Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja said he deeply regrets the loss of life that occurred yesterday during what he called unlawful procession by the United Party for National Development (UPND) Cadres.

Mr Kanganja said an Inquiry File in the shooting incident has since been opened.

“The public may wish to know that the United Party for National Development had notified the Police through our Lusaka Division office of their intended public rally to be held on 8th July, 2016 in Chawama. However, due to security concerns the conveners were called and advised that they should not proceed with the rally,” Mr Kanganja said in a statement.

“They were further advised to consider an alternative date for their rally. Regardless of this, the UPND decided to ignore the advice, instead they opted to mobilize themselves and carried out an unlawful procession starting from their Secretariat Offices along Provident Road in Rhodespark through Church Road into Cairo Road then Kafue Road up to Kamwala Shopping area.

During this process, public order and peace was disturbed by way of harassing motorists and members of the public.”

He said five female Traffic Police Officers who were controlling traffic at Freedom Statue were also attacked by the same UPND Cadres who attempted to grab a Police radio and in the process injured them.

“One mobile phone and five Police head dresses were grabbed from the Police Officers. More Police Officers rushed to the scene and ordered them to disperse but instead the Cadres attacked the Police Officers. The Officers fired tear gas to disperse the unruly Cadres, but they continued attacking the Police using different types of missiles. The situation became very volatile and Police started firing rubber bullets at the mob to contain the situation. The Cadres still continued advancing aggressively and in the process, two persons were injured, a male and a female, who were both picked by the Police and rushed to the University Teaching Hospital where upon arrival the female was pronounced dead, whilst the male person has since been admitted.”

He said some Cadres that committed various offences had rushed to their Secretariat to seek refuge where Police managed to apprehend them and that so far 22 Cadres have been charged and arrested for Unlawful Procession and Riotous behaviour and are currently detained in custody and will appear in Court soon.

Mr Kanganja said the injured officers were taken to the hospital where they were treated and later discharged.

“Whilst police regret what transpired this afternoon, Police wants to take this opportunity to again sound a strong warning to all Political Cadres that political violence will not be condoned regardless of their political affiliation.

We still appeal to Political leaders to advise their members to exercise restraint to political violence. Police are determined at all costs to ensure that peace, law and order prevails throughout the nation and we will employ all legal means before, during and after the elections.”

Police in Lusaka on Friday killed one UPND female supporter after they ambushed a group of supporters that were marching on the Central Business District after Police cancelled a planned rally in Chawama.

Mapenzi Chibulu was pronounced dead on arrival at UTH and another male UPND cadre is seriously injured and admitted to UTH.

In a facebook statement UPND president Hakainde Hichilema said Police fired live bullets at UPND supporters in Lusaka yesterday afternoon, injuring and fatally wounding UPND supporters in a tragic incident that will remain a scar on the conscience of our nation for years to come.

That they have been shot for their political opinions reveals the uncomfortable truth we face today that Zambia is no longer a functioning democracy and if we are not careful it will no longer be a functioning state at all.

Our prayers and condolences are with those injured and the families and friends of those who lost their life. We must demand justice. If we do not speak out and if we let ourselves be intimidated further then more of our people will soon suffer the same terrible fate.

We continue to call for peace. Let me be clear, we are fighting for justice through peaceful means not because we lack strength but because we do not want more of our people to suffer at the hands of police officers or PF cadres. If we react in kind then the consequences for our nation would be disastrous.

As we highlighted in our live TV interview yesterday evening, we have written several letters to President Lungu on this subject and have called for meetings with him to resolve these issues. To date we have never had even an acknowledgement, let alone a response, to our calls. We continue to call for a meeting along with other stakeholders.

We met with the Inspector General of the Police yesterday afternoon. We demanded to know why the rally was cancelled so late and on questionable grounds, as if it was a deliberate move to provoke and confuse our supporters. We have also demanded to know why live bullets were being used for crowd control. We are speaking with international media, observers, civil society and many other stakeholders. We will continue to update you.

