Vice President George Kunda has called on police officers to observe human rights. Mr. Kunda said government will not encourage any criminal conduct among police officers.
He said government is currently investigating what caused the shooting in Mazabuka on Thursday. He said if police officers involved in the shooting incidence will be guilty, the law will take course.
The Vice President also appealed to the people of Mazabuka to desist from any acts of violence saying Zambia is a peaceful nation.
Mr. Kunda also told parliament this morning that government regretted the death and the use of live ammunition by police officers.
The Vice President was responding to Kabwata MP Given Lubinda who wanted to know whether the apology given earlier by Home Affairs Minister Mkhondo Lubgu was encouraging police officers to use live ammunition.
Meanwhile, calm has returned to Mazabuka town after two days of riots in the area. Police spokesperson Ndandula Siamana told ZNBC news that by Friday mid morning there had been no violence reported in the town.
She also said over 100 police officers have been sent to Mazabuka and are keeping vigil to ensure peace returns to the area.
On Thursday two people died in Mazabuka after being shot by police during riots that had rocked the town in the last two days.
The riots followed the death of two people in a stampede ignited after police tear gassed a named bar where people were watching the game between Chelsea and Manchester United.
The residents were stoning cars passing through the town. Mazabuka General Hospital was damaged forcing health workers to flee the hospital leaving patients unattended to.
And government on Thursday strongly condemned the use of live bullets by the police officers.
Home Affairs Minister Mkhondo Lungu said government regretted that Police in Mazabuka had continued with their unprofessional conduct.
Mr Lungu apologised on behalf of the government to the nation and the bereaved families. The Home Affairs Minister ordered the police command to institute investigations and ensure that those involved are held accountable and punished accordingly.
ZNBC
Police kill people because they know that Gorge Kunda and and the whole wicked govt justfy their evil acts.
Its suprising that its the same mouth that justified the slaughter of 2 youths in Mongu just a few days ago. To a greater extent the conduct of the policemen in Mzbka was just in line with Kunda’s justification of the 14 january slaughter. Human life is precious and must am preserved at all costs. Police must re learn how to preserve life. Live ammunition on citizens puts the police next to the devil. ;)
mr VP, we thought the police acted professionally as usual. what is the difference between this shooting and the mongu shooting? this is election year. Tonga please, let them get a boot for the killing of our brothers. HH and Sata, where are you? this is your moment to talk.
Firearms should be withdrawn from the police. They are ill trained to use them. If this illegal killing by the police continues, there will be chaos in this country before long. Looks to me the Egyptians were more comfortable with the soldiers than the trigger happy police, the same scenario is developing here.
Double tongued Anaconda. Just a few days ago you were justifying killing of innocent youths in Western Province and today you want to lecture the same killers.Do you expect them to take your advise seriously?
Is he saying they are no longer professional?
He says government is investigating what caused the shooting. I take it ZPS has no internal affairs department. Government does not investigate crimes … and he is supposed to be a lawyer!
The home affairs minister should have resigned, but we know that these job seekers cannot afford to resign.
To address this bad conduct of our bujus, the GVT must not only arrest those killers but also their seniors who released guns loaded with live bullets to them.Guns and bullets are stored in special rooms and only released with authority from the officer in charge.
Lozi vote is long gone, now Tonga vote is also lost…who´s next?! Pact please stay together these MMD guys are busy decampaigning themselves…Police shooting innocent citizen and protecting FTJ the Big small thief!
Imagine you are 1 of thoz bujuz,home affairs minister or even GK how would you have acted??????
Put yourself in their shoes…is it an easy job?????Hell NO…so think twise b4 you open your stinky mouth.
