PRESIDENT Michael Sata says he would have been a cook had he not worked hard in his life.
And President Sata says it is MMD leader Nevers Mumba who is spreading rumours that he is ill.
President Sata said this during a rare interaction with residents at Nkumbi Primary School, where he went to drum up support for PF candidate in the Mkushi North by-election, Ingrid Mphande.
President Sata, who gave voters an opportunity to ask him various questions, said he had worked hard.
This was after a resident, George Kangwa, 45 asked the President to give him a Toyota Spacio.
Kangwa said he had envied those that were driving and was tired of walking.
“Ine na cuula bakateka. Njendafye panshi, nomba nalomba kuli imwe bakateka naine lekeni nkwateko motoka, ka Spacio (I have suffered Mr President, I am always walking. Now I am asking you, let me have a vehicle, a Spacio),” he said.
In response, President Sata told Kangwa that he was still young and energetic.
“You young men are the ones with a lot of energy, so why don’t you mobilise yourselves to work for the betterment of your lives like those in other areas are doing while you people are just watching?” he said before he was interjected by some other youths who said they had no resources to start up something.
“You people should count yourselves lucky that you even have jobs in these farms and the only thing you lack is leadership. You have to stand up and be counted. My father was a cook and if I didn’t work hard to be something, I would have also been a cook.”
President Sata said the area was lagging behind because of lack of vibrant leadership to represent people.
“Akoni kekala epo ka temenwe (a bird sits where it chooses). I was member of parliament for 20 years. If you people want to know what I am capable of doing and you Mrs Mphande, go to Mpika, where I worked (as member of parliament). It is a village but there are tarred roads; some houses are electrified. Go to Kabwata,” he said.
The locals asked President Sata to increase the number of those accessing fertiliser.
They also bitterly complained over what they termed exploitation by farmers, who were allegedly giving them wages of as less as K300 despite the government’s stipulation of a minimum wage.
“When you vote for me, come 2016, I will be able to respond to you because you would have given me someone to communicate your problems,” President Sata said. “We have seen what is obtaining here in Nkumbi area; this is not how it was. It was supposed to be Nkumbi proper. So madam MP, you have a lot of things do.”
President Sata said the people of Mkushi had the right to choose who they want, but that the PF was better placed to address their plight.
“I want you people to give me people to tell me the problems that the people of Luano have. This is why I have brought Mphande,” he said.
President Sata also addressed a rally at Masansa Primary School and paid a courtesy call on chief Chitina, who was elated to see him.
President Sata told residents that he would build the chief a new house and turn the visibly dilapidated house into a guest house. He also promised a clinic around the area.
And addressing residents at Mkushi grounds, President Sata wondered why some people were spreading rumours that he was ill when he was in perfect health.
“He (Mumba) is saying ‘Sata is seriously sick and he is dying and when he dies, I will take over from him’. Can a sick person stand for long hours as I have been standing since we began the rallies?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to be called by anyone to the podium to address you. I wanted to go there and wait for everyone to speak so that those that are spreading these lies that I’m sick can see that I am okay; bonse kuti twalwalako panono, noti ukulwala uku balelanda (It is normal to fall ill from time to time, not the type of sickness they are talking about). Nevers is telling people that I am dying now. Is that not as good as being a witch? Is this how a sick person looks? It is Nevers Mumba who is praying for my death so that he can take over. He wishes me death.”
Mphande said that she had been rejected in 2011 but was confident that the people would vote for PF because they made a mistake by voting for MMD.
MMD is fielding Jonathan Kapungwe, UPND has floated Wynter Libbohole, while NAREP is fielding Albert Kaweya. Felix Chisanga is standing as an independent candidate, while Bernard Nshimbi is standing on UNIP ticket.
semaj
July 19, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Ba sata boosting!ba joina utuma secret society and he has started insulting pipo.so as cooks we hav ent worked hard in life?
Friday
July 20, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Which secret society naiwe chikala ? The man is health en he knows it.Abash people like you nefinobe fi watch d.o.g.
Ba game
July 19, 2013 at 5:40 pm
Ba sata u’r sick in mind .
Friday
July 20, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Iwe chikala nibawiso aba.Mukongo wanoko
Julam
July 19, 2013 at 6:02 pm
That Nkumbi guy has guts. You got your deserved answer my friend
ayoba
July 19, 2013 at 6:12 pm
He asked for a spacio, next ngaya fuel alelomba. Sata talk tangible development and ways of attaining it, not utushimi utu.
Muzyeche
July 19, 2013 at 6:47 pm
So even talkin too much is hardwork?if it is then even being a cook is hardwork mwaumfwa.
Friday
July 20, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Atleast he is a president en rich.Talk too much en see if you can achieve what he has.Muleikalafye.
isaac
July 22, 2013 at 11:55 am
Being a president is not like being a manager where only one or two pipo recommend you, one has to have country wide support to have that support one needs hard work. It is not easy for one to be the president of a country and say its not through hard work to be in that position, unless that one is mentally incapacitated in analysing issues.
Haile
July 19, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Let him cook his own diner since all us cooks are not hard working
chick niggerz
July 19, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Bt sata boi nauchinja…anyway akatanshi takalisha akalekelesha ekalisha
Musonda
July 19, 2013 at 7:12 pm
Ba Tumfweko! Can u pliz publish my contribution. What is wrong with YOU!
Musonda
July 19, 2013 at 7:38 pm
THOSE WHO WERE BORN BECOZ OF A BENOVALENT SPIRIT SHOULD KIND TO OTHER PIPO. MR SATA THOSE WHO COOK, WASH AND CUT YO LAWN ARE ******, WE CANNOT ALL BE DOCTORS, POLITICIANS OR BUSINESS EXCUTIVES.
