Political parties have yesterday resolved to working together to end political violence, which has characterized the country’s elections in the recent past. Among the resolutions reached were to respect each other’s rights and allow the police to work independently.
Acting Minister of Justice Stephen Kampyongo said it is government’s responsibility to provide leadership for the people as they reach consensus on how to end violence. Mr. Kampyongo was however quick to state that violence does not spare those that ignite it and that it has devastating results.
He said Zambia has enough pieces of legislation to deal with these bad vices if only political parties could come to a common agreement. Mr Kampyongo who is Home affairs Minister, said the laws currently are equal to the task and political parties have the responsibility to leave a legacy for the next generation.
He has since called on the spirit of unity and togetherness by avoiding being emotional because in the end they will loose objectivity. Mr. Kampyongo explained that President Edgar Lungu had made it clear that issues of violence must be stopped at all cost
He said the way forward for all political parties is now to provide leadership than being antagonistic in resolving this issue. Mr. Kampyongo noted that the police service is a professional service, and will soon be equipped effectively when dealing with members of the public
He said the ruling party has no problem with the motion because it is timely and there is need to put the issue of violence to bed. Mr. Kampyongo has also urged ECZ to continue calling on meetings and engaging various political parties so that they may be educated on electoral violence.
The political parties made the call yesterday after Choma Central Member of Parliament Cornelious Mweetwa moved a private members motion urging the government to take practical measures to curb electoral violence which was seconded by Zambezi East MP Brian Kambita.
Debating earlier, Mr. Mweetwa observed that political violence can only end if the opposition upholds the rule of law.
The Choma Central lawmaker said Zambia had sufficient laws to stem out the continued violence but the problem was with the opposition and those occupying public offices.
He said those governing the country have failed to take appropriate action fairly and to apply the laws to all the citizens.
Mr. Mweetwa said there is also need to recognize and respect human rights in Zambia as the current situation indicates otherwise.
Political violence largely pitting the ruling Patriotic Front and UPND has been a highly topical issue with the recent Sesheke by-election bringing the matter to the fore.
Those who raise by the sword will certainly die by the sword
Certainly Violence will end when the Police command show capacity, fairness and impartiality. The opposition applied for a ‘ permit’ in December to demonstrate, demonstrations which are very well provided for under the law, they have not been ‘ allowed’, this is what breeds violence, meanwhile PF THUGS can go and demonstrate at parliament without the so called notification
Who is the Commander in Chief? The buck stops at him, but Edgar most likely does not know he is the one.
This Cornelius Mweetwa is a smart lemon and he would make a great leader if he succeeded HH.
Every time he says something it makes sense
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Because the ICC has been alerted to sniff in, the tone of those directing political violence has dipped.
The problem is that Kampyongo + Co have allowed PF cadres now have more power and say over the police. There is little willingness by PF to stop violence.
How did we sink so low?
Watch “Kanganja being fixed and lectured on how to conduct himself professionally” on YouTube
Please please, stop this Tom and Jerry joke, how many times have you signed peace deals only to pee on it when there are elections. Let ICC and the Dialogue process look at the matter critically and make the necessary actions. What is PF without their sponsored militia wing?
‘Mr. Kampyongo explained that President Edgar Lungu had made it clear that issues of violence must be stopped at all cost’ Please tell Lungu that talk is cheap.
People are scared of ICC, lelo muleshinikisha.
It’s not motions in Parliament that will end political violence, this is a waste of time. Both Edgar and Hichilema must control their hunger for political power. The people who cause havoc in Constituencies where there are by-elections are the same and are known. They’re not local residents of those Constituencies. Both PF and UPND spend colossal sums of money ferrying thugs to those places in the name of campaign teams. Mulondwe Muzungu’s son is still behind bars because of the mayhem UPND caused in that election. The people who murdered young Simuwelu and another at Mumpanshya are still walking freely, who is still sitting on those dockets? If you can’t act just shut up!
@Ayatollah, HH is not Commander in Chief, Edgar is. The truth is Edgar and PF cherish on violence and they have incapacitated the police rendering them impotent. Because how else can you explain PF cadres protesting at Police HQ with pangas and other offensive weapons and no arrests are made? Edgar can easily call the Police IG and give him a mandate to stop political violence and mean it. The police will oblige as long as there is no political interference. On the other had it will be silly for HH to watch his cadres beaten all the time. The least they can do is defend themselves
Obatala you’re missing the point. HH though not president has the responsibility to teach his followers on peaceful campaigns. If HH continues to encourage his followers to follow what he calls Panga for Panga, peace will be a far fetched dream. In fact if you read the whole article you’ll see that Hon Mweetwa has somewhat admitted that Upnd has a role to play if we are going to end this political violence. Because of people who think like you KK had no option but ban all opposition.
KEEP ON PLAYING GAMES,UN AND ICC ARE WATCHING CLOSELY THIS TIME. THEY HAVE LEARNT BIG LESSONS FROM FAILED ZIMBABWE.
Whenever there are by-elections coming up in the PF strongholds, UPND are calm and agree to ending violence and it comes to pass that UPND is treated fairly. But immediately, its time to have any political engagement in UPND stronghold, things again fall apart. Why?!!!!
UPND are acting clever and think that they are actually so. Little do they realize that its only because of the PF’s responsibility as a Government that however provoked they may be, they are left without any option but to absorb the beatings from UPND violence.
Stop lying , upnd and other opposition are not even allowed to campain freely in PF strongholds ….
