Riots have erupted in Lusaka’s Zingalume and George compounds where some Zambians have looted foreign-owned shops over suspicions of links to recent ritual murders in the area.
Police Spokesperson Charity Munganga-Chanda confirmed in a statement that some people looted shops belonging to Rwandese nationals in the area after word went round that some people found human body parts in one of the shops belonging to a Rwandese national.
Mrs Chanda said the residents are suspecting that these foreigners are the ones behind the ritual murders.
She stated that four shops had been looted, so far on suspicion that they are involved in the recent murders which have been happening in the area.
“More officers in full riot gear have been deployed in the area,” she said.
Some residents interviewed said they want the Rwandese to leave the country because they are allegedly bad people.
They complained that the Rwandese have also taken over all the business opportunities in the area adding that some of their businesses are not genuine.
By press time, the riots had spread to Lilanda and some parts of Chunga area.
At least six people have been found dead in the area since last month with body parts, including hearts, genitals and ears, removed.
President Edgar Lungu yesterday announced that Police arrested four people over the killings.
Residents in Zingalume burned down a community police station last month in protest over the murders.
That’s what poverty does – first blame the foreigners! It was the same with Adolf Hitler in 1936 in the midst of German economic woes – it was blamed on the Jews and very grave events following thereafter. Zambia – please do not go along that path. Simply improve the economy, which is in a mess due to excessive government borrowing, corruption, low copper prices, lack of diversification and not 4 shops owned by Rwandese refugees!
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Rwandese shops do not add value to Zambia
Yes, it is called scapegoating. When things go bad, it is the foreigners. Yet the law of the land says everyone is presumed innocent until found guilty by the courts of law.
Logical fallacy of the first comment is becoming dreadfully sad on LT.
sad events
if you dont have what to say please keep quiet. we are talking about people dying here and not some European History lessons.
you would rather loot their ggods from their shops, thats what hunger does…umusebanya.
So like they went to find body parts but got tempted by the goods? It’s just anarchy. This George compound needs to be patrolled 24/7.
Lazy Zambian you want to blame everything on foreigners. Why loot if there are body parts in the shops thieves you are.
I have always said it that people will look for an excuse to loot the shops. People are hungry due to the economic hardships. This is how the food riots started in the Unip days. They send ZNS to stop smuggling instead of deploying them were the murders occur. What logic is this. If its an opposition rally you will see thousands of fully energised officers jumping around. Govt address the situation Mandevu and Kanyama have joined the riots.
This is a matter that should not be joked about. Blaming and labeling groups of people who are different from you, without reasonable cause, is one of the reasons the world has had to wake up to diabolical so-called ethnic ‘cleansing’. It has to be handled carefully – though we know that many a time, the underlying but unjustified excuse for actual attacks has stemmed from the community feeling of having been left ‘out to dry’ in terms of partaking in the economic ‘cake’
That is what poverty can do. Poverty stricken Zambians are blaming the hardworking Rwandese for their misery and end up looting shops owned by foreigners.
The heinous crimes being committed in the township are terrible and unforgivable. However,Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in NOT the answer to bringing the culprits to book, if anything it reduces the chances of the criminals being nabbed as the police are now busy trying to end the riots. Let us allow and help the police do their job as they try to secure our lives and property. My deepest sympathies go to the families who have lost loved ones. It is for crimes such as these ones that I feel the death penalty should remain on our statute books.
There is no smoke without fire. These foreigners sometimes have much money and therefore capable of contracting killers. The police should also investigate them.
That is what happens when the country has leadership at all. Mr ECL is total failure just like Zuma in S/A. There is a big vacancy at State House. You will finish killing each other for your failure to choose able people as leaders. ECL has failed in anything that matters in Zambia even the country’s peace is now at stake. shemuna bane
meant “no leadership”
ninjala chabe. ngati pa nyumba pali njala do not keep dogs
The beginning of the end for Zambia
Am very sad and disappointed as a zambian especially for looting a shop which belongs to my friend who is a Rwandee behind zecc lilanda millitary camp,and i wonder what is the job of the police.
Sad indeed lives have been lost, Randese Nationals (Zambian Citizens?) have been attacked, our longstanding international reputation of accommodative country & loving to foreigners has been shattered by criminals. Killing innocent souls, shedding innocent blood, taking law in our own hands should be condemned by all peace loving Zambians, the President of Zambia, traditional leaders, civil society & the opposition, because has potential to deter foreign investment & paint bad image on our country. Stern measures should be taken against those involved in all.
