MINISTER of Home Affairs Davies Mwila yesterday told Parliament that Government will soon introduce a law to restrict the sale of machetes commonly known as pangas.
Mr Mwila said in the wake of politically-orchestrated violence, Government will be compelled to put in place a law to guide the selling of machetes.
The minister was responding to a question by Kasempa member of Parliament Kabinga Pande (MMD), who wanted to know if a machete is an offensive weapon, during points of clarification.
This is after Mr Mwila presented a ministerial statement on the alleged curfew in Choma and training of militia in Lusaka.
“Mr Speaker, machetes are sold openly on the streets. Do we need a permit to own a machete? In the villages almost every house has an axe and a machete to use for cutting trees and branches. So, is a machete an offensive weapon?” Mr Pande asked.
The minister explained that one does not need a permit to buy a machete but that Government will soon restrict its sale.
“Government will soon introduce a statutory instrument to restrict the sale of pangas,” Mr Mwila said.
Mr Mwila told the House that police raided a property in Lusaka following intelligence information that the UPND was training militias with a view to disrupting peace if it loses the general elections.
“Sir, police found the following offensive weapons at the premises: seven machetes, one pistol, one golf stick, a number of catapults and five pairs of boxing gloves. A training register with names of people who had participated in the training exercise code named ‘50 percent plus one’ was also found in the training hall,” Mr Mwila said.
In 2013, the late President Michael Sata refused to issue a ban on the use of Machete (Pangas) in the country. In response to Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Minister, John Phiri who asked the president to issue the ban, Mr Sata explained that the move would lead to loss of business by some Zambians.
The President instead directed the then Home Affairs Minister, Edgar Lungu, to deal with all law breakers in the country.Full story President Sata refuses to ban use of Machetes
Freedom is not absolute. Purge a growing passion of maiming innocent Zambians now. Those passionate for the militia world should immediately relocate to Where it pays in kind and not in our Zambia,
To all you militia outfit leaders, your bitterness and incorrigible hatred for Zambians will cost you dearly. As a peace loving country, Zambians have no heart for xenophobic zero options. Please learn from Mozambique’s Alfonso Drakama and Uganda’s John Konny under guidance of his demon spirit in LRM. Tgey have been equally been misdions of killing innocent people with machetes. The 2 are lifetime outcasts despite taking in so much foreign findings to cannibalize millions of innocent people. Mazoka must be turning in his Grave wondering what has become of his party. Maybe it’s time it was returned to Sakwiba and Patrick Chisanga viciously chased with spears.
What Zambians want is a level political playing field and not selective justice. Why should the known Panga Family (PF) be allowed to wield machetes and not UPND? If we’re going to have peace, we need to ALL disarm. We can’t keep being slapped and turning the other cheek. We fight back. Zambia forward!
Ba Mwila,…..is a holder of a grade 12 certificate? If you want to ban people from fishing, you call for a fishing ban; you don’t ban buying fishing hooks.
The so called minister represents the mediocrity that is rife in PF.Anything can be an offensive weapon from stones,screwdrivers,golfclubs etc.The problem we have is not the so called offensive weapons as much as irresponsible leadership.Before PF came into power the place for pangas was in the field or in the kitchen.We now have them in the streets because Zambians elected an illiterate and irresponsible president in the name of Sata.The solution is not banning pangas but putting n place responsible leadership which the PF have failed to provide.Guns are regulated but has that stopped PF 1diots from using them.To get rid of pangas from the streets get rid of PF.
True, freedom is never absolute. Any reasonable Zambian condemning Davis Mwila should ask himself why there should be more pangas on the streets of Lusaka than say Mazabuka where there are sugarcane cutters. What is it we need so many pangas for on the streets of Lusaka? For what purpose are the so many pangas being displayed and sold on the streets of Lusaka?
You fool who told you there is militia in Zambia and where is the evidence. Cooking up stories is your way of doing things. The country is doing badly because there is no truth in you. Lies everyday and always accusing other. When is your party going to look itself in the mirror and be truthful for once.you need to take responsibility. How in the world are you going to get 71% votes with no malight, mealie meal and money in people’s pockets. You barely won last time
@ senior citizen: A thorough root cause analysis shows that PF introduced pangas in the political arena to inflict serious pain or death on their political enemies. Others are copying from the PF and using pangas to protect themselves. The law on carrying offensive weapons in public is already there. It’s up to the Police to implement this law without favoring anybody. Strange how our Police fear PF cadres!
kikiki these PF minions, very soon they will bun knives. The problem is not a panga but PF! PF is a party known of wielding pangas hence the name Panga Family (PF) and now that it has chaos among the Kaponya party they want to shift the blame on their challengers. PF Has brought a lot of misery to mother Zambia and now its time to purge it out. We dont want a Mugabe type of governance.
