PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has publicly denounced political violence and warned that any member of the Patriotic Front (PF) who perpetrates the vice excommunicates himself or herself from the ruling party.
The Head of State said he was not a violent person and expected his flock in the ruling party to follow suit.
“I wish to denounce violence publicly and assure the nation that I am a peaceful person.
“Anyone who perpetrates violence in the name of PF excommunicates himself or herself from PF,” he said.
He was speaking in Zimba District yesterday when he addressed the public after commissioning four newly-constructed buildings at Zimba Mission Hospital.
Mr Lungu said the ruling party won last year’s election peacefully and that the trend would repeat itself this year.
He urged his fellow political party leaders to ensure that known perpetrators of violence in their parties were restrained.
“As the shepherd of my party, my sheep know my voice and they hear me. Other political leaders are also known by their followers and the leaders know the mischievous people in their parties who should be restrained,” Mr Lungu said.
Recently, 18 political party leaders resolved to eliminate all forms of violence in their parties and public activities.
This was during an indaba with the three Church mother bodies in Lusaka.
The Head of State has since vowed to ‘walk the talk’ in implementing the resolutions of the dialogue.
Meanwhile, Mr Lungu has praised the traditional leadership in Southern Province for helping the Government preach peace to the people in the area.
He said he was elated that with the aid of the traditional leaders, people in the region in particular and the country as a whole were promoting co-existence with one another.
“Thank you for helping us in maintaining peace. Your messages to our people seem to be sinking in now as we are having less incidences of violence,” President Lungu said.
The Head of State was speaking in Zimba yesterday when he met with four chiefs and a senior chief from Southern Province.
The traditional leaders were Senior Chief Mukuni and chiefs Chikanta, Simwatachela, Sipatunyana and Siyachitema.
Mr Lungu was optimistic that Zambians would continue upholding the right for one to choose a political grouping of one’s choice.
He said just like supporters of different football teams co-existed, leaders and disciples of separate political entities could also live in unity.
“Going forward, I think that people will accept that democracy simply means people having the right to choose which party you want to belong to.
“Just like football, you can support this team or that team without fighting. So even the political players, the tendency should be to accept one’s right to choose a political party, not killing one another,” he said.
The President was confident that bad societal elements would be dealt with, while assuring the chiefs that political parties would apply the resolutions of the recent inter-party dialogue between political leaders and the church.
Mr Lungu refuted allegations that he was instigating the arrest and prosecution of prominent opposition political figures in the country.
The President said he had faith in the law enforcement agencies as well as the judiciary, hence the institutions operated independently.
Mr Lungu said law breakers would always be pursued by law enforcement agencies which make their own judgements.
“Whether it’s PF, UPND, MMD, NAREP or any political party, no one is above the law. We just hope that justice will be done at the end of the day.
“Those who will be found guilty will be found guilty and those who will be found innocent will be innocent, I have confidence in our judicial system,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional leaders, Chief Siyachitema said southerners regarded the Head of State as the President for all Zambians.
“There could be one or two people who feel otherwise but we all need to work together,” he said.
These are good pronouncements Your Excellency. You are the messenger of peace, hope and lawfulness in Zambia. Let us also see other leaders promoting peace and unity by meting out stiff punishment on violent offenders. Let us not thrive on blood sacrifices, ill-will and suffering like UPND which can’t even adequately accommodate a Vice President in Lusaka’s PHI
Many are envious of your good works amidst tough economic times which were not of your own making. Many are envious that you have continued to be a voice for the poor just like the old man, Late MCS. The powerful cartels are all complaining that there’s no money in the economy but they don’t realise that the PF has over the last 5 years distributed it evenly and most of it is circulating in rural communities. No more opportunities for the corrupt cartels to benefit from crooked government deals. Let the poor also enjoy from the treasury and let the proud, elitist cartels continue to wallow in their new found poverty
You are more than welcome to commission these powerful projects in the backyard of those who claim ownership to the kindred of Zimba and Southern Province. They are sleeping while we are scoring points. Let their kindred also share from the national cake Your Excellency. These are our people. We trust that they have seen your wise, natural and charismatic leadership and that they will never repeat the Nega Nega style of voting. It’s a done deal on August 11th, 2016.
