President Edgar Lungu has directed the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanjanga to curb political violence in the country.
The President noted that political violence was on the rise.
President Lungu wondered where the Inspector General of Police was when innocent Patriotic Front (PF) cadres were allegedly being attacked by opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres after his public rally in Bweengwa yesterday.
He has since ordered the police service to get busy with work and prevent chaos in the run-up to the August 11, 2016 general elections.
Mr. Lungu said if left unchecked, political violence has the potential to degenerate into civil war.
He said as President, he does not want to use his powers to counter violence on his cadres but was quick to point out that if police fail in their duties, the PF members will have no alternative but to protect themselves.
The President said it would be unfortunate if PF disregarded the police because there would be mayhem in the country.
He however said he will as President, safeguard the peace that the country has enjoyed for the past 51 years as he has done since becoming head of state.
Mr. Lungu said as head of state, he will do everything to uphold the democratic path that Zambia has chosen to take so that voting can take place in a peaceful atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the President has directed the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) to prioritise the provision of electricity in areas around Itezhi Tezhi under its corporate social responsibility.
He said it does not make sense for power to be generated in Itezhi Tezhi and supplied to far places bypassing the local people.
Mr. Lungu also disclosed that he will liaise with the Minister of Finance to release funds for the road linking Itezhi Tezhi to the Mongu road because work on the project has slowed down.
He was speaking when he addressed a public rally at Itezhi Tezhi basic school ground this afternoon.
I think the same place they were when your cadres invaded Ndola Airport, Mr President!!!! Sleeping on duty!!!!
Miles Sampa can you please come clean on the Ndola Airport incident, tell the people exactly what happened. Was your plane really chased on the runway by PF cadres? You’ll earn more respect by stating facts as they where rather keeping quiet to gain political mileage.
Lungu still cant tell the truth even after meeting the holy father, the pope himself,,, ati “innocent PF cadres“,. I don’t remember an moment when PF cadres looked or seemed innocent,, ,,PF cadres are NEVER innocent,,,, those PF cadres who were beaten are the ones who invaded Ndola airport to try and sort out Sampa.,,,
And by the way!! IG was saying those who were attacked were government officers not PF cadres, who is telling the truth the president or the IG!!
@Ba Sebenza, I was in Zed and at SMKIA and watched the whole episode. They chased the plane as it approached the apron to park. After the pilot moved the plane back to the runway, the assailants went and tried to block the runway but were intercepted by NAA security and ZP. The plane parked at the end of the runway (near Mckenzie compound) where other passengers disembarked, while Miles, Eric Chanda, Anthony Kasolo and Rachael Chileshe remained on the plane. The disembarked passengers were then transferred to the terminal in a NAA bus. So there is not matter of political mileage. The incident took place. It is just that police decided not to arrest people.
Violence by the Ruling or Opposition Parties is retrogresive, primitive, stone age, backward, below the mark and does not belong to modern day. Rational Zambians are looking for parties that use their brains to resole issues and not violence and have excellent conflict resolution skills. The Police also should be accountable for failing to be professional.
Resolve issues
If Mumbi wasn’t anywhere within his eyesight, HE SHOULD START ASKING SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS IG!!!
Kadansa is only fit to be a ward official in chawama. Otherwise how do you explain that after 12 months in state house the bum still can’t tell the difference between being head of state & party cadre.
How does he even threaten a civil war on the people he is leading? Maybe we should dare this new Siad Barre (his height tells he might have somali ancestry) to unleash his cadres so he can understand that fire is just that: FIRE.
The IG was at the same place they where when you visited sinda when your cadres raided people’s homes and beat anyone with opposition regalia even in wardrobes or on their person to he point 1 persons eye way goofed out. The IG was at the same place he was when your cadres beat up and urinated in the mouths of reporters in chipata. The same place he previous IG was when people where shot at in muluboezi etc etc etc
What kind of a Commander-in-Chief does not know where one of his key Generals is? This is just an indictment on Edgar, shows the man has not aware of his place and time. It also shows poor leadership..how do you castigate one of your top officials at a public really?
I have no doubt civil war is coming to Zambia. The Police Force (PF) have abused their position by being extremely partisan. All Zambians have an equal share in the affairs of the country. Zambia is not for PF or Bembas alone.
#ChagwaMustFall
Mr President your stand on political violence is timely. However, you should have come out strongly too when PF thugs/cadres blocked the landing on a plane at Ndola International Airport. That Ndola incidence sent a wrong signal in public order. Or is this only to be applied to the opposition.
