PRESIDENT Lungu has urged Zambians to tone down on demonstrations against xenophobic attacks in South Africa because he is handling the issue at the highest level.
The President told Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) shortly before departure for Mpika yesterday that he is handling the matter.
“We are all concerned as Africans. Zambians are upset because they did a lot for the liberation of South Africa, particularly through the ANC. And I think we should sit down and reflect seriously,” President Lungu said.
Some Zambians have been planning to march in protest and to boycott South African products and services.
He said there should be something wrong somewhere in South Africa.
“When you talk about ‘One Zambia, One Nation, it is oneness. I think something has seriously gone wrong with the psyche of the South Africans who are behind all this,” President Lungu said.
He said Zambians must not get involved because there is sufficient leadership in South Africa to deal with the issue.
And President Lungu said he will not be distracted by his critics during the short period he has been in power.
“For me it is ‘sela tubombeko’ [give us way so that we work]” President Lungu said.
And United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has expressed displeasure over the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, HILDAH MWAPE reports.
Mr Hichilema said in a statement yesterday that the South African government must act now to avert the attacks from spilling over to other countries.
Mr Hichilema said South Africans should dialogue with foreigners instead of treating them in a manner that can engulf the whole continent.
“The potential of retaliation is very high, but as peaceful Zambians, let us avoid retaliating to such attacks as much as possible,” Mr Hichilema said.
And CATHERINE MUMBA reports that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has applauded Zambia for embracing co-existence after years of hosting migrants and refugees.
UNHCR country representative Laura Lo Castro has also expressed sadness at the recent xenophobic attacks in some parts of South Africa.
Ms Lo Castro was speaking when she featured on ZNBC’s Morning Live programme.
HH why bother when your voice is a lonely one. Your dreams are a danger to yourself and your minority supporters .
“For me it is ‘sela tunweko’ [give us beer so that we get smashed]” President Lungu said.
@Dead
I don’t know why you’re hating and hurting about Hakainde’s statement in this article. Your cure for this would be to look in the mirror, tell yourself that HH is rich and famous, he works hard for everything he has and is, he commands leadership of Zambia’s biggest opposition party and that you will never reach his level in any way. Otherwise your hatred for someone you don’t eve know will choke you to real death. ldiot!
The folly of the Public Order Act and the backwardness of Zambian laws have been brought to the fore. All progressive nations held peaceful demos to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in SA. The PF Police Force had the audacity to arrest a lone humble woman, Laura Miti, for holding a placard denouncing violence in SA.
That’s the way to go bwanacPresident. A human being should always control emotions. Why do you think murder cases take long to conclude? this is to control the anger in those whose relative has been killed.I salute you Mwata .
“For me it is ‘sela tunweko’ [give us beer so that we get smashed]” President Lungu said.
Comrade Lungu should tone up before we tone down
Wht sufficient leadership is there in SA to handle the issue when Zuma and his son are fully involved! Abanenu ba Malawi na Zimbabwe are getting their pipo out of there imwe ati we are handling the issue! Mpakafye abena Zambia babepaye elo mwalashibuka? Anyway, I understand your fears Edgar, uletinafye ati u will be banned from attending Milpark Clinic kaili kwati ekwaba imyeo shenu!! U can’t condemn SA government!!
I’m from SA our people are being driven to this through their tribal leader, king zwelithini, who has the full backing of our president and our presidents son. Our president even uttered the same sentiments a week after the kings speech. Our government is incapable of running the country because our president is rotten to the core, he is doing this to draw attention away from himself. The anc could deploy the military but they dont because it would mean harsh action against our people and inturn the backlash would mean lost votes. Instead they deploy a police force that sits back and lets it happen, when the foreigners (more like fellow africans) try defend themselves the police step in and unarm them or arrest them. This will escalate into utter madness, the ANC has lost all control.
The ANC govt should stop its open door policy towards immigration. It should only allow in skilled immigrants. Stop allowing in millions of trash from other countries because this brings in problems. South Africa should always look at the interests of its poor first.
ECL is right. I have lived in SA for the past 20 years. I am not aware of any Zambians who lives in a settlements and that is where most of the attacks are taking place. My maid from Zimbabwe who lives in a settlement told me that although there is an uneasiness in the settlement no attacks have yet taken place. HH has issued a statement condemning xenophobia but other than issuing a statement what else has he done? Is HH considering disinvesting in South Africa? GBM was recently boasting that he has moved most of his investments from Zambia to SA. GBM I have news for you, they don’t want you here. I agree under Zuma(unlike under Mbeki) the government of SA is not doing enough to protect the lives of BLACK immigrants. Just wait until one Chinese national is killed then Zuma will wake up.
