By Lusakatimes
Scores of Mongu residents yesterday marched to the Provincial Administration demanding for permission to visit and have bail granted for their relatives who were charged with riotous behavior following the January 14 riots.
This was after a Mongu Subordinate court yesterday denied bail to a group of more than 60 men of Mongu district, who were arrested during the riot.
A representative of the aggrieved residents Moses Litula said there were in pain because they have relatives and children who have been in police custody for about 3 weeks now without them know their welfare. He said it has been difficult to even provide food for their loved ones as prisons officers would not give them a chance to do so.
“ We are very sad because we have children, husbands and very close relatives who are in prison since 14th January and we have not been able to know anything about them.” Litula said.
He said since the law has taken its course by charging them with riotous behavior which is a bailable case, parents and relatives should be allowed to visit them while they await trial.He said it would be even better to grant them bail so that those who are in school and those in employment can continue to do their duties.
And responding to the request Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Mwangala Liomba said issues of the court where autonomous hence he does not have the power to comment on it.
On the 14 of January this year, Police in Mongu arrested more than 100 people who were rioting after government canceled a meeting aimed at discussing the restoration of the 1964 Baroste Agreement (BA).
“On the 14 of February this year, Police in Mongu arrested …” LT which February?Cos its still January and these pipo iam sure were arrested in December.How com february of all the months?
If they have been charged with riotous behaviour i dont see a reason they are being denied bail,what nonsense is happening in Zambian judiciary?
This can spark another riotous bahaviour & you will run out of police cells space to accomodate everybody
Just shows you can demonstrate peacefully without resorting to unnecessary violence.
The Police are still waiting for instructions from State House. But the Chief occupant at State House is busy flying around the world and he does not care wether the 60 LOZI’s are in prison, In jail or cells and without bail.
Revolution or I ndependence of the Lozi before depends on themselves .It has been proven that people can be more stronger than an army or defence forces and as such everything rests on our brothers to fight for what they alrealdy own but has little control over. The Lozi in town are also not doing enough to help those in province to fight for wat is due to them.But pliz don’t take over breweries .
This is so stupid, Rupiah is an *****
#3, Those Lozis were not riotous or violent but were rounded up, assaulted and some even shot dead by police simply because of the Barotse agreement issue. If you want to see what is meant by riots and violence just watch live what is taking place in Egypt right now as we speak. In any civilised nation demonstrations are not a crime but in Zambia it is treason and you risk being murdered by police. Why are the relatives of those detained men not allowed to see their loved ones? It’s a shame!
This sort of behaviour by the courts will surely drive people to the wall with very bad consequences.The judiciary is trying to redeem its reputation and should be given a chance to do so.
Mongu residents just give a vote of no confidence in the president who is not concerned about the situation and is busy campaining for himself however the chances of him winning the elections are even less going by what is happening and being obtained from the ground. He will be shocked when the results are announced because majority of the people dont seem to favor him. The stan chart predications are all lies.
Mongu tell MMD that western province is no go area and vote them out. Kick them out. I wonder why you still find schools built of midindo in western province and very few tarred roads. Namibians come to get Mukisi timber and gravel from Zambia while our own province is neglected. What vote for MMD?
The rule of law can’t be followed.That is expecting too much from rb.
ill release them next week
Don’t kubeba
Viva Tunisia…viva….Viva Egypt…..viva….Next is Zambia VIVA… and we shall DO it…Push you Jackles, Hyenas out of St.Hs. Barotseland is land of the Brave. Continue the fight for development and all Zambians must demand for development and self determination in all Provinces. Let us have UNITED STATES OF ZAMBIA….
Watch our democracy rating go down very soon, the world is watching. I predict a hard year for this country.
Here in Mongu only a fool who will vote fool mmd, we shall see the rural vote you claimed. Now Pact guys come and sweep all our votes. Whoever will stand on the Pact we have for him all our votes. I HAVE DECLARED NO GO ZONE IN MONGU FOR ALL MMD PEOPLE. ANYONE FOUND WITH MMD MATERIALS WILL BE GUNNED DOWN. TIT FOR TATI
“He said it would be even better to grant them bail so that those who are in school and those in employment can continue to do their duties”.
Really? Why didn’t you tell your relatives that before the long arm of the law reached them?
#15 “Watch our democracy rating go down very soon, the world is watching. I predict a hard year for this country”.
Really? So you sponsor this anarchy so that your country faces a hard year? All in order to taste State House even for a month?