I don’t like the usage of the word INNOCENT in this article coz this can only be determined by a court of law. IG of Police is a very big position in which the incumbent should formulate plans, policies, standards and come up with the general strategic direction of the ZP fro the WHOLE country – not going around to catch panga wielding cadres! That is why there are Provincial, Regional and Station managers. And in any case, the political affiliation of any lawbreaker shouldn’t matter to ZP.
The problem with our President is he only comes out to condemn violence when it’s his cadres on the receiving end. How about condemning the PF cadres who attacked Miles Sampa. To date, there’s no single statement attributed to HE the President condemning those who attacked Miles.
But your pipo were chasing a plane like kalulu up to now uli zii
@Judge. Fist bump with tears rolling down my face.
There is a disconnect between the photo and the caption. Kinda like the disconnect between ED’s brain and mouth. Presidents should never make one sided statements in relation to protection of citizens. Us and them on party lines is the indirect call to action for ‘his cadres’ to let loose/retaliate/carry out his actual agenda…
He is too weak to condemn his own people!!
He IS NOT WEAK, He simply DOESN’T HAVE THE BALLS (hey, TESTICLES, not Footballs!) TO DO IT!!
Chiwamila galu…
Shallow statement coming from a sitting president.
Colonel you right, very inflammatory language from the head of state.
Dangerously shallow, already talking like this: “……political violence has the potential to degenerate into civil war.” Didn’t act when his thugs waved pangas to make him president. Was quiet when his thugs kept a plane circling for hours before landing. What a childish response!
UPND is a violent and irrelevant party which can plunge our peaceful nation into chaos, all for one greedy satamic leader (HH). Keep these UPND foo1s under your watch IG and don’t go to sleep. The cattle rapist (HH) is now on rampage and can even kill or cause war just to enter state house. Watch out for this witch Hakainde and his UPND cow bonking swaine.
it is your convicted fraudster President , lungu who is a crook masquerading as a president, we all remember him when home affairs minister him and mulenga sata tried to steal by trying to sell lusake LCC a CCTV system for $230 million. Only a citizens outcry stopped them.. He has been naturing and watching violence grow and only now he wants to say something.
Stop the hate speech and focus on issues.
President Lungu is far ahead in winning this years election. He has been great with refusing to change the grade 12 certificate requirement for MP qualification. Then when he should have been silent and let the minister of justice speak, he says this lol.
Let us all be watchful and prevent the violent cattle herder (HH) from entering the corridors of power. If he’s able to terrorize his own followers in Southern Province, what more if he’s in power?
That man is a witch and so are his blind cattle followers. IG Kanganja wake up and read the mood of these cattle rustlers before they start rustling people. (HH) is up to no good. Satamic clown
Stop the hate speech and focus on issues.
My dear Kudos, with so much undiluted fury and hatred for HH as oozes from your posts, one shudders to imagine what a chap like you is capable of doing with a panga!
Being docile and kind or patient won’t get this nation anywhere. Step up your game IG. It’s these agents of Lucifer like Hakainde Hichilema and Adolf Hitler who are capable of killing for power. Look at the havoc Hitler caused in Europe. They have no regard for human life. To them only power and control, money and selfishness can satisfy their cold souls. Hadolf Hitler (HH) is a Satamic cretin and must be tamed. Hichilema has nothing to lose now. He can cause war if rejected. Why was this foo1 born in our country? What did we do to deserve such a satamic minion?
Stop the hate speech and focus on issues.
Kudos, where is your grade 12 certifcate??? Ati “Hadolf”; “Satamic” – I guess it is all about Sata then?
Mr Kudos just enjoy that job given to you on the basis of being a cadre.
It is all well and good for the president to tell ZESCO to provide electricity to areas around Itezhi-Tezhi as part of its corporate social responsibility, but such programmes must be done under a framework laid by government in a deliberate and articulate government programme which outlines the development and co-ordination of infra-structure in a goal oriented focus with a long-term view relevant for the country. There should be some control for certain things, and such infrastructure as roads, power, telecommunications, while left to the corporations to run, must be overseen within a development plan articulated by government after research on what will be a good way to set things up for the long run.
Our friends from the south will understand better if we do what they do. I hope chiefs from this region are seeing. I hope the world is watching. Zambians lets put UPND where it belongs. Lets vote to retire HH so that this country can unity. Zambia was one country before HH and it should be so when he packs his political files to go to the counter
Nobody is interested in your tribalism you fo.ol. What do you say about the Ndola Airport and Sinda violence by your id.iotic PF carders?
Stop the hate speech and focus on issues.
