A stampede over free food has left around 10 people dead in Lusaka.
The stampede was caused after hundreds of Lusaka residents trooped to the Olympic Youth Development Center (OYDC) where a US based faith organisation Church of Christ was due to start giving free food.
Several others have been admitted to Chipata and Marrapodi clinics for treatment.
The exercise attracted scores of Lusaka residents from nearby compounds such as Chazanga, Chipata, Mandevu, Chaisa, Marrapodi, Mazyopa and SOS who gathered from as early 03 Hours.
Reports emerging indicate that 10 people died in the stampede but Police Spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo has put the figure down to eight.
Lusaka’s UNZA Radio has reported that the death toll could be as high as 100.
The food parcels that were promised to the pay include a 10kg mealie meal bag, Sugar, Soya pieces, cooking oil and one head of cabbage per person.
The church had been issuing small pieces of papers in the compounds as tickets for one to stand on the queue today.
Mrs Katongo said among the dead, six are female, one male adult and one male juvenile.
She said five died on the spot while three died from hospitals where they were rushed for medical attention.
The Police Spokesperson said the victims are among the 35, 000 which the group called Lesedi seven, had invited for prayers at OYDC.
She said the group had also organized food hampers to distribute to people.
Mrs Katongo said this Lesedi seven is a grouping under Church of Christ.
“The injured are receiving treatment at Chingwere first level hospital and Chipata clinic while the bodies of the deceased have been taken to UTH mortuary. We have since dispersed the gathering and an inquiry into the matter has been instituted,” She said.
Poverty …cry father Zambia. Thats headline on international media. ..
These stu. pid hypocritical faith organizations who think they can just throw free food at people like dogs with no strategy. Arrest them.
Why not help black people in America you coming to kill innocent Zambian.
10 People is not dozens.
RIP for ones that lost their lives.
Thanks
Bb2014,16
Me, I blame Edgar, why is he keeping his PF cadres hungry after the lost battle with lady kasonde at LAZ
I have always said what ever PF says the direct opposite is the truth. I have also said that lies has very short legs and does not go that far.
Mutati and Lungu are busy lying that the economy is growing. Yes the economy of all PF stooges close to Lungu is indeed growing because their pockets are flooding with stolen money. While for ordinary Zambians, all they see is hunger caused by poverty!
This food parcel stampede is confirmation of what HH and most us have been saying about PF and its stupid policies. These deaths are a result of the failed PF project.
Lungu and his PF have a hand in these deaths no doubt about it, because these heads of these christian ministries in Zambia are all for Lungu these days.Only a f00l like Numbian princess can refute this fact.
Infact this…
Ba HH supporters this is not the first time this has been made. Like someone has mentioned here, a system should have been worked out for proper distribution.
Lets wait and see how PF government will handle these tragedy.
Let me plagiarize the first line from chitimukulu’s article “my heart and mind throb and swell in great aguish” and pain, this Zambia no Somalia or Ethiopia, a great country that once used have maize littered all over the roads as truckloads of Somali driven Renault trucks would go round collect maize from agricultural depots, what has gone wrong all of a sudden?
The only words you will get from pf is “let’s not politicize this”.
That is why we say there is hunger in Zambia but you keep on calling us names. These are the results of a stolen vote.
All this is due to high levels of CORRUPTION. I say so because:
-If this food (for example) was given to the Ward Councilors to distribute then we all know what could have happened.
-Only 10% of the food would have been distributed to the VERY CLOSE relatives of the Councilors. The other 90% would be converted into cash and straight into the pockets of the Councilors.
-I have used Councilors as a generic term; but be it MPs or Chiefs or NGOs etc., etc. the outcome would still be the same.
These foreigners perceive Zambians as corrupt to the core; hence they resort to dishing out donations, to the end users, in their presence.
