Council of Churches in Zambia says President Edgar Lungu should exercise his authority as Head of State to address the political violence urgently with seriousness and impartiality to bring the lawlessness to an end before the country becomes ungovernable ahead of the general elections.
CCZ President Bishop Dr Alfred Kalembo in a statement stated that the continued violence amongst political opponents was a clear indication that the pledge to end violence made by all political parties at the recently held political party indaba convened by the three church mother bodies was not being honoured.
“Following a meeting of the Executive Board in Lusaka on June 16, 2016 the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) wishes to state the following in relation to the forth-coming general elections on August 11, 2016. The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has noted with disappointment the continued political violence that has characterized the political scene ahead of the August 11, 2016 general elections among political opponents which has in some instances resulted in injury and damage to property a situation which threatens the peace and security of the country,” Bishop Dr Kalembo stated.
“CCZ has observed that the political environment has become increasingly volatile and has diverted government’s attention from focusing on issues of improving people’s lives through developing the nation. Now all attention is focused on campaigns and related issues of violence and name-calling.”
[pullquote]party cadres dressed in military regalia are usually armed with weapons such as machetes, pangas and iron bars often used to attack each other[/pullquote]
“We have noted that many political opponents are still using hate speech for intimidation, while party cadres dressed in military regalia are usually armed with weapons such as machetes, pangas and iron bars often used to attack each other across the various different political parties, destroying property and threatening violence in marked territories.”
Bishop Dr Kalembo stated that CCZ had noted with dismay at the political party campaigns which have taken the form of processions of branded motor vehicles carrying supporters who do not observe traffic rules causing danger to other road users who are forced out of the roads or threatened with violence if they defy orders from the political party supporters.
“We wish to appeal to all the Zambian citizens to refrain from engaging in violence because of their political differences. We also appeal to the Zambia Police Service to take its rightful position as a law enforcer to maintain peace and protect the lives of the citizens which are endangered by the prevailing political violence.”
He said CCZ is calling on all political party leaders who were present at the political party indaba held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to honour their promise which was an endeavour to advocate for a violent free political environment ahead of the elections as a way of expressing political tolerance for the development of the country.
“We are concerned that if political violence is not addressed the country is at risk of allowing machete wielding youths dressed in military regalia to intimidate the electorate during the forth-coming general elections a development which will affect the outcome of the elections.”
The president has been doing that, even at yesterdays rally he was doing it. Do you expect the president to be physically there when cadres fight each other in Bauleni or Chibolya? It is like a father setting rules in his house and the kids still going ahead and breaking the rules in his absence. He can only be in one place at a time.
Now this is a real church body directing the request to the right person. I hate people who keep on generalising when they know that PF attacks and then UPND retaliates only. Should they only watch the PF cadres attacking them and not retaliate?
Lungu is visionless & he can’t stop his PF cadres b’coz violence is their food to life.
The only way to stop the violence is by voting the visionless PF bandits & blind Lungu out.
41 days left for PF minions.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Viva HH & UPND, Forward.
All the parties are guilty of encouraging violence.If anything UPND is now in the forefront of provoking it. Anyway what do you expect when they have people like William Tekere Banda in their midst? UPND is a violent party.
If the Commander in Chief , Edgar Lungu can fail to stop cadre violence which late President Mwanawasa stopped by a statement, then how can this President even think of more complex problems like job creation? reducing inflation?
Several pupils have been assaulted at Lady Diana School by Patriotic Front cadres. The school belongs to UPND Kanyama Parliamentary candidate Samuel Mwale.
The PF cadres also damaged a truck and a Prado belonging to the opposition candidate.
A Police source has disclosed that President Edgar Lungu has instructed that there should bé no leak of pictures. ” We are right now searching members of staff and deleting pictures because this will be very embarrassing to Lungu. Imagine cadres assaulting very young boys and girl,’ the source said.
@ Obatala
Please do not compare this useless drunkard of a Lungu with a decent upstanding man like Levy Mwanawasa!
