The Young African Leaders Initiative says the gassing of homes Zambians have endured in the last two months which started in Chingola on the Copperbelt Province is a well calculated act of terror meant to instill fear and cause panic in the communities.
YALI President Andrew Ntewewe has commended President Edgar Lungu for directing the Zambia Army to re-enforce the work of the Zambia Police Service aimed at bringing the sponsors to book.
Mr Ntewewe has urged the Law Enforcement Agencies to ensure that in their investigations they do not overlook political motivation behind the acts of terrorism which may be meant to justify calls for early elections by portraying a picture that the Patriotic Front regime has failed.
He was speaking at a media briefing where he also urged Zambians to desist from killing suspects saying doing so is helping the culprits to escape justice.
Below is the Full Speech
MEDIA BRIEFING BY THE YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE (YALI) ON INCIDENCES OF CHEMICAL GASSING AROUND THE COUNTRY DELIVERED BY YALI PRESIDENT, ANDREW NTEWEWE AT MIKA LODGE.
Over the last two months, our fellow countrymen, women, children and families have been subjected to some indescribable fear as a result of malicious administration of poison with intent to harm to our people. The fear which our communities have been subjected to, as a result of gassing, has resulted into riotous behaviour among residents, in some cases arrests of suspects who, in a good number of cases, been beaten to death by mobs of citizens.
Although the media and a number of other stakeholders have described these incidences as chemical gassing, ritual killing, and so forth and so on, our discernment convinces us, and many other citizens, that these criminal acts are well-calculated to cause terror, instil fear and induce panic in our families and communities. What is happening, colleagues, is sponsored terrorism. Sponsors and perpetrators of these monstrous crimes are terrorists and must be treated as such.
We therefore call upon our Law Enforcement Agencies and security wings, under the guidance and command of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia who is also the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces to round up both sponsors and agents of these terrorist acts and bring to book. They must be smoked out from wherever they are and subjected to wrath of law, once and for all.
We therefore join good citizens of Zambia in commending President Lungu for directing the Army to reinforce the work of the Zambia Police Service aimed at bringing sponsors and perpetrators to book. We ask law abiding and peace loving Zambians to cooperate with the Police and Government to identify and cage these terrorists and their sponsors.
Critical to ongoing investigations by law enforcement agencies, we urge men and women in uniform not to overlook the political motivation behind these acts of terrorism. The intention and motive behind these acts of terrorism would not be without any background. Terrorism – whether it happens in New York or George Compound – always has a discernible intention. It does not happen in a vacuum. It does not happen by coincidence.
Like us, many of our fellow Zambians are getting convinced these acts of sponsored terrorism are meant to justify calls for early elections by portraying that the country has become ungovernable and that the current leaders have failed. To determine which people are behind these acts of terrorism, Zambians must only ask on who would benefit from a situation where our Country is portrayed as having become ungovernable.
First and foremost, all Zambians must never forget that after 2016 elections, there has been a deliberate refusal by a clique of politicians, a group of hoodlums and a bunch of anarchists and their followers to recognise the legitimacy of the President. In so many ways, they are doing every act, including sponsoring some foreign prophets who have endorsed them but also speak against our country, as a way of proving that this Government is not legitimate, and cannot be trusted.
The question is, what benefit do these anarchists get when they engage in acts of terror? The sponsors of the ongoing terrorism – in which homes, villages, institutions of learning are being gassed – have an ultimate goal and gains. Their ultimate goal is to make a picture in the mind of Zambians and the outside that Zambia has become ungovernable.
At this point, we appeal to Zambians to wake up and realise that the real intention of those who are sponsoring chemical gassing in your homes is to raise discontent or excite disaffection among the people of Zambia but also bring Government into hatred or contempt. We ask Zambians not to be surprised when those who have sponsored the chemical gassing of your homes are back telling you that “chemical gassing is sponsored by the State” or blaming the State and law enforcement agencies for the riots.
That is their real intention.
As early as 2017, some opposition leaders have been calling for early elections. The question is, why people would someone be calling for early elections when the atmosphere in the country has always been peaceful until when those who want early elections sponsored chemical gassing? The answer lies in the history of what happened around 1990 to 1991 when the country had become ungovernable and there was no option but for Dr Kaunda to cut his term short.