Very true. They know it won’t be easy in Roan and Bahati. Word is PF muscle has promised to revenge the Sesheke violence in these strongholds. Now their leaders want to secure a truce??
There’s a lot that goes on in the night that people don’t or will probably not know. People from these areas are told a lot of things that make them believe that all people outside these regions are enemies. It’s not a new thing. While GBM is free to walk the streets of Kasama, it’s not so for those Southerners who belong to PF to walk freely in Monze etc.
Who said GBM is free to campaign in kasama , we All remember the attack on GBM at kasama golf club, out of touch with reality again, ndanji
We all remember the brutal attacks and even barring of opposition in eastern province in full view of the police….
PF is talking of peace now because their cadres were wired in Sesheke. They tested their own medicine
Shiwang’andu, where the UPND copter was almost grounded by PF cadres is not a UPND stronghold.
Ubufi, muleke!
Well said Spaka and Ken. Upnd must test their own Matizya formula…
Panga for panga has yielded good results.
We shall only stop this violence after avenging the Sesheke massacre in roan and bahati, kutibatubelesha .lol
Anger can make us blind to the truth and unable to accept what’s sensible and correct. When anger is the primary emotion being felt, we become less able to think and act rationally and in some cases, even our senses do not work properly because of extreme anger.
There was time when the sword was mighty, then the pen became mightier, now the the camera is the mightiest, it brought the evil acts that took place in sesheke and it has made some people uncomfortable, such that they will remember the forsaken dialogue talks, my advise to upnd go to bahati and roan with your body CAMs ON.
Not a good idea when you are a budding dictator wishing for legitimacy of a democratic elected president and you survive on foreign aid …,.
The worlds press wil be invited in numbers , you have no where to hide badala
This is going nowhere. How many times have we heard this kind of talk. Our Politicians are just too selfish. They love only themselves and they dont care what happens. They are good at talking and never implementing. Is this the first time we are hearing that PF and UPND have agreed to end political violence. Unless these people tell us something else very concrete, this does not hold any water. Pleae try for once to be serious.
Let us be optimistic. The youth involved in violence are not even elective structures in both parties. They are criminal elements. They need leadership. The elected Youth Wings for both parties are reasonable people.
Lloyd Sachikonye traces the roots of Zimbabwe’s contemporary violence to the actions of the Rhodesian armed forces, and the inter-party conflicts that occurred during the liberation war. His focus, however, is the period since 2000, which has seen state-sponsored violence erupting in election campaigns and throughout the programme of fast-track land reform. The consequences of this violence run wide and deep. Aside from inflicting trauma and fear on its victims, the impunity enjoyed by its perpetrators has helped to mould a culture within which personal freedoms and dreams are strangled. At a broader social level, it is responsible-both directly and indirectly-for millions of Zimbabweans voting with their feet and heading for the diaspora. Such a migration’cannot simply be explained in…
… Such a migration’cannot simply be explained in terms of the search for greener economic pastures. Escape from authoritarianism, violence, trauma and fear is a large factor behind the exodus.’Sachikonye concludes that any future quest for justice and reconciliation will depend on the country facing up to the truth about the violence and hatred that have infected its past and present.
If this pledge is anything you want me to believe, then start by reinstating to officers who did the correct thing by showing your carders that they are not above the law. Otherwise, this will be a mare academic exercise
So what ?
@1.3 Mushota has a point. Most Zambians are not impressed with PF but again the alternative party (UPND) is headed by a leader that has zero personality. Politics is about personality and Mweetwa has it. The electorate warms up to a leader regardless of the capabilities in the person. They will always tell you ati “balibwino Baja, tiyeni tibayeseko, banzapunzila, nanga bonse bapunzila bwanji”. On HH, they have always said, “bazinvela Baja, ala!”
if yoru whole bunch of comments reflect how people think we have a problem. Sitting behind that PC you must have some education… Where do you guys come from? By the way, find out what matters fall in the jurisdiction of the ICC… Stop wasting your time. Let’s resolve our situation. I think HH is toxic. Your need a leader that’s going to put his butt down and think with his brains not emotions. At the rate PF goes (stupid economic decisions) I would have joined opposition but to UPND is from the frying pan into the fire.
Some of the people discussing on this platform are pretending not to know the truth. We all know upnd were always on the receiving end of violence. Their complaints were always falling on deaf ears. Until when they decided to take initiative to defend themselves, that’s when some voices were heard bleming both .pf and upnd to be violent. We all know the initiators of violence in this country. Let’s be honest with ourselves, and that’s the only way violence will stop.
1. Govt must stop sponsoring violence – activities such as hiring and exporting of thugs to other towns
2. Biased application of the rule of law
3. Biased media coverage
4. The police must be allowed to operate independently, without political interference
Where on earth have you heard of Police being directed to…
The worlds press will be invited enmass , opposition activist will be filming enmass , lets see who needs violence in the upcoming elections
If Kampyongo means what he said in the story above he should strongly recommend to his Excellency the President to unconditionally reinstate the dismissed police officers in Sesheke as they were not the causers of violence but peace makers
Only getting the PF thuggery on film plastered around the globe will force Lungu to act….Lungu likes to pretend that he is a well liked leader democratically elected …..
Just get more films of PF thuggery , you can see how Lungu and lubinda are panicking about ICC …get the thugs on film and we will do the rest.
With the next round of PF violence on film , I can see Lungu and PF being sanctioned.
The west have bitter memories of mugabe, they won’t want another mugabe
From the useless comments I can see that the Upnd cadres haven’t read the article in full or are just being malicious. ..typical.