It could be one person or it could be10 people who died, it doesn’t matter, the fact of the matter is that precious human life has been lost. As I know many s.t.u.pid people, this will stick in politics here without understanding the core issue here. Can you imagine people are working up at 03 am and you call that laziness? Something is wrong in our society, honestly, people have no food. Bag of mealie meal is no longer affordable by many Zambians, you can not solve this issue by giving out free food. And this problem can not be resolved by Christian Organization. This is the area our government ought to be focusing. Ultimately, the government is responsible for lost lives, again aside with your cheap politics – PF or UPND. But PF government need take action
HONESTLY, THE GOOD GESTURE OF GIVING FREE FOOD TO PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE MORE PROFESSIONALLY BY INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY OR THE VICE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE VIA THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
Why do such disasters happen at Christian events in a Christian nation?
You are all missing the point; this is how NGOs start uprisings. Wake up!
Such organisations should never be allowed in the country!!
YAH! PROSECUTE THE US based faith organisation Church of Christ FOR HAVING BEEN SO CARELESS AS NOT TO THINK THROUGH WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO CAUSE. THEY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF A PROPER AND ORGANISED WAY OF HANDING OUT FREE FOOD JUST AS THEY DO EVEN TO DOGS IN THEIR OWN LANDS. IT MAKES ME WONDER ALL THE TIMES THAT WHEN IT COMES TO HANDING OVER FREE FOOD OR CLOTHES TO AFRICANS FOOD STUFF HAVE TO BE DROPPED FROM THE SKYS BY AIRCRAFT. NOT THE SAME IN HGHLY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS SUCH AS DURING KOSOVO WAR TIMES AND OTHER PLACES.
Sorry for the loss of life but as i said before, Mukalanya ameshi muli Lungu, The guy has no vision even his supporters here can not tell us what EL wants to archive at the end of the day, Its more money in EL and his friends pockets while the rest line up for food, Its never happened in the history of Zambia, food being given out in the capital, It means the faith guys have seen how people are suffering under PF and lunge, Giving free food should be left to places like Somalia where they have had a drought for 3 years.
@ Peter, Nubian Princess and the rest of “apologetic” paid-up Christian (lol) hypocrites
Why instead of putting blame on Christian value of compassion and charity, ask yourself why in a “Christian Nation” with growing economy, declining inflation and hundreds of thousands of jobs on offer, Citizens are starving?
Shame on you and your pay-masters
Free ecl vitenge, free ECL t-shirts and ‘chi wood’, free match tickets, Kopala mupondo failing to find k10 for a game.
Lusambo to distribute 20,000 free tickets at Levi mwanawasa stadium. Someone is ‘bewitching’ Zambians with spoon feeding. He think spoon feeding is the same as empowering.
He’s busy globetrotting. No vision. RIP victims.
All those people who think lungu will steps against the very church whose bishops campaigned for him need their heads seriously examined.
Lungu was dinning with these people and was scheduled to go and address these people with a born again message from Israel. This should be a lesson to Lungu that God should not be mocked for political mileage.
Wait a minute! Free Food! There is nothing like free food according to economics! I mean Felix is telling us that people are being employed back, inflation has dropped to single digit, Dollar has stabilized. Then where is the net effect if the economy is looking bright?
Why should people queue up at 3 AM just for a 10kg of unga? This is not Syria or Monsul right?
If you wanted any evidence that Zambia is a failed country, here it is. 35,000 people lining up to get free food, as early as 03:00, in a PF stronghold (Mandevu Constituency). Dozens, 10 or 8 people are dead. And PF insist that the economy is doing well after 6 years of their rule. What do Zambians really want? To starve and die for PF? And PF can export maize to Malawi from a supposedly bumper harvest, maize that Zambians cannot afford to buy! What a shame! What a shambles!
GOD HAS A WAY OF SHOWING UP THE EVIL OF PEOPLE PROFANING TO BE CHRISTIANS
PF carders will run away from commenting on here. 20/20 talks like the economy has improved with the reduction in beer prices not forgetting that our inflation rates have never sky-rocketed to such levels before. Businesses like Zambia breweries are reducing their prices to entice people to buy since most cannot afford higher prices of booze.
Sad that lives should be lost like this! Why giving free food like this, they were supposed to coordinate with the Govt and Council! When there is poor planning this is what happens!
Negligence has caused this and why giving food to people living in towns? There is more hunger and poverty in the rural areas compared to towns and less likelihood of a stampede occuring! Very poor planning by this so called Church of God!