Yes, let machetes be bought like guns over the counter with papers, specifying the use for which one is buying them. They should never be sold on and bought from the streets. They are the most widely used in political violence involving cadres.
Do I smell a rat here? Is this law meant to strengthen a case against GBM for being in possession of a machete? Really,? I think PF has lost it completely.
Chama and many other PF minions have threatened innocent people ‘s lives by shooting them and yet PF has done totally nothing to get these guys arrested. Now PF wants to trump up charges against kids and GBM who were not found using those weapons against another person or threatening violence using those weapons.
This is total PF madness as usual. PF is a reactionist party which does sit down and consult widely before passing any stupid laws such as these.
How will PF explain the existence of machetes in the hands of PF cadres who were roundup two weeks ago?
My advice is, do not legislate on machetes as these are…
My advice is do, not legislate on machetes as these essential tools for gardening. But instead pass a law to make it illegal to wield a machete against another person or threaten another person with a machete.
Come to think of it, the law dealing with such incidences of violence are already there and adequate . The only thing missing is the proper interpretation and enforcement of these laws .
PF under Sata introduced the use of machetes against political opponents in Zambia forthe first time. He copied this from Mugabe. And ever since PF came to power the machetes have found another use and that is to hack political opponents. What a shame!
All these occurrences are now a clear indication that PF is truly on its way out. 2016 PF kuyabebele.
VIVA UPND the party of choice in…
@ Senior Citizen
If your comment was balanced it would have made a lot of sense. You know very well how PF has wielded Pangas Firmly (PF) and you decide to turn a deliberate blind. If you are sincere you wouldn’t talk the way you are!
The wise people of the east accurately say “CHIWAMILA GALU KULUMA MBUZI”. Your typical cadre mentality is clouding your mind to the extent that you choose what to say….more like the media who will ‘Praise’ a snake for saving a fish from drowning in water.
If it weren’t for your shallow and tailor meant comments I’d have agreed that you are indeed a Senior Citizen, but alas!
That said, Panga wielding is an evil that needs to be nipped at the budding stage. Useless Kanganja should be a little more useful and apply the law fairly and firmly on…
Zambians have made themselves slaves to these politicians. what is happening is dictatorship, as democracy comes with peace and Economic Growth.
Lungu and his selfish Ministers have turn Zambians to thieves for public funds through corruption.
@ Prince
I hope Sinia Sitizeni has seen your post!
He’s in serious denial about the short comings of the PF…
@1,5 THAT IS THE KIND OF ANALYSIS WE WANT. TRULY MORE PANGAS SHOULD BE IN MAZABUKA. THE FEW PANGAS IN LUSAKA AND OTHER BIG TOWNS SHOULD BE IN THE HANDS OF LANDSCAPERS AND TREE MANAGERS OF THE CITIES. NOT EVERYONE SHOULD CUT ANY TREE IN ZAMBIA AND LAWS SHOULD BE ENACTED AND REINFORCED AGAINST ANYONE CUTTING A TREE. THE BENEFIT OF THIS IS CREATION OF JOBS FOR LANDSCAPERS.
it will be a very stup!d law like you Davies Mwila!,,,,,,, pangas have been in Zamia since civiliations ,,,, until Wytner kabimba and PF came in!!!!
we had no problems
Sata’s MMD introduced the Pangas in Chawama into political dialogue, it will be befitting that his PF may just be the party to finally ban them. By the way, as everything PF, the ban will be for others – not for the mighty PF, they stay above any law whether ad hoc or otherwise.
The issue should not be about who introduced pangas on the streets, because we will never agree on this. No businessman enters into a business of procuring merchandise and selling this because someone has told them so even when they know it is not profitable! The issue should be one of controlling the procurement and sale of these pangas so that they do not land in the wrong hands and are used to maim and kill others. That is what should exercise our minds.
Don’t be fooled, politicians don’t care about you or your family or your welfare. Their priority is to secure that vote and position in government. They’ll throw some money at you and buy you chibuku and give you tshirts and chitenge. You, in turn will fight each other with pangas and God forbid Kill each other.
