Zambia: Sata’s Long-Time Links With Gays – Mumbi

23 June 2011

Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has long been associated with people who openly practise homosexuality and had close ties with George Mermegas, who was a business executive and known homosexual, former PF secretary general Edward Mumbi has said.

Mr Mumbi said in Lusaka that Zambians should question Mr Sata’s credibility to rule the country since he had close links in the past with people involved in homosexuality.

He said the revelation by a man from Mazabuka recently that Mr Sata was a close friend of a business executive who used to sexually molest him with the full knowledge of the PF leader was not an isolated case as there were several other gays he had associated with.

“You know, Zambians should be very careful with Mr Sata. This man is not to be trusted and it is not a coincidence that he has finally opened up on his support for homosexuality.

“Apart from the recent revelation from the man from Mazabuka, Mr Sata was also a close friend of a Mr George Mermegas in Lusaka who was also homosexual,” he said.

He said Mr Sata’s love for homosexual friends made him go to an extent of insulting the late former Lands minister Dawson Lupunga, who he accused to delaying to giving Mr Mermegas a piece of land in Lusaka.

“I am sure a lot of people still remember how Mr Sata went out of his way to the extent of insulting the late Mr Lupunga just because he wanted him to quickly release land to Mr Mermegas for that building called Carousel Shopping Centre,” Mr Mumbi said.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Police Service has warned Zambians against falling prey to Mr Sata’s support for homosexuality because the law provides for a 14-year jail sentence for anyone found guilty of committing the act.

Spokesperson Ndandula Siamana said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Zambians should ignore the statement that Zambia had laws that support homosexuality.

Ms Siamana said practising sex against the order of nature was punishable by law.

The PF leader recently told some European journalists that Zambia had laws that protected people who engaged in homosexuality and that there was need for the Government to implement them.

He claimed that people who engaged in such acts had rights that needed to be respected but has been condemned by members of the Zambian public.

Ms Siamana said the police existed to protect the laws and that law breakers would be pursued to protect public morality.

She said it had been difficult for the police to arrest Mr Sata for the offence of promoting homosexuality because there had been no formal report lodged against him.

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