UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema charged that the police acted as “hooligans” in the manner they handled the peaceful demonstration by his party’s supporters last week.
Speaking during a media briefing at the party’s secretariat in Lusaka, Mr Hichilema said on June 6, 2012, the party’s youths acted within the law as the statutes were clear that holding peaceful demonstrations only required notifying the police a week before without a permit, which he said the party did.
Mr Hichilema said when the police was informed seven days before staging the peaceful demonstration, the police told the party that it would not offer the demonstrators protection as there were hooligans who were planning to disrupt the procession.
“Little did we know that there were no hooligans other than the police themselves who turned out to be hooligans to come to attack our youths. That is unacceptable,” he said.
Mr Hichilema said he was going to visit Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Charity Katanga at her office yesterday so that she explained why she “cheated” that there hooligans trying to disrupt the demonstration when it was her who was a “chief hooligan” and for not providing police reports to the victims for them to seek medical attention.
“That Katanga lady, am going to her office today. Myself! Am going to her office. I am going to her office because it’s a public office. I want her to explain to me two things. One, why she cheated that there were hooligans when it was her who is a hooligan! I want her to explain, today! Today! And I am not inviting anyone to follow me. I am going there alone because they think that we are afraid. I am not afraid. I am going there alone!
“I want her to explain to me where were the hooligans when she acted as a chief hooligan on that day and started beating our youths who were harmless, who were unarmed,” he said.
He charged that on the fateful day, the police acted unprofessionally as they behaved like Patriotic Front (PF) vigilantes and that their action was allegedly premeditated, saying further that currently there was no rule of law in the country.
[pullquote]“That Katanga lady, am going to her office today. Myself! Am going to her office. I am going to her office because it’s a public office. I want her to explain to me two things. One, why she cheated that there were hooligans when it was her who is a hooligan! I want her to explain, today! Today! And I am not inviting anyone to follow me. I am going there alone because they think that we are afraid. I am not afraid. I am going there alone![/pullquote]
He wondered why Civil Society Organisations like Transparency International Zambia (TIZ), Human Rights Commission (HRC) and Southern African Centre for Constructive Disputes (SACCORD) renowned for denouncing such acts had been mute on the matter.
Mr Hichilema reiterated that the party was going to report the police brutality to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), among others while it sought to exhaust local avenues and that no one was going to stop that move.
“This matter, we are taking it beyond this boundary, beyond Zambia’s boundary,” Mr Hichilema said.
The UPND leader also accused Government of signing an agreement with its Sudanese counterparts aimed training PF youths by militias of that war torn country, saying that was another issue the party wanted to bring to the attention of the international community.
He also blamed the impending the fuel crisis to Government’s alleged failure to critically assess the situation before recently donating 5 million litres of fuel to the Malawian Government during the funeral of then president Mbingu Wa Mtharika.
On the extension by 50 days the scrutinizing of the draft Constitution, Mr Hichilema said the party would not support extensions if the nation to be informed about the definite time-frame of the whole process as such extensions would result in the process gobbling more money than the National Constitution Conference (NCC).
TIZ, HRC, SACCORD are mute on this matter because the reasons for UPND to stage a demonstrations are utterly commical and wouldn’t want to degrade their high offices
iwe ka amayama keep wiping satas feaces
Another PF runatic ranting like a mad dog
Useless NGOs … too mute for their bread may stop been buttered.
ok
Police did not act professionaly towards the UPND youths. But I wonder if you’ll find any help from your big brother in SADC, AU, UN.
SADC, AU, UN you must be a joker. Why do you think HH and his actions warrant the international communities to act. Syrians have a big problem and they are being killed. You worry about a small uncordinated protest which was fouled. Where was HH and his minions during the protest? Did any of the youths carry a UPND ID? Are they really UPND as really registered or it is just mobosity HH is using? What do you think would have happened had PF youths also protested against the protest? I would have been a different story to day. The lesson learnt is that when the police tells you not to protest for public security do not. Seek other means of airing your views. HH is selfish, why doesn’t he go on a One-Man Hunger strike until Nchito resigns?
HH grow up!!!!!!!!!!!! and have some common sense.
What is good for goose …
2016 is not too far off. The first thing any Africa leader does when he comes into power is to squash the opposition with bruit force.
I’d like to see one squash the opposition with policies so good, the people will fight to have him stay in office.
You know things are bad when after only a few month on the job, people already want you out.
Let the opposition have their day. PF will be in power till 2016. It would server PF well to just attend to issues until that time. So what if a handful of people march down the street? But since PF reacts to every little thing, they will be sued; they have shamed themselves, and have come out as a power hungry greedy, dictatorial leadership.
IN ZAMBIA WHEN THE CITIZENS DEMONSTRATE, THE POLICE RIOT!
