Police in Ndola have arrested a senior official from the ruling PF over the smuggling of mealie meal to the Congo DR.
PF Ndola District Youth Secretary Oscar Himanga was picked up on Monday afternoon as he attempted to smuggle 70×25 Kilogramme bags of mealie meal to the DRC through an illegal bush path in Kawama area via the Ndola-Mufulira road.
Mr. Himanga who is also PF Kamba Ward Councilor was immediately detained at Kawama Police Station before he was transferred to Chifubu Police Station where he was in detention until Thursday.
Copperbelt Province Police Commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed the arrest in an interview in Ndola adding that Mr Himanga will appear in court soon.
On Wednesday, Ndola City Council held an emergency Council Meeting to discuss the matter and agree on disciplinary measures to be meted out on Mr Himanga for bringing the name of the Council into disrepute.The resolutions of the Emergency Council Meeting have not yet been made public.
And some police sources have revealed that Mr Himanga was infact arrested along with some PF youths based in Ndola who were part of the smuggling ring.The group was only released after PF Provincial Chairman Nathan Chanda intervened in the matter and facilitated for the payment of the police bond.
The senior police officers have also indicated that there is pressure from Mr Chanda’s Provincial Executive to drop the case as they fear that it will damage the party’s reputation and upset President Edgar Lungu.
“What we know is that Himanga and his friend have been doing this smuggling business for a long time and somehow one of the youths in the party tipped the police. On Monday, they had two trucks laden with mealie meal destined for Congo, the police pounced on them when the first truck was about to cross using the bush path but somehow the second truck was diverted, perhaps the driver was alerted about the presence of the police. The first truck had 70×25 KG bags and it now parked at Chifubu Police Station covered in a tent,” the police source said.
The source said Himanga had initially resisted arrest and threatened to deal with the arresting officers if they went ahead with their procedure saying “he was a big man in the party.”But police officers were unfazed by the threats and went ahead to pick him up together with the truck along with some youths.
Meanwhile, some PF members in Ndola have called on PF Secretary General Davies Mwila to step in and bring sanity to the party on the Copperbelt.They stated that the arrest of party officials for smuggling is just a tip of the iceberg of the many illegalities that party officials are engaging themselves in using the name of the party.
“What is happening is that these party officials are so greedy and their greediness is affecting the popularity of the party in the province. The people of the Copperbelt now feel that the PF officials are eating alone neglecting the people who voted the party into office. If President Lungu doesn’t act quickly, the party will go into oblivion,” the official said.
They added, “the current district and provincial officials have shown that they are in the office just for their own interest. If it is not smuggling, then it is contracts or the Black Mountain. We need to open up our eyes or else the PF is finished in the province.”
Sick men do not treat sick people.
This is quiet embarrassing.
People should learn to live by their means
Thanks
BB214,2016
Don’t you mean “quite embarrassing”, not quiet?, you should know better being a PHD holder!
– quiet is what you should be once in a while!
I’m not a PHD
Arrest ka Nathan Chanda too, that is obstruction to justice.
It’s obvious PF in copperbelt is so finished, it’s childish.
Why not arrest kakunkubiti for interfering with Police work? What reputation is there to protect when the scandals are the order of the day?
‘This is quiet embarrassing.’
This from a PHD holder is very sad .
Thieves will always align themselves where the bread is buttered. Himanga has been in the business of illegal allocation of land for a long time and no one has been acting on it. It is a shame that most of thieves have hidden themselves under the canopy of ruling party. This case will not go anywhere. It will just be swept under the carpet like the way other cases from crooks are. These are the same people that have made politics to be dirty. It is no longer a services but personal aggrandizement. The whole system needs to be swept clean and put in a bin of oblivion. Otherwise, crooks and thieves cover themselves under the umbrella of political parties.
He was not wrong because the BIG boss invited all cadres to appreciate that UUBOMBA MWIBALA ALYA MWIBALA. If stealing is promoted by the mwine, who is the poor Ward Councillor to see nothing wrong in smuggling mealie meal? Release him because there are so many thieves some smuggle Mukula Tree and no arrest has been effected because its a norm in PF to steal with impunity.