Meant Church of Christ!
@China I’m not a cadre FYI I’m a supporter of PF and its policies which if implemented without being sabotaged by MMD mindest technocrats would see such problems a thing of the past!
Things are infact improving in the economy and that is a fact, this has indeed however been a very unfortunate occurance and sad for lives to be lost because these people were not dying from hunger as occurs in countries like South Sudan, Somalia etc this so called Church of Christ must be held to account for poorly organising this food distribution event.
This is why the govt has in place such Laws as the Public Order Act!
Ten people die and they say Dozens! Have they ever counted up to a dozen mambala imwe!!
The point here is people have died trying to get food
Don’t be idyotic! If people in towns are not starving why did 35,000 people turn up? At least people in rural areas are dignified unlike these PF kaponyas who kill each other over food.
I think this has nothing to do with poverty and has everything to do with laziness. How can an honest hard working person leave his bed at 0300hrs to go and get free food when you know you have to rest and wake up at 0500hrs to go to work?? These people should be ashamed! This food should have been for the blind and senior citizens who are over 75 years who can’t work. Not physically fit people.
@Zambia Citizen
You have assumed that these people are all employed. You have forgotten that stats say the unemployed and poverty stricken people are over 80% of the population. These could be people who have no means to make money. With the *****!c govt fully in charge scenarios like this will be common place and frequent. Brace for harder times under Lungusha.
One of the realest comment i have read on this thread.
This is just utter laziness! In as much giving out is a noble thing, I think like someone has already pointed out, there is much more hunger in the villages than in townships. Someone can sell vipyango and afford a pamela. This is the same UNIP mentality of coupons which has to be done away with! Even if these same people got the very hampers and the exercise were to continue, they would still be queuing up until Jesus comes! Sad that lives have been lost due to a poorly organized event!
@Wantanshi – you are quite correct. Just because people live in the capital does not mean they have a job. Many people flock there in the hope of getting a job. Poverty is a reality in Zambia and there are many starving people. This is a very very sad happening. 🙁
Good stampede 51 years after independence ????!
Free food??????That is encouraging laziness.There is plenty rains this year and people want to receive free things.It is shameful and disgusting to be receiving handouts from donars who use tax payers money from their countries.There is no dignity in begging.People should work hard for their families’ survival.We are not at war to be getting free things.Donations should only be done in time of disasters like floods.
True
Just because there are good rains this year does not mean that there is food ! And even if there is a good crop this year it is not yet ready for harvesting !!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Most of the maize from last year was exported to Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa leaving very little for the poor and impoverished people of our nation. The reason why the church is handing out food parcels is because without it the impoverished would die of hunger.
They have been sacrificed
people were sacrificed by Kamwendo Kadansa Rungu just after coming back from Israel…
Regulations for chirch organizations will be coming soon i believe.
Balulu..Zambia,this is to alert you people up there that their is hunger out in the compounds.so when you seat and your dinner always remember the poor.
Point of collection…sit not seat.
It’s very easy for people to be sacrificed to the devil because of food.
Correction not collection
Insala emoili mu zambia dont b cheatd guy.
They new to get some blood this was the the best way and its not poverty but laziness like in the times of Kaunda Kenneth. Investigate this group ba police and again they could not go in the village’s were offerings will be imbeba,ifipushi,imyungu etc
His Excellency,
The President Edgar Chagwa Lungu litmus livelihood for poor Zambians!!!
A_I2017
This is premeditated murder here. How can you start distributing papers inviting for free food.
You spend energy distributing notes so that people can converge for free food. I hope this is not true.
This should atleast be enough sign to lungu and His Press Aid that Hunger is real….Hope HH doesnt get blamed
They should have introduced “food for work ” and you were going to see how many were going to turn up. Heading and story don’t tally?
Exactly my thoughts, if they were told to clean the drainage system and get a hamper later, these people would not have woken up as early as 03 hours in the morning! Pa Zed tikonda vamahala, just like FISP which should be done away with! People cannot graduate from FISP hand outs after five years of farming surely?
Ministry of Religious Affairs at work!
How many more Zambians must DIE due to Lungus incompetent and corrupt PF Government?