The sad reality we face is that we have a generation of young people that are hungry, have no jobs and have lost all faith in the state and state institutions. They feel betrayed by the broken promises of the PF Government. The police, rather than protecting them, has become an instrument of attack and intimidation, with no right for self-defence.

We call on President Lungu to quickly condemn the shootings and apologise directly to the families for something that would never have happened under truly democratic and compassionate leadership.

Meanwhile President Edgar Lungu has said his heart is heavy following the loss of life in yesterday’s fracas between the police and the UPND cadres in Lusaka.

“I first and foremost want to express my deepest sorrow to the family and friends of those who lost a life and were injured in the violence today. 50 years ago we fought hard to bring independence, peace and democracy to our nation. For 50 years our nation has lived with peace, stability and freedom. There is no place for this type of violence in our society. I take a firm stance against any sort of violence in our democracy,” President Lungu said in a message posted on his Facebook page.

“Zambians know the kind of leader that I am, and that I am a man of faith that walks with God. I live my life and lead this country with Christian values. In a Christian nation our brother and sisters can never turn to this sort of violence. We cannot let ourselves be led into a crisis by those who wish to instill fear into the hearts of many in hopes of gaining power and control.”
He added, “We are a blessed nation and cannot afford to lose order and take steps back in the progress we have made. I feel for mother Zambia. I pray for peace for all my people, across all provinces. The people of Zambia shall know peace and this shall not escalate further. We will not be led by fear. I call for unity, and end to the violence.”

President Lungu said Police will take stern action against anyone perpetrating to this violence adding that he has faith that the lines of inquiry police have opened will lead to arrest of the culprits.

Single Mums Club Zambia is a Non Governmental Organisation that was established in 2014. It was officially launched in 2015 at Ster Kinekor Cinemas in Lusaka. On 2nd July 2016,the Organisation celebrated its 1st Anniversary at Lusaka’s Protea Lusaka Tower.

Founded by Zambia’s Award winning Philanthropist, Speaker and Writer, Mwansa Bwale. The Single Mums Club, which she founded after having a child out of wedlock, tackles the stigma against single mothers as well as the harshly solicited comments against them. Mwansa says, “There are very young girls out there in school who believe that getting pregnant and getting married are tickets to a comfortable life, and that horrifies me! We want to get rid of such a mentality and build young ladies into strong, confident and independent women.” The organisation also aims to support struggling single mothers financially,emotionally and Socially. Members are engaged in skill based training in order to help them sustain themselves and support their children. Also to give hope and inspiration to the single mothers. It additionally aims to dispel child marriages by mentoring young girls to invest in education.

The Anniversary event was sponsored by Society For Family Health under their product “MAXIMUM DIVA”, a contraceptive for women ( female condom). The event was a huge success with Power House women like Beauty Katebe(Board Chairperson of Zambia Womens Lobby), Miyanda Katiwa(CEO Pro soft Group of companies) Karen Nakawala(CEO Zambia Fashion Week, Zambia Women of the year Awards, Afro Multimedia Events). The event was also attended by singer Salma Shikapwashya and Cleo Ice Queen , who is currently the Brand Ambassador for Maximum Diva.

Single Mums Club founder encourages more single mothers and teenage mothers to join by contacting Bwale on her Facebook page “Mwansa Bwale”. The organisation aims to empower women and equip them with independence and self Reliance. Miss Bwale adds “our next target is the Vice President Mrs Inonge Wina. We wish for her to take time to listen to our vision and support us for she is an icon, a pioneer towards observing womens rights”.

The event had a number of speakers such as :

Beauty Katebe emphasized on the relevance of investing in women. She stated that women should be respected, protected and accorded equal rights as men. She added on about raising her children single-handedly and how her children have excelled regardless.

