MR PRESIDENT ZAMBIA HAS BECOME POLARISED
…to spread love, we pray Mr President that you embrace all Zambians regardless of political affiliation and region one comes from – Kaseba-Sata
By Margaret Malenga(the mast)
MR PRESIDENT Zambia has become polarised, former first lady Christine Kaseba Sata reminded Hakainde Hichilema.
She prayed that her late husband and former president Michael Sata may intervene “for your country, intervene for your fellow President so that he may have peace, that he may have the strength and that he may have the wisdom to carry on”.
“Mr President, Zambia has become polarised. It has become politicised. To spread love, we pray, Mr President, that you embrace all Zambians regardless of political affiliation, regardless of religion, regardless of the region where one comes from. We pray that through you God will teach us to be more tolerant of one another. May the spirit of unity and oneness prevail over mother Zambia. I think once we do this Michael Sata will continue resting in peace because this is what he believed in,” she said during the 10th memorial service of Sata held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross yesterday presided by President Hichilema. “Dear friends, colleagues, I implore each one of us to carry forward his example of peace, love, forgiveness, honesty and action. Let’s honour his legacy by embracing his values, by fighting for what is right and by never losing sight of our commitment to each other. Michael my dear husband, though you are no longer here with us, your spirit lives on in every heart you touched and in every life you changed. Thank you for your strength, thank you for your love and your unwavering belief in a better Zambia. Rest well my love, we will carry on your vision and hold your memory close always. Intervene for your country, intervene for your fellow President so that he may have peace, that he may have the strength and that he may have the wisdom to carry on.”
Dr Kaseba-Sata urged the country to remember Sata’s pledge to rule Zambia by the 10 commandments.
“10 years after his demise, we should recall Michael Sata’s pledge on his inauguration to rule Zambia by the 10 commandments. And many wondered how he was going to do that but in Mathew 22:36-40 Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment in law and Jesus answered ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind’. This is the first and the greatest. And the second is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ And this is why his (Sata) favourite theme was ‘Tutemwane bane bonse (Let us all love each other)’. Understanding the two greatest commandments of the law, Michael Sata preached love. Michael Sata showed love to those that insulted him. Michael Sata forgave those that insulted and plotted against him. There were many times as a family we would get frustrated by his magnaminity but his response was always ‘bushe nimwe baletuka, bushe nimwe baumine (Is it you they were insulting, is it you they beat up)?’,” she recalled. “Willie Nsanda had attacked him while he was on a campaign trail in Kitwe but he accommodated him as he went on the PF campaign. When we reminded him of what Nsanda had done, in fact it was Reverend Mutale who reminded him and he told Reverend Mutale ‘what kind of priest are you? You are the ones who are supposed to preach love and preach forgiveness and yet you want me to hate somebody. Bushe nimwe baumine (Is it you they beat up)?’. So we need to learn how to love one another.”
Dr Kaseba-Sata emphasised that Sata envisioned a Zambia that could hold its own among other nations.
She added that although Sata did not live to witness the full realisation of his dreams, “his vision should continue to serve as an inspiration”.
“In his determination and desire to effect real change he could sometimes come across as blunt or even as a bully. It was quite amusing when he was governor [of Lusaka] to watch men scramble to their posts whenever they spotted his vehicle approaching or heard his voice from afar. His legacy includes transformative projects that have beautified and developed our cities with improved infrastructure,” Dr Kaseba-Sata said.
She further described Sata as a “man on a mission”.
“To me and the family, president Sata was larger than life. In a world often clouded by uncertainty, Michael stood as a beacon of clarity and insight. His remarkable sense of discernment allowed him to navigate life’s complexities with an extraordinary depth of understanding. Whether in personal relationships or professional endeavours, Michael had an innate ability to see beyond the surface. Discerning personalities, discerning truths and falsehoods that others could overlook. Michael Sata was known for his ambition, relentless drive and sense for urgency. He was a man on a mission and he had very little patience for delays or excuses,” said Dr Kaseba-Sata. “Whether he was talking to the lowest of the lowest in community, conversing with farmers or engaging with world leaders, he always brought warmth and honesty to his relationships. And so we are here today to celebrate his honesty as well as servant leadership. Though he was blunt and very straightforward, his bluntness was rooted in sincerity. He spoke from the heart and his straightforwardness made his dedication unmistakable. He was always worried about the poor and vulnerable in society. It is very hard to believe that a decade has passed since Mr Sata joined his ancestors yet we find comfort knowing that his spirit remains with us, inspiring us through the principles he lived by and the legacy he left behind.”