This is exactly what the people sponsoring chemical gassing are trying to achieve. Since they have failed to justify the call for early elections, they now want to create discontent and discomfort among our people, make the people rise against their own Government. They want people to believe the current leadership, the police and other security wings has failed to protect them and begin to look for an alternative.
The sponsors of these terror attacks want to project themselves as an alternative leadership. They want Zambians to begin championing calls for change. They will promise you that they will end the chemical gassing of homes and institutions if you vote for them. The question is how? They are saying so because they themselves are the ones who have sponsored those gassing your homes. They know the people they have sponsored to gas you.
For us – and we know for many of you Zambians – you must begin to worry why people who, one day, seek to govern this beautiful country can are now stoop so low to make your lives difficult and yet make seditious claims intended to incite resistance and disobedience to the laws of this country or the current administration. But the effects of their intention can now be seen by anybody. Some members of the public are now disobeying the law by killing suspects or rioting. This is because sponsors of the chemical gassing have managed to convince a few of our citizens that the law must be disobeyed or that communities must resist this administration.
These sponsors of chemical gassing, which amounts to terrorism, have been peddling a narrative that the country is ungovernable, an idea that there is no law and order. They have championed this idea at the international plane and on our own local scene.
What saddens us is that despite all the failed attempts to paint this country black, they have now reached a point where they want to cause turbulence and terror to justify their bogus narrative.
We therefore call upon law enforcement agencies to discern the seditious intent of some of the public statements being made by some of our politicians whose intent is to incite public disobedience, resistance, discomfort and discontent among our people. Our country is under attack, families are living in fear, those who have sponsored these acts of terrorism all in the quest of becoming popular, at the expense of sending fear and induce panic into our people ahead of 2021, are becoming danger to this country. They must be brought to book.
By now it should be clear to the people of Zambia that beneficiaries of the ongoing chemical gassing are those who want to justify their claims that the country is ungovernable, that there is breakdown in the rule of law, and that only them can end the terrorism, maybe rightly so because they are sponsors of the same terrorist acts.
CONCLUSION
We want to conclude by making an earnest appeal to all Zambians. We not savages. We are a beacon of peace on the African Continent. By killing suspects, you are simply helping those who have sponsored persons gassing your homes to run away from being caught. These people who have sponsored gassing of your homes wants you to riot. By engaging in riots, you are encouraging them to gas you even more. We appeal to pupils, students, children, mothers, marketeers, out there to stand up and peacefully defend your country and your Government. Show sponsors of those gassing you that you are not cowards but will stand for peace against these terrorists. We remind those who have been recruited to gas people’s homes and cause terror that the very people who are sponsoring you today have earmarked you for elimination by killing. That is how terrorists operate. They don’t want to leave any trail or footprints along the way. Their aim is to justify their call for early elections and a narrative they have been peddling that there is no law and order.
Hw come security services were unable to detect that something this big was about to happen? It’s simply not adding up. Tell it to the marines, Mr Ntewewe.
HH is a terrorist. YALI has real courage to take this chap on.
Zambians know the truth now. Hh must stop this nonsense!
Wht’s the truth? I’m a Zambian but I don’t know. Which Zambians are these who know the truth?
these YALI yappers styopeti..you have nothing to offer..ntewewe are you Zambian or Rwandese..?from the way you talk..i doubt if you have a village here..let the police force yaba pf sort this out..leave the opposition out of this..stop insulting innocent Zambians you Rwandese
UPND is going on dangerous path. He must be stopped with these terrrorism acts. You can’t win Elections by punishing Zambians
Yes it is true this terrorism at its best. The whole evil is well calculated by the sponsors. I can say GRZ cant do this for fear of losing popularity…so the opposition is very much able to do this evil given that they never denounced it until people started suspecting them. Please stop this terrorism .
The sponsors are well known. I
Govt is spending money in building police posts, clinics, street lights. How can it sponsor breaking down of these items. Ba UPND madness is getting out of hand
Some of us were there in the 90’s . I don’t know how old that Ntewewe chap or some of the bloggers are .
