The Golden Progressive party says the excessive force by the State Police must be condemned out rightly in a functioning democracy.
Party President Jackson Silavwe has also called on the Government to institute Police Reforms to transform this vital state institution into a professional, efficient and accountable police service that exudes the confidence of the general public.
Mr. Silavwe said given the evolution of political violence in the country, the rapid dismissal of the Sesheke Police Officers has set a terrible precedence in the fight against this cancer.
He said the Officers and Government reactions were both excessive.
the dismissals have sent a clear signal to the rank and file of the Zambia Police of “Touch not the ruling party cadre or you will be fired”
Mr. Silavwe said the gruesome pictures from Sesheke Parliamentary by-election campaigns depicting the bloody confrontation between the State Police and the ruling patriotic front cadres left many right thinking citizens terror stricken.
“In the quest to give the Police a human face, the people of Zambia have emphasised on a ‘Police Service’ and not a ‘Police Force”, Mr. Silavwe said.
He noted that the dismissals have sent a clear signal to the rank and file of the Zambia Police of “Touch not the ruling party cadre or you will be fired”.
Mr. Silavwe has since demanded that the dismissed Police Officers must be re-instated and alternative punitive measures be meted.
He said the Sesheke fiasco is a clear demonstration of political leadership which is divergent from the deeply held aspirations of peace and oneness in diversity.
Mr. Silavwe said it is leadership failure from both the ruling and the opposition political parties.
To all my friends on this blog who are in PF, can you help me understand the justification for this action?
Why did it take months to even establish an enquiry into the death of Vespers? Why are still waiting for the results of that enquiry several months on. Why is there still no action when a young life was needlessly lost?
But here, we have unruly, gun and machete wielding thugs beaten, and we are immediate action.
No My brothers, this is not right. Our loyalty must be first and foremost to our country and its institutions, not to a political party. All patriotic zambians must condemn what was done to these cops.
It is troubling for all of us.
Zambia does not belong to PF and Lungu alone.
What about that UPND youth who was short dead by police on the street of lusaka when she was running away and not attacking? As for PF cadres not even any borne was broken and yet people loose there source of livelihood. Our God is NOT blind and deaf he will surely deliver Zambia because he always does whenever his children cry to him.
there is only one to blame and that is the ruling party which should learn to lead by example and not play double standards. wrong is wrong police service were right . just let the officers be reinsteted to bring sanity in the country.
The police service must stand up for itself. No one else will protect their jobs apart from themselves. All we can do is condemn the action but as a group they are in a position to show the minister that his action is wrong. I am so glad that Esther Katongo spoke up. More of them need to do so. The more they are silent, the more of them will be dismissed as PF cadres take their jobs.
This is not the first time government employees have their contracts terminated because of politics. In 2000 Mufumbwe bye elections 4 senior police officers at Mufumbwe district lost their jobs this was MMD and the perpertrators were Mazoka, Mulondwe Muzungu and UPND. Going back to 1990/1991 a lot of civil servants were fired because of involvement in politics, we should not forget that no one can serve 2 masters.
We have also seen police officers wearing PF shirts, brutalising opposition cadres and flashing pf symbols. How many of these have been fired? Stop justifying a wrong-doing
you fart, you get fired in this sorry country run by dander heads
The worst and most painful thing about the officers dismissals was that the word came from Davis Mwila and who and what is Mwila? just a glorified party cadre. We that pay those police officers , yes bwe the tax payers are very saddened by this action. Wait until those protected thugs demand to start manning toll gates like they do the markets and bus stops and see which police will be called in to control the cadres. This action is going to backfire on you.
I voted for the PF and encouraged a lot of my colleagues & neighbors by the flats to do so. I regret my contribution. This is not the PF we anticipated.
Lungu is not a leader by an standards, he’s a thug disguised as a president. One thing i know is that he’s days state house are numbered and he will have to account for all the corruption and cruel actions.
boma ni boma,iwe ka mwelwa u are very stupid you ka vote kako can make us lose,go to hell kama gogi
@ Ka ba bob
Uli chi@kaaaaaaaaala iwe!
KUJA KWENZE KUPAYA NOT KUMENYA
Shesheke Police had to use appropriate force.
Cheeky PF cadres after being caught with pangas were trying to resist arrest by confronting our Police Officers.
That was the result of the brutal beating. Boma-ni-boma.
TO FIRE THE GALLANT POLICE OFFICERS IS UNACCEPTABLE.