People are starving because of NO JOBS! The 500,000 jobs promised was just another BIG LIE to get votes. Truth is these crooks are only interested in jobs and money FOR THEMSELVES!
even in USA people will die if you call everyone for free food, poorly organized gimmick to get more funds,an abomination to all mankind!
Yaba… ubuchushi bubi… Anyway, next time proper food parade…
I can’t see anyone carrying MM
Non of you commenting here were there. Only lazy and greedy people will rush for Free food. You all have an opportunity to work and earn money. Not only formal but also informal like HH and GBM or Kavindele do. It is sad but surely uncalled for.
It’s very sad….why not do it from the church or door to door
And then chimunthu says economy is improv ing. Atase,
True! how come people who claim that they have no money start drinking beer as early as 7hrs daily?
This is laziness. Most of these people left their villages and flocked to towns to cause congestion when some have not even completed grade 7. If these people where sincere, ther could have been waking up at 03 to go farming and not receiving free 10 Kgs. THEY ARE LAZY and its good they murdered each other. Go farming
@Tantwe, I have some relatives squatting on my farm and I have allowed them some potions of land on which they can grow something. To my great disappointment, they do nothing apart from stealing my crops such as maize, chibwabwa etc. I travel twice a week to the farm just to ensure my crop is safe. I’ve done what I can do to help them get out of poverty but to no avail.
So do we have hunger in the country i thot this is the country of the plenty sad indeed MTSRIP.
Don’t be funny u guys and bring your politics here, honestly do u think that if HH had won the election this would have been avoided today? Do u really that all these ppl had no food in their homes? Most of these ppl would get this good and sale it to earn money for beer. There is too much laziness in this country, even energetic young men are busy begging on the streets under the guise that they can’t find employment. The very moment you employ them they steal from and run. To those who have died, rest in peace. Those who were there but survived, take this as your last chance from God, don’t be stupid ever again wanting free things.
@Wantanshi: 80% is formal employment. What about the informal sector?? What about the welders, carpenters, builders erecting new houses everyday?? A carpenter will charge you not less than K1,500 labour alone for construction job and he gets 3 jobs per month??? The fruit lady who brings fruit to our office came with Brazilian weave today; explain how she can afford that: because she moves around offices the whole day and makes good money: HARD WORK!! This has nothing to do with ECL or govt. but our attitude as people. Those who sit around and beg will always complain about the economy while those who are working hard will always see this country as progressing.
Complaining like most bloggers here who are in the diaspora and are struggling/anguishing but too embarrassed to come back home because they nothing to show for their long stay out there! But would instead want to blame it on ECL…tiyeni che tisebenze hard guys! Nothing comes for free, sweat is involved baba!
So sad. Hunger is killing people in the country. Firstly, this should be shaming to the President and his government. Secondly, that church organisation needs to be taken to task. You don’t distribute food to hungry people without proper organisation. They were careless and need to answer for it.
It is ALL UP TO LAZINESS and MISPLACED PRIORITIES! As observed @:5 Zambian Citizen,7 Mbaluso,Ndanje Khakis,25 Tantwe, WHY SHOULD PEOPLE BE RUSHING FOR FREE FOOD when THEY CAN GO TO THE RURAL AREAS AND PRODUCED THEIR OWN FOOD? People just want to stay in towns doing nothing. This was encouraged in the past during the time of heavily subsidized mealie-meal. But times have changed hence should be the behaviour! IT IS NO LONGER EASY TO STAY IN TOWNS IF ONE DOES NOT HAVE A REASONABLE JOB! THE STRUGGLE IN VILLAGES IS MORE DIGNIFIED AS LONG AS ONE CAN FEED THEMSELVES. Besides villages are more orderly,with better sanitation and security than shanty compounds!! LET THE PEOPLE START CHANGING THEIR MINDSET ABOUT FREE “RIDES” !!
its actually laziness, free food does not help. The church should have encouraged methods of sustaining work .why was this same church distributing free food in order to gain memebership.look at the people queuing they don’t look like the are starving or sick but able bodied men and women who leave their homes to que for free food not knowing what the consequences of such is. its sad that people lost their lives.this church needs to be investigated ,why didn’t the ask for police protection or crowd control
at times we should not blame the government ,its us people if u look at some faces in the pictures u would wonder y someone of that age is doing in town, my old mother is in the village y should she queue for food? some should give examples to the young ones ,life is hard in town if u are doing nothing, that’s y I always take my children for holidays in the village to learn village life. were they will find milk ,maize sweet potatoes etc. all for free. after hard work which is put in by everyone not one individual.