A politician is never to be trusted, no matter how convincing his/her message. Wake up.
You have written sense. I like your take over this issue. Politicians do not care about you and me, what they care about are their families, if a war erupts in Zambia, they will be the first people on flights to South Africa.
I THINK DAVIES MWILA IS DISORDERED IN MIND AND I DONT THINK WHAT HE IS SAYING IS RIGHT. SALE OF MATCHETS ON THE MARKET AND SHOPS HAS BEEN THEIR FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME BECAUSE THEY ARE A TOO FOR A FARMER, DOMESTIC, AND ANY OTHER TOO. LET HIM TELL ME IF HE WILL ALSO STOP THE SALE OF AXES, KNIVES, CATAPULTS (AMALEGENI) SLASHERS ETC.
BA PF ARE WELL KNOWN AS PANGA FAMILY AND THE ONES IN USE OF PANGAS. YOU GO INTO EVERY NORMAL HOUSE AND SEARCH YOU WILL FIND HAS ALL THESE TOOLS PLUS A HOE. IN VILLAGES YOU WILL FIND ALL SORTS OF TOOLS LIKE BOWS AND ARROWS, SPEARS, CLOBERS ECT.
I THINK PF ARE PANICKING AND DO NOT KNOW THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO GO TO.
@SENAMA: Ironically speaking, catapults are illegal in most jurisdictions, if not all, in the United States of America. But you can walk in shop today and buy a gun after going through a sham of the so called background check—and look at the carnage guns have caused in America. In Zambia catapults are legal and I have NEVER heard anyone killed by a catapult. But if we are not careful, machetes will soon lead us the way of guns in America. Yet here we are vigorously defending the carrying and use of “Pangas”, mostly in cities where machetes have very little utility value whatsoever other than to be used as weapons of violence. And the arguments for machetes you putting up sound so similar to that of gun advocates here in America. It is like listening to a USA presidential campaign over…
continue…
It is like listening to a USA presidential campaign over of guns—humans are a funny species indeed!
Malegeni being illegal? Give us a break sir. We all know the use of such weapons. They are not assault weapons, much like the air gun.
MWILA IS OUT OF HIS SENSES. HE MUST VISIT THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. HE IS FORGETING THAT HE IS IN THE CLAN OF PANGA FAMILY AND HOW MANY PF HAVE THE PANGAS SO FAR?
Meanwhile pangas were found in the hands of Upnd thugs on what they call a gym. I do visit gyms and I have never come across such things apart of gym train material. Upnd should find a better reason to convince us why they were being drilled in the use of pangas not what we hearing as defence.
I have driven to the gym with pangas and axes after coming from my farm….. sometimes you can even buy these along any Road as you drive or walk along. Let us just have a just and fair police service and all will be well. Kwasira. Ooooooh by the way, let me remove my golf clubs from the car just in case…….
Ati found in the hands of UPND, the pangas were found in individual personal vehicles.
Zambians what answers to the 22 % inflation, cholera out breaks, and why agriculture and tourisim industries are shrinking under PF instead of being major employers.
Not this PF rubbish of calling golf clubs and boxing gloves offensive weapons.
The restriction of the sale of machetes is not the solution to political violence. People can still use other means to engage in violence, from steak knives, axes, pieces of wood, stones, bottles, and even bare hands. Are you going to ban all these things ? The solution is, first and fore mostly, politicians educating their supporters about not engaging in violence, and for the politicians themselves refraining from engaging in inflammatory speeches that incite violence. Secondly, the government should come up with stiffer penalties for anyone engaging in political violence, and show that they mean business by sending offenders to prison, regardless of their political affiliation. Otherwise, this is nothing but a band aid solution on a badly festering wound, that requires a…
do we really have a gov. in place? these guys are serious jokers. please dont start something which you cant finish. pf started with pangas from convention to date.
it is sad to note that a panga is now an offensive weapon just because it has been found in your opponents corner. we saw your thugs weaving pangas at ndola airport so what was the charge? offensive weapon? it is true some people are useless i dont how you manage to get such positions. it is like you guys you use yours kidneys when it comes to reasoning and not the brains.
I have twenty farm workers A lot of pangas, axes, malegeni and even whips….hope I don’t receive a police call out for training both UPND and PF or any other “pangalised” thugs. To me we just need a fair police services to stem out the few thugs in all these political parties. I knew how to cut a tree or mature with an axe or machete when I was an under ten years old.