What a stupid statement to make. He should have warned the cadres of arrest not expulsion only. This is load of sh1t coming from the president who want to rid on violence to secure his presidency.
What an jmbecile? Take his words with a pinch of salt. Na fimeno panja.
Infact his appeal is supposed to be to the police not to tolerate violence.As usual hollow statements we are used to.
Evolution of PF campaign strategy
PF won the 2011 general elections on one political strategy; LYING. Donchi Kubeba.
In 2015 PF relied on HEROISM and DISCREDITING the HH-UPND as tribal, bitter as their strategy.
Having messed the economy and facing revolt, the 2016 PF strategy is brutal domination with Christian philanthropic veneer. The strategies in use are Smear Campaign (regionalism , tribe, privatization , satanism), MEDIA BLACKOUT of HH and virulent propaganda; DENIAL of campaign space for HH in all open public places like markets and bus stations, INTIMIDATION through brutal economic, emotional and bodily violence; RELIGION BASED STRATEGY to make Lungu appear humble, meek and lowly.
What a timid way of approach by a president for the whole nation! Here Lungu is behaving like a party president over curbing violence! All I expected was a blanket stern warning to all cadres irrespective of party affiliation and ordering the police to arrest anybody found engaging in violence. Lungu is a commander in chief thus its upon him to tell everybody to respect the law and anything to the contrary will be inviting visitation from the law enforcement officers with no sacred cows! In his timidness Lungu issues partisan pronouncement! I wonder how much he realizes the power he wields being in plot one!
@ Mr Kudos I don’t understand your reasoning, why should UPND accommodate party members? Should you politicize everything even when you know serving in a party is voluntary and…
contd….. contributions by the wider membership is only for party organization activities? Only when a party forms government will taxpayers money be used to accommodate officials serving in government
iwee chi colour skeleton kudos, are you paid to comment and defend the useless party on each and every story which unfolds-have a life kabwaa!!
Kudos why is your president reading those notes using his middle finger? Look at the picture closely, very interesting fellow. Pronouncements, Pronouncements, let him start with Davis chama, Frank bwalwa, kamba, mumbi phiri,……
And what of the criminal violence?? We all know the robberies and crime that has suddenly escalated in our (once peaceful) country is the result of the cadres you released from prison!! Hollow statements from a hollow man!
Lazy Lungu is too weak, political violence is a crime and as so the relevant authorities will deal with it …he should be explicit in making that point. Who cares about being excommunicated by whom…show us a cadre/Party leader who has been kicked out?
WE ARE AWARE OF ALL THOSE AND SOME OF THEM ARE CAUNTER REACTING THEM SELVES, A ZAMBIAN TODAY IS HUNGRY, HIGH COST OF LIVING, HIGH INFLATION RATE, AHUNGRY MAN IS AN ANGRY PERSON LUNGU CANT CHEAT ANYMORE EVERY ONE HAS SEEN HIS TRUE COLOURS OF BEING CRUEL, AND I DONT CARE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS THE POOR AND ZAMBIANS WILL TEACH HIM A LESSON COME AUGUST
Some of the proud, elitist crooks are now trying to denounce their Freemasonry and Satamism by inviting hundreds of fake regional Bishops to their own premises, as if the more the Bishops, the stronger the prayers. The skeletons in the closets of these fake, proud, Shylock politicians have regrouped in their nightmares and now their ghosts have come home to roost. Abash these fake, proud elitist crooks who can’t even pay their rentals, yet claim they can build castles for the citizenry.
We are thankful for your leadership, by which you have chosen to be humble and committed to fulfilling the vision of the late father of the nation, MCS. Your humility and wisdom has shown us that you are as much a man of the people as our late President was. He would be proud of the way you have steered the country to greater heights amidst economic shocks, thoughts of ill-will and curses from the wicked Freemasonry cartels.