UNFORTUNATELY THE REALITY IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY IS TO BLAME FOR THE DESPERATE BEHAVIOR EVIDENCED IN THIS TRAGEDY. THIS IS ALL A RESULT OF “DUNUNA REGRET “
Yours is a losuy post Loadist!
I don’t see any cripple in that picture at least! Plain laziness…these are not UNIP days!
I just watched the sad story on major networks including BBC.
It’s a sad EMBARRASSING for our people to die over a plate of food when rigged leaders are too busy traveling the world on SEX_capades to Las Vegas, to play in Israel.
Ati “there’s NOTHING TO FIX”. CHOPET LAZY.
Zambia is truly a failed state. Can the PFaggots continue disputing that Zambia is the third hungriest country in the world?
This group of Thugs who organised this sacrificial gathering should be caged right away. I will be very suprised if the police have not caged them already. Church of christ of latter day chaku chakuti!
No comments from the Government on the tragic event that happened early in the morning, so they they are waiting for HH to comment then they go ballistic by condemning him for “politicizing” a terrible event. I want to express my condolences to the families that have lost loved ones.
HH the devil sponsored that event.
How can we have this when we have such attention around this venue? This is a sponsored murder. Even if they never anticipated people to die, they wanted to capture long queues for food. I know how desperate these politicians have become. Now people have died. If govt does not fish out the sponsors of this embarrassing event I will quit my support.
@ Ken, you have missed my point, the Government should have been the first one to comment because every person in the country is under the authority of the Government, so if a tragic event has happened we first want to hear from those in Government.
Ken wayamba vama tuvi manje, fya Pama Fi, did HH go wake up those people at 03? You the same chaps who always crying let’s not politicise this and that now you are the first to go political, when ordinary Zambians are fighting for food like vultures, your pf councillors like saulosi a busy fighting for a salary, because they are just as hungry as any Zambian, why do you want to pretend as if everything is hunky dolly, iwe kolwe alibe muchila.
@ Divide & Rule it’s you who is a cow without breasts.
Your sponsored scramble for free food has backfired.
Too sorry for zambians citizens its like we voted to suffer everyday we are being murdered, killed, poisoned only when are we going to developed our country you people last year we our Family sets where removed and no solution was made. Up now edger where are you do you sometimes fell sorry to this happening what’s your thoughts wake up please to these killers we will finish kaa
Edgar is busy waiting for the photographers to arrive.
Then he can have pictures of him “praying” for the victims.
Zambians don’t have the discipline of following a queue. If this was in Botswana or South Africa,no one was going to die because they have the discipline to follow the line. Nomba ifwe,so kwachiba ichikwela. I’m certain that the distributed tickets were equivalent to the number of food parcels
A Zambia even when along in a queue ala lwila!
A Zambian even when alone in a queue ala lwila!
Most of you commenting here are just excited workers who have no means whatsoever when out of employment.Look these people are struggling with their live hood.There are no jobs around.People with money are not investing in job creation like coming up with a small companies.All we see are people with fat bank accounts home and abroad e.g politicians for their future live hood.some big people have died leaving huge sums of stolen money abroad and may not even be recovered which could have been used in job creation and absorb some unemployed.We Zambians must start thinking big.
