STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE NON GOVERNMANTAL ORGANISATIONS CORDINATING COUNCIL (NGOCC) MS. SARA H. LONGWE DURING A MEDIA BRIEFING ON THE DECSION BY PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU TO PARDON GENERAL KANENE
MEMBERS OF THE PRESS,
NGOCC NETWORK MEMBER ORGANISATIONS PRESENT,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
On Thursday, July 16th 2015, President Edgar Lungu pardoned a convicted girl child defiler, Clifford Dimba aka General Kanene who was serving an 18-year-jail sentence. General Kanene was convicted by a competent court of law that he molested and abused a girl child below the age of 16.
Clearly, President Lungu is increasingly becoming a danger not only to the nation but more specifically to the welfare of the girl child in Zambia. While well meaning Zambians are busy fighting gender based violence (GBV), and more specifically child defilement, President Pungu seems to be comfortable with the increased cases of child abuse as demonstrated in his release of general kanene. President Lungu must be reminded that he was elected to secure and safeguard the interests of all Zambians, including girl children.
President Lungu’s appetite to keep himself in power at any cost, even if it means embracing girl child defilers, is appalling and disgusting to say the least. The recent presidential pardons of criminals for political expedience by the pf government is now threatening the safety of this country especially the vulnerable girl children.
The decision by the president to pardon a convicted child defiler, is not only an insult to the women of Zambia, but a serious draw back in the fight against child defilement and GBV.
What the president is saying in his pardon is that as long as anyone is in good books with him or his party, they can abuse and defile children and they will not face the wrath of the law. It is unfortunate that at the time Zambia needs leadership in the fight against defilement the head of state is in the forefront abetting and encouraging people to abuse girl children.
While we appreciate that kanene may have reformed and is now championing the fight against gbv, the reality is so have many other prisoners who have committed various crimes who will serve their full sentence .
We call upon President Lungu to seriously introspect and reflect on his decision to release a convicted defiler. President lungu is seriously undermining the judicial system by selectively releasing convicts who he has a personal interest in. While, the law gives the president power to pardon convicts, we sincerely believe that president Lungu is abusing his power, for political expedience. Surely what is so special with general kanene to be released after committing such a heinous crime against a girl child? Did president lungu think about the victim when he decided to pardon General Kanene?
The girl child that was defiled by Mr Dimba will not receive any justice now that the president has decided to pardon him.
As long as President Lungu remains the head of state, the fight against gbv will remain a pipe dream. We challenge all the women in the Patriotic Front (PF) government to voice against this injustice against the girl child. If President Lungu and the pf want the support of the women, this decision must be reversed immediately.
It is for this reason that the women’s movement continues to advocate for a new people driven republican constitution that will regulate the powers of the president. The current constitution gives too much power to the president which is not good for the country.
NGOCC will remain consistent in demanding for the enactment of the new constitution through a national referendum. We primarily demand for the enactment of the new constitution through a national referendum because an expanded bill of right will enhance and advance the rights and status of women and children.
The only solution to the many problems that the country is facing is to enact the new constitution before 2016 tripartity elections. Otherswise, individuals will continue to abuse the presidential office.
As an organization we will be left with no option but to go to the public and explain what kind of danger Edgar Lungu is to the women and girl children of this country.
For/NGOCC
Issued;
Sara h. Longwe
Chairperson
I hear he has made him an ambassador to represent the girl child ? The man is a crazy nut he has lost it.
This confirms that peodofiles or defilers are welcome in Zambian society under Jamasoni Lungu’s reign
Releasing a pedophile is madness.
I’m one of the critics of this government but I try by all means to preserve objectivity.
This pardoning is long over due. I’ve been sympathetic to General Kanene from the day he was incarcerated for the following reason:
The evidence presented before the court was not the ‘best evidence’ to prove the girls age which is key factor in defilement cases. There was no birth certificate nor under-five card, the evidence presented was a primary school register and an application for scientific determination of age was denied. Many people reduce age when it comes to NRCs and School enrollment.
It seems the girl’s family just wanted to fix General Kanene, obviously because he didn’t give in to their demands.
I know Lungu pardoned him not because of my reasons but for political…
Bapuba ba vodka! And to think I had been one of his fiercest supporters! He can count my vote and that of more than 30 of my family gone – we are voting for Elias, nangu aluse!
Zambians have to accept that Lungu is a danger to the viability of Zambia as a potential nation and a progressive society. Lungu ‘s stealing from his client proved his lack of integrity and ethics. In his thinking, his personal well being is all that matters and not people around him. He is thoroughly selfish and without any moral fibre.