Sorry to disagree with you Your Excellence. We shouldn’t tone down but speak up. However, we shouldn’t retaliate with violence against xenophobia but talking against it openly especially by our government is crucial. This topic should not by no means be politicized
Talking is what started this, violence no way to end it, embargo our products, hurt the pockets, do not support SA businesses, this is about people not money but to get our government to act decisively you need to take action and put pressure on them. Business owners will cry to the government to act. Stop our trucks, turn them away, close the SA businesses, until our government cleans house. If you guys manage that with restraint then you will be the light for all to follow. I pray that this stops, God bless to all in your country and mine.
There was an interesting revelation made by a Bishop who was being interviewed at the morning program by an independent TV channel, eNCA yesterday morning.
The Bishop revealed that such phenomena of xenophobia could have been instigated by a third force within South Africa. I tend to agree with the Bishops analysis who was careful not to reveal the identity of this “third force”.
Acts of xenophobia we witnessed in 2008 could, I suspect, have been instigated by a “hidden force” that hoped to embarrass President Thabo Mbeki. To which camp did the ANC Youths belong when Mbeki was being flashed of the Presidency? If reasons for xenophobia are being linked to the jobless indigenous South Africans, what could have been the role of Trade Unionists in South Africa? THIS IS FOOD FOR…
Lungu is always honest to the point that he is even ready to expose his f00!ishiness in public “he said zambians must not get involved because there is sufficient leadership in south Africa to deal with that” if his statement is true,why are people still being killed? Doesn’t he know that if Zambia and other African states demonstrate it will send a strong message to Joberg and the south africans would repent of their actions? People were killed in Rwanda while the presidents with lungu mentality of that time were watching.maybe he is afraid to offend them because he will have no where to run to if he collapses again.let all sober minded people speak against this vice.
President lungu is clueless. Demostrations are part of the democratic dispensation. People don’t need permission to do so. Thats why this colonial public order act which only serves those in power must be discarded. If there is capable leadership in SA why is he talking to Mugabe? The man lacks originality apart from aping slogans coined by others.
If a PEACEFUL demonstration (Placard waving and non-violent) cannot be allowed in an independent country, how else can the public express their disatisfaction towards such chaos? Lets drop these draconian laws and live in 21st century world. Thats too much bwana!
The whole of Africa must stand up against the Savage Zulu’s of the South!!!
Let us show them what it means to be real Africans all they have ever known is to be house servants and second class citizens in their own country.
Stop exporting your hustlers to South Africa. You’re creating social problems in that country. How do you flood a country with more than 3 million immigrants in short space of time. If your relatives are just hustling in SA please tell them to get their asses back to Lagos, Lusaka, Harare, Addis, Mogadish, Lubumbashi Mumbai, Dhaka etc South Africa does not exist for your convenience!
Government (or government policy) has no place in the emotive intentions of its citizenry. When something like that happens it is supra-over or supra-below what any law or pronouncement can dictate. In fact the more you restrict people’s expressions the more you build a potentially cataclysmic outburst in the near future. Do not underestimate the capacity of the modern citizen. Let people let out their pent up emotions within the context of civility; after all they are protesting against barbarism and will not repeat the same barbarity as they protest. Isn’t it that we let grieving people let it out without let or hindrance?
Is the Pesident saying is also linked to the Zulu King and his couter part Zuma because of Lungu mocked the UPND youth chairperson who was killed by saying he got drunk and this type of leadership will one day bring this country down.
If there was leadership why were police men just watching Mr.Lungu?
Or because since you collapsed you have stopped seeing and hearing what is happening?
Va Lungu this is malambishi statement from the president.
Why should people be burnt like this and you call this leadership?
By ‘handling the issue at the highest level’ Lungu means he is consulting Mugabe. He has already forgotten that Mugabe has driven 5 million Zimbabweans away from their country and who now live fearfully among the blood-thirsty South Africans.
Someone tell these ignorant lot that without other African countries, they wouldn’t even have a country they call South Africa today. Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia to name a few sacrificed and did everything to support their struggle against the ruthless Apartheid regime… and they did at great risk to their own existence. At worst they would all have been driven out to perish into the sea implying they probably wouldn’t exist today. So this black on black violence is really shameful. Zuma needs to remind them about this recent history. Perhaps they don’t even know the ANC was headquartered in Lusaka. Statements by Zuma so far are disappointing… he needs to be very firm.
Perhaps these cowards need to attack their own politicians and their own white masters.
Did you see millions of South Africans on the streets of Lusaka in the 1970s and 1980s? The answer is a big NO! But today in South Africa there are millions of Zimbabweans because of Mugabe’s misrule. Why should there be hundreds of thousands of Nigerians in SA? Isn’t Nigeria an oil producer and Africa’s biggest economy? Why should Nigeria be exporting human beings to South Africa after 55 years of independence? No this should stop. It is African countries that have caused this xenophobia in South Africa. The South African underclass is been suffocated. Stop exporting your problems to South Africa.
