AS we draw closer to the D-Day-August 11, there will be wars and rumours of wars just like the Bible predicts concerning the end of the world.
Here we are now hearing about the defection of one Lusaka Province Minister Mulenga Sata who has defected to the United Party for National Development (UPND).
Mulenga Sata joins another political upstart Miles Sampa who recently left the Patriotic Front (PF) to support the UPND.
Like Noah’s ark, UPND is taking all unsavory politicians who include foul-mouthed leaders, disgruntled, childish and politically naïve politicians who have a bone to chew with the incumbent President Edgar Lungu.
Other defectors include retired politicians who are dusting themselves from the political archives to make a political comeback.
As usual, Mulenga  Sata announced his resignation at a hyped UPND press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, adding to a list of other defectors who, though ‘welcome’ in the opposition are causing fears of displacing party old timers, who feel their positions will be taken by the new comers.
The million Kwacha question is why has Mulenga Sata quit the PF? Why has he, like others, seen problems in PF now and not any other time?
Why is he attacking Lungu who has helped him to be what he is now when the Party could not adopt him as a presidential candidate? Can he tell the nation the truth?
We have also heard from the grapevine that Mulenga Sata’s defection has to do with the newly-amended Grade 12 certificate requirement clause. Can he comment on this?
Early this year, Mulenga Sata was quoted on Qfm radio announcing that he was ready to contest this year’s parliamentary elections if given an opportunity to stand.
However, other stories surfaced that he withdrew from the mayoral race after presenting a grade 12 certificate that allegedly might have had some issues with the examining Board.
Zambians should remember that the politically naive young man got the mayoral position largely because of his late father’s political standing.
However, despite lacking what it takes to be a viable politician, Mulenga Sata attempted to stand as PF presidential candidate,, capitalising on a sympathy vote but was dissuaded.
Like the grade 12 requirement clause that we suspect is responsible for his defection now, Mulenga Sata had another clause working against him when he attempted to stand as party presidential candidate-his
parentage.
Mulenga could not stand as a President of Zambia because his biological mother is from Malawi.
When Sata senior arrived back from England in 1966, he met a Malawian immigrant Margaret Nyamanda in 1967 and they got married and later had children that included Mulenga.
Given that Margaret was born in Malawi and only arrived in Zambia after 1964, her children cannot be eligible to stand as president of Zambia under the current constitution.
That aside of all the president’s sons in Zambia, Mulenga Sata falls in a category of children who have not inherited the political traits of their parents.
In short, Mulenga Sata who is reserved and more of a loner hasn’t got his father’s political traits of a firebrand politician that stood the latter in better stead among other mortals.
The young and politically naive politician has been basking in his late father’s shadow and lamentably failed to be his own man.
He has never been a factor in PF going by his lacklustre performance as councillor, mayor and minister.
The move he has made like the earlier one of attempting to stand as PF presidential candidate could mark the end of his political journey that started from being a pampered son who was pushed into leadership where he has failed to tick.