Killings unfortunate
gk is the most useless vp….Dr musonda shot that pf cadre wat was he given? this is fake and cosmetic. this yr these guys hv to so that they ar investigated
#11 u dnt kn wat u ar sayin….wat of if the person shot dead is yo son and the gvt even refuses to compesate for the loss of life how wud u feel? there other means of stopin violence…even jst shooting sumone in the leg is better than killing u guy
Can someone explain what donchi kubeba means. Two or three bloggers actually call themselves as such above much of the comments i read bear the same phrase
#11, the other side of coin
Police are trained on how to handle such cases as rioting.Killing of un armed citizens is not in their syllabus.So these officers acted out of their desire to shed blood.Nothing else!! Why do you want us to us to put ourselves in their shoes. any way for ur information we can fit in their little shoes.only people like u can fit.
@15, I meant we cant fit in their little shoes…
# 14 TONGA STEEL donchi kubeba is actually made up two languages,the word ‘donchi’ is actually dont ,but it has been changed to ‘donchi’ so as to sound vernacular,kubeba is our beautiful nsenga/nyanja word which means to give up or to get fed up depending on the context,’donchi’ dont, ‘kubeba’ give up.Therefore,it means ‘never give up’.
Set up an independent Police complaints commission with power to prosecute police officers who break the law. It is no use saying ‘government this & govt that’ when you have the power to stop police being trigger happy. If a dogbites people, you can’t blame the dog, but the owner!
This is the most dangerous Vice President in the world. He flip- flops so much that we dont know whether he is a f.o.o.l or an i.d.i.o.t. GK behaves as if he never set foot in a classroom. I hope this is his last year as VP.
Too little, too late GK! There are many ways to control a rowdy crowd without the indiscriminate use of live ammunition. Let’s respect the sanctity of human life. IG of police should step down or be fired ASAP.
Donchi Kubeba means Don’t tell them. When someone wants to bribe or corrupt you, just get the money pretending you r one of them. This phrase came from one parish priest in the CB. GK is another bootlicker.
#17 & #21 Many thanx learning indeed is a cummulative and continuous process. Am only left with two meanings of the phrase. Good day pals
Most countries use rubber bullets to control crowds … They sting like a mother ..
And temporary knock you out of commission for a while … But won’t kill , this is an experience pips would not want to relive ..
Only use live amo if you dealing with hard core robbers those that fire back at you .. Then live amo can be justified .. Hell even nook them with a Grenade .
kubeba in eastern part means not to give up, and the northern part and CB means Tell. This is why we two meanings
[-( Is it the same man who justified the police as having acted professionally due to the killings in Mongu?What a contradiction GK?This makes your morals to be in question.
Chief Mwanachingwala you talk high about the MMD government when you receive brown envelopes from RB. Now the same people have “massacred” your people in your area and this time around you’ve even sealed your lips. At list Garry Nkombo tried his best but no one listened to him.
The police are frustrated and they can do anything to justify their actions. I can rest assure youthe cops will use any means to protect themselves on the shooting incident. May be those involved in tear gasing fans will be dealt with by authorities.
GK is always dribbling himself. He is the kind of a person who does not stand for anything in short he has no principles. He thrieves of licking the bottom of his boss’s shoes. Shame on you George!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks bwana kunda. It is clear that the police have clear instructions to kill at least two. It is a shame from yuo GK and it is a shame on the Zambians as a whole. I also feel ashamed to be associated with the name Zambia. Country men and women, for how long are we going to hide these blogs and appear to be wise in our analysis?
1. The chinese shot miners in Sinazongwe. Todate) and his crooks have never apologised instead they have tried to invent ways of justifying the crime. Reason the chinese acted professionally. Zambians in other parts of the country thought oh yes, am in Mongum I can’t be shot at.
2. BRE peaceful demo resulted in two deaths and off course the police were professional. People in mazabuka thought oh yes, am very far from Mongu, am safe.
3. Now two people shot in…
In Mazabuka.
