THE MMD and the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) Pact yesterday called for an end to violence during the campaign for next Friday’s Solwezi Central Constituency parliamentary by-election.
The two parties denounced the violence that has rocked the campaigns with the latest being on Saturday night when cadres from the two parties clashed.
Campaign managers for ruling MMD candidate, Albert Chifita and Patriotic Front- UPND Pact aspirant, Watson Lumba were forced to step in to condemn the violence after MMD and UPND cadres clashed on Saturday after they crossed paths in the central business district.
MMD campaign manager, Kabinga Pande and PF-UPND Pact campaign manager, Steven Katuka denounced the violence during a Press briefing held in Solwezi yesterday after the two camps had a meeting with the North-Western provincial police command.
The two managers, who are both members of Parliament (MP) in North-Western Province, said the people in the constituency were peaceful and were all related, and the two camps agreed that there should be no violence.
Mr Pande said campaigns for the poll to fill the seat left vacant following the death of Solwezi Central MP, Benny Tetamashimba had been going on smoothly and peacefully after the violence at nominations until “yesterday (Saturday) when there was an incident.”
“People here are all related, and we have agreed that there should be no violence.
‘‘Any cadre who will be involved in the violence, it will be him or her and the police; and the police from now onwards would not let anyone be violent.
‘‘They charge immediately,” Mr Pande, who is Foreign Affairs Minister, said.
Mr Pande, who is Kasempa MP, said he had agreed with his Mwinilunga East counterpart, Mr Katuka to speak to their supporters against violence, which was first experienced during nominations for the November 19 by-election.
He said the two major camps would also monitor each other and would keep their communication lines open, with the campaign managers asked to inform the police and the rival camp before any impending violence.
He said the two parties had allowed police, who would not tolerate any violence, to search at random any vehicle, including those of senior officials like himself and Mr Katuka of any weapons.
Mr Katuka said the two camps condemned the violence by its cadres in the strongest possible terms, as while elections would come and go, the people, who were brothers and sisters, would remain.
He said he would talk to the supporters in his camp about avoiding violence so that the election, whose other candidates are Muhammad Kalela of the Forum for Democratic Altenatives and independent, Thomas Kafula could be won on merit and not through intimidation.
Meanwhile, MMD cadres clashed with some miners on a bus taking them for work around 17:30 hours on Saturday after they responded with opposition symbols as the ruling party cadres were driving by.
Ubulofwa pa Zed…Give these cadres jobs and the problem will be a non starter.
Its about time, violence is never a means to resolution…..just reconcile and practice clean politics. Some of these politicians you fight for like this will not even be able to deliver that which they promise. In the end you loose a life for nothing. Good move goverment and opposition. Abash violence!
We can all clearly understand from this report that violence is being perpetrated by the MMD who even attacked the miners for having a divergent view.
The lack of any arrests just portrays the weakness with the police when it comes to MMD thugs.
It is the duty of the police to arrest any criminality.
Why ukulwa when the candidates themselves are friends and eating together.
A positive action taken by these politicians. Finger pointing helps no one, because it takes two to fight, whether you are an instigator or on the receiving end. Please uphold this for all other by-e;ections, there is no need for anarchy in this country. Let the peace that has been enjoyed for 48 years continue. God bless my country Zambia! One Zambia One Nation!
Democracy without education is difficult to achieve…to ask these fellows the question…why are you fighting in relationship to winning the seat will provide you with answers that are far from the truth…SERVICE. Hence it is normal to see people really not understand why they are not suppose recieve ‘gifts’ during an election period. We must call out acts of physical confrontations when it comes to elections and all other evils that derail us from achieving the true principle as to why we vote…there is need to move our people out of the box…
was that the middle finger our mother was raising
Villager
its not the middle finger…but the one that says now you have gone too far…if you were a kid then you would automatically know that your back side doesnt below to you anymore!
EXCERPTED
Major Robbie Chizhuka vindicated as Kunda exposes HH
VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda says it appears that United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema does not want to contest the 2011 presidential elections and is instead selling the candidature of Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata.
Mr Kunda said Mr Hichilema is unlikely to stand in 2011 and was in Solwezi to campaign for Mr Sata.
He was addressing hundreds of Solwezi residents who welcomed him at Solwezi airport yesterday.
“Now, here in Solwezi and many parts of the country, we do not vote for Mr Sata. Go to Central Province, go to Southern, Western (provinces); people do not vote for Mr Sata,” he said.
He said people do not vote for Mr Sata because of his bad campaign strategies.
Mr Kunda said Government declared Zambia a Christian nation and that the ruling party is committed to the declaration.
He said the MMD has no problem with the declaration and will support it in the National Constitution Conference (NCC).
Mr Kunda said the MMD has maintained peace and stability in the country from 1991 and that is what the party wants to continue doing.
He said with peace, the people of Zambia can protect their propertyand their investment.
K148m NGOs fraud: Officials reported to police
THE first two cases of NGO officials, who allegedly pocketed more than K148 million donor funding will be handed over to the police fraud department, Home Affairs Minister, Lameck Mangani said yesterday.
He said in an interview yesterday that the matter had been referred to the police for further investigations and warned that all found culpable would face the law.
“The matter has been referred to the police for further investigations and these are some of the NGOs that are vocal and talking a lot about corruption and the acquittal of Dr Chiluba. Once they have been found guilty, they may face the law,” Mr Mangani said.