Wantekunya mune!
I’m at a loss of words for you HH. UN, SADC, AU, Sudanese, TIZ, HRC, SACCORD, anymore…..
HH win support with people on the ground, the ordinary man on the streets, the civil servants.
Shame about the youths being beaten.
Shame the people of Malawi are enjoying our fuel! I say no more……..
Cry baby under 5 when are you going to grow? International communities don’t cast vote in any given country. Sata went straight to voters where he was explaining the intolerance and intimidation of MMD. You will never will by destroying the image of the country you are trying to rule one day.
BUSHE ULICIPUBA,IF IT’S YOU BEING BEATEN WHAT CAN YOU SAY?14 BILLION NIPIYA SHAKWANGASHA?FUEL MWAPELA MALAWI,THINK MWEFUPUBA B4 YOU CALL SOMEBODY UNDER 5.WHAT ABOUT YOUR UKWA CIMBWI NO PLAN.WE SHALL SEE IN 2016.
Police only riot because the head has riotus behavour as eminately so with Charity in this case.
HH is the biggest hooligan that is why he enbrassed William Banda.HH is childish and unreasonable.Clearly like the Post said this man has no direction.UPND is domed with this kind of leadership?HH is an attention seeker.How can a person who seeks the highest office in the land behave like so riotously like a kaponya?HH must know that he is loosing suport everytime he incites his cadres to go in the streets for the wrong reasons.HH is turning UPND into a party of hooligans and slowly driving it into oblivion!
I dont ever remeber ZP under MMD whether under LPM or RB giving opposition then PF or UPND any permit to demonstrate! That was a prececedent set. I dont ever remeber PF asking its youths when it was an opposition to stage demonstrations without a permit! Someone correct me if I am wrong. HH is looking for truoble attention and venting bitterness. I dont ever remember HH facing up to cops like Kabonde or Nguni. Now is it because Katanga is a lady and he think she is vulnerable?
good point? When kabonde was running away from MMD, where was HH? male chauvinist HH, wants harrass Charity!!!:-?
Can you imagine those Malawian’s have our fuel reserves and enjoying it too!
Seek legal advice about the youths being beaten. They should be compensated……… oops forgot no legal advisors at the moment – UKWAnomics has dissolved the judiciary he’s the rule of law.
HH I hope you have personally taken care of the youths who have been beaten as there is no rule of law in Zambia at the moment. Hope you got they’re injuries sorted. Especially those who were hit on the head. They will need head scans. Just saying……
HH HH HH HH HH,DONT FEAR THIS FOOLISH LEADER NO EDUCATION,TELL THEM HH HH HH NOW YOU ARE GROWN UP.UKWA TETI AKULOWE FILYA ALOWELE MWANAWASA IYO!WE ARE WITH YOU AND FRIEND PASTOR MUMBA WE ARE SUPORTING YOU GUY GO GO GO GO.
@14. Don’t kubeba. Wena, hh confronted kabonde the I. G in mufumbwe, solwezi. Where the bloody hell have you been?
it was the pact on which he tried to ride!
Atase imwe guys abena Stella Libongani na ka Charity Katanga nobe ka elizabeth kanjela na ka Brenda Muntemba …mwamona te nomba pantu muli ma bosses but twalenwa bonse chibuku na shekazi ku Lilayi…ok its ok…one day ifintu fikachinja tukakumana again ku chimunzi.
So let me get this straight. A group wanted to peacefully demonstrate. Govt of day says not on our watch. Said group demonstrated anyway. Things got murky on the ground. Said group wound up with people needing pain killers en masse and now we all have a pain in the a$$ because…. Fill in the blank with words of own choice. Why is said group demonstrating? Has the cause been lost? Is there alternative way to deal with issue? Am I confusing myself with questions? Said group now has new issues to take to international communities… because that is the only resolution? Hmm. I am confusing myself. Hope the original issue was something needed on ground. Better schools, hospitals, food… Yes? No.
It is their democratic right – anytime they wish to. It is their RIGHT. if you don’t know your rights – they do!!! It may not make sense to you but it does to them and it is their RIGHT – FULL STOP!!!
To use an analogy: No one stops you from going to the toilet whether it makes sense to them or NOT – IT IS your RIGHT a PHIRI!
Thanks for your response. So rights are like toilet breaks. Who’d have thunk :)
He should sue for the bruises on his forehead. Whoa! Did the hooligan cops do that? Sue before the evidence fades!
I agree with HH on most of the issues he raised but youths going to train as militias in Sudan is totally wrong and he is causing unnecessary alarm.
I regret voting for sata
My cattle wil vote for me
These Bembas are stupid
Tell your mather that you facker. Mwakulaponokwafye lyonse and you will never rule this country. We will keep on ruling you forever.
