3 MMD members assaulted

Three MMD polling agents and a headman of Masongoti village in Chilanga were yesterday beaten by suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres at Chowa polling station during voting in the Chilanga parliamentary by-elections.

Headman Geoffrey Sikakumbi, who sustained a swollen leg and was unable to walk, narrated in an interview at Chilanga police station yesterday that some suspected UPND cadres seized him and started harassing him after he had cast his vote.

Mr Sikakumbi, 52, who is MMD chairman in the area, said the suspected cadres abducted him around 08:00 hours near Fresh Farm and questioned him on who allegedly paid him to vote.

He said he was on his way to visit his wife who is in hospital when the incident happened.

Mr Sikakumbi said because he did not give them the answers they wanted, he was beaten and later abandoned near Chilanga police station.

“They abducted me in a Pajero and wanted me to tell them who paid me to vote but when I gave them answers which according to them were unsatisfactory, they started beating me and later abandoned me near Chilanga police station,” Mr Sikakumbi said.

MMD information and publicity secretary Isaac Mulenga said in an interview that three polling agents and an MMD cadre were beaten by suspected UPND cadres at Chowa polling station.

Mr Mulenga named the three polling agents as Agness Phiri, Benson Banda and Cornelius Chanda.
He named the MMD cadre as Jarous Shawa.

Mr Mulenga said Mr Banda and Mr Chanda were replaced with George Mambwe and Nephat Mwanza.

He described the situation as unfortunate, especially that such incidents were recorded on polling day.
Meanwhile, voting in the Chilanga by-election started on a steady pace despite the isolated instances of violence.
[pullquote]“They abducted me in a Pajero and wanted me to tell them who paid me to vote but when I gave them answers which according to them were unsatisfactory, they started beating me and later abandoned me near Chilanga police station,” Mr Sikakumbi said.[/pullquote]
A check at some polling stations found that hundreds of people had cast their vote.

At Munda Wanga polling station, 320 out of the registered 1,900 had cast their vote by 10:00 hours while at Masamba Basic School 200 out of the 1,200 registered voters had cast their vote.

At Mount Makulu Basic School, one of the three streams had registered 103 out of 420 registered voters at 12:00 hours while at Kalundu Basic School over 100 people had registered at one of the four streams around 09:00 hours.

Chilanga has 20 polling stations with 26,618 registered voters.

In Chilanga, four candidates were contesting the seat and the UPND has scooped the seat.

Those were Keith Mukata of the MMD, Cosmas Moono of the United Party for National Development (UPND), Henry Silumesi for UNIP and Valerie Bwalya for NAREP.

In Mpulungu, police have arrested two people for alleged double voter registration and forging a polling agent’s affidavit.

Northern Province police commanding officer Mukuka Chewe confirmed the arrest of Robert Sikazwe and George Mazimba in Mpulungu yesterday.

“Mr Sikazwe had papers sworn in the name of George Mazimba and yet he wanted to come as a polling agent. He used an affidavit as an agent when he was not sworn in at Munsende polling station,” Mr Chewe said.

On Mr Mazimba, Mr Chewe said the suspect allegedly registered as a voter at Munsende polling station and also attempted to vote at Muzabwela polling station when he was confronted by some party cadres.

He said police will look at the electoral code of conduct and slap the two suspects with the appropriate charges.

“By tomorrow (today) they should be charged and appear in court,” Mr Chewe said.

He was, however, happy with the peaceful conduct of the people of Mpulungu during the campaigns and described it as mature.

Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonnie Tembo also confirmed taking the two suspects to the police.

Meanwhile, polling stations in the outskirts of Mpulungu township yesterday morning recorded a low voter turnout as compared to those in the township.

The polling station at Makola Basic School in Chibulula ward opened on time at 06:00 hours but there was no voter present.

At Mankonga polling station, only one person had voted by 06:09 hours

At township polling stations, however, there were long queues of voters at Muzabwela, Mpulungu Basic School and Niamukulolo Basic School.

Election monitors described as disappointing the low turnout of voters in the Mpulungu parliamentary by-election.

Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) information officer Obby Chibuluma said in an interview in Mpulungu yesterday that the reasons given by most people is that they are farmers and that they had gone to cultivate their fields.

Mr Chibuluma hoped, however, that the turnout would improve as the day progressed.

He was also concerned that a number of voters, especially in the rural areas, did not have information on the candidates who are contesting the seat and had to rely on the presiding officers.
He called for more voter education in Mpulungu.

Mr Chibuluma also said many people were discouraged from voting because the polling stations are far from their homes.

And Mr Tembo was happy with the voter turnout in Mpulungu township but that the number of voters who cast their votes in the outlying areas was low because many of them are farmers and were busy cultivating their fields.

[ Zambia Daily Mail ]