POLICE in Lusaka have arrested MMD member Eddie Shanambe for declaring that he had taken over the leadership of the party from Nevers Mumba.
But Dr Mumba has dismissed Mr Shanambe’s assertions, saying the party and its leadership are intact.
Mr Shanambe was arrested at Radio Phoenix’s premises in Rhodes Park immediately after appearing on Let The People Talk programme, where he was discussing problems that have rocked the former ruling party.
Lusaka Province police commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed Mr Shanambe’s arrest following a complaint by Dr Mumba. He has been charged with forgery and uttering false statement.
He is remanded in custody while police continue with investigations.
“Mr Shanambe notified police that Dr Mumba would be holding a meeting at the party secretariat when in fact that was not the case. Dr Mumba went to complain to the police,” she said.
Ms Katanga also said there was confusion at the secretariat after Mr Shanambe misled MMD members and the police that Dr Mumba would address members of the party.
And Ms Katanga said Mr Shanambe was submissive, claiming that he was just giving his position on matters relating to the former ruling party.
On radio, Mr Shanambe threatened civil disobedience against Dr Mumba if the party leader does not relinquish his position.
“Dr Mumba has gone into oblivion and there is no way the party can run without the head [leader]. Somebody has to bring out the voice of the party and that is why I have been appointed caretaker president,” he said.
He claimed that Dr Mumba had gone into oblivion.
“Our president is not there,” he said and added, “what do you expect us to do when other party presidents are there and are seen by their members working?”
But MMD national youth secretary Bowman Lusambo said the MMD is still intact and that Mr Shanambe is an outsider whose interest is to allegedly fan trouble in the party.
Mr Lusambo said Mr Shanambe should promote unity and reconciliation instead of worsening the situation.
He said Dr Mumba is the legitimate party president.
“How can you become caretaker MMD president when the president is there and leading the party?” Mr Lusambo asked.
MMD…what will be/is your legacy??! Kaunda was right all those years ago…
What about Kaunda’s legacy of finding surplus funds in Zambia’s coffers and leaving mountain ranges of debt. You think if it were up to him we would have even had an opinion section here on Lusaka Times. A legacy where Indians and whites where allowed to buy plots, build houses, buy cars, have dollars in their homes without question from citet, whilest we black Zambians who where not politicians or his circle where investigated like spies if when we did so. Zambians have a memory of a goldfish (2 minutes) and a huge problem with truth and facts. You are either his relative, a former/current politician or born in the 90’s to remember being beaten by his vigilante thugs on mealie meal queues. Go and lie to the youth of today not us who lived the hell that man made
Between UNIP wamuyaya and MMD Who liberalised the Zambian economy? Certainly not your Mr. legacy. 1) On being a statesman why is he being discussed (not just in the west but in SADC as the opposite of Mandela? When you are done answering that without insulting 2) Why has he not been an intermediary when ever there is political tension in Zambia he always rolls with whoever is in charge of his pension a former president being a muselela kwa kaba shame. Like I said earlier being Zambian you will probably be very offended my the truth and probably hurl insults. Dont worry I understand its in Zambians nature not to stand the truth. Do not glorify that mans rule there is NOTHING glorious about it unless like I said you were eating together.
Nevers Mumba is weak. The day that he abandoned bu preacher is the day his life ended. Preaching was the only thing he was good at.
@Ba Nubian naimwe, how can you tell a man that “only good at” before you sleep with him?
I never for the life of me understand the people who are always quick to point at KK’s failures but conveniently omit the environment then and also his successes. If KK really wanted to stay in power he would have gone the mugabe route but instead he did his best and handed over power peacefully to the next generation. Was he perfect, of course not but who was and is?
Police better come quickly to arrest my husband’s girlfriend. She is telling every one that she is going to takeover my husband. She is uttering a false statement as my husband denies any takeover bid.
Surely ba kapokola have more serious crimes to attend to than silly MMD wrangles
Thank you pal, first thing went in my mind was what’s wrong with the police? Is criminal offence changed meaning in Zambia? One wonders what professional conduct the IG is talking about when they can arrest a person on a civil matter based on one’s complaint. Wow, we have gone off the rails in Zambia!
Man you make a very good point. The number of arrests can be endless.
Good one @Ba Foloshi! This is symptomatic of a police system that relies on derelict laws that can at best be interpreted like a religious script, and at worst as altavistic as fundamentalist dictates. We need to modernise our laws so that we do not continue to look like f00ls in the eyes of those that have since moved on. Now I understand vehicles are combusting anyhow so extinguishers are a big thing at checkpoints, especially if yours is a foreign registered car!!! What a country!
