The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s largest opposition party has urged the South African government to ensure the safety of incarcerated Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema.
In a series of tweet on his official Twitter account, DA Leader Mmusi Maimane said the Mr Hichilema must be released immediately.
Mr Maimane said Mr Hichilema’s arrest and treason charge is undemocratic and that South Africa must act now.
He said the arrest of Mr Hichilema must be condemned as that, “as South Africa we must do everything to defend democracy in the region. Release HH.”
And DA Spokesman on international relations and cooperation Stevens Mokgalapa and Shadow Minister of International Relations and Co-operation said this follows a raid on Mr Hichilema last week‚ where an unknown gas was allegedly released before Hichilema was arrested by Zambian police.
“The DA calls on the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation‚ Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane‚ to engage with the Zambian government over this very concerning situation,” said Mr Mokgalapa said in a statement.
“Importantly‚ the Minister should urge that Zambian government to give access to independent medical personnel to assess Hichilema’s health and to ensure that his human rights are being upheld‚” he said.
He said the DA condemned all actions which would seek to disrespect due process and the rule of law.
“The arbitrary arrest of political opponents in Zambia is deeply concerning in a constitutional democracy such as Zambia. Moreover‚ the grave human rights concerns that are associated with this arrest are condemnable.”
“If the ANC-led government is still committed to a human rights based foreign policy‚ which they should be‚ then the Minister needs to make a statement against these actions‚ and needs to put pressure on her Zambian counterparts to release Mr Hichilema,” he said.
“No country can be truly democratic when opposition parties are not free to challenge government power and to hold those in power accountable. When they face arrest and human rights abuses for such actions then that country is no longer free.”
Mr Mokgalapa said the DA believed South Africa should be leading the charge for the entrenchment of democracy and upholding human rights across the continent and that the DA would continue to pressure government to do so.
Tell them.
You are now confirming what we (UPND) have been saying about our democracy,
“No country can be truly democratic when opposition parties are not free to challenge government power and to hold those in power accountable. When they face arrest and human rights abuses for such actions then that country is no longer free.”
Kikikikikikiki………ati South Africa must act now. How can South Africa take any action when they have failed to act on Nkandla, Guptagate & the unconstitutional removal of EFF MP’s from parliament?How many times has Zuma gone against the constitution and South Africans have failed to do anything about it? Here in Zambia we arrest anyone who breaks the law and that’s why the person you’re supporting is behind bars!
Don’t you have problems of your own there to deal with? All HH’s friends will speak out from all over the world but our law will remain our law. We only have one zambia and we dine from zambia while your friend can dine with you there. You are killing and burning our brothers who come to look for food for the same people you friend wants to rule over. You are in fact a non thinker
I have no idea what these SA opposition leaders are smoking. Whatever it is that you are smoking, stop it immediately.
Zambia is a sovereign state with its own laws.
HH is not been held without charges, he has been charged and therefore, there’s nothing illegal about his incarceration to demand his immediate release.
His fate is now in the hands of our criminal justice system… chapwa
South Africa is one of the worst countries in the World, we all know that. Home to unspeakable acts such as xenophobia, corruption, gayism, gangs, drugs, firearms, violence, racism, auto theft, raps. Morally they are way behind Zambia.
@ Lazi:
At least they haven’t sank so low to sentence to death their opposition leader for a traffic offence committed by someone else (driver). Not even apartheid govt sank so low!
The DA leader looks like a school boy from Mukuba Secondary School. Can anyone listen to him? Does he have any althority? Atleast Malema, at the very least can have some clout
When one sees one sided statement then you know that its either fabricated or uninformed. Any one making statement on this issue should investigate 1st then make statement that helps resolve issue not making childish demands that only assist in increasing resolve of authorities in Zambia to push with strict due process. A crime was committed & our judicial system should be given chance to adjudicate. There are no sacred cows in Zambia. At same time President or parole board can intervene @ appropriate time if there is conviction & remorse on part of wrong doer. That’s why our prisons are correctional institutions. As God fearing country our leaders will always find solution if we refocus on peace as our main tool of leadership. God Bless Zambia!