You have no political clout to be taken seriously.
HH uli kapuba
HH, you are so bitter I have never seen such bitterness. When LPM passed on how much did we get in terms of donations? You are so inhuman am wondering whether you can rule. We need someone with a human heart to rule this nation. Even at household level when there is a funeral we donate things to assist the family that has lost. The President is not a witch doctor to know that there will be a burst of a pipe at some point. YOU ARE A CHIMBWI YOURSELF AND BEHALVE YOURSELF!1!
Iwe ka # 21 atase isundile we mwine …ule fwaya usundile muli ine? ukwete shinga?
LEKENI SATA ATEKE!!!! VIVA SATA VIVA PF
This boy is not worth my comment now!
#11 point of correction Mr Katanga is not a lady but a man….because for my own understanding a lady has that caring heart than that of a man….Mr Kantaga is a good man but time will come for him to explain when he shall be alone…be good and do ur job well…
thanks
Hakainde showing disrespect and making snide remarks about her age (as reported in Daily Mail) against the lady won’t help matters especially that you have aspirations to lead this nation.Don’t forget that women make up majority of voters especially in cities you want to make in-roads and they are watching especially the neutral voters.
A seasoned politician would tread very carefully on this matter and refrain from making personal attacks.
ka hh grow up ka chi,,,,,,,,,, iwe.even if you report that to sadc or un it wont help you coming to state house ka chimbwi iwe.we us the people who voted for the president are annoyed with you for refering our head of state as chimbwi no plan ka hh tunisia way wont help you instead uleipwisha kumulandu wami sesa pono yobe.mind you our president has immunity than iwe kambwana wa ngombe. respect him .
Lekeni Sata ateke
Let me just urge the PF Fellas to concentrate on their programmes and achieve their desired result on time. What the Opposition is doing is exactly what PF did when they were on their side and might just be destructed!
If the the other “opposite” cadres had mobilised themselves and decided to cconfront HH’s unemployed youths, deaths and disruption of business in Lusaka could have surely resulted. Innocent cars and motorisits could have been stoned. The same HH would have acused the police for their lack of intervention! The overly underpait and oover stretched police acted timely and responsibly.
Some coments its Lol!
No wonder Sudan beat Zambia 2 – 0 so they are in an alliance with militia’s from Sudan, also SATA never gave a directive to the national team to beat sudan, so it explains why also Sakuwaha substituted felix katongo because he plays in sudan
Ela who told u to select a wrong flag 4me! Pliz am in Zambia Put the Zambian Flag on My Comment! Keep on Pushing HH its not an easy road! Determination is a prequiste to success! Those that Discourage you will one day look for encouragement from you and those that despise you, will be inspired by you someday! Spread you message to all the Provincies! One Day Pipo will realese that u mean well for all ZambianS!
“That Katanga lady, am going to her office today. Myself!”
Useless ka under 5 politician, very sexist and very shallow chap just go back to SP you will never lead this nation ka HH just stand as MP for Livingstone.
Utter disgrace.
Why didn’t you go and demonstrate yourself then instead of letting innocent youths do the dirty work for you.
UPND will always be a USELESS PARTY OF NUMB-HEADED DUNDERHEADS.
IWE CHI ICHILEMA , TETI UTEKE ZAMBIA JUST GO BACK KU BUTONGA AND KEEP BANOKO
To all my Zambian women, look at how this vile chap is disrespecting an official in high position, would he use the same language if that office was occupied by a man? Disgrace this ka chap, do you honestly expect this ka chap to appoint a woman in his cabinet or anywhere if he was ever in public office.
Sata and co. did not storm the police when our demonstrating youths were killed in cold blood by the same grz police a few years ago? Please HH think before reacting. If the police had over stepped their mandate, you have all the legal avenues available at your disposal.
That is why Mwanawasa said “Tonga’s are like battocks. They will always be behind.” I think “peaceful demostrations” should only be allowed in Stadiums. If people are interested in your protests they will come and watch. Lusaka roads are already congested and the last thing we need is babies wearing nappies blocking the roads. Some of us want to go for work.
Sad state of affairs, if he not demonstrating for corrupt judges or former corrupt MMD thugs, he is disturbing the peace, when is this vile chap going to stand up for issues that affect the ordinary person on the street.
