Zambia state police are alleged to have killed three young people in Lusaka for merely wishing to peacefully gather and rally with their opposition political party of choice. It is widely believed that the police were carrying out orders from ‘higher’ command, reportedly from the outgoing president Edgar Lungu, in his desperation to stop his main presidential challenger of the opposition party, Hakainde Hichilema, from wrestling power from him in the August 2016 polls. On the material day, Friday, 8th July, 2016, the police are said to have used teargas, gun bayonets, rubber bullets and live ammunition on the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres to try and stop them from attending a political campaign meeting the police had earlier authorized in one of the densely populated part of the capital, Chawama, saying the rally had been suddenly cancelled on security grounds.
The senseless killing of the three members of the opposition party supporters has sparked widespread anger and condemnation, and rightly so. Any arbitrary extrajudicial killing of innocent citizens in their exercise of constitutional rights of assembly, freedom of expression, choice and conscience should make horrendous reading anywhere in the world. What is more appalling is that the suspected killers are the police who are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all citizens freely enjoy these rights as offered in the national constitution. Zambians have every right to be angry and demand that the responsible murderers are prosecuted.
What is more atrocious, however, is that this whole episode reminds the Barotse of what they went through on the 14th of January 2011, when at the hands of the same brutal state police, nineteen (19), and not two or three innocent Lozi people, including two infants, were killed as the police shot, bayoneted and tear gassed a peaceful procession of Lozi who had similarly wanted to go and attend a peaceful public gathering in Mongu. The injured were denied medical attention as both the Red Cross and Lewanika Hospital medical staff were threatened by the killer police not to dare render any attention to them. The state killings or rather massacres were unprovoked as the Barotse were unarmed and peaceful. Their only crime was to desire to gather peacefully with their traditional and royal leadership so that they could deliberate on the future of their political and social participation in the country they have known since 1964 to be theirs. The Barotse have a legitimate political grievance that is no fault of theirs, and they have every right to seek peaceful redress on what they believe is wrong with their citizenship in Zambia. As a people that can read, and also having been tutored by their parents, the Barotse argue that they only became part of Zambia through the conditional and express terms of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 signed with Northern Rhodesia and the British, which never saw the light of day because Kenneth Kaunda’s first Zambian government unilaterally repudiated and abrogated it by 1969. Consequently, they rightly felt cheated and peacefully wished to know how and why the people of Barotseland should be termed as ‘Zambians’ in the absence of the 1964 pre-independence treaty that would have legally sealed their Zambian citizenship.
However, perhaps the Lozi like the UPND members were so naïve and deluded to believe that the Zambian constitutional provisions of freedom of association, conscience and freedom of expression were indeed real. Alas, that dark 14th day of January 2011, and somewhat the incident of last week Friday the 8th of July 2016, may have just proved that human rights in Zambia are a façade and a preserve of only a few. Perhaps one needed to belong to a special breed or section of Zambia to enjoy certain constitutional rights to the fullest. It is reported that while members of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party, enjoy free assembly, free expression and easy daily access to the national media, the UPND like the Barotse are denied the same. In fact, it is reported that the only free independent media that gave coverage to the Zambian opposition parties were either threatened or completely shut down by the state, a fate too familiar with any media that has dared to cover Barotseland issues differently from the state propaganda on the matter.
How must the Barotse feel at the State Police killing of 19 in 2011?
In 2011, the Barotse also sadly learnt that Zambians, unlike now when they have spoken in outrage at the killing of the three UPND cadres, were largely and conspicuously silent during their gruesome ordeal. Even the Zambian church, human rights watch groups and the Zambian legal fraternity all went mute in the face of such state instigated atrocities against the Lozi. In fact, the many Zambians who spoke through various social media platforms actually mocked them and spoke of how the Barotse ‘deserved’ being ‘dealt with’ in such a heavy-handed manner from the government and state agents. It was not uncommon to read on many such platforms cruel mockery of ‘kufipaya fye!’ meaning the Lozi deserved to be killed as they were allegedly ‘stingy’ and/or ‘selfish’.
