‘Masebo Threatens Headmen’

1 July 2011

EMBATTLED Chongwe Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo is allegedly issuing threats to the traditional leadership in Chongwe who have not supported her latest political move.

MMD Lusaka provincial secretary Samson Mkandawire said at a Press briefing yesterday said that Ms Masebo had been summoning headmen to her Ibex Hill home where she had allegedly been threatening to use her influence with the local chiefs to have them removed.

Mr Mkandawire said Ms Masebo had no respect for the traditional leadership in Zambia and Chongwe in particular as evidenced by the manner in which she was treating the headmen who she demeaned by summoning to her home.

“We have reports that Ms Masebo is summoning traditional leaders from Chongwe and demanding unquestionable loyalty failure to which she will use her influence with the chiefs there to have these headmen removed,” Mr Mkandawire said.

He said the departure of Ms Masebo from the party had not created a leadership vacuum as there were qualified individuals who would take up the mantle.

He urged Ms Masebo to conduct clean campaigns if she was as popular as she claimed.”Ms Masebo has plans of stage-managed defections in Chongwe on Saturday where it is believed that some MMD party regalia will also be burnt,” he said.

Mr Mkandawire wondered how Ms Masebo could be condemning the Government when she was in Government for seven years and did not spearhead any meaningful development.

Attempts to get a comment from Ms Masebo were futile as she was not answering her mobile phone.

Meanwhile, MMD Central Province women’s affairs chairperson Grace Mulando has dismissed allegations in yesterday’s edition of the Post that President Rupiah Banda had a preferred candidate for the position of national chairperson for women’s affairs, which was won by Ms Masebo at this year’s party convention.

Ms Mulando also refuted reports alleging that provincial women’s affairs chairpersons had been meeting during the funeral of the late former president Frederick Chiluba to discuss replacing Ms Masebo.

Speaking on behalf of all the provincial women’s affairs chairpersons at a Press briefing Kabwe on Wednesday, Ms Mulando said President Banda did not have a preferred candidate for the position at the convention held in April as alleged by the newspaper because the Head of State respects all women as the father of the nation.

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