Origin of panga culture in Zambian politics!

The Panga culture in Zambian politics dates back to the days of MMD in power in the early 2000s with Sata at the helm as National Secretary. In 2001, there was a crucial by-election scheduled to take place in Chawama constituency, Lusaka occasioned by the resignation of the incumbent MP, Christon Tembo from the MMD to join the recently formed Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) by several disgruntled former cabinet ministers and senior officials in the Chiluba regime.

The outcome of those elections were expected to be a litmus test to measure the popularity of several political parties participating in the general elections due the same year. It was rather a do-or-die affair for the governing party.

In the meantime, a notorious gang from the ruling MMD calling itself, the “Ku Klux Klan” had been terrorising the city and townships, disrupting meetings organised by the opposition and asserting the party’s authority by unleashing acts of violence on their perceived opponents. According to eyewitnesses, matters spiraled out of control when Sata, the Minister without portfolio who also doubled as MMD National Secretary brought along unruly cadres armed to the teeth with pangas, catapults, and firearms to inspect the polling stations in the area.

The “Ku Klux Klan” clashed with FDD supporters with the former using pangas to hack or slice opponents. Several vehicles and houses were also torched in the process. The independent media and several observers blamed MMD for the violence.

“The violence was engineered by the ruling party, and Michael Sata in particular, to create confusion to enable MMD to tamper with the ballot boxes,” Ngande Mwanajiti, Executive Director of the Inter African Network for Human Rights and Development (Afronet) told the media. “MMD is responsible for all the political violence we have seen in recent weeks”

Isn’t it said it’s impossible for a Leopard to change its spots? Anyway, once his party PF swept to power, the culture of cadres using pangas, catapults, and firearms to attack or intimidate opponents became the order of the day; simply put, political violence was taken to another level! Overnight, it became abominable for members of the opposition, particularly UPND cadres, to be seen in their party regalia. They were either savagely attacked and left for dead or stripped naked, while their vehicles were overturned or burnt to ashes.

It’s, therefore, hardly surprising that the PF government would end up being associated with spine-chilling acts of violence countrywide. Here are a few examples: Peter Sukwa, an investigative journalist from the independent The Post Newspapers was on an assignment to carry out an exposé of the PF scheme to recruit underage voters from a neighbouring country when they spotted him within the vicinity. He was beaten to pulp, and a thug who eventually ended up being elected as MP on the PF party ticket in the 2021 elections, forced his mouth open and discharged the contents of his bowel therein!

PF cadres were also notorious for taking over the running of the markets and bus stops by force; anyone who dared stand in their way risked being severely punished – either ending up in intensive care unit at some hospital somewhere or dispatched to an early grave. There’s a case of one elderly lady who arrived at Intercity Bus Station from Western province clad in a UPND T/shirt. She was harassed and harangued before being stripped naked, only to be rescued by some Good Samaritans.

PF cadres were also known to invade radio stations hosting opposition leaders and disrupting programmes if they were not happy with their presentations. In one particular instance, they stormed Muchinga Radio Station to stop the radio programme even when opposition party leader at the time, Hichilema was making a contributing through a phone call.

Worse still, the opposition leader had to escape through the rickety roof of a storied building when marauding cadres, armed with all sorts of weapons, stormed Son FM where he was featuring in an attempt to “skin him alive!”
Excerpts from my upcoming book: Dilemma of One Zambia One Nation; presidency, governance & regionalism.

Prince Bill M Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
Zambezi