It is only in Africa where such things happen. I bleed for my country.
its not wrong to give but this organization was wrong in the sense that they failed to use brains by targeting a particular are to give out those foods ,find out more about them
It’s sad that lives were lost. The Chinese say, “Teach a man how to fish, and he’ll fish for the rest of his life, but if you give a man fish, he’ll be hungry for the rest of his life.” Am at pains to understand what the motive behind the distribution of the free food was. Someone one explain to me please! To me this whole thing looks like it was meant to be a publicity stunt….
its not wrong to give but this organization was wrong in the sense that they failed to use brains by targeting a particular area to give out those foods ,find out more about them
This is proof that hunger in Zambia under PF is real. Another Gabon disaster stadium. Bane, hunger is real mu Zambia
have you noticed that since PF came to power, Zambia is constantly making international headlines for bad things. Not even in South Sudan or Somalia have we heard of people dying from food stampede. Shame on PF for bringing more poverty to Zambia while prophets for Lungu never saw this disaster coming becaus they were prophesying lies for cash
First things first. The church organization dis not go to distribute food to starving people but to share food with their church members.
No bwana it was whosoever not church members which church has 35,000 in the listed townships?
Some of these so called faith based organizations are a pains in the asses! How do you honestly invite people to come to a religious assembly promising to give them food! What type of nonsense is this! You invite people to a religious assembly so that people (in the case of Christians) can receive the spirit and love of God! The invitation should have centered on spreading the gospel and not food.
I can assure you even in the US or UK if people are invited to receive free items, such incidents are likely to occur! The organizers should have employed a lot of ushers and other people including the police to maintain law and order considering the fact that several people were expected to scramble for food.
Can the authorities arrest the idiets who were organizing this useless event and…
Jesus did the same. That’s what Christians do.
These suffering people are the ones that voted for PF and actually continue singing dununa reverse and support the PF passionately while they slowly die of hunger. Death is sad, but the suffering they are going through I have no sympathy.
Yes there is poverty in Zambia. But why on earth can the leadership in Zambia allow these shameful donations. Don’t misunderstand me please. By leadership don’t just look at the politicians. The church leadership should have been alive to the fact that this type of aid is embarrassing to say the least. These people who were lining up for food are able bodied and deserve respect and dignity. The church should dedicate such resources to the creation of productive ventures, holding our political leadership accountable and civic education of the masses to be responsible when choosing leaders. Sad in deed. Embarrassing to the nation. Condolences to their families.
Concur with @ Chester. God said, we have to work and live by the sweat on our brows. Dignity please. Well thought out Aid is the right way.
People who are dignified and respect themselves would not line up for free food as early as 03:00. These people are starving. Don’t blame the giver. Blame the leaders who have spread poverty to these hapless souls. When international organisations say that Zambia is the third hungriest country in the world, the PFatCats dispute this reality. Now you know the truth.
Its so embarrassing, the news is everywhere Reuters, BBC and Al jazeera. To Central Statistic office, this is the reality of the situation in Zambia not that fake news you give us
This is the real proof of how PF has ruined Zambia in 6 years. Zambians are like starved animals.
INSALA…
Breaking news! Some of the dead have gunshot wounds.It appears the police used live ammunition to control the crowd. Sad.
I hope that you are wrong. Shooting citizens is not how to control crowds. Whether it is UPND cadres (how Mapenzi was gunned down in cold blood) or citizens in a heated argument or scuffle, guns are not the solution. It just shows how dangerous the PFolice are to all Zambians, apart from their masters at State House.
You must prosecute that Church. Food Care Packages for Welfare distribution must be made orderly through legitimate centres not calling excitable Zambians to Free Food. Shameful that Zambians allow themselves to stampede for food. It’s not that bad in Zambia. Most Zambians can sustain themselves through small plot farming. Land pieces are there for citizens. This exercise is just another ill thought out evangelical exercise. They love it, to bring attention to themselves for illegal tithes above 10%. It’s not about God Almighty or care would have been taken. They have to be responsible instead of manipulating people to large ‘shows,’ cause that’ve sure was not a church service for God’s purposes. Our God Cares for us.
It is so sad to lose people in food stampede. It is a sign of desperation due to hunger. if people can que as early as 03.00hrs. We don’t have a listening Government but a bunch of thieves who wants only to enrich themselves. Anyway time will tell. We have wrong leaders who have no clue to how govern the Country.
As it has been said already, if those people were asked to clean garbage for food none would have queued up that early braving the rain even! In as much as it sad to lose lives, it’s plain laziness on the part of the same crowd! That food could have been distributed to Matero Home of the Aged, the Hospices dotted across the city and many other needy areas! It’s got nothing to do with PF here! Let’s be sober!