Unfortunately, what many Zambians don’t know is that 14th January 2011 was the turning point for most Lozis as they realized that they were actually an ‘undesirable’ group of people in Zambia to the extent that instead of drawing strength and support from the Zambian public, they were being mocked in their repression.
In the present sad situation, however, we see solidarity to the opposition and the innocent killed, and this is how it should be. In fact, the Zambians should have recommended another day of national prayer, fasting and repentance at this sad and barbaric killing of the innocent young souls. However and sadly so, in the case of the innocent Barotse killings in 2011, no one has to this day ever apologized or taken responsibility from the national leadership for the death of the 19 Lozi. There were no official funerals, but government leaders were seen trying to outdo one another in their justification of the shooting of the Lozi, through their propaganda media and their parliament, and the people of Barotseland were portrayed as criminal ‘secessionists’ who had committed the capital crime of ‘treason’ by allegedly seeking to set the so-called peaceful Christian country on fire.
Yet, these assertions were lies and mere propaganda, as the Rodger Chongwe commission of inquiry draft leak would show later, that in fact this was an act of senseless killing of unarmed Barotse. The Zambian government even lied through their propaganda national media ZNBC that only two (2) people were killed; one for wanting to set a service (gas or filling) station ablaze while the other was killed by a strayed bullet. The government constituted Chongwe commission of inquiry, however, would later reveal that actually 19 people died instead of two. Although, the inquiry findings have never been made public, this singular fact was preempted by Dr. Rodger Chongwe himself, a renowned lawyer and chairperson of the commission, as he officially submitted the commission’s conclusive findings to fifth republican president Michael Sata.
Can Zambians imagine how this senseless killing must feel in the hearts and minds of the Barotse? Is it any wonder that many Lozi are no longer interested in Zambia, but have simply adopted a silent revolt, like the now growing ‘watermelon revolution’ where UPND cadres wear green PF party regalia on the outside while their under garments are the red regalia of the opposition party for fear of reprisals from the violent PF cadres? The Lozi in Zambia have similarly had to learn how to bear their pain and heartache in silence because they know that if they openly showed their emotional distress caused by their torturous existence in Zambia, they would attract government and police reprisals without any Zambian sympathy. In fact, the quickest way for any Lozi to get imprisonment today is voice out publicly or audibly what one really thinks about Barotseland. What is distressing is that to the Lozi, Barotseland is home, and now they are forbidden to even talk freely or read literature about Bulozi (Barotseland), their home land!
If the death of one or three Zambians at the hands of the state police hurt Zambians so much, can one imagine how the similar senseless killing of 19 innocent Lozi must feel in the hearts of the Barotse?
It is no longer a secret that the 14th January 2011 Barotse massacres were so gratuitous that even the presidency seems too ashamed to release the findings of the Chongwe commission four years after it was submitted, although the inquiry gobbled over K5 billion (about USD1 million) tax payers’ money at the time.
#BarotseRightsMatter
By Political Editor,
Barotseland Post
It is not strange that it is only leaders from Eastern Province, RB and Chakolwa Chagwa, who have been willing to kill fellow Zambians so that they cling to power. These people are sly and slimy, famous for muzungu anikonde. Now Zambia’s number 1 murderer resides at State House. Chakolwa Chagwa’s hands are dripping with Mapenzi’s blood.
We all NOW KNOW THAT IS IS TIME FOR CHAGWA TO PACK HIS BAGS AS WELL AS ALL HIS POTIONS THAT HE HAS ACCUMULATED IN STATE HOUSE & LEAVE ON 12/8/2016!!
HOWEVER WE ALSO KNOW THAT HE WILL HAVE TO BE DRAGGED OUT OF THERE KICKING & SCREAMING, I will NOT BE SURPRISED IF HE WERE TO BITE THOSE TRYING TO DRAG HIM OUT!!!