Political violence was introduced by the MMD under RB and later the PF adopted it as a good recipe to suppress the opposition. You are just contradicting your self. Violence is the culture of the PF. God created the world, not the PF. You will judged by your own actions.
This utterly lazy bum Edgar is good for giving directives …he see nothing wrong with him directing the IG and I just remembered that this bum is also a lawyer; we have serious governance issues doesn’t he see the consequences of passing such orders and the stretching of ZP manpower and resources from where its needed most to his useless rallies when they should be working. How do you start campaigning 7 months from elections among 2/3 of the year wasted?
How did we end up with such simpleton ***** as our leaders no common sense whatsoever nothing upstairs..absolutely nothing in the dome…too painful.
Good night!!
The president is talking like an ordinary citizen,how does talk about protecting himself and his cadres? What about who don’t have cadres to protect us? I thought the Zambian citezenary has intrusted you with the the responsibility of taking care of their welfare.
Did he forget that he is a Republican president? or thought he is still supervising a constituency? or may be he has failed to run the country?
Violence is PF inborn and now they ve started stage managing schemes to portray a picture that UPND is violent just to justify their violence when opposition parties start campaigning coz they are dead scared. This are just kicks of a dying horse .Don’t worry its normal.
Southern Province is the country’s major capital driver. 90% of all power generation is in southern province. lt is a major source of beef, milk, sugar, fish and tourism earnings. lt is the only province where economic activities are well differentiated, namwala – beef, milk; mazabuka – sugar, kariba – power, fish; Maamba – power etc. Zambia needs this province and the sooner we condemn and eliminate tribalism the better. Just imagine how much Zambia would suffer if chaos broke out in this key province. Let vote wisely on Aug 11, and HH is the man so far; and l am highly confident that he will make it because he has all the positive attributes for the job and capable of exceeding our expectations if given the opportunity
I’ve read the story and I have not read where it’s saying people were arrested. People of Zambia, open your eyes, this was stage managed. People from southern province are very cool. Lungu want to justify his violence when other parties start to campaign. Purely Mugabe way of doing politics. So,those of you who are insulting us Tonga people, continue but be careful.
It good to realize that all that happened before HH come on scene in the economic path of that province and we can still trace HH in all that happenings. The fact remains that Zambia’s economy can on any province if fully exploited. (Lusaka-Already an economic harb; Central-Agriculture; Western; Fisheries and oil; C/belt & N/Western-Mining; Luapula-Fisheries/ Tourism & Hydro-power; Northern & Muchinga-Mining, agriculture; Eastern-Agriculture & Livestock just to mention a few. Every part of Zambia is very rich actually.
UPND has lost 10,000 votes in southern province due to this incident.
I thought that UPND said they would introduce a new brand of politics in Zambia. So they are the same as everybody else before them: cut and paste from other before them! Actually even more violent with their spears.
Not surprising, they are just following the instructions of Mmembe who (in a recent editorial in the Post, two weeks ago to be exact) ordered the opposition/UPND to become violent. HH seems to have accepted the orders, disguising the acceptance of the orders in an apology to Mmembe.
Once elected as president you are president for ALL citizens regardless of party affiliation. Where was Lungu when PF cadres breached security in Ndola to stop Miles Sampa? The chief of airport security should have been fired. Someone will smuggle a bomb into the airport pretending to be a PF cadre. Remember the bomb on a flight in Somalia? Unless they review security measures at Ndola the potential for a smuggled bomb still exists.
People don’t be fooled again. understand what happened in Bweengwa. The PF cadres from Lusaka didn’t have transport out of the area and hence the purported hostage taking. The police provided transport to some of them. unless you still believe the PF lies. with or without Vatican they still lie
Wait, I thought it was government vehicles which were attacked? How does PF come in?
PF cares = PF police so now you know, this is the reason whenever PF cares go on a rampage PF police simply scratch their vinena and look the other way but when opposition cadres especially UPND stand by the roadside to wave at their leader it’s teargas, buttons and bullets. The fact that there was NO ONE was brutalised by PF Police is clear evidence enough that UPND was nowhere near this naija movie
Meant cadres not cares
Your Excellency, as Republican President, you should be above partisan politics. You are the father of all Zambian citizens (one big family), regardless of their political affiliations, religion, tribe etc. To end violence, empower the Zambia Police to be non-partisan so that they can deal ruthlessly with whoever is invloved in violence regardless of their political affiliation – PF, UPND, MMD etc. The speed at which the Zambia Police are arresting cadres from opposition parties should apply to all cadres, PF cadres included. This violence if not curbed, has potential to chase away the few investors we currently have and discourage those who would have come to invest. The net effect on our economy might be catastrophic. VIOLENCE IS NOT WORTH IT.
