The government has expressed dismay at the seemingly increasing violent activities involving suspected political cadres attacking perceived political opponents and innocent individuals, particularly in the Lusaka district.
This is according to a statement made available Ministry Of Home Affairs And Internal Security, Public relations officer, Nephas Chifuta.
Home Affairs and Internal Security, Minister Mr. Jack Mwiimbu has directed all party cadres belonging to both the ruling and opposition political parties to immediately stop engaging in violent activities or risk prosecution.
MR. Mwiimbu said that there must be a fresh start to everything and the new dawn government shall not tolerate political hooliganism being perpetuated by whosoever is involved.
And the minister has since urged the inspector general of police to continue exercising his authority as instructed by the republican president so that every citizen regardless of political affiliation can enjoy the long-awaited freedoms.
Meanwhile, the People’s Initiative Charter PIC has strongly condemned the acts of violence systematically perpetrated against civilians, including targeted political carders, as well as other atrocities and violations of human rights, in particular.
In a statement released to the media by Cleophas Phiri, the Executive Chairperson. PIC said that the recent videos doing rounds of a vile and violent nature are a bad recipe for democracy and good governance and stressed the need to bring to justice those responsible, including those at the command level, and urges all parties, including the Government of the Republic of Zambia, to take all necessary steps to prevent further violations of human rights, in particular those committed against civilians.
PIC further said that violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars and that hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
“The perpetrators of this gross injustice must face the full wrath of the law, so as to serve as a deterrent for future offenders. We Urge the Zambia police service through the office of the Inspector General to be proactive and action-oriented as opposed to being reactive. We call upon on all citizens to respect the rule of law, ” concluded the statement.
The cadres belonging to upnd, I believe they can survive without going to has people in public places because they never had access to these places before. I believe those who enjoyed lawlessness before are the ones involved, IG should investigate
Now this is leadership. The PF should be ashamed of what they did while in power. This ain’t Animal Farm. The new administration is full of intellectuals and don’t make me start..just the way Bally articulated issues at the general assembly with no written material.
UPND needs to start learning very quickly, warnings to political cadres engaged in violence has never worked. What will work is the following:
1. Political cadre so and so has been arrested for political violence
2. Parliament coming up with a law for political violence to be non bailable quickly
True, political cadres don’t listen to warnings. They are like Ndola traffic police who despite out going permanent secretary telling them to stop road blocks, they started beating the system by walking in traffic along the road, now that the new minister has banned roadblocks they are now ‘patrolling’ using their vehicles obviously achieving the same objective of making money. In Ndola on a given day in the past you could find a road block at Indeni, then at Jacaranda roundabout, then near airport, then one in town and another near Levy stadium, same behavior like cadres, both motivated by money
These police in Lusaka have been brain washed and indoctrinated by PF like robots to ignore and steer clear of caders ………
Bring in police from other provinces to replace them……like those from sesheke who clobbered those KZ thugs…….
Lock’em up n give them rocks to break as a past time.
It is a new beginning for the leadership of upnd. They are now ministers. they are getting their salaries, while there is nothing for the foot soldiers( Cadres). It will not work. If you have got jobs give us jobs too. That will be the fresh start we want.
Empty threats bwana minister. How many statements have been issued? The president issued a threat. Gary issued a threat. The IG issued a threat. Liswaniso issued a threat. And you have issued a threat. But your cadres are still there in the markets and bus stops. They are not heeding to your empty threats. Why why?
Has this new deal have the capacity to enforce the law? Despite the ban , police are still collecting money on the roads. They have just started road patrols instead of mounting road blocks. Cadres are still in the markets and bus stops. Who is in charge?
It’s not only the youth. There’s this over sixty at one CB club who’s always disrupting people watching TV at this club. People are watching football and when dead ZNBC news comes he will instruct the workers to switch channels. If you complain he threatens people with arrest. He used to do the same during Mwanawasa’s . He is real menace.
@2, almost all speeches at the UN are written down, they have teleprompters on the left and right. That’s why they keep looking to those sides and don’t face the cameras directly.
If the UPND continues on this trajectory of issuing threats, we may not go anywhere indeed, no one believes they mean well. Didn’t the PF ministers equally issue veiled threats which no one followed?
Our police IG is already afraid of saying UPND cadres and says some suspected party cadres. Arrest them, make a public announcement, that will send a message.
UPND terrorism should be called out for what it is. No need to sugarcoat it or to use the now established get out of jail card …..‘but PF’ ….. you are in government to govern.
Will we be in order to say its HH who sent these cadres to do what they were doing? If during PF every violence was aportioned to ECL, why should it change now? Whilst HH was telling Kamala Harris that during PF democratic space was lost and their was heavy handedness, his cadres back home are doing even worse. Those who watched the video will testify that these UPND cadres can insult terribly, terrible , terrible insults. Undressed the guy and cut his hair with a knife. So is this the change people voted for or its another don’t kubeba?
#yawn. It appears we are back to the PF system of issuing warnings without action.
Arrest the wrongdoers.
Ba Minister you were always referring to Mwanawasa when attacking Lungu. You said ” it only took Mwanawasa to issue an instruction” . Your president has issued and instruction. Kajoba, Garry, Banda(Lusaka Youth Chairman), Liswaniso( National Youth Chairman) have all issued threats . But nothing is happening. Cadres still in the market.
BY THE WAY……WHERE IS WILLIAM TEKERE BANDA??????
One of the groups that HH is reported to have met in the US is the Open Society Foundation hugely funded by Soros. From the Open Society Foundation Website, read below what they stand for:
“LGBTQI
The Open Society Foundations seek to combat discrimination by empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex communities to promote and defend their human rights.”
They will not be arrested. They are useful to upnd, their party in intimidating political opponents. New dawn gorvenment, indeed. It’s almost a joke when you hear what the president said at the UN and what’s happening on the ground. Elo ba new inspector general is afraid of saying upnd cadres and instead keeps saying suspected political cadres.what a shame!
If you are wise , hear what the Minister is saying. Don’t say the Minister is excited when he carries out the arrests.
Is sacher , You are used to seeing pf cadres breaking the law at will with no action from the Police. Your pf created and allowed these militia groups to thrive in a hostile environment for years and now you want the new dawn govt. to deal with this situation wihin days? Can you compare the current stuation at the markets and bus ranks to the time of the pf militia?
No…..those are ex/ PF cadres masquerading as UPND trying to make ends meet after their supply line was cut off by over a million voters in the just ended elections.Kasaka ka ndalama ka na soba, so buchushi bwekabweka .Remember these. Cadres used to sleep on beds covered with bricks of money .Now the tables have turned but such is life.