Cleo Ice Queen is Society for Family Health’s MAXIMUM DIVA’s Brand Ambassador. she spoke about her journey as a Brand Ambassador and what Maximum Diva means to her as a woman. She also spoke about life being a single mum herself and how she conquered all odds and became a successful Artist/Single mother.

Miyanda Katiwa discusses her life as a single mother and how tough life was after her divorce. She talked about how at some point she had no job but had to fend for her kids single handedly and eventually joined the marketing business and grew as an entrepreneur. She also talked about the challenging realities of life single women face in corporate decision making by virtue of being unmarried. She concluded with her story of eventually remarrying and having a child after 40. She explained how her entire story is in her book RISING FROM THE ASHES .

Priscilla Schaufelberger is a woman and child ambassador who speaks and campaigns against GBV,Child marriages, & Defilement. She tells her story of being abused by her father in her book STOLEN CHILDHOOD.

Artist Salma Sky talked about her experience as a single mum before she got married to her husband Tivo Shikapwashya. She expresses her passion in girl-child protection through her campaign “nakana chimubabe”. She mentors girls from falling prey to Sugar Daddies and peer pressure which can lead them to being single mothers.

Founder Mwansa Bwale ,who through her organization helps single mothers attain Legal Aid towards Child support .

 

Pictures from the event

 

To become part of the Single Moms Club contact Mwansa Bwale on her Official Facebook page HERE.

 

BY KAPA187

 

 

 

Immediate past opposition UPND Kalomo Member of Parliament Request Muntanga has died.

Mr Muntanga died at University Teaching Hospital this afternoon.

UTH management and Health Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya confirmed the death of Mr Muntanga.

The former lawmaker suffered a stroke and was hospitalised for close to two months.

“Selfish” hit maker ,Chanda Mbao , decided to surprise his fans by teaming up with Kaladoshas and Scott to make a cover of Wiz Kids latest single “Shabba” .

This is in preparation for a single he has coming with Kaladoshas called ‘My Town’ which is slated the end of the month.

 

BY KAPA187

The opposition UPND have once again been denied permits to hold their rallies in Lusaka’s Chawama and Kanyama Compounds.

Mr Hichilema says the police have come under pressure from PF officials whom he said want to deny his Party an opportunity to deliver their campaign message to the people in the two compounds.

“Once again UPND scheduled rallies in Chawama and Kanyama constituencies in Lusaka for this afternoon and Sunday have been cancelled at the last minute after the Police have come under pressure from PF officials, who are in a clear state of panic as elections draw closer.

“We deeply regret that we will not be able to address the people in Chawama today, or in Kanyama this weekend. During the campaign period political parties have the right to deliver their message and manifesto to the people, and our people have the right to hear those messages. If President Edgar Lungu does not want to campaign or has little to say that is not for UPND to worry about,” he said.

He wondered why the PF are denying them opportunities to deliver their message to the electorates when they claim to have delivered on their promises.

“If the PF feel they have achieved so much during their time in office then why do they feel that they need to resort to such underhand tactics? The PF has seen how the tide is turning in Lusaka Province and their response has been to stop us campaigning at all costs.

“As we have resisted their attempts to intimidate, threaten and even mutilate our supporters they have increasingly resorted to co-opting public institutions, whether it’s ZRA or the Police to deliver partisan objectives. This is unacceptable and the ECZ must quickly condemn such abuse of office,” he said.

Chief Government Spokesman Chishimba Kambwili has asked Scottish Actress Louise Linton to retract her article promoting her book in which she described Zambia as a war torn country with children ravaged with HIV.

In an interview Dr Kambwili said the article and Ms. Linton’s book titled ‘In Congo’s Shadow’ does not portray the true picture of the Zambian situation.

He said he will soon be engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see how Government can get Ms Linton to apologise to Zambia publicly over what he called misleading articles about Zambia.
Dr Kambwili said it is incorrect to paint Zambia as a war ravaged country when the country is known world over as a beacon of peace.

