Sata’s Health Failing, Insists Mumbi

25 June 2011

Former Patriotic Front(PF) secretary general Edward Mumbi has insisted that PF leader Michael Sata’s health is failing him, hence his failure to appear in public and attend second president of the Republic of Zambia Frederick Chiluba’s funeral.

And MMD Northern Province secretary Stephen Chanda has said Mr Sata is sick, while his party’s Kasama Central Member of Parliament (MP) Geoffrey Mwamba is reportedly admitted to a South African hospital after the two differed on the use of abusive language on political opponents.

And PF founder member Samson Zulu has said the calls by some members in the opposition party for its leader Michael Sata to step aside in view of his ill-health are genuine as it will cost the party in the forthcoming elections.

In another development, PF Kabulonga Ward 16 councillor Charles Msiska who has since defected to the United Party for National development(UPND), has said Mr Sata did not appreciate working with intelligent people as evidenced by the huge number of secretaries-general that have since left the party.

Mr Mumbi said having worked with Mr Sata, it was clear that the opposition leader’s health was failing him.

Commenting on PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba who insisted at a Press briefing that Mr Sata was well, Mr Mumbi said pressure was mounting on the opposition party’s leadership that they should hold a convention because of Mr Sata’s alleged ill-health.

“The new comers in the party are the ones who want Mr Sata out, they are the ones who want a more energetic person to take over from him and that is why the meeting at Carnival Lodge had to digress to start discussing the issue of the PF leader’s health,” he said.

He said having worked in the opposition party, he was aware that Mr Sata’s health was failing.

“It is not up to me to say Mr Sata should step aside or not because for me he is not a factor but what I am saying is that he is not well.

I can challenge him on that, let him come with me to an independent hospital.

“But being a political comedian and pathological liar, he will refuse. He has been phoning radio stations just to hoodwink Zambians that he is okey.

But the truth is the man is unwell. In fact, that is what we had done when I was still secretary general of the party at the time when he developed the heart condition we asked Dr Katema to issue a statement down playing the illness,” he said.

Some senior members of the PF have reportedly differed after a clique of renegade members of the party’s supreme organ demanded that Mr Sata should step down before the elections on account of ill-health.

On Mr Sata and Mr Mwamba’s ill-health, Lieutenant-Colonel Chanda said during a media briefing in Kasama yesterday that a PF member of the Central Committee (MCC), who is a friend of the ruling party, had disclosed the two opposition leaders’ sickness.

According to ZNBC News monitored in Ndola last night, Col Chanda said that he had been informed that Mr Sata was confined to his Rhodes Park home in Lusaka, while Mr Mwamba was evacuated to South Africa where he was admitted to one of the private hospitals for specialist treatment.

Col Chanda said Mr Mwamba has suffered a stroke, while Mr Sata was suffering from an unknown illness.

But PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba denied that Mr Sata was sick.

Mr Kabimba said Mr Sata was in good health and ready to contest the 2011 elections.

And commenting on the looming spilt of the opposition party Mr Zulu who is a former PF member said in Lusaka yesterday that the concerns by the people calling on Mr Sata to step down were genuine because the campaigns ahead would require an energetic person.

“Those calls are very genuine because for a person to aspire for leadership especially the president, one needs to be physically fit.”It will be unfair for the PF to ask Zambians to vote for a person who is not very fit,” he said.

In another development, PF Kabulonga ward councillor, Mr Msiska has said that only bootlickers can work with Mr Sata.

Speaking when he defected to the UPND yesterday, Mr Msiska said Mr Sata does not appreciate working with intelligent people as evidenced by the huge number Secretary-Generals that had since left the party.

“This man was in leadership before some of you were born and he still wants to be in leadership, he is old and tired” Mr Msiska said.He wondered why people had continued to support a person that outlived his usefulness stating that Mr Sata was no longer a factor in politics.

Mr Misika said he had defected to the UPND because he was tired of being intimidated”PF has the largest turnover of secretaries-general that have defected with number is currently standing at eight,” Mr Msiska said.

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