The question am posing to all of you bloggers is that how safe are we in this country. RBish and his crooks are out to get us, let us learn to read the times. Mad Merciless Dogs are out there with their professional conduct of kiLling Zambians. Are we going to wait and get killed just like it has happened in Sinazongwe, Mongu, Mazabuka, Serenje etc…
Don’t forget as we get to the elections these mad dogs will become more merciless and will act like Gaddafi. Actually they are friends. The hour has come to demand a govt for the people. Remember violence breed violence. My appeal is that we remain peaceful through out. Just watch this space for instructions
This killing by the state goes on through out the country. Taking one’s life by cops (state) is professionally done. What is the difference to what is going on in Libya and here? When things go wrong pipo have got a right to protest as way to send a clear message to those in authority to something. In most cases the cops get so excited that they end at nothing other than provocking the situation to find an excuse to beat up and arrest pipo. In most cases the police are ones who bring about the down fall of govts. The politicians should check the conduct of cops through their commanders. Whyis it that when the militaryis deployed they mange to control the riots without firing a bullet but its police they always panic and cause commotion. The cops need complete overhaul in their training.
GK never said police alway act professionally. he said in mongu at that time police acted professionally. as for Mazabuka he has neither justified nor condemned police action but by gave them advice and showed compassion to the bereaved family.
let the investigations be concluded on the matter before passing judgement. then act on the report
OUR POLITICS ARE GETTING REGIONAL AND THIS IS A DANGER TO NATIONAL UNITY. THE PROBLEMS THAT ROCKED UNIP AT CHILENJE HALL WHERE KK TEMPORARY RESIGNED ARE AGAIN EMERGING ON OUR POLITICAL LANDSCAPE. rb IS CLAIMING EASTERN PROVINCE AS PERSOANL TO HOLDER, SATA NORTHERN & LUAPULA, HH SOUTHERN, MILUPI WESTERN NEXT SHIKAPWASHA CENTRAL, PANDE OR KONGO N/WESTERN AND NAMULAMBE COPPERBELT. WE NEED PARTIES WITH NATIONAL CHARACTER NOT REGIONAL.
WATCH OUT FOR ZAMBIA REVOLUTION THIS YEAR……..ITS FIRE !!!!!!!!
With Sata as President, there will be no need for the Police to shoot anybody, because they will be at home. His vigilantes will do the job.
Country men and women lets give Mr Michael Chilufya the vote in 2011.Trust me this man will change Zambia. Lusaka will be totally clean, hospitals will have medicines, roads will be built and govt stealing will be a thing of the past. Please lets give this TIGER of a man a chance in 2011. Vote SATA!
George Kunda can only be a vice president in the failed state of Zambia. He is unfit to hold any position in government, just listen to his contradictory statements on the cold blooded murders in Mongu and Mazabuka by his police. He makes me sick and this is the same chap who cannot be challenged in an election because of the support he enjoys from the president. They will be humiliated in Barotseland and Tongaland in the elections. Mporokoso was just a starter!
the zambian human rights commsion is very silent. Who is going to help the poor people who are being butchered in Zed. Aleast some Zed Lawyers would well to offer free legal aid. It seems no one has been help responsible for the western province shootings. Zambians, lets start an internet petition to give support to the victims of police brutality.This is not a political party compaign. We shot down UNIP in 1991; History can be repeated in 2011 against the present Zambian police thugs.
No 37, Well said . Just look at the London judgement against Chiluba and his minions; GK wasted government money pushing those cases. GK is compromised . The decent thing for him is to hide his ugly face from the face of the planet ; What an inconpetent Veep.
Kunda say if the are guilty to use live bullets on un armed civilian and the minister of justice says if thy are guilty. does it mean our police are allowed to shot to kill person protestin and nt armed. in mongu it was said the police were shoting to disable the protester and they missed the target hope in mazabuka they did nt miss target aimed to kill. the fact that he said killing in mongu is proffessionalism
There was a time when President Banda ordered the release of some people who were arrested for blocking the VP’s motorcade. So how come he is now powerless to order the police not to shoot people? I find this to be as easy as ABC. The Inspector General should resign. This is failure of command policy because ‘live ammunition’ is strictly controlled and requisition of it requires the commander to permit. You cannot allow Policemen to carry live ammo and expect them not to use it. I am sorry but here, there is systemic failure and heads must roll. Zambians should demonstrate.