Zambia: Sata’s ‘Disgraceful ‘ Visit to Mpezeni Condemned

30 June 2011

Senior Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people in Eastern Province has condemned Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata for brandishing reporters and cameramen on him during his visit to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) where the traditional leader was admitted until yesterday.

And House of Chiefs chairperson Senior Chief Madzimawe has said Mr Sata broke the Ngoni and Zambian tradition when he paraded Paramount Chief Mpezeni in the Post newspaper of yesterday.

Chief Mpezeni, who is referred to as Nkhosi yama Khosi, said he did not mind being visitedby politicians from any political party but unleashing reporters to show him in a newspaper parading with a leader of a political party carried some political motives.

Mr Sata was captured on the front page of the Post visiting with Chief Mpezeni on his hospital bed.

Chief Mpezeni said as a leader, he had been visited by people from the Forum for Democracy and Development, MMD and United Party for National Development because all were his sons and daughters.

He said when Mr Sata visited him at UTH, he did not speak about politics but merely asked how he was doing and what the problem was, but unleashing Press men on him to parade him in the newspaper was disappointing.

The traditional leader said he would continue welcoming people who wanted to visit him regardless of their political affiliation but they should not do it with political motives.

Eastern Province MMD chairperson Kennedy Zulu said Mr Sata had reduced the Ngoni tradition by parading Paramount Chief Mpezeni in a hospital bed without due consideration for his privacy.

He said Mr Sata should stop fooling the Zambian people that his visit was on humanitarian grounds especially that he delivered a photographer from The Post.

Mr Zulu said Mr Sata should learn to respect privacy and that it was irregular for him to continue gaining political mileage out of people who were ill like Chief Mpezeni.

He said Mr Sata attempted to gain political mileage out of the death of the late former head of State Frederick Chiluba and now had turned to the chief of the Ngoni people.

Senior Chief Madzimawe also said Mr Sata broke the Ngoni and Zambian tradition when he paraded Paramount Chief Mpezeni in the Post.

He said in Lusaka yesterday that the picture was in bad taste and was against the Ngoni tradition that does not allow a traditional leader to be paraded in public when he falls ill.

He said it was clear that Mr Sata had invited reporters from the Post whom he always moved with when he wanted to gain political mileage at an event.

Chief Madzimawe said Mr Sata had political motives when he visited Paramount Chief Mpezeni where he paraded the traditional leader in the newspaper.

The traditional leader reminded Mr Sata that the people of Eastern Province had not forgotten his statement when he condemned the road construction project between Mfuwe and Chipata.

The PF leader had said there were no people in Mfuwe but animals, and therefore the road project was unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Senior Chief Nzamane, who is second from Chief Mpezeni, wondered where Mr Sata found strength to visit Chief Mpezeni when he boycotted the burial of his own brother, Dr Chiluba.

“I know he visited the Mulungushi International Conference Centre for body viewing but we were not with him when we buried Dr Chiluba. Where did he find strength to visit the Nkhhosi yama Khosi?” he asked.

Headman Kapachika of the Ngoni people in Chief Nzamane’s area described as taboo the parading of the chief when he was ill because traditional leaders in the area were considered as heads of warriors who could only be visited by their indunas when ill.

He said it was wrong to expose the Nkhosi in the manner Mr Sata did in yesterday’s Post and hoped the pain he had caused could heal.

The Church also condemned Mr Sata for using Chief Mpezeni’s sickness for political gain when he could not even attend the funeral of his old-time friend, Dr Chiluba.

International Fellowship of Christian Churches president Simon Chihana said it was disrespectful of Mr Sata to set the media on the traditional leader.

Bishop Chihana described Mr Sata’s behaviour as hypocrisy of the worst kind.

The Committee of Citizens the PF leader’s visit to Paramount Chief Mpezeni was a desperate attempt to mend his miserable public image following his loss of respect that he had suffered over the death of Dr Chiluba.

Executive director, Gregory Chifire said Mr Sata and his “vuvuzela newspaper”, The Post, used to incessantly condemn Dr Chiluba and that it was not the first time that he had exhibited such levels of lack of respect for traditional leadership.

“We find it disrespectful and very demeaning to traditional leadership in Zambia for Mr Sata to organise photographers from the Post to take photos of his royal highness on his sick bed without his consent.

“Not long ago, Mr Sata touched the head of his royal highness Paramount Chief Chitimukulu when he went to visit him in hospital. This lack of respect earned Mr Sata serious retribution from royal establishment,” he said.

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