The MMD in Ndola has with immediate effect suspended its Vice Secretary for Publicity and Information Alex Mubanga for threatening to beat up Former Vice President Enock Kavindele at the fourth coming national convention.

The suspension has been announced by Ndola District Executive Chairman Cephas Katongo thursday.

Mr Kayongo says the MMD is a responsible party which should not condone irresponsible statements from its members like the one attributed to Mr Mubanga in Thursday’s issue of the Post Newspaper.

Mr Katongo said the MMD has no crack squad and people should ignore such utterances which he said are misplaced.

He said the ruling party will continue to protect everyone in Zambia and will not habour any militia.

Mr Katongo said Mr Kavindele is free to attend the national convention and contest any position of his choice.

He however said no one will vote for him because the district has already resolved to support President Rupiah Banda.

And Mr Mubanga has accepted his suspension saying he is a loyal member of the party and will respect any action taken against him by any organ of the party.

[ZNBC]

By Elias Munshya wa Munshya

Many opposition political parties, civil society organizations and particular one daily newspaper detest William Banda, the MMD’s Chairman for Lusaka Province. They accuse him of having a UNIP mentality of caderism and violence. William has been in politics for many years. He was a UNIP stalwart who was under very controversial circumstances stripped of Zambian citizenship by the Chiluba regime. The Supreme Court of Zambia affirmed his deportation to Malawi by Home Affairs Minister Chitalu Sampa. He was only to be brought back to Zambia by President Levy Mwanawasa who quickly recognised William’s political skills and used him extensively in the 2006 election campaigns.[pullquote]As such, only a person who understands grassroots thinking and politics can be a match to Sata. When explaining economic performance he simply says, “Our Coca-Cola in Zambia is more expensive than elsewhere in the region.” The motto for his party is simply, “more money in your pockets .
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Politically speaking William is a great political asset for the MMD. As much as many of our people would like to see a new kind of politics take center stage in Zambia today, the reality on the ground is that the current politics is indeed centered on the old political ideology of UNIP. In fact, UNIP politicians are still calling the shots: from the MMD’s RB Banda to the PF’s Michael Sata. It still remains to be studied how the MMD became the new UNIP and indeed why the old UNIP political ideology is still prevalent in Zambian politics today—twenty years after the end of UNIP rule. UNIP ideology is seen in the MMD’s “wamuyaya” mentality during Chiluba’s third term bid and is also evident in the PF’s fixation on Sata, the undoubted life president of PF. Further, Sata’s power to hire and fire his Central Committee and the fact that his party has never had a convention since the party’s formation in 2001 shows clear UNIPist propensities.

The MMD’s current greatest challenge for the 2011 election is Michael Sata. Sata is, undoubtedly, a man of the common man. His political mobilization skills are derived from the compounds and from the ordinary people. He speaks a language that they can understand, and he does not hesitate to use old and overused UNIPist strategy of intimidation and sometimes violence to carry his message through. He does not use academic language to explain economics and for him good investment is one which does not “give our market stalls to the Chinese.”” All these are simplistic terms that easily resonate with many of our people. As such, only a person who understands grassroots thinking and politics can be a match to Sata. When explaining economic performance he simply says, “Our Coca-Cola in Zambia is more expensive than elsewhere in the region.” The motto for his party is simply, “more money in your pockets . Unfortunately, RB Banda’s political history lacks a touch with the grassroots. RB Banda is a university educated elitist who spent a good number of years in the Kaunda government as a diplomat. As such, when it comes to grassroots mobilization, which the MMD desperately needs to win confortable votes in Lusaka, they had to look elsewhere to supply that.

The MMD had to look to William Banda, a controversial cadre who nevertheless can match Michael Sata’s grassroots mobilization skills. Of course the PF complain about William because they know what he brings to the political table. The PF knows that as a grassroots mobilizer, William has the potential to dent their popularity in Lusaka. This is William, an old man with grey hair, but nevertheless has the time and energy to meet cadres under mango trees and face them in Mandevu and Chawama. This is William who projects a figure of an ordinary man, a common person who nevertheless commands respect from a myriad of cadres. The MMD did not need a reasonable person to mobilize Lusaka. All they needed was a figure like William who would go to the people, mobilize them for the hour and speak a language that they can understand. The MMD does not need William to help them become a majority in Lusaka; all they need him to do is to turn a few votes against the PF. And those few votes would be very significant when the final tally is prepared in 2011.

The fact that some violent tendencies are seen in William Banda’s politics should be a concern. But equally concerning is the general violent nature that our politics seem to be taking. Be it the UPND violence in Mufumbwe and Mapatizya, or indeed the MMD’s violence in Chawama, violence should be detested. But William’s strengths of grassroots political mobilization far outweigh any of his weaknesses. The message is at least clear, if the PF have Sata, the MMD have their William Banda who is willing to do what Sata does very well in Lusaka. And if the MMD indeed wanted to have a man of the people to mobilize Lusaka for them, they had no better choice than the old William Banda.

Mr Banda said the MMD must,therefore, do everything possible to win all the by-elections as people countrywide had lost confidence in the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) pact.

He has since called on the MMD in the country to go flat out and campaign for their candidates in the fourth coming parliamentary and ward by-elections.

ZANIS Ndola reports that Mr Banda said this on arrival at Ndola International airport ahead of his three day tour of developmental projects in the province.

And MMD Copperbelt Chairperson Joseph Chilambwe informed the head of state that the MMD was rapidly regaining its popularity in the province.

Mr Chilambwe said the people of Copperbelt Province were convinced that the PF/UPND pact had nothing good to offer the country hence their differences on who would be their presidential candidate.

and President Rupiah Banda is tomorrow expected to officially commission the construction of the Konkola North Copper Project.

The President, who is on a three-day working visit to Copperbelt Province, would officiate at the groundbreaking ceremony of the US$380 million Konkola North Copper Project, which is owned as a joint-venture by Vale Mining Company of Brazil and Rainbow Minerals of South Africa.

Once completed, Konkola North Copper Mine is projected to produce 45,000 tonnes of Copper Concentrate per year.

The new mine is expected to create about 1,500 jobs on the Copperbelt Province.

The President will later tour the Ndola Stadium, which is under construction and visit the Multi-Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) trade zone site in Ndola.

On Friday, President Banda will visit Ndola Rural in Mpongwe where he will inspect progress on the construction of a High School and later tour the newly tarred Mpongwe-Luansobe Road.

The President and his delegation will return to Lusaka after completing his scheduled visit to the Copperbelt Province.

[ QFM ]

President Banda has called on the ruling MMD to take every election seriously.

Mr Banda said it is important for the MMD to work towards winning every election that comes along in order for it to continue providing leadership in the country.

He was speaking at Ndola International Aiport Wednesday morning when he arrived for a 3 day working visit to the Copperbelt Province.

Mr Banda also commended the MMD in the Province for being united, a factor which he said has led to the party gaining ground in the province.

Mr Banda further said he would not relax and leave the country in the hands of people who will not continue with the good policies that have been lined up.

And Coperbelt Minister Mwansa Mbulakulima paid tribute to President Banda for his commitment to deliver development to Zambians.

Mr Mbulakulima said the good policies put in place by President Banda have transformed Zambia’s economy for the better.

He assured the President that the province would continue rallying behind him as the country gears for the 2011 general elections.
[ ZNBC ]