By Anthony Kasonde

In the early morning of 23rd September 2011, the 74 year old Michael Chilufya Sata leader of the hitherto opposition party, the Patriotic Front (PF) was declared the winner of the presidential elections held on 20th September 2011 after beating the incumbent Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). This was four time lucky for the son of a headman and the man who has practically held about every political position available in Zambian politics but who became a household name when he was Lusaka Governor in the now almost obscure former ruling party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP). In winning the elections, Mr Sata also became the oldest president to win the elections in Zambia.

Mr Sata was born in 1937 in Chitulika village in a rural town of Mpika in the Northern Province of Zambia. Mr Sata passed through standard education in the then colonial Northern Rhodesia and counts being a police officer, railway man and trade unionist among his early jobs in Zambia. Mr Sata also had stints in the UK and Russia and it was his former job in England where he reportedly worked as a porter at Victoria Station, one of the busiest railway stations in London, that caused his name to be splashed across several daily newspapers of Britain with the flamboyant headline that “a former London station cleaner elected as Zambia’s president.” But Mr Sata, who reportedly boasted during his 2008 campaign when he gave an interview to the BBC that no one complained about his cleaning job at Victoria station because he did a perfect job and was determined to do even a better job back home by cleaning Zambia, would not have minded such a headline because it portrays him as a hard worker not just because of the work he did at the station but the long and hard journey he took to walk into Plot 1 Independence Avenue – Zambia’s presidential residence otherwise known as State House.

Political Life

As Zambia’s fifth President, Mr Sata is one of the most recognisable and the most common person yet to enter State House. Many Zambians can easily recall one encounter or two with the now most powerful man in the country such was his sociability and humility. He is a man who made the most common phrase politicians use “I am one of you” become so real and so acceptable for he did and mingled with the common man as if he was a nobody. He talked to every Jim and Jack that he met on his way. It is this familiarity that his critics used to discount him as presidential material because most felt that he had no breaks and spoke without hesitance which would not be ideal in the modern world where diplomacy is golden. However, it is not just the casual talks that Mr Sata is known for. He is also renowned for his vociferous and hard hitting talk that has earned him the title of “King Cobra.” Many will remember his fierce exchanges he had with the late queen of Zambian TV, Goretti Nkana Mapulanga or indeed with Frank Mutubila.

[pullquote]However, it was his maverick style of politics that first made him have a brush with the then untouchable Dr Kenneth Kaunda. Dr Kaunda did not just regard Mr Sata as indiscipline for not having conformed to the UNIP dictates but went to extra ordinary lengths. The then all powerful Dr Kaunda stripped Mr Sata’s father of his title of headmanship and claimed to justify his actions that even in the Bible fathers were punished for the sins of their children[/pullquote]

Mr Sata started his political life as a Councillor. He then rose to become Lusaka Governor. It was this position that defined the man who would later lead Zambia. Mr Sata did not take this title as a ceremonial one like most of his predecessors or contemporaries did. Instead, he was a true action man on the job. He vowed to change Lusaka and make it clean and vibrant.

He made people notice him and counted projects such as the now defunct local Njanji commuter train and various housing projects to his name. Indeed, it was his work ethic that made him sail through the political spectrum as he quickly ran and won as MP for Kabwata constituency. He was then appointed as Minister of State for Local Government in the UNIP government.

However, it was his maverick style of politics that first made him have a brush with the then untouchable Dr Kenneth Kaunda. Dr Kaunda did not just regard Mr Sata as indiscipline for not having conformed to the UNIP dictates but went to extra ordinary lengths. The then all powerful Dr Kaunda stripped Mr Sata’s father of his title of headmanship and claimed to justify his actions that even in the Bible fathers were punished for the sins of their children. Mr Sata was later to defect to the newly formed MMD where he held full ministerial positions of Local Government, Labour and Health respectively before he was appointed as Minister without Portfolio. Mr Sata, who was also the MMD’s National Secretary, further elevated himself as an action man by bringing radical changes and making these ministries work to their near potential. His move to the Ministry without Portfolio and silently seen as the Government’s number 3 and hence a senior position was seen still by many as a way of derailing the ever popular action man who was looking more popular than the president himself.

Mr Sata as the most senior person working for the MMD worked had organising the party while most of his colleagues concentrated on their full time government positions. Therefore, when the late Frederick Chiluba came to choose his successor, Mr Sata very much felt as the natural successor particularly since most of the senior members of the MMD had resigned from the MMD en masse after it had become obvious that Dr Chiluba was orchestrating some move to run for the forbidden 3rd term in office. Thus when Dr Chiluba failed to run for the 3rd term and instead chose the late Mr Levy Mwanawasa, Mr Sata resigned and formed the PF and the rest is now history.

King Cobra the President

Dr Chiluba did not adequately say why he bypassed Mr Sata to pick Mr Mwanawasa, who was seen as an outsider in the party, to stand as its presidential candidate in the 2001 elections. However, he did say, in bits and pieces, that he did not believe Mr Sata was suitable to become president of the country. However, it is worth to not that before their very public fallout, Dr Chiluba did back and publicly support Mr Sata in his 2006 presidential bid. Another former president, Dr Kaunda who has previously referred to Mr Sata as Satana (vernacular word for the devil Saturn) also has previously stated that Mr Sata is not presidential material. However, the very fact that his first son moved away from his UPND party to publicly back Mr Sata and Dr Kaunda himself attended the PF Convention may have gone miles to confirm that the former president may have changed his mind on Mr Sata.