@Lazi!
Inspite of that list of your negatives about SA thousands of Zambians have escaped that stup!d banana republic of yours and have made SA their home. And pretty soon when the drunkard has plunged the country in a civil war millions more Zambians will cross into SA.
Turning UPND into an extension of the Boers and arsonist Party is shameful at worst distasteful of HIchilema politics. From the crusades of Greg Mills and his predatory Anglo American interests to being aligned with the Boer carnage, UPND has lost it. Think of their carnage in Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe and South Africa on the black natives not forgetting the subotage we suffered not long ago.wrong alliance UPND. Alk Boers are banking on HH for land following Zuma’s announce land reforms in South Africa.
Confession from the mad man, HH will set him free and finally get him the help he needs at Chainama Hills Hospital. Thank You!
Is this the International Community HH refers to speaking on his behalf….
STFU DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is so unfortunate that Zambian politics have become so tribal. Our supposedly humble Edgar has done nothing to diffuse this time bomb. Even the judiciary has become tribal, one can predict outcome by the Judge’s ethnicity. This so sad. The One Zambia, One Nation has become noting but a cheap slogan
Very accurate observation. Tribalism is the new racism.
The problem is that there are no shops which sell mealie-meal or fuel at 1/2 price to nyanjas & bembas.
@2 Obatala, GOOD OBSERVATION BUT WE ALSO NEED TO SEE WHERE THE THIS ALL STARTED FROM! TO HELP YOU A BIT HERE IS WHERE THE UPND STANDS:1. ONLY A TONGA can lead UPND (2006Convention to succeed Mazoka)2. SAKWIBA has sold you Lozis, he is working Bembas in PF (HH, Western Province 2006 campaign)3.WESTERN,NW,SOUTHERN lets unite to control Zambia(Charles Milupi,UPND Rally in Mongu,2015)-where are other parts of Zambia and then see the voting thereafter!4.NW YOU ARE SUFFERING BCOZ PF HAS TAKEN ALL YOUR MONEY TO MUCHINGA,when you elect me all that nonsense will end(2015 election).5 VOTE FOR ME SO THAT I can change the constitution to help you(Choma 2016 election)6.WHEN I’M IN BULOZI I AM AT HOME (April 2017,Mongu)-what about when in other parts of Zambia?…++
Who is this useless chap to talk about our internal affairs. South Africa has bigger problems than Zambia and DA leader should focus on addressing them. We have a law in place and anyone who breaks it must be made to account. Therefore, there is nothing special about HH arrest.
It is because you have Stone Age mentality!
@sa
What do you mean who is this useless chap?
His country is host to the largest population of Zambians outside zambia. Hundreds of thousands of economic refugees have flooded his country because our leaders have failed us.
Just go to Kilimanjaro & summit Nite club in Joburg & see how many of our sisters are selling their bodies because of MMD & PF’s failed economic policies.
Have some respect for him.
@sa
He is not useless, iwe satana
Tell Musi maimane to slow down and get the facts right before he misleads the lost sheep.
The facts are already there. There in cases in the 90s of motorists who blocked FTJ’s motorcade, non of them was charged with treason. The motivation for the arrest is pure evil & hatred for HH.
In this case why was the driver not arrested? HH was targeted & set up. Lungu was supposed to fly by helicopter.
Such evil hatred is found in wild animals. Just because you can hide behind a keyboard & vomit such evil it doesn’t make it right. Have a human heart
It is sad that RSA’s largest opposition chooses not to analyse situations before they comment on issues relating to a sovereign state but instead follow the route of being influenced by unreliable media reports for political expedience. How can even South Africans trust this upcoming politician Musa Maimane to run their country if he can make such poor judgements when in opposition?? It seems opposition parties across Africa lack the calibre of politician that the freedom struggle produced. Opposition in Africa today don’t respect sovereignity, constitutionalism, laws of countries. Julius Malema is on record of attacking Ian Khama and Botswana’s sovereignity. We don’t need useless demands from disrespectful politicians whose aim is to promote anarchy and gain undeserved political…
After FTJ arrested KK, Mandela turned his back on zambia even though ANC HQ was in lsk.