You could have easily chosen to loot coffers and amass personal wealth in this short period, but Your Excellency, you chose to serve the people instead of stealing from them. Had this nation fallen into the Satamic claws of the demonic Privatisation crooks who call the common man a ‘morron’, by now there would be nothing left to talk about. We have seen for…
@ Kudos
Where is your brain gone? Eaten by maggots?
I must give you credit for biggest pillock of the past five years.
Please carry on.
It is amazing to read your contributions about “…wise, natural and charismatic leadership…” which has produced tribalism, poverty, corruption, thuggery, destruction of the rule of law, private militia, 1mbecility and other “unprecedented developments”.
ourselves how they deliberately undervalued the mines for personal gain in the past and built mansions without a thought for the poor miners who were retrenched.
Evolution of PF campaign strategy
Having messed the economy and facing revolt, the 2016 PF strategy is brutal domination with Christian philanthropic veneer.
The strategies in use are
1. Smear Campaign (accusing HH of regionalism , tribalism , privatization of ALL mines and parastatals, freemasom, satanism),
2. MEDIA BLACKOUT of HH and virulent propaganda;
3. DENIAL of campaign space for HH in all open public places like markets and bus stations,
4. INTIMIDATION through brutal economic, emotional and bodily violence;
4. POLICE STATE TACTICS by using unfair application of law to victimize and silence UPND
5. RELIGION BASED STRATEGY to make Lungu appear humble, meek and lowly.
UPND can never make such pronouncement because they feel should they should in state but they’re not there. Therefore they will do all it takes to get to state house. But the vote is secret. Nipa bwato nafuti nafuti. Aba Tonga panse. My timely advice to brothers and sisters in Upnd, leave the party to the rightfully owners who are the Tongas. If you’re Bemba especially Bembas you will never be the president of Upnd, leave the party and let the owners run the affairs of the party.
These UPND crooks have a false sense of entitlement, as if Zambians owe them votes to fulfil their birth given right to enter State House. Yet these are people who have benefited from Privatisation, leaving the poor miners suffering. These are people who are ready to go for the throat just to enter State House. Some of these crooked people can even eat a monkey’s head to enter State House. We can’t entrust them with power, after all they believe they are elite and those who are poor and hungry in the stomach are just ‘morrons’.
What a stupid statement to make. He should have warned the cadres of arrest not expulsion only. This is load of sh1t coming from the president who want to rid on violence to secure his presidency.
UPND cadres….wake up!!!
Counter the insidious PF propaganda campaign strategy…see postings by Kudos et al.
PF won the 2011 general elections on oo LYING. Donchi Kubeba.
In 2015 PF relied on HEROISM (again being used by Kudos) and DISCREDITING the HH-UPND as tribal, bitter as their strategy.
Having messed the economy and facing revolt, the 2016 PF strategy is brutal domination with Christian philanthropic veneer. The strategies in use are Smear Campaign (regionalism , tribe, privatization , satanism), MEDIA BLACKOUT of HH and virulent propaganda; DENIAL of campaign space for HH in all open public places like markets and bus stations, INTIMIDATION through brutal economic, emotional and bodily violence; RELIGION BASED STRATEGY to make Lungu appear humble, meek and lowly…
complete nonsense. violence is a crime and culprits should be threatened with jail term not expulsion. thatd where us normal people differ from lungu. what kind of a lawyer who doesnt know what punishment violence should attract?
Bambi mulifipuba no matter wise words come from wise men you always find them wrong. Don’t make HH look bad even if he won’t this time around
@ kapatu villager
Wise words from paid speech writer delivered by intellectual and moral failure?
That’s the problem with this president, not having any clue about anything. He can simply allow the police to do their thing without waiting for directives from him on whom to arrest and when. That young woman who was humiliated by his thugs, when is he going to permit and order the police to go ahead and arrest those punks!? This man is a genuine joke only it’s not funny.
“President vowed to cage any cadre perpetuating, whether from PF or any other opposition party…” That would have been better, it’s just than we are being governed by a president who thinks he’s PF president only.
Is it the president who cage offenders. That is how your HH will be ruling. That is dictatorship mwana. Shame
Comment: Respect Our President You Upnd Vuvuzelas, 11:08:2016 Nikolopa.Com Viva Pf
Viva pamafi
Every man of God he meet speak against violence. That’s the power of the word of God, you can’t stay close to it without being changed.