Many critics feel that Mr Sata is better suited as the led rather than the leader. The basis for this is the very fact that as an action man, he cannot be the commander in chief for he will be required to perform various other roles that may not suit his style of management. Other people have argued that he comes out as a dictator and therefore is likely to govern the country with iron hand that may spoil doom for the hard earned democracy. Mr Sata’s king cobra style is also likened to a kaponya (a street thug) who talks too much and usually with no sense. It is these issues that made people have breaks on him in his previous three attempts at the most coveted job in Zambia.

It is hard to know then what made the Zambian people give Mr Sata the job this time around. Professor Oliver Saasa, a professor in International Economic Relations once quipped that Mr Sata is the man needed to whip the sleeping Zambia into action. Indeed, most people seem to have come to this conclusion. The country tried a freedom fighter, a trade unionist, a law graduate, a retiree and now it seems a nationalist with a different approach may be the answer. Most people feel the country has lost its direction and the course needs to be changed. Mr Sata is seen as brave and unfazed. He has not been scared to have a go at the British government and has taken on the might China to complain against their unfair and unhelpful trade practices in Zambia.

However, as Mr Sata has already learnt on the third day of his presidency he needs to be all inclusive and listen. Mr Sata went for his usual Sunday mass at St Ignatius Church in Rhodes Park. The Church wanted to make it unusual by inviting Mr Sata to sit in front. However, Mr Sata graciously opted to sit at a position where he has always sat as a commoner. The Priest did however urge Mr Sata to drop the name of “King Cobra” and instead to be known as the “King Servant.” This was obviously to recognise the role that he now has in society and the responsibilities that come with it. Mr Sata knows that he has to be humble for he knows that no matter how hard he hits a stone it will not drip any blood.

RB’s Moment

Zambia despite high poverty levels and most people living on less than $2 a day has done well since it ushered in democracy in 1991. In the elections of that year that saw a change of government, the country’s founding father Dr Kaunda was hailed for having accepted the will of the people and handed over power peacefully. Since that change the country has seen two more presidents elected peacefully albeit from the same ruling party. Therefore, this third change of a president was highly significant for it represented a change of government similar to the one that happened in 1991.

[pullquote]If Mr Banda’s swiftness to concede defeat was graceful, his departing speech was legendary. He may not have done much during his time in power but the events of those two days and his speech just elevated him to a high level.[/pullquote]

Former president Banda again showed tremendous grace and statesmanship by quickly accepting defeat and becoming instrumental in the change of government. This further strengthened Zambia’s standing as a model of democracy in Africa where people are determined to hang on to power even after the electorate have said NO. The Ivory Coast experience and the killings that followed and that coming after the horrific violence experienced in Kenya just made Zambia a beacon of hope in that department. If Mr Banda’s swiftness to concede defeat was graceful, his departing speech was legendary. He may not have done much during his time in power but the events of those two days and his speech just elevated him to a high level.

Mr Banda reminded the PF to “treat those who you have vanquished with the respect and humility that you would expect in your own hour of defeat… Speaking for myself and my party, we will accept the results. We are a democratic party and we know no other way.” He continued by trying to diagnose the ills of his MMD by saying “Zambia was liberated by an MMD ideal but maybe we became complacent with our ideals. Maybe we did not listen, maybe we did not hear. Did we become grey and lacking in ideas? Did we lose momentum? Our duty now is to go away and reflect on any mistakes we may have made and learn from them. If we do not, we do not deserve to contest power again.” He also reminded Zambia of its greatness due to its potential and impressive resources.

90 Days and Counting

At 74 and having well documented medical problems, it has to be recognised that Mr Sata may not be the man he was several years ago. It is hard to know whether Zambians are getting what they paid for with their vote. However, if the promises made during the campaigns are anything to go by then the Zambian people will definitely get the money’s worth of their votes. The PF promised to change things in 90 days, to bring money in people’s pockets, to build houses and to improve health facilities. Mr Sata may sooner rather than later realise that most of the world’s strong economies are flirting still with recession most with double deep deficits. Indeed, he will soon come close to the phrase “it’s the economy stupid” and realise that in fact influential financial equations are worked out very far away from Plot One. Most of the promises therefore may be hard to achieve in that time frame.

[pullquote]Mr Sata has come a long way to walk into State House. The Zambian landscape has once again demonstrated that rather like in America, there is the Zambian dream for those that dare to work hard. There are no classes in Zambia and therefore no one is blocked from achieving their dream[/pullquote]

However, what the Sata led government may certainly change in that short frame of time is the attitude of the people to work, property and the like and indeed the way things are run particularly in public entities. Things have not worked well for the country thus far and therefore Zambia cannot continue doing the same things and hope for a different result. This applies to individuals as well as the leadership. Thus, for example, Mr Sata should not go on the offensive and purge civil servants in authority just because they were seen to support the previous government. It is the attitude that needs to be changed so that people know that their loyalty is to the system rather than to ruling parties. There may be decent and highly qualified people who got it wrong just because of the way things are run in Zambia. Therefore to change the attitudes and keep the people may help a great deal going forward so that to start with civil servants are not seen as installed by a particular government and hence loyal to this set of people rather than to the government of the day. The fight on corruption must also not just be practiced but seen to be practiced.

Mr Sata has come a long way to walk into State House. The Zambian landscape has once again demonstrated that rather like in America, there is the Zambian dream for those that dare to work hard. There are no classes in Zambia and therefore no one is blocked from achieving their dream. Mr Sata, who is married to a doctor and has several children, may have taken long to finally realise it and sadly for him he has lost his dear ones along the way who could not witness his greatest one Friday moment. He lost his dearest daughter, Zhina, when he was still in the MMD government. At her funeral, Mr Sata conceded that her death had changed him. She made him so proud (and the writer who lived next to her could see why) as most other people realised on that sombre day she was put to rest. The country hopes to benefit from a reformed Mr Sata after all he no longer is King Cobra but Servant King. Long may the King Servant live.