UPND cadres celebrate seeing this kind of sad news instead of mourning with the affected families-shame!!!we must all blame this satanic organization for killing innocent people.this has nothing to do with poverty but poor timing by the organizers!!!
The other time there was a stampede at state house cadres were fighting for food during independence ceremony. PF cadres also fight for money so poverty is the bottom line period.
It’s you who is Satanic. The Christian church was trying to help. They just underestimated the level of desperation that the PF impoverished Zambians are undergoing.
It must be HH who is responsible for all this…how can people stampede for food if things are going well in this country under Wrungu!
Someone will soon blame the opposition especially UPND watch this space
Some of these organisations are not from mainstream Christianity. These are sects, with modernistic philosophies that are contrary to the specific words of the Bible.
In any event, can food be used to convert the heathen masses ? Can the Christian gospel not be spread simply through the concept of good over evil ?
Are handouts necessary to entice worship attendance ?
Another version of the story:
Zambian police have confirmed the death of eight people and injuries sustained by 20 others during a stampede after a church event in the capital, Lusaka.
The stampede occured when organizers of a prayer event, started distributing free food parcels to the crowds that had attended the event – an outreach program at the Church of Christ’s Olympic Youth Development Center (OYDC) – on Sunday, March 5.
Local media portal, Mwebantu, quoted a police spokesperson, Esther Mwaata Katongo as disclosing that among the dead were six females, one male adult and one male juvenile. Five died on the spot while three died at hospitals where they were rushed for medical attention.
Markedly different from LT s story. A bit more sober. Can 100 people die and the whole of Zambia not be told?
Ati “one head of cabbage per person”
Thats the price needed to spread your religious views in Zambia.
It clearly works. 35,000 people turned up!
I would like to appeal to the publishers to state the real and exact name of this church organisation. I say so cos i am a member of the Church of Christ but am not aware of our church organising something like that anywhere in the country this time around. My church does all its charity activities in a much more organised manner.
Please establish the actual name of that church IN FULL. For sure its not Church or Christ I know. Im not against what that church stands for, nor I say they had bad intentions. No! What happened could have happened elsewhere.
God be with those families that have lost their loved ones.
Lungu should be reminded that stampedes and pandemonium over food brought the dictator Kaunda to his knees. It is a disgrace that Zambians should die over food handouts thrown at them like dogs. One thing about Zambians is that they are very patient but when their patience runs out Lungu will cry like a baby.
Its a very sad day indeed to lose people in such a way. However, this is just an iceberg of what people in the compounds are currently faced with. There is no hunger but poverty in these compounds and people are dying every day due to poverty induced sicknesses. Go to the major hospitals and you will shed tears when you hear “patients” tell you that before they were brought to the hospital they had not eaten for days. Bloggers what we have witnessed (35,000 people queuing) is nothing so far. I travel to the Copperbelt, Ndola to be specific each month and you will not stomach the hungry faces that stares in your eyes wherever you go. This is not politics but people, our brothers, sisters, aunties, a distant relative and fellow country men and women who are starving to death. The heavy…
I am sorry I think most christian faith organizations and preachers dont think. I have said most not all. Giving free food to thousands at one time in a compound where most people fight for survival every dawning day cannot be a good strategy. In any case how often will they keep dishing out this food. We need businesses, entrepreneurs and creative ideas not dishing out food to attract praise. When Jesus fed thousands in the wilderness they had to get people sit down in groups orderly before distributing the food and this was because the people were tired and away from their homes and that was not to become the norm for providing for people. The church must be in the forefront of teaching people how to fish and how to own fish ponds not the nonsense of handouts for publicity.
I see this case from another angle , the one offering free food must be heard responsible for the lost lives .
Don’t let this guy go scortfree what was the motive ! Lusaka has no shortage of food why didn’t he go in villages where the needy are .