We saw the state sponsored terror in the name of “Zero Option” and “Black Mamba”. Dr Kaunda, Dean Mungomba and UNIP members were targeted by FTJ and his rougue MMD regime.
A policeman was even blown to pieces when the bomb he was trying to plant exploded on him.
DON,T BE FOOLED BY PF CADRES LIKE NTEWEWE
Its not rocket science why Yali (ntewewe ) always uses Mika owned by you know who supporting you know who .I would not be surprised if YALI has no record of payments made to this facility for these conferences .Join the dots a partisan person pretending to be a CSO.
Real criminals are always scared og being caught and normally operate under cover of darkness. How come these ones are doing it in broad daylight? Why are they not scared of being caught? And why are they not being caught?
Andrew Ntewewe how much have your sponsors paid you? in a normal and decent democracy the police should have summoned you for interrogations . You appear to know more than what the Law Enforcement agencies . It would be interesting if you shed more light on your sources and how probably you Mr. Ntewewe are an accomplice . Hate may also mean spreading un substantiated facts such as you are doing against innocent fellow citizens . If you had credible information why hold a press briefing instead of offering such information to the Police? Please stop this hate speech .
Ambawa: U hv no idea hw much I appreciate a sound argument. Wht more can I say? U hv put it very well. But u won’t get an answer from Andrew Ntewewe or those who agree with him.
Does this country have an official spokesperson? How can any clown who feels like be allowed to comment on such a sensitive issue bordering on national security?
If you release a flock of sheep through a door and place a stick across the bottom of that door the first sheep will jump over that stick, even when you remove the stick the other sheep will continue jumping even when there is no stick or obstacle in their path.
Can this Yali president confirm which gas was used and which laboratory has verified that indeed there was a deliberate act of gassing in any of the above incidents he is referring to? If he fails to do so then he is nothing but a sheep that is part and parcel of the fear mongering, false rumour spreading that has created a sense of fear leading to the deaths of several innocent souls at the hands of criminal instant justice gangs.
The focus should be on dealing with these instant justice gangs that are killing people on…
Ctn…The focus should be on dealing with these criminal instant justice gangs that are killing innocent souls on mere suspicion.
So to the Yali president I say stop being a party of lies and deception, focus in one thing which is the truth and the truth is innocent souls are being attacked over lies!
No one knows how to explain UPND behaviour than yali. When others are joking, yali takes the bull by its horns. Satanism and now terrorism is becoming portion for hh
I think there must be Literature review on the research made that Ntewewe has desclosed.
He sounds to be a heterogeneous and anonymous expert in the matters he has cautioned & revealed or government should sort out people like Ntewewe because the will cause more wrath.
Imagine,a junior PF official goes on national TV to accuse the opposition with no evidence.
Opposition phones and movements are monitored for 24 hours..who doesn’t know that,if it was them they’d have been in by now….no sane government can allow this to go to this extent, they know who is doing it. .but definitely not the opposition…
Disgraceful conduct by the UPND exposed; the amount of courage Yale has is what Zamhia needs
Wise words, Andrew. The perps will be brought to book, tilizoni 2.0!! It’s just time.
Sometimes the statements we are issuing will come back to hurt us. As bloggers we ought to be very careful when dealing with such issues. No opposition has power to attack people at intercontinental hotel and nor opposition is brave or has the balls to gas people…The truth one day will come out brace yourselves because some of you will be very disappointed.
PF GRZ has no motive to cause fear among citizens. Chilubi and other by-elections prove that their popularity is still firm and the voting pattern remains the same-except for the shaky western and NW areas which don’t look so strong for the opposition. Early elections are not a guarantee for opposition. But still there’s no justification for early election as security wings WILL prevail and bring the culprits to book.
Chilubi elections exposed PF , the country saw they can not win any fair and free election. They need to block everyone else and bribe the electorate…..
It has come to their realisation that they can not bribe the whole country 2021 and the world will be watching , so wanton blocking of opposition will have consequences.
PF are behind this mass hysteria. I don’t belive there is any gassing but PF are behind the unrest.
Andrew Ntewewe YALI you will stop politicing when they visit you. You will be crying like monkey for the opposition to rescue you. We wouldn’t be surprised that you are cashing from this article, enjoy while it lasts!
