A physical brawl that erupted at the Memorial Park burial site between PF and UPND cadres has been condemned as an insensitive and disrespectful disregard for a solemn environment.
Leopard’s Hill memorial park burial site Chairperson Sipho Phiri urged political leaders to tame their members to respect the dead as burial sites are not places for fighting or playing politics, says has said.
Mr Phiri said it was important to mourn and put departed beloved ones into their final resting places with dignity.
He was commenting on the clash between UPND and PF cadres yesterday at cemetery during the burial of rival members.
The PF were burying Mr. Amos Chilufya, husband to the Chairlady at the New Soweto Marker and the UPND were burying Clarence Malosa Zulu a UPND member, activist and blogger.
The incident happened when suspected PF and UPND cadres were burying their party members started exchanging insults which later resulted into a fight.
Mr Phiri said it was sad that the dead were no longer respected because political parties had resorted to fighting at burial places.
He said the fight which he witnessed was unfortunate and a taboo in Zambian traditional culture.
He said people should start differentiating between politics and mourning and political differences should be put aside during grievances.
Mr Phiri said innocent mourners were attacked, while some were brutally assaulted and beaten by suspected cadres.
He however thanked the police officers for a quick response as many people would have been injured and lives could have been lost.
He said memorial park management was deeply sad over the unfortunate incident which has been the first of its kind to happen.
Mr Phiri warned that he wouldnot tolerate such acts to continue or appropriate measures will be taken to perpetrators.
“So to come and find confusion here in memorial park and seeing people fighting is very sad as this is not a place for politics, but for sending off our beloved ones. It is very unfortunate to be fighting over politics in grave yards and this should come to an end.
In a same fracas there was another family which was burying a mother and the child were also chased and attacked for no apparent reason,” said Mr Phiri.
And police spokesperson Esther Katongo confirmed receiving four cases of assault yesterday around 13:00 hours from Memorial Park burial site in a confusion between UPND and PF cadres during the burial of the former’s member.
Police need to act and not just talk talk. You know the cadres from pf and upnd who make this nosense and its very easy to get them. Show us for us that you mean well. This is why they keep on fighting because it ends up just in talk talk.
This is what you should expect when Mr.Kudos and NEZ meet at a burial site.
Iwe bemba man how do you expect police to act when they themselves are pf cadres and know pf are the perpetrators. All this orchestrated from State house.
This is results from failure by law enforcement agencies to execute their duty professionally instead citizens have timid security agencies when it comes to provision of security and protection for individuals, their freedoms and enjoyment of rights!
Eff you and your entire clan. The pf thugs came to cause trouble at the funeral. Why can’t you caution them alone. You are worse than a dogs feaces. For this behaviour your lungu will die a quick but painful death. I curse the entire pf
Nothing ll b done because Police record clearly indicate:
PF cadres started the evil fight not UPND plz this clear
So let wait and see.
Imwee ba Kapokola you know the trouble makers are PF thats why you have made no arrests. if it was UPND starting the nonsense the police cells will have been full to capacity today. Grow up and do the right thing. Hope the government has stopped employing Grade 7’s and 9’s to do this very important job, but from the look of things we still have a lot of illiterate cops who can’t even record a statement.
Both PF and UPND cadres need to be condemned. Funerals and weddings are occasions that bring people together. But in this case, the cadres forgot what they went there for. Why insult one another and fight?
Most those injured were UPND Supporters and relatives who came to mourn and bury their loved Clance Zulu. Those who were injured should be interviewed and they will confirm that they were attacked and machetes by PF hired thugs. The PF thugs have already confirmed that they were hired by Mumbi Phiri to carry out these Barbaric Acts. There is no way the UPND Supporters could have done this to themselves. This is the work of the Panga Family (PF) no doubt. Violence and lawlessness is the DNA of PF and Lungu himself. We all know this from the time that Lungu became PF President.
NEZ you will die first before lungu dies
When u see the PF Police neutral Stance then u know it was the PF thugs who attacked the Clance Zulu mourners. ZPS always shields the PF leaders and their thugs. Had it been the UPND Supporters who had done this we would have seen many of them being arrested. ZPS is biased towards PF and always use selective application of law against the UPND. This attack was organized and spearheaded by Mumbi Phiri and other PF thugs.
Instead of providing unemployment for the youth..this is how the dictator lungu uses them, as hired thugs.
Mark my words that to the extent of where morality has so decayed in Zambia I won’t be surprised if civic leaders decide the solution to avoid such clashes lies in establishing first the party affiliation of the deceased before allocating the burial day and site!
Comment:Another corrupt examination for our clinical officers.As we all know ,clinical officers have the first touch on our patients in Hospitals ,clinics .They are the ones that see the patient first before is seen by the medical doctor.It is risky to have a practical exam that is endotted with malpractice and favouritism. For example in practical exams :viva examination is merely corrupt and is not subjective at all.One may be given marks according to favour,or relationship. The question is are we producing clinical officers based on these viva favour?At the other hand echos made a time table for each exam and each group to attend .However ,the time table was not followed .This is a case of CHRESCO,city university which were straightened to write psychiatry,pediatrics off time table…
imagine it was your relative say, Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Child or any from your close family being buried and such a thing happens. How would you feel? God will reward you for the Good and or the Bad that you do one day. Keep it in mind.
People of Zambia devil is working please let’s pray that Zambia should be a very peaceful land weather of or upnd we are one