THE Zambia Police Service has refuted a story in The Post of April 13 linking the amputation of 70-year-old Mwiya Sihope’s right leg to his detention in connection with the January 14 riots related to the Barotseland Agreement.
Inspector-General of Police Francis Kabonde said in a statement released in Lusaka on April 13 when Mr Sihope of Mongu was released on a nolleprosequi, he had both legs.
He said MrSihope was admitted to Lewanika General Hospital for asthma related complications, which later forced medical staff to amputate his right leg.
“The Zambia Police Service would like to refute the impression created in today’s (April 13’s) Post newspaper, which showed on the front page Mr Mwiya Sihope, aged 70, as having had his right leg amputated following his arrest and detention on 14th January, 2011, when he was suspected to be among those involved in the riots,” Mr Kabonde said.
He said the information obtained from Lewanika General Hospital indicated that Mr Sihope has been an outpatient there, and has been undergoing treatment for chronic asthma. He had developed wet gangrene on both legs, and subsequently admitted to the hospital.
Mr Kabonde said that is what necessitated the amputation of MrSihope’s right leg on Friday last week.
He appealed to the media to refrain from publishing inflammatory and unsubstantiated stories that could make people react negatively, leading to a breakdown of law and order.
And the Zambia Police Service says it will deploy 600 officers to provide security during this year’s Kuomboka ceremony of the Lozi people in Western Province.
Mr Kabonde said in a statement released in Lusaka on April 13 the ceremony is important because it has social, economic and cultural values to the people of Western Province and Zambia at large.
“As Zambia Police Service, we are ready for the occasion. Six hundred police officers will be deployed both on water and land to ensure total security,” he said.
The Kuomboka ceremony takes place in Mongu this weekend.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
The news according to the Post. It’s a wonder they did not say his leg was amputated by RB.
You tortured the old Man you fools, am a Mongu resident, visited the patient and we were told the same story as reported by the Post. MMD you are murderers and we shall use the ballot to reject you here in Mongu. If the voters elsewhere will vote for you fine but us in Mongu will make sure that there is no MMD in the area
Shooting people with live ammunition is sadistic and immoral. Our grade 2 thinking Police FORCE has always been run by dander heads but the current lot are from the bottom of the barrel. Rotten to the core.The polic handle this issue very poorly. With all the NGOs around where are the human right activist …
Our journalist also have let the people of Zambia down by not blowing this up wide open. Where in the world can a government open fire on the citizens and not even a by-line mention of the incident. Only in Zambia. Pathetic.
The geriatric political scene is so immature and childish, how ironic.
People being discussed and not development issues. Tribal divisions rot and Kaponya cadres with no integrity.
I don’t think there was any wrong report in the Post, personally I think the old man’s detention contributed to his ill health that later led to his leg being cut off, the Police have just confirmed their involvement in the old man’s predicament.
the police should just own up and apologise. if this man had wet gangarene on his legs, how on earth did he manage to cause the so called trouble. on one hand the police is accepting they incecerated a sick person while on the other they absolve themselves from their responsibility or lack of it
Please lets not bring in politics in everything we see or hear of.We shall loose forcus.
Why is the |IG defending a medical issue. If that man lefgt detention with both legs then what could have happened if he had not been picked up. The amputation was caused by long detention and this triggered alot of complications in the old man’s body. So GRZ is responsible. Deploying 600 cops to ensure security at this year’s Kuomboka Ceremony will not help the situation in Mongu as their presence will just make rsidents more angry in their hearts. The best would have been deploying a siziable contigent of army personnel and ZNS as they will be viewd differentlyn from ZP cops.
MMD act again and they are playing their dirty cards like UNIP. Come and join the Jerabos party and we can fix RB and his MMD party. Can we find this poor man’s medical records and see if he signed the forms to have his leg amputated and who was the medical doctor who authorized the procedure to take place. RB and MMD must go and if this won’t happen? Zambia will be on the world map for kicking RB & MMD’s a$$s with the help of the great group called JERABOS.
mr kabonde its not the number of policemen you will bring to western that will sort out the problem but rather you firstly apologizing for the lost lives and engaging the people aggrieved in a purposeful dialogue. i thought the police is a service not a force. stop being political and be proactive, by now you should have done your homework. in as much as i wouldnt like to see a repeat of what happened in mongu, mazabuka, i also would not like to see the ceremony being a police ceremony
I am afraid, Kabonde has problems thinking. The post story was not exaggerated in any way. This is an old man who was arrested who should never have been arrested. He was and still is innocent, as no competent court found him guilty of any crime. Our prisons are pathetic and keeping an old man in such poor environment led to his condition becoming worse. Police must take responsibility.
That homo magazine is up to no good.
The Post newspaper, which has basically become the PF Bwinjimfumu branch, has been on a warpath to try and put a wedge between the people of Western province and the MMD government and in the process prop up the ignominable image of The Great Satan, leader of PF. It won’t work and they will be shamed again come election time.
