By BRIAN HATYOKA –

POLICE in Livingstone yesterday clashed with taxi drivers outside Batoka mortuary when they protested the death of their colleague, who was murdered last week.
Other mourners were forced to reschedule their burial programmes at Batoka Clinic in town as the taxi drivers sped around the entrance of the mortuary before the burial, while police officers struggled in vain to retain order.
Kelvin Lisole was shot dead last week after allegedly being hired by 34-year-old Carlos Nkandu of Kazungula District.
Police officers had a tough time restraining the unruly group, as they kept pushing the officers, while others continued to hoot and recklessly drive their vehicles at the mortuary.
Southern Province Police Commissioner Mary Chikwanda said Lisole was hired by Nkandu to be taken to Mukuni Village before he was killed along the way.
Nkandu is said to have also gotten away with the vehicle, a Toyota Fielder registration number ALX 529 before he was arrested along Lusaka Road after police gave  chase.
Ms Chikwanda said a shotgun and an ammunition cartridge were recovered from the suspect, who is expected to appear in court on Friday on aggravated robbery charges.
“He was found with a gun suspected to have been used to kill Lisole as well as a car which was being used by the victim,” Ms Chikwanda said.
Nevers Moonga one of the taxi drivers asked the Government and the police to provide security for taxi drivers to mitigate murder cases.
Mr Moonga said there was need to allow taxi drivers to be moving with offensive weapons for their defence in view of increasing killings of motorists.
“As for me, I was also hired and attacked on September 17, 2014 but I survived because my attackers had no guns,” he said.