AS SUCH, we call upon THE PROPER DEFENCE FORCES & OP to walk WITH US ON 11/8/2016 as well as the days following – WE KNOW CHAGWA WILL DEPLOY HIS “UNIFORMED MILITIA THUGS” masquerading as POLICE – We need you the defence forces to STAND FIRM, if it has to come to it – REFUSE/REVOLT against the “KAMINAMISA” GENERALS & COMMANDERS who are under CHAGWA’S ARMPITS(sorry, very smelly!!)
MAKE THEM RUN & CLIMB WALLS, just like when “Capt Solo” ruled for a few hours – the…
….the pot-bellied Generals were climbing over walls, running abandoning their wives & children just like the cowards they are!!
Vote WISELY 11/8/2016!!
Vote ZAMBIA FORWARD!!
VOTE FOR A UNITED & PROGRESSIVE ZAMBIA!!
VOTE FOR A PARTY WITH A VISION FOR A RESURGENT ZAMBIA!!
VOTE UPND!!
Abantu baya!!
#Chagwamustfall!! #PamaFikuyabebele!!
LETS WALK TOGETHER with utwa “REDI” INSIDE!!!!
I thank you!!
The most bitter tribe in Zambia are Lozis.
They are also good at backstabbing each other.
They are selfish people who want development to be given on a silver plate.
They have too much pride and always hiding in silly Royalty.
Rich Lozis never want to develop their own land in western province. They would rather sit in big cities and cry on the suffering of their people.
Chipata is the fastest growing town in Zambia. Probably the cleanest Provincial HQ. This is because sons and daughters from the east have invested back home going back to the 1970’s.
Kasama is another example because it also has son and daughters from the north giving back to its homeland.
Lozis… NOTHING.
They would rather show off and complain.
Time to move on from 2011 Killings…
Time to move on from 2011 Killings. MHSRP!!
Anger & Complaining does not bring development.
!!!!!!!!
These Lozis like living in the past. Still discussing 1964, 2011 and now comparing to a lovely UPND cadre. Move own… Barotse Barotse, you just cost use votes. Don’t simply vote in Zambian elections.
MAPENZI was liked that we know, and we have moved forward.
My honest opinion is that Mapenzi’s death is more painful than that of the 19 Barotse activists. This is because whereas Mapenzi did nothing illegal to deserve such gruesome murder, the Barotse activists were trying to divide the country which could lead to treason.
this is one of our goals today, to understand how an accultist thinks when he is contemplating any particular action. we will then discuss the occult original gals which which the master of illuminate and UPND shared the presidence. let us begin whit the divination beliefs of accultist.divination is by charles kakoma ‘the practice of trying to fortell the future or the unknoen by occult means’ as we said earlier, no occultist will attempt any major action without first determining the most auspicious time in which to cary out this action. this effort to determine the correct time for an action is carried out to precise days and times. A good example is the presidence of UPND because according to the occult doctrine, this combination of of prayer and occult. typical occult behavior is…
Ba LT. Can you please blacklist the tribalist Buckteeth? Does he have to exhibit his hatred of people from the eastern province so openly?
The author of this this article is a lunatic who is so biased to twist facts. How did he not talk about the illegal action by upnd?:how did he not araborate how the insidant happened that a lady was nicely photoed before being killed by upnd and hakainde? This is all rabish
“…araborate how the insidant…” ???
Lack of intellect, education, brain power or just comment by another “wise” and “humble” thug?
Such a mentality @Lamfras is very retrogressive. Zambia has to move to higher heights not sliding backwards. Go and live in North Korea and sing all the praises you want to “the great leader”. This violence is not welcome. If we had a leader like Mwanawasa, do you think this development would be allowed to flourish?
@LAMFRAS,…At least learn spelling and grammar, if you want to be taken seriously. Three people died, and the evidence points to police brutality and partisanship. Regardless of your party affiliation, agree that the police are expected to be impartial, equally protecting the rights of all Zambians. Zambia is a democratic state and not a police state. Which means, people have a right to assemble, have freedom of speech and freedom of association. If they are denied a permit, and they still decide to assemble, because they believe they’re being treated unfairly, it’s called civil disobedience, and it doesn’t mean you give them a death sentence. Only dictatorships do that. You’re not concerned today about police brutality because they’re working in your favor (assuming you’re a PF…
(Continued)… cadre). What if a new government comes into office and these same police begin to harass and persecute your party? Are you going to like that? Most likely, you will be the first one to condemn them. And remember I’m not even a UPND cadre.