This is really a ill conceived and stuupid idea.
What are all the people who have to use these tools for their daily work going to do? Must their employers now fire them?
Does that mean Nakambala must close down and Zambia stop producing sugar? Cane is harvested with these tools!
Davis Mwila should put his brain into gear before opening his mouth!
It’s about time. We don’t want to be like the USA where use of dangerous weapons has become a birthright. There are a lot of good laws on record like those in Australia that have helped mitigate useless mo.rons who think inflicting mortal pain is a normal way of life. I support this move. Extend this to all weapons including guns before this spills over into non.sense…
Ba Mwila,…..is a holder of a grade 12 certificate? If you want to ban people from fishing, you call for a fishing ban; you don’t ban buying fishing rods.
@Misango Yaba Chaimani, I believe a ban would be misplaced BUT a restriction might just give us some respite. I am not pleased with the fact that our youth are being used to wield these seemingly innocent implements to inflict harm on others usually purely on political grounds. I am related to a victim and I feel very passionately about this!
I like this report, LT – very well done! I love that you are able to dig back into history and offer some link to a related event when an attempt to restrict the pangas was made. Please do this with as many reports as you can, including those that have people saying something contrary to what they said a while back… I was still part of the group that supported regulating dangerous weapons, whether implements that have become mainstream weaponry by innovation like pangas, cleavers and stuff, or clear weapons like guns, spears and stuff.
It is not the pangas that a problem but the pf cadres who introduced them in politics. Why is that whenever the opposition is having a meeting in any part of the country, pf cadres would emerge from anywhere and attack the opposition members with pangas? The best is to disarm the pf members deployed all over the country to intimidate opponents.
Mr Minister, it is not more laws that are required on violence. Implement existing laws which violent cadres break with impunity.
Simply ban the carrying of offensive weapons and sharp instruments in public. That way farmers and crafts men who use these as part of their daily routine/working tools in the bush or isolated areas will not be affected.
Good point @ZOZI-A-ZOZI but we do need to classify those weapons and sharp instruments first and therein lies the restriction. Would be good to lobby your idea actually in case the Minister didn’t get it that way…
Davis Mwila. When are you introducing SI for stones and bricks sir? We need on that limits the number of stones or bricks that one can carry. These two are very offensive and have been used to kill a lot of people.
What we need is a professional police service that is able to apply justice equitably. Why should we be thinking of restricting ownership of pangas? We had pangas even when we were fighting for independence from the British and the British never thought of issuing a statutory instrument to restrict sale and ownership of pangas. It is only that these black idi-ts have impoverished this country to the point where youths are so desperate that they can be used in any way, including killing. Vote out of power useless people.
Putin is that really you? Its gonna rain castle lager!
Boxing gloves and catapults are offensive weapons according to these Pathetic failures.
Next even slashers will be banned since they too can do just as much damage as a machete. Propose and make appropriate laws, that can stand a test of time.
@Careless Whisper: Thanks for the send up of the goings – on. Your bag of golf clubs will be described as an arsenal!
#ChagwaMustFall
PF shot down the motion when it was brought by Hon. Silver Masebo in parliament. PF through the home affairs minister claimed that the police were well able to handle the cadres. What has changed now?
Zesco has a lot of pangars for bush clearing lol
PF quick to introduce new silly laws but slow to implement sensible laws to fight the rampant corruption like giving the Auditor General powers to prosecute… This is what happens when you have *****s in power!!
What about axes and knives? Are these are the people we are calling law makers? The law is already there. Only that you are dull and can’t ready resulting you into passing constitutions that you are regretting to have signed.
You just need a generic term such as offensive weapons which I believe is already in existence. Why specify Panga or whatever it is. More so you will be killing those small businesses that are already dying due to your poor policies.
We want answers to the 22% inflation, cholera ravaging lusaka despite PF borrowing almost $900 million in the name of lusaka water and sanitation, when we point to job losses, PF blame global commodity prices, but why is the tourisim and agriculture sectors, which could absorb these job losses, declining under PF?.
UPND cadres ejaculating nonsense! Mwila said they will pass a law that will restrict the sale of pangas and not ban them. Banning and restricting are two defferent things you morons!.
Restricting, banning etc be serious. Stop insulting and think. The problem is not the panga its your violent cadres bwana!!! Restrict sell of the ax while you at it, oh even the hoe. I you get the point now. Is it lacking schoolo or what? Even straight forward things you have people on the wrong side like Kapps.
