A ZAMBIAN national has been arrested in Durban, South Africa, after he is alleged to have jokingly told airport security that he was carrying a bomb in his bag.
The man identified as Paul Sikazwe, 33, was arrested on Friday at King Shaka International Airport in Durban, where he had gone to buy vehicles.
Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba said in a statement that Mr Sikazwe is expected to appear in court in Durban tomorrow.
“We are battling with a case in Durban, where a Zambian identified as Paul Sikazwe was arrested at King Shaka International Airport by security. This happened on Friday after he finished his business. He went to catch a flight back to Zambia through King Shaka International Airport,” Mr Mwamba said.
Mr Mwamba said when Mr Sikazwe was asked at a check-point what he was carrying in his bag, he allegedly jokingly responded that he was carrying a bomb.
“At a checkpoint, he was asked an innocent and procedural question by a lady manning the security check-point: “What’s in the bag?” and he responded, “It’s a bomb!” Security at the airport swung into action, raised alarm and an anti-terror security threat was deployed and they arrested him,” Mr Mwamba said.
Mr Mwamba said after the 9/11 bombings in New York, security levels and sensitivities around airports have heightened.
He said Mr Sikazwe apologised for the joke and unpacked his bags for security to check.
“However, South African Police arrived at the scene and deployed sniffer dogs on his bags and luckily nothing was found. But he was picked up and has been detained for causing alarm. We have, however, managed to talk to Mr Sikazwe and the detective investigating the matter,” he said.
foolish ***** indeed
What an *****, if he travels overseas and makes the same joke, he will be shot in the head before airport security realise that it’s actually a joke. You don’t go to other countries and start telling jokes at peoples work places. This should be a lesson well learned for the young man and all other zambians who like cracking jokes at peoples work places.
As usual Emmanuel Mwamba is being economical with the truth. That Paul Sikazwe is a well known PF cadre who was trying to extend PF violence abroad, but South Africans are serious and such will not be condoned
He thought he was back home in his lawless land where cadres can even breach he security perimeter of a runway and cadre police look on awaiting intrusion from “above”
He actually said I have a bomber (A thick jacket by our Zambian language)
Put a villager on a plane & fly him abroad – he thinks he will be boarding a matatu-type minibus from chawama!!
What a dumb as.s!
This guy is a complete *****. A total fool. The government should suspend his passport if he gets released. The airport is not a place for stupid jokes like this. What an imbecile. Zambians have had a very good international reputation so far, but foolish people like this will erode that. Lock him up, and make him pay for his idiocy. And hopefully other Zambians will learn from this.
I have no words! In disbelief. Why would you think that was funny.
Vo zibila ku bukulu, I think he just started flying in the last few months
Zambian *****cy knows no boundaries!
Let him learn his lessons. Not all airports staff are useless like PF cadres. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he is a PF cadre whose job is to scare other humans. Let him be charged and be given a one year ban of not entering South Africa so that he can spend time in Zqmbia to his fellow PF cadres
Regionalists politicise everything.
It is in their DNA.
I’m sure he is PF and he forgot thinking he was talking to PF police officers in Zed who normally would have just smiled, saluted and let him pass being a PF cadre!
Check Zambia Reports, there is a picture with him wearing party t-shirt and flashing party symbol
Much Ado About Nothing!
Go pass the same joke in any other organised nation and see what will become of you clown!!!!
These are not jokes to pass in mass transit areas. Not in this ost 911 era. Too bad he can even be jailed
In Israel the so called HOLYLAND he would have been shot dead straight away.
The I D I O T who voted me down has obviously never passed thru BEN GURION Airport in Israel like me who actually lived there for several years. Bakolwe mule endako.
@1.3 Toko toko
LOL. You have a point there. He most likely meant ‘Bomber’ (Zambian name for thick Cardigan) for all intents and purposes, and talked with a matter-of-fact tone he would have even passed a lie detector, or joke detector if there is one.
black South Africans working at airports are very evil and hate blacks from other countries that goes thru their Airports. I HATE ALL BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS
You go to the Middle East or Israel or the UK and try to make a joke like that…if its in Israel you will be sprayed with automatic gun fire before you even finish saying “bomb”.
More especially if you look like you have money, they are so resentful as if the assisted you when you were getting an education or when you were using you brains to develop or start up a business.
This has nothing to do with black south Africans. He could have been arrested anywhere in the world with that foolish joke. More passengers pass through South African airports than Zambian airports. So airport personnel have no time for stupid jokes, when they are trying to maintain security and keep people safe.
Mwebantu don’t hate. JUST Try reading before travelling and you will find that lots of people have been previously arrested for such comments. At airports no such jokes are allowed
He thought he was entering state house gates to go and drink jemason
He thought he was at KK Airport where security is lax and they openly joke and shamelessly beg for lunch money from fellow Zambians in public and in full view of the supervisors window.
when trying to impress the lady manning security goes wrong .
Sikazwe, please don’t alarm people though it’s also not true that in other airports you can be killed for that. If you belong to the violent PF cadrers, kindly refrain and reformfor time to account will be surely coming.
What is case is there to fight let the f**l learn his lessons. ..if he tried that joke in dubai..he would be in a morge with a hole in between his eyes.
@Jay Jay
Preach love and not hate.
@Arm Chair Critic
The problem with us is that terrorism is something foreign to us hence such issues are swipe as side especially by the young ones like this selfsame 33 year old **** Sikazwe who never lived under the Rhodesian Ian Smith regime or the Apartheid regime that were planting bombs in Zambia when everyone was at high alert….ask your Kenyan colleagues or the British and you will see the seriousness of making such silly jokes.
Sikazwe is such a **** that he has merely put himself at a disadvantage as he will no longer be able to do business in RSA where he buys cars as they will not give a visa….he didn’t think about those consequences…did he??
Typically, the regionalists have politicised this incident. Because ii is in their DNA.
Everything is in two colours only: you are good if you are one of them and no good if you are not. And this is the truth. And this comment will be met with invective and not analysis.
Typically, the regionalists have politicised this incident. Because ii is in their DNA.
Everything is in two colours only: you are good if you are one of them and no good if you are not. And this is the truth. And this comment will be met with invective and not analysis.
Let’s preach love and not hate. Sikazwe deserves pity.
Sikazwe does NOT deserve pity. He deserves extensive lobotomy
What a prat! The airport announcements in SA clearly stipulate that anyone talking about issues like bombs would be arrested! He thought he was pa Zed! PRAT!
kalanda kasikolo mukombe! avoid such jokes next time around and reserve them for your bedroom, where bombs are allowed. But sorry yamukombe, and hope that this will end soon.
Sorry wikolo, poor judgement on your part. Please be alive to the prevailing security issues. In other countries you would be in a casket by now.
No politics here, let those travelling know the rules and be a big lesson when travelling by air regardless of one’s standing in any society.
Thank you.
so stupid pliz arrest him,SA z nt ZED bamudala
what if Sikazwe did actually say ‘bomber’ meaning coat as it is commonly referred to in our zed compounds? but in any case even if he actually did utter the bad joke carder or not he deserves our sympathy as zambians now. Later we can educate, caution him on what to do when he comes back.