Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ndola Pastors meeting was an unlawfully political assembly-Charity Katanga

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Copperbelt police commissioner Charity Katanga
Copperbelt police commissioner Charity Katanga

The Police in Ndola have charged five pastors and three officials from the Centre for Trade Policy and Development for unlawfully assembly.

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga said the eight will appear in Court on Friday.

She said the meeting that the group had was ‘political’ as they did not have a police permit.

On Friday Police disrupted a meeting organized by CTPD to reflect on the proposed 2019 national budget.

The meeting was at Ndola Central Baptist Church.

Katanga said eight people were warned and cautioned on Friday.

“Yes, we have a report where people were arrested for unlawful assembly. We had information that there is a ‘political’ group that had meeting without police notification. Initially, 53 people had gathered. But only eight were picked with one Pastor George Palo who who the led convener of the meeting. So eight were picked up, a warn and caution statement recorded from them. They were arrested and detained, later released on police bond. So they will appear in court on Friday charged with unlawful assembly,” she said.

40 COMMENTS

  1. So it becomes a political meeting because they did not have a permit?? The level of ignorance in Zambia is alarming. A police state will always find lame reasons to justify things they cannot justify doing.

    • Soon PF00Ls will start arresting people at weddings, funerals & serminars. Sure-sure people in churches are no longer safe.

      Public order act is an oppressive tool meant to preserve PF dictatorship. Freedom or Association, freedom of speech, freedom of movement are God-given rights, NOT a gift/privilege from PF & their illiterate cadres in police uniforms.
      Our forefathers chased away British colonial masters NOT because they were white but becoz they took away these rights. Just becoz our current oppressors are black, it doesn’t make any difference.

    • These people need to be smarter when advertising these venues ….advertise several venues if you have to but then again the church is compromised.

    • Welcome to the new totalitarian State. The national Budget affects everyone in the country, especially the poor people. Since the budget is based on taxpayer’s money, the citizens have a right to assemble and discuss how their money is being spent. This has nothing to do with being political. And the church, being an organ that deals with the poor, has every right to examine the budget and see if it addresses the needs of the poor in society. If it’s not, the church can make a recommendation to the government to improve the budget. There’s nothing sinister or political about that. The pastors weren’t gathered to discuss how they would throw PF out of office. But it’s characteristic of corrupt governments to increasingly become paranoid and autocratic. They’re scared of their own…

    • … shadows, because of the so many crimes they’ve committed, which one day they will have to answer for under a new patriotic government. Shame on Lungu and his PF thugs.

    • We are approaching independence day and it is my hope that our younger generation will not loose our HERITAGE for Zambia as a Nation.
      -If someone says there was freedom under Sir Roland “Roy” Welensky than now then we have a very big problem. It means we shouldn’t even be using the Zambian Flag nor call this country Zambia but Northern Rhodesia.
      -If some says there was freedom under Kaunda than now then I get more worried. I expected The Majority of living Zambians to have witnessed the ONE PARTY RULE with the WAMUYAYA SLOGAN.
      IT IS INIMICAL TO COMPARE NOW WITH THE TWO PAST ERAS. THE CORRECT THING TO SAY IS THAT CURRENTLY THINGS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN (COULD BE BETTER); than the madness of saying we were better off under Welensky than now – I FEEL LIKE CRYING

  2. What is a political assembly?
    This woman is foolish including most of those clones in the police…
    Tonight I am discussing the budget with my family and friends…..come and arrest us…

  3. WHAT HAS BECOME OF NDOLA CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH? IT IS NOW HARBORING CLANDESTINE POLITICAL GATHERINGS? OH…. THAT GREAT CHURCH WAS A BEACON OF SOUND CHURCH DOCTRINE AND SCRIPTURAL TEACHING. WHO IS THE PASTOR NOW?

  4. This chi woman is stup!d fyoto fyoto fyoto is all she knows about even if she knows the police r in the wrong, PFoools police r just like security guards for politicians doesn’t matter what’s wrong or correct

  5. Does the budget affect them as Zambians?
    If so, what makes their meeting to talk about it a crime?
    When you politicians want peace you call these Pastors and their members to pray- but when they seat to analyse or criticise your decisions they suddenly turn from being spiritual saints to political criminals.

    A timely warning from the bible( Proverbs in particular):-
    ” Be sure to know this, though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished”.
    This goes for any citizen of any society on earth, which is God’s creation.

  6. Its Zambia Police and NOT PF police.
    They have been charged and will appear in court.
    Its called the rule of law.

    Its NOT dundumwezi rule of law.