While people condemn the smuggling of mealiness by anybody the narrative that ubomba meibala Alta mwibala is used wrongly. The unadulterated meaning of this word is contrary to what people are using it to mean. It is appreciated however, that our great nation has come a long way from Eg Liswaniso Liswaniso to; Liswaniso Banda, Hakainde Mulenga, Musonda Nyirenda, Nchimunya Lungu, Mulenga Sikazwe etc. one would expect that the deeper words in any language would be adulterated to suit ones narrative. The original meaning of the idiom “ ubomba mwibala alyamwibala” was used to instill responsibility on the workers to be dedicated to their place of work because their livelihood came from there.
He is not PF. This is purely UPND infiltration. Just look at the name. Everything is there.
Ulichisushi
What has the name got to do with it, next you will be say ECL infiltrated PF!
These are the kind of people giving Edgar Lungu a bad name. Let the law take its course till its logical conclusion.
I’m pretty Sure that this is a case of mistaken identity by the media and ZP.We dont have such names(Oscar Himanga) in PF.He must be a UPND member because the Himanga name comes from Kainde’s followers!!!
No more comments!!
Tribalist detected.
Three reason why people act that way
1.Perceived pressure
2.Opportunity
3. Rationalization
There’s no excuse for crime. If I shoplift in Shoprite because of hunger, you think the court would entertain such mitigation? No. ..I stole therefore I must face the music.
Very embarrassing for that idi*ot!
It is to be expected that i govt formed by Street man will live by the Street rules – nothing surprising here.
I feel sad for the people of Zambia!
The party’s motto is, “Do what say and not what I do.”
Nobody is giving ECL a bad name. Our society is 52% PF, 48% UPND etc… the ratio of criminals would not be expected to be different if picked from the population. If thieves were caught in CHOMA for example they will very likely be UPND. Therefore affiliating deeds to political party will yield such results. JUST SAYING
Just send him to prison. …party doesn’t matter. …he’s committed a crime simple and straight forward. The name sounds strange though?
Let people export mealie meal openly – why the unnecessary restrictions? Just put regulations and controls in place to safeguard against rising costs here due to scarcity. FRA already has the necessary stockpile – so where is the problem????
It’s the best but it appears someone with vested interests will do anything to undermine the system. Mwenya Musenge was such.
You’re right smuggling is wrong but is an eye opener to the government to legalize the trade and shift they high taxes on other things on melimeal exports
3.1 Kelvin Mulanga, ‘The original meaning of the idiom “ ubomba mwibala alyamwibala” was used to instill responsibility on the workers to be dedicated to their place of work because their livelihood came from there’.
Correct, simple and clear, but the trib.als will always misinterpret. Instead of correctly learning Zambian languages from other Zambians, the trib.als just want to learn their own language. The trib.als will also interpret every Zambian word from their trib.al understanding. That is why they cannot mix with other Zambians even from their own villages and chiefdoms, because they will be offended and turn violent even by jokes. What more a bemba idiom. By the way, by “trib.als” i don’t mean tonga Zambians as Trib.al Jay Gay would naturally misunderstand me, I mean…
All cut from the same cloth, including Jono meno meno……. ni ba pompwe
Jonny you’re a tsotsi ?
Thieves dressed in nice Titles and Positions. That is why I have more respect for the guy who pushes the wheel barrow to earn a living than these glorified thieves in nice suits.
The point is not about the original meaning of ‘Ubomba Mwibala’. No one really cares. It’s about how it is being interpreted and used NOW. Clearly, it now means taking advantage of your position/situation – to exploit the position in order to aggrandize oneself.
Mwati vaamba Lelo? In UNIP times ruling party men led the smuggling business. Winangu anaimbapo nanyimbo ati Ba kastomo BOnse, BOnse niba shimmuggler
whats wrong with the guy smuggling mealie mealie.
i thought Chagwa said more money in your pockets?
kikikikiki