USELESS PARTY OF NUMB-HEADED DUNDERHEADS
@ Theoretician. Two wrongs cant make it right. We should not walk through the events of yesterday particularly if they are wrong. Lets interpret the current law; it demands for a notification to be issued 02 weeks before the planned event. Check on rulings before our courts on a similar issue. I hope you can at least recall the following: Sata storming the Secretary to the cabinet s office, PF youth flashing machetes, PF blocking VP s motorcade in Ndola, Sata calling levy a cabbage, Sata stating that masebo has no brains, PF cadres blocking some truck in nakonde ets
educate the police force..nowadays there are alot of human rights..some of these chaps will be arrested..
this boy HH has lost direction, how does he verbally abuse a police woman
Our Tonga men have not respect for women to them, a women’s place is in the kitchen and doing house chores. The office is for the alpha male the bread winner so let us not be surprised by this man trying to bully Mrs Katanga.
*****“That Katanga lady, am going to her office today. Myself!….Why not take the legal route? Is the justice sytem so rotten in Zambia? HH, is your demonstration against justice reformation not misplaced?
#44 I agree with you. No wonder no one has ever seen HH’s wife. She probably always dirty cleanigng cow dang.
HH, if the police had rejected your request, why then did yu take to the streets – to throw stones at passing cars!!!!!!
#26 MIZ you seem to be the male equivalent of Mushota!!
#39 i agree with you indeed tongas are like buttocks they will oways leave behind in term,s of development
The language from a person who boasts of higher education and hopes to rule this country is very shocking. If HH cannot respect the Sudanese country by calling it “war torn” publicly how diplomatic is he?. If he cant respect the office of the IG and indeed blatantly be so sexist towards her what kind of President is he going to be? No wonder he threatened to beat Nawakwi some time back .I wonder ,wether the UPND top leadership have women of prominence. I feel sorry for them if any.
@Kanyakula, if you were civlized enough you wouldn’t have chosen to comment the way you have. But because you are an empty tin who can’t measure development you can go that route. I am sure SP is more developed that NP, Luapula and Muchinga. HH is more developed than you put together with UKWA so I wonder what you are talking about.
Is this in addition to the UN submission?
ba fred naimwe – what is undiplomatic about war torn? reality is reality – Sudan has been at war since even before you were born!!!
Tribal hate statements must not be condoned. please.
Iam really ashamed and disappointed at the insults Iam seeing from bembas on this blog and the inborn hurt rage u have towards HH and Tongas. I think u guys are just *****ss learn to leave in an inclusive society
HH was the you seen bleeding from the head, was it a bullet wound from an AK47? Or a police button?
#13 mwata, indeed u a mwata in dreamland where only fools think that they HH can rule ZAMBIA. HH is now boko haram and banyamulenge commander.
Jealous and envy!
HH has nothing to offer in opposition. I doubt if Mazoka and the founding members had a vision for a cheap party like this. Please founders of UPND, replace the leadership with someone with the vision of Mazoka before the party is alienated further. UPND has become the only ”prostitute” party in the country, every few months it is bed with one party or another, it cannot stand on its on.
HH is calling ata chimbwi without a plan. This is the guy whose plans have failed to win him an election the past 4 elections. what irony!
There will be no Zambia by 2016 with this tribal and criminal cabal.
Ukwanites, stop worrying about hh. You should be worried more about the whereabouts of your tribal warload and bread winner! Where the heck is your Ukwa? Reports reaching my desk is in India for review. Pray for your tribal god, you sad Ukwanites!
#6 But uli wa dobo, Ati Zambian Police Riot.
But HH is really an under five…why always being too confrontational? You are a disgrace to UPND party coz of your childish strategy of turning the name of Zambia to the international community. Who will vote in 2016, the UN or Zambians? If its Zambians why cant you report the wrongs of PF to Zambians the voters? Sure you are an under five who lacks what it takes to be a leader. you are always crying to the UN for help..dull you are man.
HH should embrass PF’s victory and forge ahead. Confrontation politics will not take him any where. Ask Dr. Besiengy in Uganda. HH’s rage will only win Sata kudus and sympathy at the detriment of his political career. Where are political advisors Kashi? Mwabalema, i would advise you to consult VJ (afterall he’s your brother). you can chat as you count cattle balls. VJ has brains you can tap from Aisher. Your reaction was an embarassment right you maybe. in Bemba we say umuto wipwile amakulu taocha. What a way to seek attention. lastly please dont listen to William Tekele Banda. Ask Bwezani how the banga mislead him. don’t go into self destruction mode HH. Zambia needs you very much.
Politics of bitterness and confrontations will never yield anything. It will just help to degrade a party further. And politics based on region and tribe will never succeed in the Zambian political sphere embracing all is cardinal. Get a leaf from PF before other regions were brought on board what used to happen! My word of advise to UPND is that dont base your politics on tribal or personal haterate, just accept that the current leadership was ushered into government by the people of Zambia and anything said in a dis respective way about its leadership will just degrade your party. Don’t embrace very much cheap advise from some quarters of your party, but learn to listen from divergent sources.
Go HH. Continue to behave like a toddler with no brains. We are behind you You brainless creature