Police in Kafue this orning blocked a peaceful marching procession by Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) workers who wanted to walk to Lusaka as they continue to demonstrate over their non payment of four months salary arrears.
Over 200 workers only marched up to the Kafue steel plant on their way to Lusaka to petition government at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives over the non payment of salaries and government’s neglect of the plant by not funding it and paying for fertilizer it produced in November last year.
The workers were intercepted by a team of paramilitary and police officers who ordered them to retreat and disburse.
The police also picked up ten of the workers for questioning.
Police and paramilitary officers who were in riot gear did not have a tough time to convince the crowd of workers who tried to argue their intention fro marching to Lusaka.
The workers later on retreated and went back to the office of the District Commissioner, Michael Bwalya, for a briefing from their union leaders who by press time had traveled to Lusaka to pursue the matter with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The march almost brought traffic to a standstill on the road that connects to the Lusaka-Kafue main road from Kafue Estates.
Scores of residents and onlookers watched the procession of the workers who vowed to walk to Lusaka in their continued pursuit of their demands from the government.
This is the second week workers at the fertilizer-making plant are demonstrating, demanding that government pays them their four months salary arrears and have continued camping at the office of the District Commissioner.
It is shameful that all the GRZ full of lawyers cannot ensure that citizens’ rights to free expression is exercised. It is a shame that all hyper legal titles held by our leaders are nothing but hot air as proven by the denial to free expression by workers in Kafue.
It’s a very big shame for the police to be unprofessional,these people need their perks and why block them?if they had corrputed you as cops,you wud have let them go right?Mwanawasa and your boma pliz pay these pipo.It’s sad you are cleaning the mess that Kafupi katoto chiluba left.
its quite shameful to learn that the government cannot do anything to the peaceful and -humble zambians who need their had earned money. for heavens sake how do you let your own to suffer while you make trips to and fro for medical and teeth check ups in London??
i can support them if they decide to seek for greener pastures