Even today the relationship has never been the same. RSA has given special work permits to all sadc countries except Zambians.
Zambian cross-border traders are being given 3 days stay instead of 30 days at beitbridge.
Very true. DA, concentrate on matters in South Africa. Zambia has laws and whoever breaks them, the law takes its course, period.
That’s why u want to leave ICC so that you can “fix” anyone who speaks against u?
This monster u are creating in lungu will come & bite u soon.
…gain undeserved political mileage!!
I thought Musi was a bright chap who would see beyond the forest? Alas if it is true he has started poking his nose in other peoples business he better get the right information from the right people. He should gather his intelligence properly otherwise he will only depend on circumstance to become a leader of a nation other than ingenuity and real policy issues. He should understand that democracy in Zambia is far more mature than theirs. The problem of Africa is that we tend to think that the opposition ids always right no matter how stupid, we rarely think objectively that is the biggest problem.
When we hosted ANC & helped them in their liberation we were poking our nose in other peoples business?
The Zambian & Zimbabwean economic refugees in RSA are affecting their ability to deliver to their own people, so it’s his business.
When war breaks out, refugees won’t run to Zim but to RSA.
Opposition provides an important role checks & balances to prevent election rigging, wastage & looting which PF’s lungu has been all about from day 1. lungu himself declared that he made K23million in 1 year. Stop supporting mediocrity.
Arrest of HH is no longer political. It’s pure hatred & abuse of state resources.
The sad part is that we have a supposedly the most developed economy on the continent but instead of these guys behaving as such they have chosen a very shallow route of not getting the facts but just yapping for the sake of it. Musi has the opportunity to break the ranks of this arrogance way of doing things but because he is in opposition he chooses without thinking to support blindly his fellow opposition leader and that is AFRICA for you no objectivity at all we are all doomed in being led by blind leaders. Little does he know that his fellow opposition leader in Zambia is just as shallow.
@ Kev Munde
Mmusi Maimane is not shallow. It’s you that is shallow & can’t think straight because of your hatred for HH.
How do you hate a man you’ve never met. How can people who profess to be christians exhibit so much evil? Very hypocritical.
Dictatorial draconian rule has no place in Africa. Ecowas has taken a tough stance against tyrants like lungu wants to become. He’ll get his 3rd term/7-year term at all costs even if it means killing HH. At the end of his 3rd term he’ll declare himself life president. He’s stolen too much to let another president come & prosecute him.
Think beyond your evil hatred.
Are you afraid of Mugabe just across the Limpopo? How did they even meet …HH and Mymoney?
Bloggers! Enlighten me as to what constituted these treason charges stamped on HH before I can comment on Musi. Did HH resist arrest before Police teargased the house?
HH has never resisted. Why did the thugs and criminals in police uniform steal money from his house? Which type of police steals money and damages property? Or even teargases children and his wife?
“Importantly‚ the Minister should urge that Zambian government to give access to independent medical personnel to assess Hichilema’s health and to ensure that his human rights are being upheld‚” he said.
Lungu is trying VERY HARD to “ensure that his human rights are being upheld‚” !!!!
That is why he sent his police in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! And instead of knocking on the door, BROKE IT DOWN! And then as friendly greetings, HE TEARGASSED THE WIFE, CHILDREN AND EMPLOYEES!
Now just to show how well disciplined and well trained his Police Force are, he made sure they beat up a few others at the house. And observing all human rights standards, he left goodwill messages by SMASHING AND STEALING THE CONTENTS OF THE HOUSE AND ALL THE MONEY THEY COULD FIND!
Lastly, to make sure…
Lastly, to make sure that everyone knew the Police were there on “official” business, they left a note by defecating and urinating on the owners bed!
