By CLIFF PHIRI –
THE Police command in Western Province says road blocks which have been mounted in Longe area and at the Katunda junction in Kaoma District are meant to curb the proliferation of offensive weapons into the locality.
Reacting to opposition UPND’s concern over the increasing police presence in the area, Western Province Commissioner of Police, Lombe Kamukoshi said the police needed to verify that people did not take offensive weapons where parliamentary and ward by-elections were being held in Mangango and Luampa, respectively.
UPND candidate for Mangango by-election Godwin Putu said the move by police to mount checkpoints was meant to intimidate the opposition supporters, an assertion the police commissioner dismissed as false, saying the police were not segregating when carrying out the searches.
Mr Putu said that Patriotic Front (PF) cadres were being allowed to cross at will while the rest of the people were being denied their freedom of movement.
He added that police officers who were working under instructions from the ruling party would find it difficult to work under any other government in the event of change.
But Ms Kamukoshi urged the opposition party to lodge a formal complaint to her office so that their grievances could be addressed, insisting that all travellers to the area were being subjected to the search regardless of their party affiliations.
Mr Putu said Western Province was a peaceful area as evidenced from the incident-free by-elections in Mitete which should be replicated in the Mangango polls. – ZANIS