sector such as agriculture as well as trade skills to also absorb the unemployed youths. The current economic climate does not support such ventures and the donors are watching, IMF is watching, you will have no where to run to.
Lets not play with the security of the President, he infact needs a plane that costs $600 million.
Nothing strange here; PF will vehemently deny developing news but is proved fact in due course. The worst government ever We are paying the price of having voted a heartless drunken thief into State House. Proper Dununa Reverse for sure We are a laughing stoke of Africa! Donor flight can only translate into more suffering for the under – privileged.
Do not say we did not warn you.
HH’s desperation for power and careless talk will very soon land this very peaceful nation into very big problems if not civil war. Matters of military and national security nature are not supposed to be carelessly discussed in public. Worse still to be revealed to the international community. Mostly, military procurement are disguised in one way or onother for security reasons. A person aspiring to be president must know this better. If you tell a lie to the international and they cut off aid to your country, are you not just punishing the very poor people whose plight you’re pretending to champion. Bwana, Zambia has a consititiution that provides for change of govt and it’s after ones 5 year term and your time is not yet up. The more lies you tell, the more you’re loosing your…
HH didn’t break this news it was everywhere in Norway and Russia after the deal was signed, in the world of social media you can not hide any thing any more, this is just careless, Countries with big GDP`s than Zambia have there presidents flying in modest plans, what special with this drunk………his just a pompwe
If this deal is not true PF has no reason to worry about what HH and others are saying.Stardy Mwale should not insult the intelligence of Zambians. Who doesn’t know that all Defense forces are under State House?
The cheap and tired PF defense of pointing a finger at and blaming HH for all their stuff ups, thieving and irresponsibility. They would never take responsibility and admit their wrongs. eSwati land corruption, it’s HH’s fault; Mukula trees corruption, it’s HH’s fault; diverting social security money, it’s HH’s fault; killing students, it’s HH’s fault; purchasing Lungu’s jet, HH’s fault; Chinese Loans, it’s HH’s fault; everything is HH’s fault. Wow HH must have some Godly powers.
Iwe ichishilu kolwe, go to Wikipedia and YouTube and see high tech military weapon systems of the most powerful… so what defense secrets can a stone age barbaric Zambia try to hide?
You have to be a big fool to support the stupidity of HH.
I see nothing wrong in the air force procuring jets. The PS has informed you that the process started in 2012.
You cadres are fools hence you can not even organise your party, how can you understand govt operations.
Come 2021 my vote is for the most intelligent president Zambia has ever had EDGAR Lungu.
Come 2021 my vote is on Edgar Lungu the best president ever for this Country.
Continue being bitter.
Any wonder Corrupt Airforce commander was
Secretly relieved of his duties, unlike Emerine Kabanshi, who was publicly SACKED, humiliated, & thrown to the scrap heap???
JONA CHAKOLWA CHAWAMA KAWALALA KNOWS, EX – AIRFORCE COMMANDER KNOWS A LOT, & WILL SPILL THE BEANS -(AZAWULULA)!!
Everything the Drunken Chawama client cash embezzling charlatan does is unorthodox, & there’s reason to his Drunken Madness, so WATCH OUT ZAMBIANS!!
Mr micheal will forever remain in the books of this country as the most talkative opposition leader this country has ever had. But the man had limits and to my knowledge he ever joked about the national security of this country. I remember in Kabwe he promised to turn kabwe into a garrison town.
Its frightening the way we are doing politics in this country now that we have run out of issues and bring in issues of national security. Really? That the entire defence force MUST offer an explanation as to why they want to purchase planes. This is dangerous to say least. The next is special branch……… we have gone to far. Please stop it. This is nonsense. Remove even the article!!!
Whether we are poor or not the head of state MUST be protected. That is the state. Ask those who have lost their parents how they feel.
Eko nomba camitwala imwe bafyatile.
God puts leaders in their positions. Leader s are also human beings like everyone else. Give them the respect they deserve.
You don’t f’ buy planes when you owe so much with no means to repay. It doesn’t matter what the constitution says. Leadership is about doing right by the people. This is not about UPND or f…’ Pf. Put the country and people first you 1d10ts! Scandal after Scandal, get that 1d10t out of office now. When are you people going to wake up? You deserve to suffer because your actions are beyond 1Di0cy.
This is no longer an Edgar Lungu issue but a Patriotic Front problem. There is nothing that this party inspires, be it in education, health, sport or mining. There really is nothing they can point at that shows a train of thought that is rational or progressive. The country’s sharpest minds cannot have proper discourse with them because they’re insulted by constructive criticism. It really couldn’t get worse than this. We have reached the bottom of the barrel and can only go up from here. Thieves!
One needs to be aware, Corrupt PF does all this cr.@p intentionally, NOT BY ACCIDENT!
By keeping the population dirt poor, & ignorant, these P.F fleas, can manipulate the Democratic process, & ensure the poor ignorant masses NEVER use their heads, but bellies when its time to vote.
As we speak a P.F Mbava called Malanji Joe, has given bags of Bunga – Mealie meal to people in Chipata. This action alone to ignorant citizens is enough for them to come to the wrong conclusion, P.F really cares, when that money actually belongs to the taxpayer.
Had these PF Goons NOT been corrupt, they would develop Zambia, NOT plunder, & that way empower citizens, instead of the P.F Blueprint of handouts, & praise to Chakolwa.
The best way to counter the British agenda to tarnish Zambia’s reputation to investors abroad to promote regime change is by; avoiding their tainted bilateral donor AID money; terminating business involvement with UK companies ie Cancel and put to tender the Tullow Oil Petroleum Exploration Licence 28, which covers a 55,000-square-kilometer (21,236-square-mile) onshore block in northern Zambia. and disqualify Glencore Energy UK’s exploration bid to buy a majority stake in Zambia’s Indeni Petroleum Refinery. The less we have to do with the British the Better off we are.
Zamtrop reloaded.
Nothing is wrong to bought. a. plen