He said Ms Linton’s write up is simply a fragment of her wild imagination.

“We are very disappointed that the young lady was hosted in this country and she ended up painting a bad picture of our beautiful country in her write up. It is very unfortunate and we will ask her to retract her write up and apologise,” Dr Kambwili said.

He added, “She is a very irresponsible person and whoever gave her that information must apologise to Zambians. That writing is in bad faith and the source is not legitimate, we are extremely disappointed as Government and we will be engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get an apologise.”

Zambians took to social media to highlight factual errors in Ms. Linton’s self-published memoir about her gap-year in Zambia.

The Twitter storm broke out after excerpts of the book, In Congo’s Shadow were published on July 1 in the British Newspaper The Telegraph. 

The hashtag being used is #LintonLies.

In the book, which came out in April, Ms. Linton waxes poetic about her trip to the continent nearly two decades ago.

Ms. Linton later tweeted a short statement in response to the criticism.

“I wrote this book with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia and my sincere hope of making a positive impact there as an 18-year-old volunteer in 1999. I speak at length about the country’s incredible beauty and my immense gratitude for the friendships and experiences I had there. My aim has only ever been to honour Zambia.”

She wrote: “I am genuinely dismayed and very sorry to see that I have offended people as this was the very opposite of my intent. “I wrote with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia as an 18yr old in 1999. “I wrote about the country’s incredible beauty and my immense gratitude for the experiences I had there.”

Linton’s father, William Hay, today defended her account.

And Linton’s father has defended William Hay has defended his daughter’s account.

Mr Hay who runs the Edinburgh-based family business, said: “As far as I can remember of what she said on her return that was the situation.

“The place was raided. I think the gamekeeper was shot dead.

“They trekked into the bush a bit and I got a phone call when she got to the nearest phone.”

Discussing the lodge and area Linton was staying, he said it was a “primitive hotel” which “was certainly not a sophisticated environment”.

He denied allegations that her book degrades Zambians by painting her as a “white saviour”, saying: “She had great respect for them.”

Mr Hay did, however, suggest that the manuscript of the book was changed by the publisher “and she was not happy with the story”.

He added: “She was really quite disappointed and quite embarrassed.”

Roan Constituency Patriotic Front Candidate Chishemba Kambwili has apologised to his President and members of the PF for the inconvenience that he may have caused in his fight against party council mayoral aspirant Nathan Chanda.

In a statement Mr Kambwili said he has seriously reflected and prayed over their differences and has seen the need to work together as the party and country is bigger than them.

“Thanks s lot my brother Sunday for your timely advise on this issue. I have seriously reflected and prayed over it and indeed we need each other. The party and Zambia is bigger that all of us. Further, this is time to put all our differences aside and concentrate on campaigning for the party that we have suffered to build. If Christ forgave those who persecuted him, who am I not to forgive and forget,” he said.

He also said he is ready to meet Mr Chanda and that he has since invited party youth Chairperson to witness the meeting.

“I am ready to meet the young man and resolve the issue once and for all. I wish to also tender an apology to his Excellent the President for the inconvenience that this may have caused him.

“Thanks Sunday and High Commissioner Emanuel Mwamba for your timely advise. I have since requested the National youth chairman Hon Kampyongo to come to Luanshya to witness the meeting with Nathan.I also unreservedly apologise to all the PF family for my actions. We have the opposition to fight and not among ourselves. God bless the mighty PF and let campaign for the President and the party. I believe leadership is about forgiveness as Christianity requires. Our founding president forgave those you insulted and called him names. Long live PF,” he said.

Mr Kambwili and Mr Chanda have not seen eye to eye after the later accused the his friend of trying to bewitch him in a bid to clear his path to be adoption as Parliamentary candidate on the party ticket.

Mr Chanda who saved as Luanshya Mayor campaigned vigorously to be adopted on the PF ticket as their Parliamentary candidate in Roan constituency something that angered the former MP.