Five people in Chief Kazembe in the valley area of Lundazi district are admitted in Kazembe clinic nursing injuries they sustained following ZAWA officers assault.
Kazembe Ward Councilor Reuben Zimba told ZANIS in Lundazi that the incident happened recently when ZAWA officers conducted a night search patrol in five villages and in the process beat-up several people including children.
Mr Zimba lamented that ZAWA officers believed to have come from Kanusha ZAWA camp in Chief Chifunda in Chama district conducted a search patrol but failed to find any game meat nor snares and in frustration went on rampage beating up innocent people including children in nearby villages.
The civic leader named Maiko Phiri aged 25 and Rodrick Phiri 46 both of Kango village, Gibson Nyirenda 30 of Sokotoko, Londa Phiri 23 of Chinyampe and Kafwila Banda 23 of Kafwila villages as victims assaulted by ZAWA officers.
Mr Zimba further claimed that Lyson Phiri 24 of Kango village was apprehended and is currently in police cells at Lundazi boma following his request to see a search warrant, a measure he was arrested for and charged for obstructions.
But when contacted for comment, Chifunda ZAWA camp Park Ranger, Justine Chisako could neither confirm nor deny, however he referred all queries to Eastern Province Area Warden Ms Lusuzi Mwale who refused to comment saying she was on leave.
Meanwhile, (ZAWA) Officers have arrested three suspected men for allegedly being in possession of government trophy contrary to the laws of Zambia.
ZAWA Prosecutions officer based at Kaoma, Evans Mushimbalume confirmed the incident to ZANIS this week and identified the trio as Charles Kapenda 38, Muti Chinyemba 25, both of Kalamba area in Chief Mutondo’s chiefdom and Katanda Katanda 51, of Kaado area in TBZ of Nkeyema district.
Mr Mushimbalume said the trio were apprehended in Kafue National park on Monday this week and were found with sable dried game meat weighing about 20 kilogrammes and an oribi dried game meat weighing 2kgs without authority from ZAWA.
He said the three were also found with one shotgun serial number 55988 without the firearms license.
Mr Mushimbalume said the suspects have since been charged with three counts of unlawful possession of government trophy without authority from ZAWA, illegal entry into the Kafue National Park and being in possession of a shotgun without a firearm license.
He said the trio will appear for plea in Kaoma magistrate court tomorrow and are currently remanded in Kaoma police cells.
Mr Mushimbalume has however, appealed to those engaged in poaching activities in all the three districts namely Luampa, Kaoma and Nkeyema respectively to desist from such illegal vices as the law will visit anyone found wanting.
ZANIS
the law clearly says that a suspect will not be considered guilty until proved guilty by the court of law surely Zambia these guys should not be beating innocent people,they should face the these zawa officers should be punished it pains very much being beaten for the things u did not do.
This is very unpalatable behavior.
You villagers where are muscle loaders (mututilas) these people will finish you, you must start hitting back. But the problem again if you hit back they will says poachers have killed 5 game scouts ah ah ha ha. bwafya there is nothing good.
Guess where that meat is going yes the market and homes for the Officers.
Plain and simply wrong. Zawa officers can’t catch the real poachers so they pick on innocent villagers who need that protein. Ofcourse poaching is illegal however assaulting poor villages in the middle of the night is not the way to go abouts business…
There goes another Govt department employing ill qualified personnel.
You ZAWA go in the bush and catch poachers. Those Villagers just buy the meat although some are deadly poachers as well. Just find an amicable way of stopping the villagers from poaching. You should also once in a while allow them to kill animals for food. They are entitled to that.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
While this is an unfortunate occurrence that should be prevented at all costs, the diction of this article is so bad. Is it so difficult to conform to a journalistic standard that espouses correct use of grammar, among other things? You introduce Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) but fail to elaborate what the letters stand for. You (LT) then go further and use the abbreviation through out the article and continue, rather erroneously, to place it in parenthesis- you might know them as ‘brackets’ as is commonly taught at school. Sigh… you continue to disappoint me in this area .
**Regarding the rangers involved, swift and strict action must be taken to curb theirs or future behaviour. Start with their officer in charge and work down to them.**
This is what happens when a turned nurse to minister is in charge of wildlife. Jean Kapata has lifted the hunting ban which mean foreigners are celebrating our stup-idity. They have been abusing our wildlife for decades, owning hunting businesses abroad advertising: TROPHY HUNTING in ZAMBIA – SALE PACKAGED TOURS!! But of course people in charge of tourism are too scared of the white man to do anything. Elephants go for $60,000 a head while the Ba Sungu’s keep all the money. Transaction has already taken place abroad while Zambia remains poor! ZAWA just introduced residency hunting yet they hardly do any proper monitoring and now the beating of innocent people? Jean Kapata and Permanent Secretary Steven Mwansa are the wrong people to be managing this sector. They really need to go!!