I hear King Goodwell Zwelithin has stuck to his guns, arrogantly refusing to apologize for his earlier remarks. He says his utterances were not meant to attack foreigners.
It is always important for people in influential positions to weigh their utterances before issuing them. I do not agree that the King meant no harm to foreigners. The platform he used to air his displeasure clearly shows what his motive was. For a person with access to the authorities, he should have used more mature and responsible means of expressing his concern. But whether or not he apologizes, the blood of those people who were killed in the xenophobic attacks is on his hands.
I’ve tried to respect the President, but I keep on beingdisappointed by him.
Each he opens his mouth, its a misplaced statement
He is following in old man Sata’s foot steps …its no surprise that he is also shying away from a press conference as he clearly has no vision…he is merely in State House to tour and get free medication.
So has lazy bum Lungu consulted uncle Bob and his boss Rupiah Banda? Really laughable indeed he is telling everyone to tone down when serious leaders are being decisive, maybe he is waiting for a Zambian to be murdered on the streets of RSA.
The man is touring the northern province when he should be in State House sorting out the economy.
Jay, jay, what’s with you hate for the President? You bash him at every opportunity you get. Let’s be civilized guys. The only mistake EL made was to be voted President of Zambia and because your preferred candidate lost, now you see nothing good in him. As long as the opposition continue on this path. Nothing will come out of the 2016 elections. You will continue to lose. You continue to disrespect our President and our leaders and except foreigners to respect him. When some bum is South Africa insults you! the President and the country, you go ballistic. Do not expect respect from your neighbor until you begin to respect the President and your leaders. Be patriotic and others will follow suit.
Whats the difference between the xenophobic attacks and pf machette welding cadres attacking non pfs? Thr answe is nil. Its happening in our own country and the police are partfof the pf cadres with their batons always ready to strike.
Difference is that the PF cadres on occasion attacks themselves lol!
Viva President Nawakwi.
Lungu goes to S Africa for medical treatment, he would not want to upset the S Africans for this reason.
At times the International Criminal Court should intervene in such criminal acts against humanity. Top political leadership should be the first suspect because it appears to be a growing trend in South Africa. It may turn out to be a continental threat in an attempt to retaliate. South Africa poses its citizens at great risk in foreign african countries if retaliation takes place. Let the ICC intervene because african presidents will only criticize from a distance with no tangible action for unknown reasons. Curb this cropping menace before things get out of hand.
Lungu, the dull and brain dead president thinks its time to reflect BUT this should actually be time to ACT! What an Ar.se of a President Zambia has got!
And we are all dumb and did not see how Guy Scott and his minions almost destroyed PF. Zambians, oh how we forget! We continue to disrespect our President and our leaders and except foreigners to respect him. When some bum is South Africa insults you! the President and the country, you go ballistic. Do not expect respect from your neighbor until you begin to respect the President and your leaders. Be patriotic and others will follow suit. Am sure you are in the diaspora and you do not vote. You are the ones that run their mouths the most. Zambians voted for EL and too bad your candidate lost. Grow up mad move on otherwise you will continue losing elections
Yes the President is working quietly and efficiently including on xenophobia.
And of course the president with a small p, HH has added a sensible voice on this one.
President Lungu and HH have not shown any leadership on this one aspect. Let us listen to what wise Presidenst Nawakwi and General Miyanda shall say.
Viva president Nawakwi.
Ba Lungu “at the highest level” is very comforting to hera but we would like you then to put pressure on Zuma to make his police force arrest and prosecute the criminals. There are plenty of pictures of xenophobic looters: the rest of the world would like to know why police cant arrest them with such evidence available. Ano ther blogger somewhere else states that noone was arrested after the 2008 murders of foreigners yet the SA police know the murderers. South Africa can only save face if the govt shows that it is not in conspiracy with the killers of foreigners by arresting them. Otherwise Zuma is also a xenophobe.
“I thought I should share this article with you, in as much as I do not support xenophobic attacks it’s not a South African thing, it’s a human thing, it has happen before in other countries, our leaders should have known better, and put systems in place……
In 1957, after Ghana gained independence, many Nigerians began migrating to Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP) had maintained a liberal immigration policy because of his pan-Africanist ideology and his desire for Ghana to be in the forefront of African unity. For example, in the 1960 census, immigrants particularly Nigerians made up 12 percent of the Ghanaian population of 8.4 million people. The relationship became sour when the influx of immigrants began to shift the demographics of the country, which…
Pule A pity. I was reading your article then it fades off. Post the remainder quick