Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani has said the Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) Pact is working with the civil society to breed anarchy in Zambia.
The minister accused the two opposition parties of being behind the Red Card campaign as realised in the manner they were collaborating with the civil society organisations such as the Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) and the Citizens Forum.
Mr Mangani said in an interview yesterday that it was surprising that the civil society was still calling for Zambians to join the Red Card campaign despite them meeting with him last week to address their concerns.
He said the two parties and the civil society organisations such as TIZ were always speaking one language even where there was no justification.
“It is clear that they have a hidden agenda as civil society. We need people who have progressive ideas as government and not those promoting anarchy,” he said.
He said the idea of meeting civil society organisations at his office last week was to iron out any issues raised but the government was saddened with the path its stakeholders were taking.
Mr Mangani said there was no justification for the Red Card campaign as being insisted by the civil society. He said Citizens Forum executive secretary Simon Kabanda should come to terms and accept that issues raised by the civil society as reason for the Red Card campaign were already addressed by the government.
Earlier, Mr Kabanda appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the police to allow his organisation and other Red Card supporters to go on with their campaign.
Speaking on Face the Media radio programme on 5 FM in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Kabanda said the only thing the government could do to stop the campaign was to make all the things that had been lacking available to the people.
“If the government does not want us to go on with this campaign, then they should correct the situation which I think is becoming more desperate. For instance, the government should set the date for the referendum for the 50 plus one and it should also start the registration process for those who want to take part in it,” he said.
He said the Citizens Forum and other civil society organisations would then have nothing to flash red cards for, once their desires and those of the Zambian people were granted, failure to which they would continue with their campaign.
[Times of Zambia]
Just manga them and throw them in jail.
Unip(MMD) is now fighting invisible enemies. The William Banda syndrome is fast catching on.
We need groups/parties kicking GRZ/MMD’s backsides. Who is this Mangani, where did he do is studies and how far has gone with his studies to hold such an important position??
Problem with Lameck and MMD is that they expect all of us to have the same views as them.Mind you Lameck we dont all eat from the same Govt Pot as you do.Dont intimidate pipo and respect everyone’s freedom of expression
Uyu mudala is mad could someone explain to him we live in a democracy where people are entitled to have different views & most importantly opinions to his own. Viva red card…Abash MMD, RB the UNIPIST and Chiluba the embezzler
Is it me or are there similarities between the then UNIP (1991) and the new version (MMD)?
Remember the UNIP advert and anarchy? Mmmmmmmmmm!
Mr minister, these NGO are Branches of the PF, don’t waste time talking to them, when they hold their rally, Bring in the Comando Unit from Ndola to sort them OUT!, give the comandos live bullets and Bazooka Units, these guys have gone too far
consult the Chinese government on how to ruthlessly deal with this madness
a neutral observation, i can see that most bloggers are not happy with what the MMD are doing. Is is difficult to change and address what the majority want? Since this is an MMD web, is it difficult to note what most people are complaining about? Take a poll and analyse. I also urge LT to be producing an analytical summary on every subject in terms of opinion poll. ONE VOTE per blogger. Otherwise continue improving.
i personally dont support the current government. but this red card campaign is madness.why not prove your cards through the ballot. let the government work free but you are free to criticise not through cards
WE SUPPORT THE RED CARD AS A WAY TO EXPRESS OUR DISGUST AT THE WAY YOU MANGANI ARE CONDUCTING YOURSELF,INSTEAD OF WORKING,YOU ARE JUST POLITICKING.CAN YOU DELIVER,PASSPORTS SENT BY PEOPLE IN THE DIASPORA HAVE NOT BEEN ATTENDED TO FOR A YEAR .THE FOREIGNERS ARE FEASTING ON ZAMBIA,FREE ENTRY,COMING HERE TO SELL CABBAGES,YOU CHI MANGANI NACHI LIATO ARE SO CORRUPT.
MMD collects NRCs of deceased, former miners in Mufulira
THE MMD in Mufulira has allegedly embarked on an exercise of collecting National Registration Cards (NRCs) of deceased and former miners on grounds that it wants to assist their surviving families collect monies that ZCCM allegedly owes them.
According to a son of one of the deceased miners, the exercise was suspicious because as far as he was concerned, his late father had been given his benefits in full by ZCCM.
Rainford Musonda explained that as an administrator to his late father’s estate, he was not aware of any underpayment.
He complained that the MMD was trying to take advantage of his mother’s ignorance and naivety to use the family for their alleged mischievous activities.
MMD collects NRCs of deceased, former miners in Mufulira …continued
“My dad died in 2004 but he retired in 1997. ZCCM paid him all his money but I was surprised to hear my mom telling me that she had taken my late dad’s NRC to the MMD district offices in Mufulira because dad was underpaid. I immediately told her to have that NRC withdrawn because we do not know what details they are getting from that NRC,” he narrated.
“In fact, we are told that there are a lot of NRCs that they have collected from unsuspecting surviving spouses of deceased miners on grounds that they want to help them fight for their money. Which money are they talking about?” he asked.
MMD collects NRCs of deceased, former miners in Mufulira …continued
Musonda further said that his uncle was also an ex-miner and that the information obtaining was that former president Frederick Chiluba had left word that ex-miners should leave their NRCs at the MMD office.
“My uncle told me that when Chiluba came to the Copperbelt, he had left instructions that ex-miners should leave their NRCs at the MMD offices so that those who were underpaid could be given their full benefits. If Chiluba knew that the ex-miners were underpaid, why did he not sort it out before he left office? He is not the president and we wonder why he should deceive people that he will solve their problems,” he said.
“These gimmicks by the MMD should be investigated.”
MMD collects NRCs of deceased, former miners in Mufulira …continued
And another affected son of a deceased miner, Samuel Sakanya, urged the opposition to be alert claiming that elections were rigged in such ways.
Sakanya added that even if there was any underpayment of deceased miners, the issue should have been handled by ZCCM-IH and not MMD.
When contacted, MMD provincial youth chairman Evans Chibanda said he was not aware of the exercise.
Efforts to get a comment from Mufulira MMD acting district chairman Rodgers Mweetwa failed as his phone went unanswered by press time.
Magani is a impedement to democracy. EWhereever he sees criticism or opposition he sees anarchy. Frightened litle man. I would drop him if i was Rb. But then very Zambian President has had one. KK has william Banda and Kamalonda. Chiluba had Dr Machungwa and Brig Miyanda. LPM used Shikapwasha