Whilst violence decampains, peace campaigns for person. I’ll thank ECL if he let us freely decide who to vote for.
Let peace fall on Zambia like a tonne of fresh air.
Continuing to talk to this man is proving to be an exercise in futility. The man is a hostage himself. He’s always speaking like a cadre. Expelling a non existent party member is nothing. Publicly rebuking (I know he can’t do anything to them beyond this) people like Maggie, the woman who assaulted Rachel Something, Kennedy Kamba, etc is what will send a clear message. He’s head of state for crying out loud. Please for once act & speak like one.
But then expecting this man, who thinks the people he leads are jealousy & envious of him, to be a leader is a sheer waste of time. Let’s just kick him out.
This is the problem with multi-party democracy in Africa. Mr Kudos, why so u see the opposition as enemies of good will. Why do we use emotions and personal feelings when commenting on such issues. I really get surprised when people who support PF condemn using personal attacks in political debates when infact they are the ones who started it. Truthfully speaking, PF formed government because they were good at character assasination and personal attacks.
are you hurt with Kudos coments? Why cant you respond to your fellow UPND cadres who are insulting the president. havent u seen the insults above.
You are wrong UPND is the worst in character assisnation. Check your Watchdog and let see if you will comeback here to talk about character assassination.
This era of insults and character assisnation was started by watchdog during MMD.before that, we never used to insult each online. It is very unfortunate that Zambians have been dragged this far by a useless Roy of the watchdog using money dobated by HH. If u dont know this is the reason why some Zambians dont like HH. He has been sponsoring Roy to insult Bembas hence encouranging tribalism.
UPND bloggers wake up… counter PF blatant and egregious campaign strategy embalmed in skull head Kudos and other PF paid bloggers. Note and rebutt key messaging on:
1. Smear Campaign (accusing HH of regionalism , tribalism , privatization of ALL mines and parastatals, freemasom, satanism),
2. HH wealth obtained from privatization kick backs and theft leaving former workers suffering and cause of economic suffering
3. MEDIA BLACKOUT of HH and virulent propaganda and accusing HH of being a cart for being covered by the Post;
4. DENIAL of campaign space for HH
5. INTIMIDATION of voters by PF thugs in markets and bus stops
6. POLICE STATE TACTICS
7. RELIGION BASED STRATEGY to make Lungu appear humble, meek and lowly.
He boasts about being the most powerful man in Zambia but it appears he is not too sure about this. Ok he is the commander in chief of the armed forces and police whom he can use to come down like ‘ton of bricks’ on anyone stup!d enough to cross his path. But the dilemma is that the cadres, I mean the thugs that waved pangas at Sampa and Scott to facilitate his entry into state house, these in turn are his commanders to whom he pays allegiance and gratitude. If this is not the case then why is there so much obfuscation, farting around and stinking up the place when it comes to taking action against his erring misfit cadres?
Lungu like Museveni , Nkuruzinza and Mugabe is a sponsor and beneficiary of violence.
Simple fact : the only reason Lungu is President is panga violence. He physically beat and molested opponents to State House.
I am convinced and whole heartedly believe that whatever pretensions, Lungu is a Warload in the order of brutal Konie, Salvakir and Taylor.
