On 24th September 2018 the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) Water Network Crew, carried out a routine exercise to seal leaks in various parts of Kitwe with a particular focus on Kazembe Road in Buchi Township.
The presence of the NWSC officers agitated the car wash owners and a confrontation started. This prompted the NWSC officers to call for a Police Officer from the Zambia Police Service for protection.
Around 10:30 hours, NWSC was informed that the leak sealing team had been stoned by the car wash owners and that the Police Officer had been attacked. The firearm had gone off at some point and one person was shot at. One of the NWSC employees named Angel Ngosa also sustained a deep cut on his left ear in the process and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The NWSC Head of Security rushed to Kitwe Teaching Hospital to confirm the incident and established that Topman Mwila aged 22, of House No. 420 Buchi Township was pronounced dead.
The Zambia Police Service is still investigating the matter and NWSC awaits the Police report.
The Management of Nkana Water and Sewerage Company regrets the loss of life.
Issued by Bivan Saluseki
Manager – Public Relations Nkana Water and Sewerage Company
Load of nonsense how many times are we going to tolerate police incompetence …. that actually comes with no long term consequences to them except their victims ????
but when a policeman is killed or attacked no one raises a voice. However, it is regrettable a life was lost.
Condolences.
This is a welcome change in Zambia. These guys at ” Issued by Bivan Saluseki
Manager – Public Relations Nkana Water and Sewerage Company ” Nkana Water and Sewerage Company have given a more journalistic informative break down on this matter, than Lusaka Times ever does with their articles and pieces. It is were Zambia should be. Let the authorities investigate even more.
Lets put other people first if we have to correct our current situation in Zambia. This love of making money isnt taking us anywhere. Remember today you have money tomorrow its somebody else. Ladies and gentlemen lets be upright and serve each other.
Letall law breakers learn from this and lets move on. Sad, but sometimes humans are pawns in the game.
The problem is that community no longer protect public property. The car washers broke the pipes for them to benefit rather than community. In the process one has to die. We need to change our mind set if our country is to develop. We need to condem this behaviour coming from cadeism.
Don’t be criminal minded the gun is not to scare criminals stay away because you can. These leaks contribute greatly water contamination. Cholera killed our brothers and sisters and no one would wish for a repeat.
@4,5 an 6 SPOT ON, It is this lawlessness that has led to the vandalization of our public infrastructure!! HOW CAN ONE RUN A CAR WASH ON STOLEN WATER?? Damaging infrastructure to create water contimination and shortage in the communitiy of hundreds for the sake of a few individuals!! LAWLESSNESS SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED,SUPPOSE THE STONES THEY WERE THROWING HAD KILLED THE SAME POLICE OFFICER OR ONE OF THE NKANA WATER CREW?? These mining town kombonis are becoming notorious for crimes even the so called Tokota Boys came from the kombonis!!
It is sad, but I think breaking public property is wrong, even they were making money to feed their children, the fact is they were using the water illegally not paying for it, that is theft, to make it worse, attacking the people fixing the problem, we have passed that stage. We should learn violence never solves problems but creates more problems, stay away from violence, you would have reduced some of the problems .
Condemning the perpetrators of crime may not just be the solution. When people face economic hardships, they tend to use force to survive. The violence reaction from the perpetrators of crime may be as a result of economic hardships they may be going through. We serious need to address these challenges. The very hundreds of people Nkana Water and Sewerage Company wanted to protect from criminals breaking the pipes also joined the criminals in attacking the police. I expected it to be the other way round.So when things start to happen like this just know that something is cooking resulting into eruption of violence especially from compounds like Buchi. I do not support violence or any criminal activities but simply stating that the problems must be addressed in a more rational way.
Terrible English from this PR person.To think his a trained journalist…
Let’s look at this issue with a wide scope.
Question why having linking pipes Answer water company have no specific guidelines on,where,how etc they should place pipes leaving them to be abused by public.
Most pipes are just on the surface.
Way forward give these companies specifications eg how deep they should dig.
Police officers should be always be ready not just picking everyone others are picked whilst drunk and will result into a case like this.
So blame the officer in charge ,commanding officer first
Buchi ‘township’ . why do we continue referring to our residential areas as ‘townships’? isn’t that colonialist retrogression ? Surely these places must be something better than mere townships by now
If the car wash boys had not taken the law into their own hands then police would not have been called and no life would have been lost regardless of whether it was the policeman’ s fault or not. Lets learn to follow the law and avoid such incidents.
Mean while a Zambian student has been killed in China for having a Chinese girlfriend…
African lives are cheap I tell ya.