Of course Lungu is trying VERY HARD to “ensure that his human rights are being upheld‚” !!!
Musi is right and will be SA’s next president. Thank you for standing up. Lungu has gone way to far with what he has done. HH has done nothing wrong and has always been within the law. You don’t send thugs and criminals in police uniform to raid an innocent man and his family. The problem was the IG and no one on HH’s team. Everyone sensible has seen Lungu is up to no good. The good part now is Lungu is a good candidate for Hague thanks to such actions with or without Zambia in ICC. Clearly abuse of power and hamun rights.
Stupid demands from a stupid racist party that represents the interests of the white minority. Zambia is a sovereign state with enough laws to deal with law breakers and Hakainde is not an exception because he has no immunity. If he commits a crime like he has, the long arm of the law must deal with him firmly and farely.
Treason is a serious offence and that is why no President in Southern Africa can not condem the arrest of HH but a few opposition leaders like Maimanne tge racist can comment ignorantly.
Let HH learn it the hard way of respecting the law and begin providing checks abd balances within the confines of the law
@ Bog Boss
Your hatred for HH is too deep for you to make a rational assessment of the events. When a man has so much fear, hatred for a person. Maimane has every right to demand HH’s unconditional release over trumped up charges.
Traffic offenses are not treason. Only in the mind of evil hateful people. Remember HH is also a human being, a father, a husband before him becoming a politician. You wouldn’t love to have your father or mother sentenced to death for a traffic offence committed by another driver. So stop wishing it upon HH. Today it’s me tomorrow it’s you.
DA has been in opposition much longer than UPND. Maimane is just a nincompoop who barks like a dog when he has nothing to talk about is SA. Deaths is SA are the order of the day. Does he want deaths to spread to our country because of one fool in the name of HH?
Maimane, please talk about SA, as for Zambia, please zip it.
South Africa is the biggest Economy in Sub Sahara Africa and its Political Leadership should be taking a leading role in SADC Affairs. Zuma did not need to wait for the DA to alert him to the Crisis in Zambia. Zuma and SADC need to intervene quickly b4 Lungu plunges Zambia into a Civil War. All that SADC needs to do is to force the Hearing of the Petition in Court in terms of the Zambian Constitution. The Petitioners and the Respondents should abide by the Court’s Verdict. Zambians will accept and recognize whoever is declared Winner and Duly Elected President after Petition Trial.# Let the Petition be heard in Court.
Ndelolesha fye….BUT my worry is; tuleya kwiii? Rite direction? My Prayer; Almighty…*Give us the direction, a peaceful direction and spirirual light to see the way. *Open our eyes, speak for each one of us before we speak and *Let your voice be heard especially in this critical time. * We are filled with Earthly destructive emotions…Be our arbitrator…. intervene…..even in this time when us…. your children have lost your 10 commandments…refill us with your LOVE, MERCY AND HONESTY.. in Jesu mighty name… Amen! Thanks my bro and sis for praying together with me God is our Redeemer let’s be positive of his intervention is what seems “strange unZambian wind crossing our nation it will surely pass”.
Wrong priority Mymoney, your official Suzanne Zille recently tweeted that Colonialism was better than independent SA under a black president. You’ve failed to discipline that woman for a simple reason : Just like our GBM was given the VP of Upnd in order to get the “elusive ” Bemba vote, you’re also picked by the Boers in order to get the “difficult ” black vote.
Question to DA.Should we also come and arrest Zuma for you?We know HH is your friend but we arrest people’s friends when they commit crimes.We know you talk like that because you have also failed to unsit Zuma.Deal with your SA and leave Zambia to us.