But this is already happening in Zambia. Not to take sides, but when you look at the majority of cases that are in the public domain, it is always a case of some private citizen going to complain to the police and then an arrest and charge follow. So, a person is not considered to have broken the law until someone else who finds the said comment to be offensive although you would be hard pressed to figure out how they were affected by the comment or act.
Nevers appears to be recieving police protection compared to other opposition leaders why? These are internal party issues not requiring police intervention. A caution would do rather than wasting time arresting him when there are serious matters like the Mulobezi shooting were police are scared of arresting the culprit.
Nevers went to Police to report the case!
@You can’t read? the Mulobezi shooting was reported long before the so called ‘coup’ plotter case. In any case when you compare the two which one is more serious? Be real please.
Lol! ZP a failed institution and Mumba had time to complain; really! I don’t ever recall one Edgar Lungu being arrested for running a parallel convention when Sampa was duly elected PF party president. These are party matters. The MMD she have summoned the culprit to exculpert himself.
There is something seriously wrong with the police. They have no idea which law they are enforcing. Even a fascist one-party state gives more sensible reasons for detaining/ arresting somebody than simply sitting in the pocket of party cadres. Disgraceful.
Yep, internal matter. Zambia Police keep away, don’t waste resources on this matter. Mr. Nevers Mumba is to blame for not addressing the party members whaen there is a problem. Now we know that there is confusion in MMD. One Zambai One Nation.
Charity what will be the charge this time around? Conduct likely to offend the PFMMD marriage I guess.
Shanambe was right to raise the alarm. The party is being swallowed whole and Nevers is quiet. What kind of president is this? Other presidents are busy strutting their stuff but the MMD president appears to be at his wit’s end in this game of eat or be eaten. The best he should do is to just step down or call for a convention to elect a fresh team instead of adopting a ‘fikaisolva’ kind of attitude. Nevers, people suffered for this party and it rightly pains them to see it dissolving right in front of their eyes.
Charity please leave politics to politicians and concentrate on fighting crime.
I like spell check , this guy has a point in fact kk never wanted to give away power he would have been there all his life .Just imagine how many ,people just vanished in thin air for opposing him. Thanks be to God for the short man though not perfect , and the fevernt prayers that over powered him and his heaven on earth.
Surely kk wanted zambians to remain beggars in
their own country as indians boasted . ‘The country is yours but money belongs to us’
Now zambians are better off , since the removal of KK by the short man.
Kafupi never wrestled power from kk, he won an election fair and square and the old man conceded defeat. People vanish all the time and there will always be theories about it. How many people vanished during kafupis tenure? If you think anything has changed with Indians and their cash, then you must be living in fantasy.
Do you how Chigaga died , how Chiluwe , how Mutale died bishop , How Mundia died to name only a few
May be you are his son and Kapwepwe died and he refused to go to Shambalakale, how no zambian could own a shop even have a plot to build a house on .Indians had zambia to their own , we lived as strangers in our own land . Indians had all they needed
Interesting to read comments on KK. Talking about his successes, there was discipline in Zambia and tradition and respect for each other was there. But then again this might have been due to the fact that at that time most Zambians were not exposed to the outside world and there was no freedom of speech. The poor work ethic which is prevalent in Zambia, attitude of not paying loans by many Zambians and dependency was KK’s doing. By borrowing and not paying back to the banks KK showed Zambians that you can borrow but you do not have to pay back. This is still the case now as we blog. KK didn’t want to empower Zambians and treated them as second class citizens. Empowerment was brought in by Frederick Chiluba. Freedom of expression came in with FC. Unfortunately things went awry.
Unfortunately things went awry during MMD got worse with PF. Why the police have to arrest someone for uttering that he is taking over from Mumba is beyond me. Yes Mumba has police protection because he is ‘sleeping with the opposition.’ He is ineffectual as party leader and he has sold MMD. He has been promised a position. I hope that as a man of God his mind is at peace. If it is true that he has sold MMD he should remember that he is untrustworthy, disloyal and basically not worth calling ‘Pastor.’
Zambian law is fraught with likelihoods and intents! It makes George Bush’s preemptive doctrine look like a Sunday School play! Where did we REALLY go wrong?
Now if this is professionalism then the word is a new one for the Men and Women under Stella.
God please help us.
Is Charity Katanga specialized in political cases? Careful mama you need to remain professional because these politicians come and go. Other wise you can become another Chanda Chiimba and run away when those you thought will never win come into power!