Levy was a REAL PRESIDENT that did his very best for the Zambian people.
This convicted embezzled (thief) could not care the slightest how many Zambians die in political violence just as long as he can remain in State House to continue his stealing!
He is quite ready to destroy the lives and livelihoods of Zambians and the economy of the country to satisfy his own greed and continue enriching himself.
Why do you think his first trip was to visit Mugabe if not to find out how to do it?
The problem is that Chakolwa is so inept that when he pleads for violence to stop, nobody listens because in private he’s urging his minions to go fix the opposition. Chakolwa says one thing and then does the opposite. He is a chronic flip-flopper and a liar. He is the cause of all the ritual murders, the xenophobic attacks and the current political violence. Zambia has never been like this. It is Chakolwa who is trashing Zambia. That’s why
#ChagwaMustFall
#PFmustGo
#PF Zwaa!
iwe Saulosi, when Lungu’s PF was bringing down HH’s helicopter, why did Lungu remain silent? HH campaign material are pulled down everyday, why silence from Govt? Kampyongo’s PF were attacking opposition member’s in Mpika and Isoka. Even today PF, are attacking opposition members in Kanyama ‘out going’ president wanu ali ndwii!!
Its you who are violent. Your chief cadre Larry Mweetwa just the other day funded his cadres so that they could go about destroying all of the PF billboards and posters. Your cadres also beat up innocent guards at UTH for doing their jobs. You are a violent bunch
We all know that Lungu cannot win these elections free and fair and is determined to retain power at all costs. This he will try and do by rigging the elections thru violence and manipulation of the voting process.That is what he is doing. Lungu and PF as a plitical strategy are preaching peace during the day while at night directing PF cadres to go and comit acts of violence against opposition parties especially UPND cadres and property. Lungu should be told in his face to stop interfering with Police work and restrain his Panga Family cadres. People by now must realise that in Lungu u are dealing with a hypocrite. When Lungu says he is turning Right then u know he is turning Left.
MUKAPONOKA UBUBI UKUCILA EFYO MWAUMINE MMD THIS TIME WHEN YOU LOSE BA PF.
The Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces is being lenient so that cadres can ‘choose’ to be peaceful. Don’t push him, he will use ‘a bit of force’ if you continue pushing him and instigating violence.
The big wigs can’t even go to jail for your insane violent clashes especially UPND thugs. Lungu has given you a chance to behave yourselves.
Look at how clean the PF is now it only has clean minded issue-based campaigners. The violent Boer types Gay Scott and Harlot Scott have been chased!
Where is wife beater GBM? Chased!
Don’t be violent. We allowed you to campaign freely in Eastern Province. Behave yourselves.
Mr. kudos, you really sound stuck in the politics of the seventies, when we were under one party rule. For your information, this is 2016. Being Commander in Chief doesn’t mean you OWN the Armed Forces, and can use them any way you want. Only dictators do that, and last time we checked , Zambia is a democratic State. If Lungu goes ahead and orders the police to use “a little bit of force,” against his opponents, that would be abuse of office, and he would have to be held accountable in a way. What if he loses this election, would you like the next president to also order the police to use “a little bit of force,” anytime he wants? The police serves everyone in the country and should always remain impartial. So, your sanctioning of ECL’s threats to misuse the police simply exposes…
(Continued)… you as a not so well informed person.
GBM and HH are sponsoring cadres to cause violence in order to accuse EL that he has failed to govern.UPND is the most violent party bcoz of bitterness from it’s members.Look at how the beat that FDD woman in Itezhi tezhi.she almost died .How do u beat u fellow member of parliament?This party knows that it’s losing hence violence.UPND cadres and their regular callers irritates pipo always.For them it’s PF and don’t want to accept anything.We need to retire this Tonga party for good otherwise aba bantu can bring war bcoz of love of power.Vote EL in order to end tribal politics in Zambia.HH is for tribal politics .