I hear Gen. Kanene is releasing a new track using Whitney Houston’s sound track “I wanna dance with somebody”…………. Yeah I wanna defile somebody, I wanna feel the heat with a some kid, with some somebody who loves me……..yeah I wanna rape somebody I wanna feel the heat with some kid, with somebody who loves it. somebody who.. somebody who… somebody who… doesnt know how to say no….
What did u expect from cinwenwenwe?
I strongly support the pardoning of general Kanene.It is for the obvious reason that the girl s family wanted to fix General kanene ala ulufyengo talubomba.Equally those that are fyengaling Edgar Lungu will pay the price and God will see him through until 2021
Hope you have seen the woman, “aka the girl” at the center of the controverse….
Under age is still under age, you seem to have a taste for the same make sure you dont travel bazaka ku manga abroad. Careful you will end up chowing your daughter or niece…………..
Sara h. Longwe, you have NO heart. are u so perfect that u have never sinned. Have you not really seen how repented General Kanene has been. He is the only convict I have seen coming out honestly and showing absolute remorse of what happened. Welcome home General Kanene. Thank you for showing the world that life in Zambian prison does not mean the end of the world and that you can still teach while in prison. you are the man…………………..
Yes we know sin is the same but sleeping with a young girl has consequences as stipulated by laws of the land. That man like many other pedophiles should be in jail.
They are people who show remorse before even taken to court but that does not me that the process of getting justice should be stopped. What about the family of the girl or the girl herself? Have they gotten justice? Why look at this case one sided?
I am sure all prisoners are remorseful for whatever crimes they committed but that does not me that they should be released.
There are so many prisoners that have repented but still behind bars because the law is used as a deterrent to others that plan to take advantage of young girls.
If Kanene’s treatment becomes a precedent, then all perverts will intentionally defile young girls knowing that when they repent or sing songs of praise to a president, they will be released. What will happen to the innocent victims left after the defilement? How does such a precedence protect them?
This is completely wrong!!!!
Muleya, I just love your comment. You are very realistic. After all, the guy was convicted on flimsy grounds. The so called NGOs made a lot of noise and for sure they influenced the decision of the court. Welcome home General.
Freeing a rapist? It is a shame. What message is this guy sending to the public?
Much as I would agree with Sara Molesters, defilers and rapists should be tamed but the case of Dimba has been not straight forward from the start. Some say at the time he defiled the said girl she already had a child, some say the birth records for the girl were cooked, perhaps the NGOCC should also take time to do some bit of investigation in the matter. I believe His Excellence using his office did their own investigation
There actually no birth records and the judge somehow decided that a birth certificate was not necessary as evidence. Very laughable. Even I wanted Kanene released but Lungu has only buzazad on the timing. You can’t have someone sing your praises and then a few days later you pardon them, that is just dullness. The case was currently on appeal and so if chaps had brains in the PF hierarchy, they would have done what they do best and instructed the Supreme court to acquit the chap. Apa this dunderhead president did not have the foresight of the backlash this would bring from the women who are the majority voters or maybe he just doesn’t care since he knows he will be saying bye bye to statehouse in a few months.
The president should not overstep his mandate for political reasons in the name of expressing the powers bestowed upon him. The judicial system should operate independently. Only a new constitution can reverse the dangers he is exposing the country to.
President`s office can even pardon the worst criminal if he shows remarkable change as provided.
Why is it that these women NGO are run by unmarried women and always scathingly attacking men in the name of gender based violence?
If these so called powerful women running NGO have never sinned or wronged anyone in this world, I challenge them to pick a larger stone and lay it of the boy Kanene.
With these press statements, supposing God was a woman surely who would be saved Zambia.
I can assure you that all men would have extincted in this country.
Who again told them the sin kanene committed is greater that the sin they are involved of malice and other……
Let me end here.
The President has powers to pardon anyone. Criminals of all kinds every year get pardoned… Why should Kanene’s case be any special?
I only hope this NGO is not attaching hate to this long awaited presidential pardon.things which should have happened long long ago….or this organization thought this galant son of the land was going to rot in jail? Foolish thoughts! Watch this space as we garther to welcome this truest soulja’s back on our streets! As the rest remain for all you haters to digest!
This Sara Longwe has a heart of a devil. Forgiveness is divine. If God can forgive who are we not to? Would she be complaining if it was her own son?
The president did not just wake up and say ‘today I will set Kanene free.’ The man acted on recommendations from the prisons authority.