Too bad for mother Zambia
Iwe Boyi wewa ku Barotse. Why do you still support Law Breakers? Police are just being professional to curb conduct likely to cause breach of peace for us peace loving Zambians. Long Live the President!! Long Live the Chagwa!! Lets go Icitintangómbe & give ECL, Mr. “walk the tall” his two full terms.
Iwe Political Editor, wanya ukafwa ne cikonko!! At the end, God will also punish you!!
Ifintu ni Lungu that’s all. HH thinks he can manipulate women by asking them to withhold sex from their men. He is encouraging GBV.
Yaba aba nabo! Empty rhetoric from some deranged so called Lozi activist. How can you analyse a matter correctly if you cannot even .acknowledge the facts glaring into your face?
Have you noticed that even the church and NGOs are muted in their response to that death last friday? Even the parents of Mapenzi. They all know that someone called hh has a hand in this either directly or indirectly.
RB helped ECL become President of Zambia. In return ECL rewarded RB by restoring his immunity from prosecution. Soon after assuming office ECL and RB started scheming how to rig elections and retain power in August 2016. Both RB and ECL agree the only way for Lungu to retain power is to rig elections by any means. They are using violence to steal the vote. Its in RB and Lungu’s interests to retain power becoz RB and ECL have committed similar crimes. As they say birds of the same feathers flock together. Beyond Kumodzi kumawa or Wako niwako ideas RB and ECL need each other to protect their loot and common economic interests.
How many people where killed? there cant be an outgoing president before elections, Where were the UPND leaders when their members where being beaten?
The killing is also suspicious, of all the carders, she was well captured and documented even before her death, right upto her mortuary? no privacy even in death, all to put a man into power.
whats important to follow, a Police ORDER, or cowardice leadership instruction to defy police order?
The killing was bad, very bad, but the writer wants to enrage people by bringing in the barotse issues.
BLESSED ARE THE PEACE MAKERS
It has taken the Scottish over 300 years to reach their desired aspiration of freedom from the double dealing British and soon the Scottish will by the power of the referendum without any bullet fired be free of the yorks of the once mighty British.
Bulozi similarly has reached a point of no return because who ever takes over at Plot 1 should know that the struggle continues.
Bulozi must be free!!
Obviously,there will be no sympathy comments but we are marching FORWARD!
You are wrong man,two years ago Scotland voted to remain in Britain.It’s Nicola and his cabinet who keeps on insisting that they should leave great Britain despite of the that proposal being rejected by Scottish via a referendum two years ago.The other thing is that you cannot compare Scotland to Barotse because Scotland is a country occupied by People of the same genre and has got defined borders,whereas the Barotseland has no defined borders (except from those demarcated by the British) and doesn’t the genre of People within these artificial borders which only limits Barotseland to Mongu and the surrounding districts.You cannot go to the nkoyas in Kaoma or to the Lambas in the Copperbelt and tell to vacate their land because the British said so.So instead of drifting apart lets unite…
What is peace when other people feel their rights are being infringed upon without justification . The article is an eye opener. Zambia is no longer peaceful. A lot needs to be done to heal this country. lip service to critical things will not yield anything . we need maturity and level headiness to win back the good old days in Zambia.
Where I am and people I associate with across all parties we are very peaceful and I hate language of incitement and hate at the expense of love and peace. The good thing about Zambians is that we always choose peace and harmony. Watch out for war mongers.
VIVA HH 2016
LUNGU IS A SERIAL KILLER. HIS HATE FOR THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE IS WHAT HAS MADE HIM INSTRUCT THE USELESS POLICE OFFICERS TO KILL INNOCENT LIVES. LUNGU MUST BE PUNISHED ON 11 AUGUST. NO VOTE FOR LUNGU. NO VOTE FOR THE MURDERER!