The Police confirm arresting this Man. The Medical personal confirm he had problems hence cutting off the leg. So its certainly clear that the police contributed through arresting a 70 year old who later had problem of wet leggs through being in cells. CAMON WE DONT NEED MBA TO UNDERSTAND THIS.
kabonde uleisebanya….this is foolishness..the wife said that man was very fit when you picked him …how come upon being released his leg had to be removed. The mmd controlled police force is evil if they can kill can they fail to cause such anguish
# 10,11 ,Ubuwelewele bwafula mumutwe,cioneka bami tuma cabe…Francis please never discus issues that are completely and totally beyond your thinking capacity,on this issue may be let Martin articulate properly to the nation nga talaba job nao…baba Chronic asthma na amputation relation yacoka pati,Francis you pronounced well on wet gangrene okay..straight forward nangu tamwaikalishe pe desk you don’t need to have a medical back ground to sing about these conditions,JUST ACCEPT,detantion of that old man trigared the wet gangrene,don’t throw you mud at the paper that digs deeper twamigwila cabe,not those so called GRZ fake medias report only useless issues and campaigning for Sata in disguise.
I am very disappointed with Zambians ESPECIALLY LOZIS. I f this had happened in another country, their fellow tribes men and concerned citizens would have come with a fund raising venture to help those neglected by their government and their S.T.UPID, IDI>OTIC, and Corrupt LITUNGA
Its quite clear that the West has got the wrong end of the stick in everything in this country but the ultimate question is WHY? Inspector-General of Police Francis Kabonde said Mr Sihope of Mongu was released on a nolleprosequi, he had both legs. I dont recall the post or any media saying that he was released with 1 leg. Is this man for real??
There comes the confession and there many more to come Ba post we want a detailed report on the President Trip to the kuomboka ceremony.
Colleagues, I sympathise with this man for what happened to him but the truth is that these Lozi’s are becoming a pain in the ass. They brought all the confusion upon themselves and these are some of the aftermaths which they have to bear responsibility for the rest of their lives. Bad and crude as it may seem but that was the only way out at that time. Lets be careful next time. For me, if they don’t want Kuomboka, to hell with them Its theirs and not ours. Why should we beg them. Atleast our Nc’wala took place. Who do they think they are these Lozi’s? SPecial than any other person in Zambia? A definite NO!
Donchi kubeba that PF will lose big time, let it come as a shock.
DONT INSULT THE PEOPLE OF WESTERN PROVINCE KALUBEMBA IWE.DO U THNK WE DONT KNO THE PACT BETWEEN POST AND PF LIERS.WE KNO HOW SATA AND HIS PARTNER MMEMBE ARE THEY CN EVEN SAY POLICEMAN AR BEING IMPORTATED FROM TANZANIA USELESS POST PAPER AND IT`S PARTNER CHI PF,WILL WATCH AND SEE ALL YO MOVES ED VERY SOON THE OTHER PARTNER WILL BE RETIRED BACK FOR FISHING IN MPULUNGU AND WILL MAKE SURE TO BUY U MO BOATS BUT BE WARE OF COLOCODILES ED HIPPOS CHAKE THIS OUT.
How do you arrest an elderly man who is asmatic and helpless? That is satanic can you imagine the pain the old man and his family are going through. Kabonde knows the truth. For sure the gangrene issue is all lies. Let someone from Lewanika Hospital enlighten us on this issue of gangrene, how is it connected to an asmatic patient?
Everytime Kabonde opens his mouth I get nervous, because he has never shown intelligence in the handling of the Zambia Police Service, which he has crudely converted into the Zambia Police Force. The family of Mr. Mwiya Sihope MUST sue the state immediately. # 6, I totally concur, the atmosphere in Mongu requires a small contigent of our well trained and self restrained Zambia Army personnel to manage the security during the Kuomboka ceremony. # 9 is right, some people like Kabonde find thinking painful! The police are legally quilty of causing amputation of this mans’ leg. The man had poor health, the Zambia police detained him in unhealthy environment laeding to this!
#10, 11, 18 & 20, you are pathetic and your insensitivity = Kabonde = mental retardation! Start thinking…
Two amputated legs in Mongu and still counting…..
THE FACT STILL REMAINS THAT A LEG HAS BEEN AMPUTATED, AND THIS HAS HAPPENED AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM MMD’S PRISONS………SO WHAT IS THERE TO REFUTE?……FORGET ABOUT WESTERN PROVINCE…..THE BWATO NABENGILAMO KALE….TOO LATE FOR CLASIFICATION!!!!!
Chronic asthma leading to wet gangrene necessitating amputation! mmm that should be recorded in the Journal of Inexplicable Medical Conditions, Diagnoses and Treatments. Editor: Francis Kabonde.
Can someone go back to the Post archives and update me on what happened in 2006 Chawama political fracas, machete wielding thugs and all. It may make me understand more the Lozi separatist confusion of January this year. I am at the same time saddened by the loss of leg for the elderly man. I just wonder if he was relaxing at home during the violence and police somehow went to arrest him, i wonder.
Kabonde kisi Njaaaaaaa!! Uka iseeeeeee!! Sikuba wena
The eyewear turned up without delay, but you’re a present for someone for Yuletide. I will discover additional when they are popped.