. Kambwili

By DAVID KANDUZA and CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Government has condemned the murder of a Patriotic Front (PF) official in Ndola’s Chipulukusu Township and the beating of a teacher in Sinazongwe by the United Party for National Development (UPND) supporters which was captured in a video that has gone viral.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Chishimba Kambwili said it was unfortunate that a life was lost in such a manner when Government had been preaching about peace.
Dr Kambwili told the Sunday Times in Luanshya yesterday that despite Government preaching peace a named party was determined to ensure that there was lawlessness in Zambia and that it had encouraged hooliganism among its supporters.
And in the Sinazongwe incident, the minister said the beating up of Maunga Primary School teacher Pamela Chanda by suspected UPND cadres was sad, adding that the Government was astounded at the violence being perpetrated by the opposition party
Dr Kambwili said the beating of Ms Chanda because she belonged to another tribe and was a suspected PF sympathiser had yet again brought to the fore the UPND’s intolerant nature and violent agenda.
“She was attacked only because she is from another tribe and was suspected to be a Patriotic Front sympathiser. Government has been preaching peace for a long time but it seems there is one party that is fully determined to ensure there is lawlessness in the country and has been encouraging hooliganism among its supporters.
“Government would like to remind the UPND once again that Zambia is a unitary state and Southern Province belongs to all Zambians, therefore, no Zambian should be denied the right to belong to any party of their choice and indeed to associate freely with any political grouping anywhere in Zambia,” he said.
Dr Kambwili, who is Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, said no tribe or political party had the monopoly or exclusivity in any part or province of Zambia.
He noted that Zambia belonged to all the 73 tribes and thus it was unreasonable to think that Southern Province was politically exclusive to the UPND.
“The politics being practised by the UPND, especially in Southern Province, are pre-historic, but Government will ensure any acts of violence are nipped in the bud.
“Government will ensure perpetrators of violence before, during and after the elections are caged and there shall be no selected arrests. All savages, like those in the video brutalising Pamela, will face the law,” Dr Kambwili said.
He was hopeful that the police command in Southern Province would identify and isolate Ms Chanda’s attackers from society and appealed to the UPND leadership to educate their supporters about the importance of unity and peace as well as to prevent them from engaging in violence.
Dr Kambwili has since called for national unity, tolerance of each other’s political views regardless of political affiliation and the need to rise above petty politics.
PF publicity secretary for Buyantashi Chris Mwale was alleged to have been murdered in an attack believed to be political in Chipulukusu Township.
Police Copperbelt chief Charity Katanga who confirmed the death said Mr Mwale, 37, of house number 0773 Chipulukusu was murdered by unknown people.
She said the deceased had gone to rescue a neighbour, Shadrick Mwenya, 32, who is a resident in the same area.
Ms Katanga said the deceased sustained injuries in the head and that his body was in the Ndola Central Hospital mortuary while the injured man was admitted at the same hospital.