Zambians should guard their peace with jealousy. Take the BOY to Chimbokaila HAGAIN.
Yali seems to know a lot about how these attacks are taking place. I suspect they are the ones involved.
Chiluba sent a shadowy group to plsnt explosives at Times of Zambia Ndola office in the 1990s. And wrong people were framed and arrested. Whn trial started defence counsel Sakwiba Sikota during cross-examination was able to prove who had bought explosives from Kafironda in Mufulira. It was not anyone of the accused but state operatives. The state’s case collapsed at that stage and the case was discontinued. Sale of explosives is highly regulated business.
When it started the govt denied, YALI was quiet, even today there is conflicting statements between lubinda and police over Arthur wina. Every gathering of opposition parties government has disrupted swiftly without hesitation. Every peaceful demonstration disrupted, even discussion forums such as the one for LAZ disrupted. People having fun at their secretariat they get attacked. While all this was happening today is when Lungu’s wife cries? Bowman is on record saying the power they have is sweet and won’t let it go, lungu has said even if people don’t choose PF they will still rule. So why point at the opposition when it is PF behind all this chaos. It started when lungu stole 2016 elections.
Kampyongo has been denying, esther lungu goes appealing to perpetrators to stop who are you trying to fool. YALI has never been objective in its assertions. I urge all Zambians to look back and see everything that led to this today is the PF. Tutwa is on record saying he would like a one party state in Zambia. Open your eyes people you are playing right into what the PF is after. PF knows they have messed up too much and any tranfer of leadership will spell disaster for their corrupt activities and obligation of the law. Their popularity is dwindling by the day and the only way to hold on to power is through illegal and brutal means.
We can only pray that such desperation will NOT drive the perpetrators of terrorism to invite Boko Haram to extend its terrorist operations to southern Africa. I personally hate the Brunthurst Foundation and its Agent, the Nigerian General Obasanjo’s disruptive activities in East and southern Africa. Apparently, on whose mission did DA’s Maimane save when he attempted to visit Zambia? It is time to connect the dots.
I praying that the Office of the President comes up with something to put this boy where he belongs. These are serious matters that Kolwe is playing.
These killngs are motivated by sacrifice to win elections, look back in 2016 before elections there were a number of murders which took place and are unresolved until now. We are going towards elections I will not be surprised if this seer 1 with his PF power hungry evil men are not involved. The only difference around this time is they are aiming to kill two birds with one stone: sacrifice and frame the opposition to disqualify there opponent.
These killngs are motivated by sacrifice to win elections. Look back in 2016 before elections there were a number of murders which took place in different provinces and are unresolved until now. We are going towards elections I will not be surprised if this seer 1 with his PF power hungry evil men are not involved. The only difference this time around is they are aiming to kill two birds with one stone: sacrifice and frame the opposition. Disqualifying HH, their dreaded opponent is their main objective.
I can’t believe that some Zambians are falling for this poppy cock rubbish. HH is a very wise man and he is aware that he stands to lose everything from this gassing of people. On the other hand, PF has everything to gain and that is why they are orchestrating this nonsense. Sadly it seems Zambia is full of I’d!ots who are already falling for this, judging from the comments. HH is about to be framed so that PF can continue to rule without impunity. All u people who believe this are dumb a55es and *****s in a large group are dangerous.
Where did our prayers go that all of us should suddenly be thrown into a state of defeatism? Where are the prayer warriors we’ve for long prided in to cast out this evil from our midst? Where re the lessons from our pastor who was detained in Chingola?
wait my brother God’s time is the best.
YALI President good words of encouragement and fellow Zambians let us stop killing each other by getting a k2500 and go gassing people’s homes.Remember they said MAPATIZYA FORMULA and AMAGEDON,early elections,they involved gay organization this is a well known factor and I personally wonder why even some individual are protecting these terrorist.Very soon this terror acts will stop enough is enough they burnt our markets now it is gassing.God help us to shame the devil.
This terror grouping have been OVERLOOKED for so long.First they started with;
(1) killing people and removing body parts
(2) burning of public institutions
(3) Now gassing chemicals.
If is do with economic sabotage with foreign organizations has been unthinkable and sad.
This organization was suppose to be stopped for long long away probably in 2015.