    • What’s the charge? Discussing the budget in a democratic country, democracy ya ba PF is another one, coz non of them have ever leaved in a true democracy .Sh!thole govt really suits these !diots

  7. Kikiki!!!!! hahahah!!! Imwe ati “She said the meeting that the group had was ‘political’ as they did not have a police permit.” so whenever one does not have a police permit to pray in church its political. I am surprised with the reasoning of the Police. Lets have learned people in the police service these PF are embarrassing us. Lets award police service good money so that we can attract those good brains from our schools and universities.
    We now have limited freedom under PF worse when the owners of Zambia machocholi take over their assets and country.
    Mutisebanya!!!
    Hey Charity!!!! Just go round every Sunday and arrest everyone from their churches. You will not run out of customers I tell you. In addition force everyone to pray on 18th October and not just any other day of the…

  8. Hey Charity!!!! Just go round every Sunday and arrest everyone from their churches. You will not run out of customers I tell you. In addition force everyone to pray on 18th October and not just any other day of the year….Mwawina!!!!
    Disaster!!!!!!!

  9. Censorship of the mouth. You can’t talk unless police think you are not talking politics. But I can assure you if this gathering was a P.F. support rally, they would have stayed quiet. Zambians you wanted Democracy in 1991 and this is not Democracy. Remember what Lincoln said about Democracy “A government of the people, by the people and for the people”.Do you the people want the right to speech or not? If talking about the current Budget is so controversial then what is there that you can talk about that won’t get you arrested.Politics is defined as “the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.
    the activities associated with the governance of a country or other…

  10. what I have concluded is that this was different from other other Church meetings. This particular meeting had drawn participants from different places, with a hidden agenda. Police officers usually work on tip offs. In as much as we may condemn the police let’s bear in mind that it is against the law of the land to hold meetings of such magnitude without a permit. At our church, we have gotten a number of permits or notifications into the police.

  11. Charity I know you are frustrated because you expected to be deputy IG but instead the position was given to that nincompoop Bobby kapeso but please don’t take it out on the innocent pastors.

  12. Thank you for the clarification Commissioner Katanga, makes sense now. Not a surprise considering that upend does not exist in the Copperbelt, and looking to start penetrating using some religious leaders. Tall order by T Hacks, doesn’t work that way, wasting your time.

    • It is not the job of the Police to stop a political party from organising. The Police are supposed to be neutral between political parties. The fact that the ZP supports a particular political party is such an indictment against the current police command. In any case no one under the current constitution in view of Mulundika Vs the State is required to obtain a police permit. Any one holding a meeting is only required to inform the police, that is all. The Zambia Police especially Charity Katanga are a danger to the country and its future.
      Mrs Katanga, where have you heard of pastors or politicians being arrested for holding meetings in UK, in France or Sweden. Ba Katanga, please have some shame. By the way who keeps promoting this woman!!!

  13. Now these dummies are afraid of their own shadows, what’s political about budget review meetings. Aren’t responsible citizens supposed to review budgets?

  14. “On Friday Police disrupted a meeting organized by CTPD to reflect on the proposed 2019 national budget.”
    Zambian leadership is now a complete disaster…..

  15. During 2016, all what we neended was a yes or no for POACHED. But you went flat out to tell the people to go for a no anxiety yet it was for their own good. Good clamp them so that they taste their own medicine. You took advantage of the illiterate majority and you though you had own the battle. Rubbish. Bravo CB Police Commissioner and team.

  16. Don’t condemn democracy. Its patriotism. Within the gathering, someone informed the police after seeing that the pastor was politically inclined. Police were not there initially. They were just called to come and kick out politicians pretending to be worshippers. That is rule of law HH talks about. If you want a political gathering, follow the procedure of getting permit. Don’t hide, ba buju bama gwila.

  17. This is worse than it was in the colonial I guess…. Very soon they will be needing people to get police permits for having family meeting… We are in trouble
    And then some one comes and talks about reconciliation and repentance what the hell…

  18. Ba katanga which one had more effect on your presumed position: allowing the meeting to go on without your intervention or intervening as you did. As a police person of your level a proper interpretation of situation was key.

  19. One cannot be running and at the same time scratching the bums. You need to work on one thing first. Freedom of Assembly is allowed in accordance with the Constitution. Unlawful Assembly can only stand in the Country which is at war and a declaration made that not more than 5 people or so can meet at one place.

    Where are the lawyers in the Police service??

  20. Where there is smoke honestly there must be fire! Before we starting commenting on certain issues lets be first understand the real issues behind. Are we sure the police can just wake up and go to arrest people who have gathered to meet for the just course? Why don’t we ask ourselves questions that are like relevant to the reason people have been arrested. Some meetings are worth to be investigated. Some use the church to champion there political ambitions…such an important meeting should have been held at place away from the church. Yes let them be charged for unlawful assembly!

    • The pastors were not organising a mass demo but trying to discuss the budget indoors. What honestly can be wrong with that?

  21. This is the worst country , worst leadership ever. using police to intimidate people won’t help matters, you are just worsening it . you can use any method to remain in power, it will never assist you in any way . The more you use PF police the more you loose popularity. your arresting of innocent people , leaving pf holding meetings day and night , committing all sorts of crimes , you think people are blind ? Any way God is watching . don’t say you were not warned, Iwe katanga time is coming when you shall never be in uniform . Who thought Mugabe could leave the office one day

  22. The Public Order Act was not created by the PF, please! Every country has it. If you want to meet and attack BOMA, get a Police permit and the POA allows for this!

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