He is not the father of the nation ..this is the selfsame mindset that takes us nowhere..he is a public servant big difference!!
Pascal! kafue gorge produces more power than Kariba and Vic falls combined. its not right to start pointing every little thing a province does, what will happen if NWP and CB start boating of their copper, does SP much that. its good to call for co exhistance, even lsk with no major economic activity apart from trade has its its own role to play.
Actually Pascal & Oliver, the argument should be each region has potential to develop with their available resources. But because we are all dependant on the small thieving brains of Lsk, this potential is inhibited.
People don’t be fooled again. Unless you still believe the PF lies. The people purported to have been attacked where Lusaka cadres who couldn’t find transport to Itezhi tezhi. Out of embarrassment for jumping on one of the Police vehicles they want to make it come out as if it was an attack. With or without Vatican liars have continued peddling usual falsehoods. Its all political and has backfired already
Until he was President and until he realisesd that it was his language, he can change IGs nothing will happen.
Lucy@ you are right to call me a fool but wait for a big fool August. We are to blame becoz we have allowed you to do that. We shall teach you a lesson in August becoz we shall vote like you and protect our teritory like you.
And you call him father of the nation. My foot! He is father of PF. i detest all forms of violence, be it by PF cadres or be reactionally opposition cadres. Why didn’t he condemn PF thugs who blocked Miles at Ndola airport? When it is injury to someone else you don’t care but you care if it is in your own house. As president, Lungu is not supposed to tell IG or the police to go after UPND cadres. Police are supposed to act on their own & not on command from Lungu. Sorry I forget that we no longer have ZP but PF police.
Ciwamina garu…
This is the calibre of our leaders? I shoddier to think of what will become of our country with such mediocrity.
I was not expecting the to President sink so low by asking the where about of IG when UPND cadres attacked PF cadres. The same has happened in Kitwe, Luanshya, Sinda and other towns and the President has been quiet to question the where about of IG. Are PF cadres more Zambian than those in other Political Parties ?. What happened in Bweengwa is nothing but a revenge. History repeats itself and what you sow is what you shall reap. A UPND member was killed by PF cadres and the President said nothing but thanks to our Courts who have convicted Pf cadres for murder. The President is their to protect human life regardless of background. Mr President here you have failed, please stop the nonsense in our peaceful Zambia
The story is not clear about what happened. More details please
This summer from the creators of the blockbuster movie’s “donchi kubeba” and “the president is NOT sick” we bring you “blue cruiser down” an action movie about 4 ninjas who take on the national police and government agencies in rural bweengwa. Coming to a theatre near you……
President Lungu Chagwa (meaning Fallen) Edgar, is abusing his powers and fueling violence. How can he command police to go southern province to hunt for citizens because they taught PF civil servants abusing taxpayers resources going round with the president and mumbi phiri who likes seeing nakedness of slim men she says she enjoys a lot. Please my president be the real preacher of peace and non violence and just a verbal actor, yet your actions are the opposite. Please if you mean well for Zambia and its tranquility, please call your friends in the opposition and meet at a neutral ground like mulungushi conference centre and discuss issues causing this violence. You also have to term kakambwili whom you appointed as a loner commissioner for getting peoples views in Muchinga and Northern…
And Shiwang’andu. And Chachacha (Kitwe). And Lundazi, etc., where PF cadres caused near fatalities! Where was the President himself then? Why haven’t we heard him condemn PF-sponsored violence up to now? Is violence only deemed bad when occasioned by opposition party cadres?
Am surprised! Pf cadres held hostage? It is impossibe especially that the president was atleast withn the area or had just left. Is our President safe with such security? Who rescued the “hostages” by the way? ZNBC had all the cameras they should have shown the pictures. Give us real news. People at znbc are easily compromised, they should not complain when a new regeme comes one day and ask them to leave due to incompetence. Political parties come and go but government remain because it is a system.
This president has become more and more irrelevant to the well-being of the country.
IG Kanganja was just near Bweengwa to instruct for plan B if at all the planned abduction of “government workers” didn’t work out as scheduled, from higher office!
Lungu is being very economical with the truth. We can not help it but burst into laughter when such poor statements are made .Lungu should be bold to condemn violence when it happens , be it in ruling party or opposition . The violence culture has been perpetuated by the PF party for a long time and they should bear the undsirerable consequences of it . As the number of neautrals increases as a result of Lungu’s manner in which he organises once the most popular party, august 11 can go either way. I will not be astonished if the august 11 elections goes to HH and Lungu will be showered with insults for destroying PF by bringing in RB and Dora