The attacked shop owners are they Rwandese Nationals or Zambian Citizens by naturalisation? Let us be extra careful by not identifying our fellow Zambians by their nationality origins since these are the consequences and paint bad image of our country when actually the issue is purely internal & there is neither foreigner nor citizen conflict but all citizen affair. Zambians should be called Zambians regardless of their ethic background, gender, religion, political affiliation, etc.
Yes we did not have ritual killings in the past before these Rwandees arrived in Zambia in their thousands. They do not add any value to Zambia except milking our country, taking over business opportunities from local Zambians. Government should not allow these Rwandees who keep their workers as slaves locked up in their shops. Rwandees have virtually taken over all small shops every where in towns. Zambia is being overan by foreigners under the watch of president Lungu. Somalis is another group taking over filling stations all over towns and next will be Al shabab – islamist terrorists in Zambia.
Zambia needs to watch this development of foreigners with ill motives to the nation. Zambia has good history of refugee safety- South Africans, Zimbabweans, Angolans, Namibians even Congolees.
IT IS NJALA MU ZIKO.Exodus 23:9
“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
IT IS A CURSE TO MISTREAT A FOREIGNER.AS CHRISTIANS LET US OBEY GOD ELSE OUR ECONOMY WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE.Leviticus 19:33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.”
What an embarrassing head line. What a sad event/day in our country… ba Zingalume sure!
Area MP and area Councillor, please take charge… hunger that leads to Xenophobia is a time bomb!
Comment:i’m not supportting anyone only The truth will come out and the law will take his hand
I have first hand experience with rwandese nationals in ten miles, my sister went to buy fish and found dog leg and head in the same fridge with fish and meat. She asked him, the guy closed the shop and gave her a k1000 to keep quiet. When she came home she could not keep quiet, we organised ourselves and went there to find the guy called the police to guard him as he loaded all his things and left immediately. I think they are not straight people when it comes to business
In the 1980’s we looted all the Asian shops in Livingstone. Carrying deep freezers on our heads. Then came Copperbelt. Then it happened in Mazabuka at bhagoos store. Then in Katete. Then Mansa about 4 years ago. Now Zingalume.
The Rwandese are not the first to face these allegations of ritual killings as an excuse to loot. And in none of the previous pillaging was any foreigner ever found with a case to answer over ritual killings
However you try to justify it, plundering and looting are ingrained in our history. We are the most racist and most tribal, but we cannot admit it. Christian Nation ?
stupid lazy zambians blame hard working foreigners, umusebanya bakolwe just work hard like foreigners
This is consequences of poverty after foreigners they will perish themselves
Before we make decisions let’s think,yes it might be but nat o’em, this is a CHRISTIAN NATION Think we all know that now how comes we are taking laws in our hands.we are getting lost fellow Zambians and these examples we are showing they will cost us.so please let the government play it’s party not us, too sorry to every 0ne who is at risk
U want to blame foreigners for your own failures u *****s.These attacks are barberic and should b condemned.we do not need to copy the south african way of treating foreigners.we strongly condemned the attacks in sa and we cod it an unafrican. Wat has suddenly changed .
You gave refugees To killers and you expect different reactions from them. They are full of blood, the drank alot of blood during genocide in Rwanda 1994 so they are thirsty.killing for them is not problem. So leave their business alone Atleast they are hard working developing what you fail develop.
I am not surprised and i have been suspecting something like this to happen ,ever since Kigali regime opened an embasy in Zambia. Kagame regime has succeeded in creating divisionism between Rwandan refuges and Zambians but soon or later the killers and their motives will be known.
Comment: Kagame men are behind this, we know his strategies
This Kabanda speaks no sense….how powerful Kagame can be to be able to divide his own citizens inside and outside country and on top of that to instill hatred in zambian and mobilise them to stand against Rwanda refugees….
If this is the case Kagame must be very strong and more than we think westerns are when it comes to destabilize African countries.
Stop no sense
It is certainly plausible that myths and rumors will get uneducated poor people to do unimaginable things; that is how the genocide happened in Rwanda, and the chief spy for the ugandan army at the time, Paul Kagame, would have the psychological know how.
This is an african killing other africans, for the simple reason of own madness and delusions of self importance misguided as being clever.
Economically strong people are a threat to such a totalitarian state as is in Rwanda
I am Rwandan myself and should naturally side with my fellow country men , but in any xenophobic attack, there is always a situation of failure to integrate into the host community. This is not about being better economically or socially than the indigenous, but rather by somehow taking care of the needy and educating those that are not as wise as yourself.
I do not believe those bogeyman tales of human sacrifice on the part of Rwandans, but neither is the root cause poverty per se. It is rather a failure of government and civil society including religion to foster human companionship beyond all possible divisions.
Zambia can never roll back the onslaught of globalization and all it brings, but should instead prepare its citizenry and any others living within its borders.