Reading this story breaks my heart and I feel for the families that lost loved ones at the hands of police. It does not matter that is was in 2011 or 1811 the fact is a loved one was wrongfully killed and no one acknowledged it or took responsibility.We can not claim to be one Zambia one nation if we treat Lozi’s the way we have been doing.My condolences to the people of Barotse land.
@13ex-moma, could you elaborate how the Lozis have been treated? Today the most expensive road in Zambia if not the whole of subsahara Africa has been constructed in Western Province (so called Barosteland)! Bridges,canals, new schools,hospitals and electrification of rural areas is all being done there. The Vice President,second most important person in the political system So how bad are they being treated?? In fact if they were to be treated badly or is it properly?- the current government especially Edgar who they rejected so badly after what his party PF had done for them would have just forgotten about taking more development there and concentrate in areas where they elect them which are otherwise neglected!!
@Zambia is ours – please do not for any minute think the government does it’s citizens a favour by building roads or bridges!! That is the job of any government.Leaders are put in power to oversee the well being of its citizens.Pf did no one a favour!! Western province has been poorly developed for many years more money has been poured to other provinces.If 19 people were killed it should not have been swept under the carpet.I doubt the family of the deceased protestors will ever appreciate a road or bridge built by people who murdered their loved one in cold blood. They may have every right to be bitter and such bitterness when left to fester is destructive….many civil wars are caused by such things and we dont want that in Zambia
@Ex-Moma,nowhere did I say that killing people is justified or developing any part of Zambia is a favour from political parties. I only drew you to the difference between the past and the present. If the party in power today is reaching out to all Zambians and trying to distribute development projects in an equitable manner then we must appreciate that. It is not even a mistake even for any party in power to remind people of what it is had done because they have to show that they do the job they were elected to do! It is hard to see equal development in all provinces at once,as terrain and needs of specific areas dictate cost and priorities. One road in some place may cost twice to make in another so it may appear like less work done where it costs more.Please check also how…
Just go and vote than wasting your time writing things from 2011 up to date just go and vote for your tonga president and see if he will win
@TELL THEM
You are wrong. Mongu has had no Asians yet it has grown. Those of us who went to school in Mongu in the 1970s and 1980s know that there were very prosperous businesses in Mongu. The livestock and fishing industries were booming. The town was beautiful. Today the town center looks dilapidated but the residential areas have expanded. There is no town I feel more at home than Mongu maybe seconded by Choma and Livingstone. No insults and people are down to earth and polite. I only experience this in Namibian and Botswana towns.
Barotseland includes LUSAKA, CENTRAL, COPPERBELT AND NORTHWESTERN PROVINCE; So mind your language you Tonga Tribalists.
@16ngana, that is a good reminder especially to the author who says Barotseland is Bulozi. Is he aware that the British colonialists would not have signed the agreement with the unsuspecting Litunga at that time if Barosteland was to be limited to sand,flood plains and some forests? Their interest was in minerals on the CB and NW provinces. Now,do secessionists still think that Lusaka,CB,Southern,Central and NW would accept to cut themselves out of Zambia and be controlled from Mongu? Even within Western Province not all ethnic groups are Lozi and thus some would not agree to secede! Just see the confrontation between Lozis and Nkoyas!! This whole issue is totally outdated or it should be debated differently within context of developments that have taken place since 1964
My Lozi house mate would invite his relatives home.They would then be laughing aloud as we eat.. knowing very I am not part of the conversation, proud-for-nothing people. KK would say ‘stupid fool’
@1 Buck something, the way you are condemning easterners you have failed to hide your tribal inclination as a chuundu party UPND. So how do easterners in your party feel about this fact? Canissius even other tribes like bembas? Wasnt HH campaigning in eastern province recently? When people thought that UPND had changed its tribal colours I insisted that it was impossible except for window dressing, now I am vindicated. So who will vote dor HH imwe ba tribal UPND? Bembas and ngonis are disposable tools by HH, that is why Canissius was discarded like soiled baby diapers, next is GBM, if he does not dump UPND first in the next 29 days. Watch!
