A monkey urinated on Zambian President Rupiah Banda as he spoke to the media outside his State House
offices yesterday.

Banda softly shouted, “You (monkey) have urinated on my jacket,” and paused as he looked up to see the animal playing in a tree above his chair.

“Perhaps these are blessings,” he said continuing his address amid laughter from the audience of journalists and diplomats at the State House presidential offices.

Several monkeys play around the grounds of Banda’s residence and his office. There are also many species of antelope and birds in the State House grounds.

“I will give this monkey for lunch to Mr Sata,” he joked, referring to opposition leader Michael Sata, who Banda defeated in last year’s presidential elections.

Banda devoted much of his second news conference as president to reassuring Zambians over the dramatic economic slowdown resulting from plunging prices of copper, the country’s main export.

“Our growth prospects have diminished, such that the projected GDP has now been revised downwards to 4.0 per cent or below,” said Banda.