Mr Mangani said what was annoying was the fact that the NGOs in question were among those vocal civil society organisations that were agitating for honking against the acquittal of second Republic president, Fredrick Chiluba, thereby being in the forefront to promote anarchy in the nation.
Commenting on the whistling by the CSOs which went on undisturbed in Lusaka on Friday last week, Mr Mangani said such action was still an offence, especially that the CSOs had agreed that they had stopped their action when they last met…
He wondered what the CSOs would achieve by whistling.
Yaba…for sure MMD does not know what to do. They are shoked that the people of Solwezi have responded so good to the PACT. The only thing faillures resort to is violence. Shame on the piolice that they cant arrest these thugs.
Where to with our Make Zambia ungovernable troops? If theft is proving rife at this level, then how do we realize the Make Zambia ungovernable goals of President Hichilema and Sata or execute a successful war they have declared BEING two expensive undertakings?
our mother is saying to the police officer-belatubepa ubufi ,nokututinya .amano yamu-unip kale yapwa,nomba ni pabwato.alaa ,tulekana nolanda ,ati pantu ni bammd.twakana
MMD are a bunch of retards, do you honestly think they’ll stop the violence?
Its not agreeing, SAY MMD wants to stop violence. MMD FOLLOWS INNOCENT PEOPLE AND BEATS THEM.
Why should they agree to stop violence when we have the police. Police do your jub by arresting those involved period. Arrest the cadres especially so that they learn not to be used.
Shame has written an article within an article. Ask LT to spare you space for features story, you could well on feature story.
it’s not a matter of the MMD and the PACT agreeing to stop the violence, how do you agree to stop something you are not doing, it has become very difficult for the opposition to seat back and relax while whatching the so called rulling part cadres beating them up, the police never comes to these innocent people’s aid because it’s the same police together with the minister of home affairs Lameck Mangani who are being used to revamp violence in ZED.
#9-12 SHAME. Is it for KUNDA to force HH to stand? What is the reason for his rantings. Why mention the Provinces that dont vote for Michael? SHAME dont you see that George has nothing to say that has substance?
Shame- Managani need not blow this trumpet about this NGO. Theft is theft. The fact that NGOs are always exposing GRZs short comings can not be a reason for generalising the issue. Mangani says they the person involved, so not just arrest him? Why make any noise when we know that theft in Zambia has taken over Football as the No.1 pastime?
Goodmorning
The letter are too small for me to read – but why start the violence in the first place?
It appears the mMD hasd under estimated the campaign tactics of Mapatzya where despite GRZ deploying plattons of paras that just made it worse for them. The campign team headed by Hon. Steve Katuuka will be difficult to deal with. They way they sorted out MMD during Samutba War by elections. UPND cadres where all over. MMD should jack up are lase the rest will be history.
But Kanitundila anidabwisa neo ndithu, how could he send vinyau to the house of the good old grieving Gile Zulu’s house kumucaya fwemba veteran freedom fighter just for claiming the government is treating him like a criminal sure? When M’Membe calls him a liar or failure, he should not claim Fred “aliye malango” because disrespect for adults begets disrespect for oneself. This whole episode should teach Zambians that the presidency is a huge undertaking and sending monkeys like Chiluba, baboons like Banda or Gorillas like Sata to do this job reserves for onlu upright men and women is tantamount to inviting woes for the country.
shame, what uncivilized behaviour! and of course the politicos are happy with all this bulu s h ! t going on. it sets them up to pretend to the ordinary citizen that we need them to maintain law and order. nonsense!!
sell zambia to taiwan now!
“Shame” are you Senior Citizen or Veteran. There is a lot of similarities in your positings. I hope not.
#1 Moderator. I agree with you. Jobs make people more decent. All this violence is about survival.
The story by Shame is it not a copy and past???? I think I read those stories on some other websites.
The Police in zambia will always protect the rich that’s the Bad or is it Sad part of life at home.
If I was in the pact I would not rest and say there will be no Violence during the elections The MMD Guys ar mad people remember How they fought on the streets in Northen province This can happen again In Solwezei, be very Carefull bazakutundilani!!!!!!
This is a good development but we need more. I want the party heads i.e. Rupiah, Sata and HH to denounce violence and call on their cadres to observe the law.
#9Shame is aka veteran, Chinyenye citizen who works at Zambian Embassy in USA former worker at ZNBC former student at Evelyn Hon college in media studies. His contributions are like from a stiffnecked or hellbent political assassin. The movement for Mad Dogs intelligent wing feeds him with false information extracted from the red brick through intimidations . Zambia with the current calibre of the corrupt leaders in the corridors of power is a biggest challenge that the oppressed, voiceless and the poor are face. The projects that MMD has planned before 2011 to silence the independent media, NGOs, smear capmaign against the Catholic, selective prosecuting of opposition leaders, to finish them and the constitution that will bar Sata in 2011 are the signs of the beginning of the end of MMD
Kunda the most inconsistent politician and personality on planet earth. i happened to be in mapatiziya during the by election then am a registered voter from zimba central the violence there was perpetrated by the mmd the upnd were merely trying to protect themselves, the mmd brought imimbulu from lusaka but the upnd could not be intimidated by those they resisted.be sincere ba Kunda.