Michael Sata

Michael Charles Chilufya Sata (6 July 1937 – 28 October 2014) was a Zambian politician who was the fifth president of Zambia, from 23 September 2011 until his death on 28 October 2014.

A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a major political party in Zambia.

Michael Charles Chilufya Sata was born on 6 July 1937, and brought up in Mpika, Northern Province.

He worked as a police officer, railway man and trade unionist during colonial rule.

He spent time in London working on the railway sweeping the platforms.

Among other things, he was a porter at Victoria railway station.

Sata began actively participating in the politics of Northern Rhodesia in 1963.

Following independence, he worked his way up through the rough-and-tumble rank-and-file of the ruling United National Independence Party (UNIP) to the governorship of Lusaka in 1985.

As Governor, he made his mark as a man of action with a hands on approach.

He cleaned up the streets, patched roadways and built bridges in the city.

Afterward he became a member of parliament for Kabwata constituency in Lusaka.

Under President Frederick Chiluba, Sata was a minister during the 1990s as part of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) government.

Though once close with President Kenneth Kaunda, he became disillusioned by Kaunda's dictatorial style and he left the UNIP to join the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) during the campaign for multi-party politics in 1991.

Sata's first marriage was to Margaret Manda.

He later married his second wife, Christine Kaseba, who became First Lady of Zambia during his presidency.

Michael Sata reportedly had at least ten children between his two marriages.

After Frederick Chiluba defeated Kaunda in 1991, Sata became one of Zambia's most instantly recognisable faces.

Under the MMD, he served as minister for local government, labour and, briefly, health where, he stated that his "reforms brought sanity to the health system".

The cabbage was a reference to Mwanawasa's speech impediment, which was the result of an injury sustained in a 1992 car crash.

He has also accused Mwanawasa of "selling out" Zambia to international interests, and at one event, he referred to Hong Kong as a country and Taiwan as a sovereign state.

In response, China threatened to cut off relations with Zambia if he was elected.

Sata's right-hand man in the campaign was Dr. Guy Scott, the Patriotic Front secretary general.

Scott is a white Zambian politician.

He served a number of ministerial positions during the Chiluba government.

In 1995, he was appointed minister without portfolio, the party's national organising secretary during which his political style was described as "increasingly abrasive".

He went into opposition in 2001, forming the PF.

In 2001, President Chiluba nominated Levy Mwanawasa as the MMD's presidential candidate for the 2001 election.

In frustration, Sata left the MMD and set up a new party, the Patriotic Front (PF).

He contested the 2001 election but did not do well—his party only won one seat in parliament.

Sata conceded defeat and continued to campaign

As an opposition leader, Sata – popularly known as "King Cobra" – emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 presidential election, but was defeated.

Sata contested the September 2006 presidential election as a populist championing the causes of the poor in the face of Mwanawasa's economic reform policies.

While others on the slate of candidates contesting the election frequently resorted to personal attacks and insults, Sata's remarks were at times quite equally scathing.

At one campaign event in particular, Sata was reported to have ripped apart a cabbage in front of his supporters.

Following Mwanawasa's death, Sata ran again and lost to President Rupiah Banda in 2008.

After ten years in opposition, Sata defeated Banda, the incumbent, to win the September 2011 presidential election with a plurality of the vote.

He died in London on 28 October 2014, leaving Vice President Guy Scott as Acting President until a presidential by-election was held on 20 January 2015.

In 2016, Sata's widow, Christine Kaseba, denied claims by another woman that she too had also been married to Michael Sata as well as herself.

Michael Sata has a Bachelor in Political Science from Atlantic International University.

Atlantic International University has been characterized as a degree mill, and its degrees have been widely dismissed as "fake."