Comment:with due respect to hon. Mwila, I dont think restricjing the sale of machetes would help. No need for such legislation. Let the law remains as it is. If pipo use such weapons for criminal purposes, the police are there to deal with them. I was not a fan of Sata but on this one I totally agree with him! U dont expect law abiding pipo to use such weapons to injure or kill others instead of using them to protect their properties.
what about pounding sticks and hoes and grass slashers “ifikwakwa”
Is this the best the entire ministry can come up with?
Next there will be a law to regulate sale of kitchen forks. People have been stabbed using kitchen forks.
Free advice: don’t treat the symptoms; deal with the root cause of the problem, bwana.
Is this guy serious? Instead of implementing a law to ban political violence he is banning the sale of pangs. Doesn’t he think his PF cadres will simply switch to carrying knives or axes? And this is what we have for ministers! My foot!!
I always tell you these characters are clueless and some cadre will start insulting. Who in his right mind would even think of such a thing apart from a kaponya. Maybe they should also ban big knives, hoes, picks, cooking sticks, big spanners, bobojacks etc. All these in the wrong hands are offensive weapons. These people are just dunderheads.
Banning the sale of Machetes or Phangas will not help. These criminals will just change the type of tools.
If Phangas are banned they will use Axes; If Axes are banned they will use Slashers; If slashers are banned they will use Knives ETC, ETC.
THERE VIOLENT CRIMES MUST JUST BE STOPPED WITH VERY STIFF PUNISHMENT TO PERPETRATORS WITHOUT SELECTIVE JUSTICE.
This clueless government will one day start restricting minibuses because their cadres are breaking traffic rules. Dunderheads!!! no wonder they passed a people driven constitution which they now want repealed. Kaponyas aweh mwandi!!!
Much as we need safety we need a good economy as well. The focus is where we go wrong
Panga Family (PF) machetes have always been sold in shops in Zambia including in colonial times.
Pangas are used in various good noble ways and this has never been an issue till Panga Family came to power on deception mantra of 90 days. Banning the sale of machetes is not a solution, this can only come from failure to provide an effective governance system. PF government has failed in finding a solution to ‘panga’ as PF tool for violence hated by Zambians.
Citizens must report these characters and give any information to authorities, that way we the people can help remove this evil .
SO, BWANA MINISTER, IF PANGAS ARE OUTLAWED NOW IS IT OK TO ARM OURSELVES WITH TAIZERS AND ELECTRIC GUNS LIKE THOSE THAT WERE SEND TO NAKONDE FOR PF CADRES?
The solution is to disarm the PF cadres first and let the ZP apply justice fairly, l have witnessed an innocent person being brutally beaten by the PF cadres at pick & pay in Luanshya some few months back for just commenting about the steel demarcation for the car pack. We grew up in the Unip era, where we were brutalized by vigilante and ‘para para’ for simple mistakes like not carrying an NCR when travelling out side town. We voted PF in the last 2 elections, this time they have 2 convince me why I should give them a vote. With inflation @ 22%, high prices of food, and no government official
is talking about what measures are being put in place to address these ills.
# 1.1 Senior citizen harts off for you. The young ones have no clue the kind of suffering brought by these violent selfish so called politicians that you have mentioned. I cannot agree more with you. As a matter of fact I witnessed a Zambian couple’s life ruined by Drakama’s war dogs when they short at and torched a Nissan Double cab belonging to a Zambian that worked in Mozambique saving lives in the hospitals there. What did he get in return burnt his property and nearly killed him, only God protected his life. It is these acts that we are against from these selfish, worth than nothing illiterate politicians whose aim is to get to plot one at any cost. Very very sad indeed. Innocent people are the ones who pay dearly.
# 1.1 Senior citizen harts off for you. The young ones have no clue the kind of suffering brought by these violent selfish so called politicians that you have mentioned. I cannot agree more with you. As a matter of fact I witnessed a Zambian couple’s life ruined by Drakama’s war dogs when they short at and torched a Nissan Double cab belonging to a Zambian that worked in Mozambique saving lives in the hospitals there. What did he get in return burnt his property and nearly killed him, only God protected his life. It is these acts that we are against from these selfish, worth than nothing illiterate politicians whose aim is to get to plot one at any cost. Very very sad indeed. Innocent people are the ones who pay dearly.