Musonda
July 19, 2013 at 7:41 pm
THOSE WHO WERE BORN BECOZ OF A BENOVALENT SPIRIT SHOULD BE KIND TO OTHER PIPO. MR SATA THOSE WHO COOK, WASH AND CUT YO LAWN ARE NOT ******, WE CANNOT ALL BE DOCTORS, POLITICIANS OR BUSINESS EXCUTIVES.
cook
July 19, 2013 at 7:44 pm
What is wrong being a cook? Give the better jobs then.
mmmm
July 19, 2013 at 8:57 pm
Cook, you have asked the right question.We can not be engineers,accountants or doctors. This is an insult to cooks. These same politicians go to hotels cooks or chefs are the one that prepare meals they eat.
Ndaje Kahks
July 20, 2013 at 9:45 am
You have miscontrued the Presidents intention. Read between the lines. He is not demeaning the cooks. Even cooks can become wealthy within their calling. It all lies with personal ambitions. We are always sensitive to remarks made against us and this is what puts us down. Try to see posives in such remarks and you will succeed. I remember a Chingola man who became one of the richest men by selling charcoal. Now when you talk of charcoal burning you think it is an insult. We should not complain about lack of jobs since we are the ones who destroyed the parastatals that KK built for us. All we did was stealing without making profit. Now that should have asked for wisdom not for a Spacio— where is the sense in that?
mmmm
July 19, 2013 at 8:58 pm
i meant We can not all be engineers,accountants or doctors.
why not if not
July 19, 2013 at 9:09 pm
Its just that we like passing negative comments to anything even when it doesnt call for criticism. When satã says he could have ended up a cook my understanding is that he didnt mean to say being a cook is bad or looked down on cooks. We all want to go high in life one day but others are in certain fields or Jobs coz they never had opportunity or didnt go further in education with whatever causes. Even all of us posting comments each one has a dream so it depends whether our dreams will come true or not.No one takes his child to school in order to have him take carreer of farm worker,maid, cook etc but circumstances lead to that.His example to other may sound that he is boasting its not so.
pichu
July 19, 2013 at 9:21 pm
there is nothin wrong with being a cook, ask silvia banda.its just that not all cooks r successful’ just like politicians ask miyanda, d pule. it does not mean those who do not make it r lazy its just nature.
MULE
July 19, 2013 at 9:41 pm
SATA SHOULD NOT THINK THAT HE IS A GENIUS, GOD HAS JUST TOLERATED HIS CHEATING OF THE INNOCENT SOULS FOR HIM TO BE WHERE HE IS TODAY. TIME WILL SURELY CATCH UP WITH HIM!
Bbwindi
July 19, 2013 at 9:43 pm
I understand sata is a very good efficient sweeper
bigbodybuilder
July 19, 2013 at 10:01 pm
President Sata worked hard as a younger Politician but now is a different matter because of his age. He needs to be honest with himself and accept he may only be able to serve one term. He is one of the oldest persons to serve as Head of State.
Be Good
July 20, 2013 at 5:05 am
He scored an own goal – he said the youth lack leadership!
Be Good
July 20, 2013 at 5:12 am
The message should have been “be excellent in whatever jib you do”. Not belittling the few that can find jobs as cooks.
FuManchu
July 20, 2013 at 5:36 am
No job should be demeaned
ayoba
July 20, 2013 at 7:55 am
To Sata’s cooks,kumushipilamofye amate mufyakulya umuntu waifi…a nasty suggestion. We need all jobs for a society to be balanced and cooks line our stomachs. Viva cook!
D
July 20, 2013 at 8:24 am
Stop living on dialysis and lets see what happens.
kamona
July 20, 2013 at 8:52 am
This self ego is as a result of the man’s background.He rose through ranks from the position of a railway cleaner to that of a Republican president.Surely to him it means alot
ba medza
July 20, 2013 at 9:37 am
What sata meant was that he would have ended up being like his father who was a cook had he not worked hard,so let’s encourage our children & children to be to make it bigger than we have or we inted to. Very few of us would end up being presidents having started with humble begginings like sata. He is the man!!!
swine
July 20, 2013 at 11:40 am
Cant understand why idio.tic and morornic blogers like Mule, Haile and Musonda cant read between the lines…chisungu ichi shupile nangu shani?..simply put, he meant we all should aim high in life!…ba akabwa imwe!
Steve
July 20, 2013 at 11:39 am
Ndaje Kahks, the president is wrong to give such an illustration considering he’s status even if he meant to drive a point. How will people who worked hard to become cooks feel?. All professions are equally important. What point is he driving to my child who is so passionate about doing hotel studies and majoring in cooking? As a father of the nation, he must be trained to be impartial.
For argument sake, what working hard did the president do to warrant him to insult his subjects in such a manner? Which university did he go to that he should claim to have worked hard. Some of the cooks are degree holders and hence even more educated.
Disappointed citizen.
isaac
July 22, 2013 at 12:06 pm
English, the Queen’s language. Sata is not saying being a cook is a curse what he is saying is that he would have ended with the same job his dad ended up with.But in his case he has worked hard to be where he is. So if am a cook can i be offended with those sentiments if am one i would just be encouraged to work even extra harder.
sodje
July 20, 2013 at 5:16 pm
Sata should know that, the are some cooks who even went to vote for him.
Be Good
July 21, 2013 at 3:47 am
cooks, you and your families should withhold your vote from someone who thinks you are nothing.
Dimma
July 25, 2013 at 10:29 am
I thought he was a cop