To the present Government, Zambian life is nothing. It is more important to feed Malawi with corruptly exported cheap maize than Zambians. After all, out six (6) Zambian Presidents, three (3) are from Malawi and all of them are alive, well and very rich! Of the other three (3) indigenous Zambians, they are all dead (may their souls rest in peace). One of them married a Malawian spouse, a relative of one of the existing Malawian Presidents still alive. The other, a spouse from Eastern Province, neighbouring Malawi.
So you President you can’t see what these ritual killers are doing into our country.do you want us to finish kaa.OK no problem finish us we are tied tapata
While the fate and merry at state house, PF and its leadership, bragging about the his ”excellent leadership”, people are languishing in poverty and economic deprivation. What happened today was for a purpose; to expose the failures of the PF government to improve peoples standard of living. If such can happen in Lusaka, the most economically developed part of Zambia, only God knows how the person in shangombo, Mkubbudu, Nsama, ikelenge is surviving. This is a writing on the wall for somebody in power. take it as a wake up call to do the right thing.
Learn to discern truth from fiction, dreams from reality and verifyable facts from altanative facts and then, maybe then, will you be able to understand and appreciate the very devine works, effort, energy and commitment of these church organisations offering a helping hand and improving the fragmented, impoverished lives of our masses. To malign and abhor their unsolicited kindness amounts to an indignity they do not deserve. Surely , when and after they provide we should be able to manage simple, organised distribution. I m sorry to say, but our culture lacks discipline as evidenced by your comments herein. Thank the religious organisations first and then ask the troubling questions why we always die in stampedes be it food, soccer or political protests. Chill out.
This is a clear sign of “njala mu ziko”! The available food is just too expensive for ordinary Zambians and when you are hungry you can be hoodwinked by anything.
How on earth can our people lift themselves and our nation out of poverty if just food itself is a struggle for these many people?
I feel ashamed to be Zambian now.Lungu you have failed do the honorable and resign!
That’s why I can’t go back to my lovery country insala too much.how can people die becouse of food yoh that’s really bad to lose of life.
Definition of poverty!
mwebantu bakwalesa please leave this blame game out of this case, it as happened and some souls have been lost over food. I think this is a right time to start asking our selves why all this are happening in our country? remember this world as too many questions but less answers, we seek God in prayers please
My condolences to the affected families and may deceased rest in eternal peace.
Was any food distributed, how much food was available to be given The owner of the stadiom must have known what was happenning as they HIREDout the stadium. The police must have been aware as you need a permit for a public meeting.
Are we that poor as a nation. We have no food but there is a push for legal Marijuana. Better to grow more maize than dope or are we the dopes
Like one indian businessman said…the country is yours but the money is ours..
Hunger under PF and Lungu is very real. You cheat people that the economy is growing and yet people are hungry. Under PF Zambia is cursed.
Ba reporter use words that you properly understand your headline says something, your opening line says something else….
Condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones! CRY MOTHER ZAMBIA
Zambia is a Christian Nation the faith they have in Laziness it shall save them.
Its very simplistic to merely state that laziness is the cause. While government must not spoon feed the able bodied, it has the role of creating a social/economic environment that people can thrive in. Opportunities to work, get into business or agriculture. And if the economy is not healthy due to bad policies, even if people try a hand at business, no one will buy due to a lack of ‘spending power’. The cycle of poverty is then re-created. The economy is only ‘doing well’ for the few that have connections or have used their political positions for self-aggrandizement. There are a lot of ill-gotten resources in a few hands without an enabling environment for the rest. Has there been a clear economic policy direction in Zambia in the past few years?
Is LT still insisting dozens died? Dozens should be at least 24
@ vision 20202 with a tail in between his……..talks apologetically like a witch salivating over the dead, cerebrating for the feast of dead bodies. Zambians have died leadership of the country should be held to account for this loss of life. Where is the food Lungu promised to Zambians – promised death to innocent Zambians.
Ba Lusaka Times, in case you do not know! A dozen = 12. Dozens = more than 24, possibly more than 36! Your “dozens die” heading is wrong and unprofessional journalism! 10 will never equal a dozen!
The real name of this church is not Church Of Christ. It is legally called Iglesia Ni Cristo of EVM, originated from the Philippines in 2009, and run by a cult leader Eduardo V. Manalo that commits oppression and human rights violation.