BA PF NI BAKAWALALA FUTI NI BA CHAKOLWA.YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU ARE SOWING BAKOLWE…VIVA HH 2016
The Church has directed their statement to the President of the Republic of Zambia, which is okay. BUT, they should also try to provide audience to the UPND as a Political Party. Much of the violence is attributed to UPND and yet no-one is cautioning them. The Namwala incident where an FDD Parliamentary candidate is nursing wounds, these so called organisations are quite. One UNZA student who was allegedly killed by UPND in Monze/Mazabuka, no-one is talking about it. The Isoka incident where 2 suspected UPND cadres have been fined by the Courts of Law, no-one is condemning the UPND. It is such things that escalate violence in a country.
@kudos the foolish skull …. people power is greater than your commander in chief. But as usual you ###ss is full of ####hit
Lungu has failed and he is the sponsor of violence. Why is he called commander in chief when the country is now ungovernable? Saulosi shame on you. You’re the most stup!d PF cadre on this blog who is always glorifying your PF violence and shifting it to the opposition. The blood of Zambians which has been shed by your kachasu president through his cadres will one day cause him to leave office as a cursed president if he fails to take responsibility and repent before Zambians.
There is a difference btwn acting and condenming,acting means arresting those pf cadres and letting them appear before a judge for breach of peace as a charge,or assault or for breaking the electoral code.this is wht are laws stipulates,by mere issuing statements its a sighn of weak leadership.but i dont expect more from lungu as evidenced whn chama and mumbi issued hate remarks twds one ethnic group,today the duo ar still dinning with lungu.this is were mwanawasa is greatly missed.strong and courages in implementing the rule of law and not of men.
Both UPND and PF should be discouraged from conducting violence. But the President who is the Chief Commander should provide good leadership qualities by condemning violence be it from PF or UPND and stop blaming one party only. Abashi violence!! We want peace, we want Peace! we want Zambia`s peace that was fought by our fore fathers!!
The men of God need to help President Lungu.Lungu is in a dilemma. He wants to retain power but knows he cannot win free and fair elections. The only way to retain power is to rig the elections using violence.Even with violence and rigging Lungu cannot win these elections becoz people have already made up their minds and do not want Lungu to remain President anymore. Maybe the men of God can persuade Lungu to think, understand accept that there is life outside the State House. There is no need to set Zambia on fire. This fire will burn and consume Lungu,his family and his newly acquired wealth. Lungu must be made to reflect on these issues and restrain his PF cadres from committing these violent activities.
Please don’t waste your time advising this Edgar Chakolwa Vodka Kaloba Jameson Wrungu he is too stubborn and tell your congregants not to vote for the clueless,heartless,brainless,ruthless,hopeless,dullness,needless,directionless,spineless,useless and a drunkard from the shambles of Chawama bars.
Now that the PF thug who assaulted a Post reporter in Chipata has been convicted, the police must now go for gun totting Max Chongo. This guy has earned himself a reputation as a gunman more like Billy the Kid, the famous Western gunslinger.
God punish the evil doers and instigators of violence. It is only you God who can read man’s plans, intervene we cry to you in the name of Jesus.
Hope ECL has heard. ‘The buck stops at him’. Up to now he has not realized that he is president of whole Zambia of which PF is a subset. The sooner he realizes that, the less divisive he is going to be.
If he was competent leader he would have, but he isnt! He is a very scared man and possibly he doesn’t even believe that he can issue an order and this rubbish would stop!
I have stopped buying from any shop with a flag or poster of violent pf.
The continued violence is proof that lungu is not in control of the nation. Where there is a smart & strong President like the late mwanawasa, you will see this nonsense continuing he would have stopped the rot. Anyway what do you expect from a visionless President, copying his leadership styles after Mugabe & museveni!
Meant to say you will not see…
Please do not compare this useless drunkard of a Lungu with a decent upstanding man like Levy Mwanawasa!
Levy was a REAL PRESIDENT that did his very best for the Zambian people.
Church of ouncil who listens to you the State regard you as mere noise makers for now keep shouting.