LT, if you want to continue being considered one of few responsible online media you need to have or strengthen your editorial policy. Bearing in mind your heavy & serious responsibility to responsibly inform & educate you must not be used as a tool to spread hate & divide Zambia. That can’t be your objective otherwise you shouldn’t be publishing anything. This article is abusing your platform & is simply inflammatory, divisive, bigoted & insidious. This is just an election & we have to live with each other afterwards. Don’t be used to plant seeds of hate that may breed further hate too difficult to reverse after. God Bless Zambia.
Who writes these articles? Please take a short course in writing articles before you press send.
This battle against easterners will not work.
Sweet women, (ask Chiluba) married two of them, Ask Ba Kaunda, Ask RB.
Sweet men: Ask RB, Mangani, Lungu, Mvunga.
It seems the Lozis have already forgotten how Sikota was mistreated by their fellow tribe cousins. The other thing I know that Western Province have appreciated the PF works, if they don’t it is up to them. We are not supposed to judge them God will.
No matter the sway, Edgar is winning and the PF government will continue with their agenda of developing and uniting this country. God bless our leaders!
Barotse? Do mean Western Province?
Big e well done. A kingdom is a selfish phenominon which dwells on a ruling family. America is the greatest nation on earth because it is not partitioned in countries with independent political leaders but states running from coast to coast. No wonder Swaziland and Batsutoland are failed states compared with RSA the magnet of Africa which infact hails from the same geographical space. Let us forget about colonial impositions such as the Loyal estab, lets develop our mother Zambia by building our selves mosaic cities where ever we are to shame our former colonisers that blacks do not only just cry any how but are a very hard working and sensible beings. Otherwise we shall continue crying and sounding sonorously about’ black lives matter’. Africa is associated with wars, poverty and lack…
Oh dear patriots lets unite and put an end to these debates which only feed tyranny and anarchy.Before independence Zambian kingdoms were only as big as the small land which was occupied by the members of that kingdom.It’s the British who came and drew these artificial borders.The Litunga’s authority does not go beyond mongu and the surrounding areas,his kingdom.You must understand that the land which you claim has got tribes and it’s chief’s who have been living their from time immemorial and their forefathers never even knew the existance of the one called the Litunga.We have got kingdoms like;the chewe Kingdom,the Lunda kingdom,the kingdoms of people from northwestern provinces whose borders and authority goes beyond borders but they never claim those extensions to be part of…
of their kingdoms.Why don’t you ask People like Sikota Wina and the Sakwiba Sikota what they were doing in Lusaka and other parts of Zambia which you don’t to be parts of Barotse before independence.Do you know that it was Godwin Mbikusita Lewanika who led the most powerful trade union in precolonial era.All these Lozi warriors understood that they were part of Zambia and not Malawi,Zimbabwe or any other neighbouring country.Can you accept if the British came to you today and tell you that Barotse belongs to Britain because Lewanika sold it at 4000 pounds.Your argument is irrational and divisive.And please don’t spend your time listening to negative people cause the will mislead you into thinking that LOzis are useless just as they say that bembas are thieves,kalundas are…
witches,tonga’s are backwards and selfish,easterners talk too much,mambwes are dirty and so on.That is the language of tribalists.You should come to my hood and you shall see how the Chandas,the Mubitas,the Mwaniidas,the Mweembes,the Shikangas and the Ng’ongas leave together in perfect peace.
In my opinion Mwanawasa was propped up by the Post Newspaper becos they were benefiting from him. The Post vilified RB like they did Chiluba and now Lungu becos they refused and refuse to be held by the balls. LM may have done some good things but he is the one that started the disintegration of the civil service by planting his relatives>family tree.
why didn’t you accord the other two cadres a descent barrial like mapenzi? Were they less UPND cadres? By the way why were they not picked by the camera?
What a big fat loser it is who ever wrote this shi.t article. bArotse is just but a province of Zambia, just like the other provinces. What makes this wanker think Lozis are any different from other Zambians. If you want to secede, then maybe go back to your roots in Caprivi, Botswana or South Africa.