We all don’t know the true age of that girl nor what exactly transpired between the two. Jailing Kanene for 18 years like he murdered a person wasn’t fair not for Kanene himself but also for his children. Kanene showed remorse therefore deserved that presidential pardon period! Let Sara Longwe go and hang!
You were warned, more is yet to come just look at questionable characters surrounding him, the likes of Chimbwili, Keizer Dobo zulu and that ugly woman from mandevu constituency.
You people General Kanane’s pardon was long overdue. From the beginning of this case it was not a strong case against him. It’s just that these so called women NGO’s just want to see men caged especially when they have a name. Anyhow no matter what they say Kanane’s back! Period
If the case was flimsy, then Kanene should have appealed, period.
And do you claim to be more knowledgeable in legal matters than the justice who locked him up after analysing the evidence first hand?
Zambia has a long way to go if people like you believe they can question expert informed-decisions.
As for EL, well, you remind me of him……
May be he wants him to marry that daughter of his he has been showing off in public.
Mmm iyi statement iiko emotional and a little personal mwe. Typical of female prepared statements. Much as I dont support what Kanene did, his case was full of potholes that sending him to jail for 18 years was quiet frankly an overkill
The thing all those General Kanene’s supporters are forgetting is the man is married. The worst thing a person can do is sleep with other people when they have partners at home. The number one reason that HIV/AIDS cases are so high in Zambia. Sleeping with many partners can spread this disease like wild fire. To me this man show’s a lack of respect to women to be sleeping around. Is this what we as a society want as a role model? Maybe in the eyes of vision-less Lungu but not educated people who have morals. What is President Lungu really encouraging? Youth will see this as normal and will continue for a life time. This risky behaviour should be condemned. Just because a man has an organ does not give him the right to abuse women. Hope this message is loud and clear President Lungu.
So, is that Kanene’s crime – sleeping with another woman when married? If that is the case, then he shouldn’t have been jailed in the first place. You say “Just because a man has an organ does not give him the right to abuse women”. Are you suggesting that women are free to abuse their organs – or they do not have organs? This case seemed to not have been grounded on facts, but more on emotions – to be seen to be taking a hard stance on defilers (to please Ms. Longwe and her sponsors). Kanene was just a sacrificial lamb
let him that has no sin throw the first stone
All defilers after all evidence has been collected should be shot. Just saying. Only if with no reason of a doubt they have been proven guilty.
welcome home Kanene, free free at last.
Thank so much Mr President, you are the good president of Zambia, you have my vote next year, especially on pardoning of General Kanene.
Ba Zambia finshi mulefwaya natwishiba fwe bene eeeeh Lungu eeeh Lungu eeeh Lungu eo tulefwaya x2 via singing kansi ni malabishi yeka yeka 2016 Edgar out of office
I for one think the case against Kanene was weak with questionable evidence. He should never have been convicted. That said, he was convicted but a presidential pardon is NOT right way to redress that wrongful conviction. Did Kanene appeal the conviction? It is at that point that the powers that should have shown favour rather than to undermine the judicial system. First it was Mpombo and Steven. Now Kanene? The only thing they have in common is that they have public profiles. This is complete abuse of the prerogative of mercy.
@Observer… you seize to amaze me. This man is guilty as sin and my blog was merely pointing if he lacks respect for his wife then what about a child. It does not matter what we all think it’s what the law stipulates. You cannot have sex with a minor no matter who you are. There was case of a child who was deaf and raped by two men in Zambia. They were not arrested and nothing has ever been done about it. So many case we read about minors being defiled by pedophiles so what is wrong with the system? It’s people not being held accountable for their actions. It has nothing to do with, I had a ceremony and parents agreed since she was 14 its still a crime. It has nothing to do with the girl already had a child at 14, she is still a minor. Adults should know the difference not the child.
Iwe sara longwe so if kanene was your son or your father wer you stil going to tell the president to reverse the decision!
This NGOCC woman is very stupid and useless.If General kanene had loved her and if he had an affair with her she would have kept quite.Why is she bitter as if Kanene is her husband?You have disappointed the president and the Zambian people.Galu wacabe-cabe
Learn to think logically. You are a bigot and male chauvinist.
where is the outrage?????? all concerned parties, women, men, young and old and children should protest this as loudly as they can. this is insanity. again, vote wisely.
I presume that the bloggers supporting Kanene’s pardon are men. One is saying18 years was an overkill! It wasn’t When a child is defiled, it affects them for life. It takes a strong character to overcome that. It is not easy. It is like a life sentence for the child yet you think 18 years is an overkill. In fact Kanene’s and all child moloesters or paedophile should be castrated with blunt knives! It would stop peverts!