Zuma is partly to blame for this Zambian political Crisis becoz of Zuma’failed Leadership not just to South Africa but the SADC Region. Zuma hosted Lungu in Pretoria and gave him the impression that South Africa recognizes his Presidency even though the Petition had not been finalized. Zuma should have told Lungu to allow the Petition without fail. By now the Petition would have been resolved. Now this Petition is plunging Zambia into a Civil War. Cant SADC learn from its counterpart in West Africa, Ecowas and solve the Zambian Election Dispute in a similar way. This Petition is the source of Zambia’s problems and SADC should intervene b4 Lungu starts a Civil War. In the same way that Zimbabwean Economic Refugees flooded South Africa Zambian Economic and Political Refugees will flood…
We should all be responsible and help heal our nation. I will always stand on the side of the truth. My introspection as a PF member tells me the way we picked Hichilema from his home to the Police station was inappropriate, despite the suspected gravity of the offence. It is the courts to decide the punishment not Police. We should treat one another with respect, if we are in church every Sunday then we should know that two wrongs don’t commit a right. This President we have also, he can’t continue saying I won’t interfere with Police and Judiciary, if he sees excesses, like the way the Police behaved, he is supposed to intervene, giving lame weak excuses does not help. PF for life
Well done DA for standing up for Democracy in Zambia. I would suggest DA calls for SA to apply sanctions against Zambia
This is just the beginning and I would advise the pf dogs to act sooner because the longer they leave it the worse things will get. It first starts with verbal warnings and then before you know it trade embargo. Some pf cadres here are so illiterate claiming south Africa is nothing and yet they forget that more than half their shopping basket is south African. Some even think going to south Africa is life’s biggest achievement. Things are bad in Zambia. Lungu needs to be assassinated for our own good. He is a mad rat
Your days are numbered nez.
when they fish you out of your hiding don’t say you did not have time to repent. You are following your leader’s arrogance.
Am not hiding. I have already advised that I am currently at levy mall park having lunch. From here I am going to meet my son in roma. If you are man enough come face me
@11 Malume, yes he did, according to his wife HH locked himself up in what she described as their “special room” and refused to come out when requested to do so. I think Mrs HH was emotional and allowed to say too much, I dont know what else she blurted out but it is incriminating for a charge of this nature.
You see, to Mrs Hakainde as most wives, her husband is always right, he is the hero, and he is entitled to break the law. But the reality is different Mrs Hakainde, we don’t see your husband as you do, to you he is husband but to me he is an uncultured UPNDonkey subject to the law like any other criminal.
Muzalila amai Hakainde, mulandu uyu uzafika patali with plenty of secrets about your husband that you will find out soon. Tekanyeni ba mayo!
Ndanje khakis, has the presidential political advisor KAIZER ZULU been disciplined for his outrageous behaviour at an international event broadcast worldwide which has brought shame on HIS EXCELLENCY and ZAMBIA.
Can you inform the world the current legal status of this abhorrent attack on the nation .
Ask Kanganja. In any case people will always amplify the misdemeanor of those in and if the president is not careful he could end up firing everyone. All the same I ain’t the IG.
As for the DA leader, if that is how shallow he is then I now understand and support Zuma’s fight 2,000% against these puppet colonialists. Forgive me Baba Zuma for my being previously misled about you. Today I have repented and will be more careful with what I read about you. Eishhh too many criminals in SADC pretending to be fighting for our rights!
Viva Zuma! Abashed colonialism who want to divide Africans! Abash petty burgeiouse.
ABASH HH too! Too many donkeys in Zambia, please crop them! KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI
SADC needs to become relevant like Ecowas. Zambia is the tipping point but they remain mute.
They let Zimbabwe degenerate without any condemnation & now we have zim refugees all over SADC.
Mmusi Maimane, if you are reading this, please assist in putting pressure on edgar lungu as he’s fast becoming an oppressive dictator & it may lead to bloodshed in the once beacon of peace.
For some of us, he appears not too oppressive.
HH is facing treason and not a mere case.Let us be serious and see what happens in court.Whether we talk blablablabla it will not help as at now.The courts will decide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How long was Mandela in jail? What does South Africa know about democracy apart from what we have taught them?
Ati what we have taught them. Even if that statement was true , how embarrassing is it that south Africa is million of years ahead of Zambia economically technologically and in all other social arenas while Zambia has now been taken back to what south Africa was under apartheid
South Africa didn’t learn from zambian democracy. ANC was founded in 1912. ZANC was founded in 1950’s.