If u think i’m lying just do a personal research like Chanda Chimba did and see why certain political were even formed in the first place. Michael Sata formed his own party because he wasnt happy that Levy was chosen to president of MMD instead of himself. He went on to make Levy’s rule a living hell by personally attacking him and even mocking him over his health. When Levy died, Sata and the Post launched a campaign to investigate the characters of people aspiring for presidency, they condemned the appointment of RB as successor of Levy and said he didnt deserve it. If u think i’m lying again, go to a Library or an archive and check the stories in the POST newspaper of 2008 edition just after the passing on of Levy. In the column part of the post newspaper. People spoke ill of Rupiah…
One thing i admire about UPND as a party. Is that unlike PF, it was formed out of good will. It began with a new breed of leaders who first worked for themselves and after becoming successful in their personal businesses and education they decided they can use their skills and knowledge for the benefit of the country. They hav people who are good economic managers and with this skill their aspire for political leadeeship, they intend to transform this couintry through prudent economic management. If u notice the language of HH, he does not say Lungu or Sata has failed this country, he instead says that the PF government has failed. He is not personally attacking Lungu but the government and its style of leadership. This is different from the way PF was in opposition. There is nothing…
@I’m watching u just STOP IT PERIOD
Ba president. Violence and blasphemy should not used as political strategy. God will indeed whip you. Your end will be shameful. If you thought Lungu would denounce violence think again. This is a well orchestrated plan. He chooses his words carefully and positions himself as if he is running two countries- one has control over and other semi controlled. Indeed the PF horns its political strategy around violence and religious blasphemy. The pretence by Lungu to look as if he has failed to control violence is a strategy. There will be more violence during the campaign period because Lungu is already campaigning in advance. Opposition must intensify their campaign now.
It’s very sad indeed. This means he is only president for of cadres. That’s not leadership, his statement should have addressed and warn all Zambians not only pf cadres.
This surely leaves much to be desired, especially that it is coming from the head of state.
F88lish
Where was he all this time
What kind of president is this. He must know that some people have lost lives at the hands of his party. Women have been stripped naked and some have been seriously assaulted
Did he need clergymen to remind him of his duty
It is no longer a secret that Lusaka Times is a PF vuvuzela. This statement from a President who is Commander in Chief is embarrassing to say the least!
Well done your excellence. You are taking the lead in ending violence.1 out of 10 is not bad, at least you are winning on 1, just work on the 9 failures. Mealie meal price, fuel shortage, load shedding, shortage of Mealie meal, shortage of grade 12 certificates among politicians, high prices of all essentials, miners looking jobs, corruption especially in government, closure of universities
A normal president would i have said he will make sure the law takes its course if any fellow clueless,visionless,useless,hopeless,brainless pf cadre is engaged in any violence.
Good words indeed from the head of state. Despots dont speak like that. His supporters should take heed to avoid embarrassing the president.
PF Campaign Strategy
Paint UPND as elitist, anti Church and anti Bemba (tribal card).
Brush off the economic problems by singing that they are global even stating that the rand has depreciated more than Kwacha.
Don’t talk about corruption.
Don’t condemn PF violence including Mutendere murder and lady stripping
Don’t talk about unprecedented borrowings but mention development arrears and unprecedented infrastructure development.
The script is daily PF paid blogs.
UN CIVILIZED TYPE OF PRIMITIVE POLITICS YOU ARE NOT EVEN ASHAMED OF DISPLAYING THESE ON LINE. YOU REALLY TAKE ZAMBIANS FOR GRANTED THEY HAVE VOTED KK OUT OF POWER AND YOU THINK THEY WILL SPARE CHANGWA WHO IS WORSE THAN CANCER, WAIT AND SEE HUNGER DOESNT SPARE ANY ONE AND IT IS PAINFUL
The President is the Commander of Armed Forces and Head of State, and therefore should have taken the opportunity to instruct the police to arrest any party cadre irrespective for their party affiliation for engaging in violence. He should furthermore warned police to abide by civilized procedures of managing public gatherings not resorting to the use of tear gas and assaulting innocent citizens. He should differentiate his roles depending on the audience he is speaking to. Clearly he spoke as though he was addressing PF Cadres at the PF Secretariate.
This mans shamelessness knows no limits. After despising kachemas he’s busy claiming to be one. What does he smoke? Or drink?
Ati, ” I am the shepherd and my sheep know my voice.” Please please!
Where is Kaizer Zulu? Is he not a cadre? He is the master advisor on violence and he is still your side kick. Hypocrite!
The man is full-throttle on desperate campaigning. What four buildings was he commissioning? Perhaps something better carried out quietly by an irrelevant District Commissioner. The ‘entire’ President is going around the country ‘commissioning’ all manner of ‘tutembas’. When does he actually sit on an office chair and develop strategies for Zambia’s ills?