Iwe kachikala ka #18 you are begining to piss me off. What the **** is wrong with you? Use your head to reason not yo a.s.s.
@sharp shooter u hav missed the target. I m sure u must have been drunk. Firstly LT has not written February in their article, then the incident happened in January. Are A Zambia. Dont rush to see faults in others when you are not competent
Only those who use their arses to reason use insults in debate, as you know faeces and insults go together.
#19 Only those who use their arses to reason use insults in debate, as you know faeces and insults go together.
Keep those chaps in prison for a while whilst the police complete all investigations.
Those “secessionists” destroyed public property including the Provincial Administration offices that their relatives are now visiting forgetting they will need these offices. What goes around comes around.
This will teach them a lesson to their future conduct as they cannot be trusted to maintain bail conditions.
# 20 Mulongoti,if you do read LT’s articles then you should know by now that they are full of erros.Sharp Shooter was first to comment hence he must have been first to spot the mistake and the quickly LT corrected the article.The only problem is LT has not courtesy to even apologise making Sharp Shooter look like he was drunk whilst blogging to dull people like you Mulongoti.
you cant expect anything more from dis Babylon govt
this is dictatorship…rupi is going donchi kumweba
The MMD shud not spoil things in western province.The situation has changed even in rural areas of Kalabo.Please i beg release them.you loose nothing.
These incompetent politicians are building up resentment in the hearts of the people of Barotse land . It will only take a small spark for us to have a situation like that of TUNISIA or EGYPT if this is not dealt with in a reasonable manner like releasing everyone unconditionally.Shooting people will only scare people for a time but when enough is enough people stop fearing flying bullets. RB and his government should adopt a more retaliatory tone these people only want equitable development like in eastern province where all roads and developmental activities seem to revolve around (just sample the headlines in the press for the last 6months,roads being tarred even when they have little economic value etc the list is endless).The western prov has got no factories or industries .
when there is wrong people in power we lose the good we have. if we look well rb is taking the country on fire by this behave he doesnt take issue serious what he want is to rule only. we have to cahnge the govt they have over stay and are dragging the country in civil war slowly. so think of you future and chidren and relative before we cant have president use criminals as advisors.
I am listening to BBC news on the Egyptian crisis. I am very surprised to hear that President Mubarak has sacked his government as a solution, despite the fact that he is actually the problem himself. This just confirms my long time belief that an African will never make a good president not even in a 1000000 years. These chaps are as ordinary as the next person, but as soon as they enter State House, they become gods. The become omni potent , they become the almighty. I see this in our President, our own Rupiah Banda. He says things which deep inside he does not believe but expects us to believe. He spurred on by the MMD sycophants who clap and jeer at every word that he utters without giving it a thought. This is the African tragedy. A single person controls the system. In the civilized…
In the civilized world systems control presidents. That is why there is a lot of advancement. You bring Chinese to dig holes in your ground and you call that development. What happens when there nothing any more in that hole? The Chinese will go back home and leave with so many holes,
God is good all the time. We pray for you brothers and sisters.
School children and their grandparents in prisons, does it make Zambia better? Zambians must realize, no army has ever won a war against its own citizens. The quicker courts settle the Barotseland Agreement issue the better.
this situation wil get out of hand. pipo can be pushed to a certain limit there after hell breaks lose. why refuse pipo bail u expect pipo to riot again for u to listen.
33 Kayama//
You are right. One wonders why in the first place these pipo we denied a permit to air their views. Was this a plot to provoke them and later on arrest them?
10 Junza//
You are correct. Most of the quarry stone used in Namibia’s Katima Mulilo’s is from Lusu area in Sesheke. One wonders whether the local pipo benefit from this. However, Sesheke needs an Institute for Natural Resources Development to take care of the forest resource which is carelessly being depleted.
#35
namibia wanted to put up gravel road on sesheke to l/stone road as a payment but chiluba govt refused and instead got cash. and at that time it use to take us 7 hours imagine. all the govt doesnt want is decentralisation.
The judiciary must be professional..When an offence is bailable offenders must be given bail.
#17 H.H. Sata, you are a FOOL. You seem to be excited for nothing. In the first place, if those people were given a permit, all this would not have happened.
Governments are not always right. Even Mubarak of Egypt has accepted that his government has made mistakes. Governments are for people and must listen to the cry of the people.
Having a government in place does not mean people should become ROBOTS.
I repeat #17 H.H. Sata, you are a FOOL
#17 H.H. Sata, you are a x_FOOL