Calling lungu’s dictatorship a democracy superior to south african democracy is an insult to the Greek founders of democracy.
Xenophobic South Africa should never say a word against Zambia’s issues when they do nothing about the killings of innocent hardworking foreigners in that country
We have War veterans who supported Mugabe but when the economy collapsed & fled to RSA
These veterans are like you who support draconian leaders like lungu but when the economy collapses like the way PF regime has done, it’s you & your fellow PF cadres that will escape & flood RSA & start competing for jobs, health care, schools meant for local south africans.
Were was Mosimanye when his friend Malema was being bashed in parliament?
Comrades, after critically reflecting on the mess i created in the few days of my incarceration, i have come to the conclusion that for sure BOMA ni BOMA. Forget when i said am ready to die or to be jailed. They say easier said than done.
Thank you,
HH,
5X Loser and rich fool.
@NEZ (NEW EDUCATED ZAMBIA UPND ) BEST BLOGGER 2016.
I plead. If you cannot get your historical facts right, try to organize your mental bearings.
South Africa used cheap black labour over centuries to build their infrastructure. Dissent was not entertained until 20 years ago.
The only thing any decent person can commend SA for, is the release of Nelson Mandela from prison after 30years.
and yet thousands of your relatives and possibly including you are economic refugees in south africa. Some of you even post on facebook to show off that you have travelled to sasaflika meanwhile here you are trying to be proud over nothing. All african nations were vicitms of cheap african labour so what really is your excuse for zambia been backward? please just accept that you have made silly decisions by letting docile clueless thugs like pf govern you
To Hell with your DA. Let him
Concentrate on their internal Issues and leave Zambians under the able Leadership of our President ECL. Whether this is true or a Figment it UPND imagination. Know that this will not work. Our Party President HH is in for a long time. The earlier you put that in your thick skulls the less heartbreak for you and the UPND
Since sa has now been reduced to junk bonds we are calling on our hon minister for foreign affairs kalaba to engage with his counter part from RSA so that the fired minister of finance can be reinstated. We also call on the hon speaker to engage his counterpart the speaker to for with stop ejecting juju and his members from parliament each time they air their democratic rights. We also wish the hon home affairs minister to engage his counterpart to stop xenophobia against the zim workers….
….and to allow for a secret ballot on removing Zuma from office.
Don’t forget Swaziland! It has the most oppressive government in Southern Africa and one would have started from that nearby country.
DA should tell the union and others to block goods from being taken to Zambia and vice versa with no PF leaders and PF police leaders being allowed in South Africa
Just as DA is barren in SA, so is UPND in Zambia.
Walasa mune. 2 white elephants wanting to get recognition
This so called DA Leader needs to first win an election before patronising us. He is another one that needs locking up.
Try this:
NO JURISDICTION, wrong boarder! Stay in SA where Blacks are still under White domination even after they vote.
DA “leader” Donkey Mmusi Maimane, whats that, a variant of UPNDonkey? No one will ever vote a donkey into power in South Africa. It failed six times in Zambia and it has given up, opting to cry for our sympathy. Don’t be deceived by a few seats in parliament, people just want some complexion in parliament. Ms Zille turns out to be a better leader than this disappointment of a black. You think that Zambia should apply laws based on your personal relationship with HH? No thanks we dont do those things in Zambia, even Jacob Zuma cannot tolerate such nonsense coming from a black donkey.
Mmusi, did you hear me, I said you a black donkey, now go jump over the table mountain!
Da like hh’s UPND have no backbone of their own or should i say an African backbone, they believe so much in the west kind of thinking so dont mind them, the white capitalist who wish to recolonize Africa via the opposition , not in Zambia MUSI, here when you break the law you get arrested and detained.
SA is a far worse country now than Zambia. What can they tell us about what we are doing in Zambia. This tribal “hero” of theirs has been charged and will appear in court today and convicted of treason.