More cases of sporadic riots, panic and mob justice are occurring around some parts of the country due to the allegations of gassing. Yesterday there were riots in Chongwe, Mumba and this morning Serenje. In Chongwe, Police received a report of riotous behavior which was sparked after word went round that police had detained some suspects behind chemical spraying in the area.
They then went to the police station in the area demanding the release of the said suspects with a view of killing them. The mob later went to the streets where they staged riots.
Mumbwa Town Council Chairman Gracious Hamatala issued the following statement following riots in Mumbwa.
Good evening comrades. Most of you have by now heard that Mumbwa Central business District experienced running battles with the Police this afternoon.
This unfortunate situation was caused by one man who cracked a silly joke with a client who entered the shop to buy fish.
The Shop Keeper who about to knock off closed the doors while in the process asking the client if she’s been gassed before.
The client panicked and called for help while struggling to leave the shop and people came to her rescue. As it where, when the Police picked up the Shop Keeper, word then went round that Police where hiding a gasser/ritual killer when the guy had just been picked for interrogations.
People then mobilised and rushed to the Police with a demand to mate out instant justice hence the ensuing running battles.
I would like to appeal to the residents of Mumbwa to calm down because today incidence left a lot of property damaged on an account that should not led to such.
Secondly, please exercise patience and seek to confirm information before spreading it out to avoid loss of life on unfounded updates/rumours.
Do not take the law in your hands because this may cause loss of life of a completely innocent person as the case has happened in other parts of the Country.
Do not make any silly jokes about gassing as this may not only lead to a situation like that of this afternoon but on a serious note could lead to your demise.
Do not carry any suspicious containers or substances which may make you look suspicious as almost everyone is now considered as a potential culprit/gasser.
Those in town, avoid carrying sprayers or application of insecticides in the vicinity of residential places.
Report an suspicious person or objects to the Police or community/civic leaders.
Avoid running Political comments of accusing each other as parties but let residents exercise critical thinking on how we can bring this scourge to an end. Our Children are traumatized and our already strained economy is being hurt the more.
Good evening.
Meanwhile Zambia Police public relations officer Esther Katongo said there is an emerging tendency where members of the public are blocking public roads and searching motor vehicles on suspicion that they are carrying chemical substances being used in suspected chemical spraying cases currently being experienced in some parts of the country.
Ms Katongo said this is a pure act of criminality where some criminals would want to take advantage of the prevailing situation to attack unsuspecting members of the public and steal from them.
Between Manyinga and Mufumbwe of North Western Province, a mob blocked the road using logs and stones and stopped motor vehicles among them, a Power Tools Bus and demanded that they conduct a search on the bus. Upon searching the bus they found a first aid kit which contained pain killers, bandages, methylated spirit, gloves and a small axe as per road traffic regulations but the mob became suspicious after seeing an axe.
A similar situation was experienced in Kafue yesterday between 18 00 hours and 20 00 hours and also around 06 00 hours where a mob blocked the road between Kafue Gorge turn off and Shamikobo area, stopping and searching motor vehicles and caused damage to five (05) motor vehicles. Police have arrested eight people for riotous behaviour who are currently detained in police custody.
Zambia Police are therefore warning all those who have adopted this tendency or those contemplating the same that as police we will not take this criminality lightly. We urge members of the public to desist from this criminal act and avoid involving themselves in duties which are not within their mandate.
In Northern Province in Nseluka area, there was a report of mob justice in which members of the public have killed an unidentified male person who they later dressed in a combat police uniform which was found in the victim’s motor vehicle. This was after members of the public suspected the deceased who was in the area in the company of his colleague to be behind chemical spraying in the area. Upon interrogations, the friend to the victim ran away. The mob searched the victim’s motor vehicle and found a pair of police combat uniform which they dressed him after killing him and later set the victim’s motor vehicle on fire.
Investigations have been instituted to establish the source of the police combat uniform.
In another development, 27 people were arrested yesterday by a joint operation team in Mtendere Compound for conduct likely to cause the breach of peace. 22 various offensive weapons were recovered from them. After screening, those linked to the offensive weapons are likely to be charged with possession of offensive weapons. All those who would want to conduct patrols in their communities should do so in liaison with police in their respective areas. All those that will be found moving round communities on pretext of conducting patrols without police blessings will be dealt with accordingly.
The riots were caused by rumors of alleged gassing and ritual killings in their area.(Picture by R. Manchishi)
(Pictures by Serenje Radio FM)
(Pictures by Serenje Radio FM)
Poverty and ignorance in society are root causes of evil
The root cause is political instability, PF have failed to govern, this is a result of lawlessness. Lungu can you show some leadership for once and resolve this issue otherwise hand over to someone who is capable before the country is set on fire.
For once lets put politics aside and look at the issue at hand, like seriously what has the president have to do with mob justice and people with riotous behaviors for you to say pf has failed. The problem is that6 people are not letting the police do their job hence making them change their focus from ritual killers to the mobs harassing the other citizens of the country. Innocent people are being burnt by mobs.
zambians are too much into spiritism and a very suspicious people yet claim to be ba krisitu, I thinking that statement by one police about people turn into cats , has turned the all situation into a wild goose chase. people are now just point accusing fingers at each other aimlessly.
In Senegal the Senegalese would have held a
radical protest at the State house.
Zambians are busy killing one another when the president is the biggest enemy. He gives orders to the caders to terrorize fellow citizens. They even have the balls to enter intercontinental hotel
to distrupt an important debate . Such behaviour only happens in countries where there is lawlessness
Police front (PF) you know these things going round in the country don’t say you don’t know anything that’s a joke. Why police are detaining people after being arrested? Patriotic front police (PFP) you are working together
Zambia and very quick to come up with their silly words…”a gasser”….it looks like we are still very primitive…i remember when i was at school at Chizongwe how we used to start riots due to mob psychology and total ignorance….with no evidence of anything we would just mobilize in the middle of the night and start rioting and burning down our own school even attacking innocent teachers and their innocent families
The Mumbwa DC she wrote wise and honest statement, compared to Katongo of Police.
The country is a hudge time bomb and PF and lungu know this, it suits them well as cover to postpone elections.
They have failed to provide jobs and have no money to continue bribing their PF Kaponya thugs , watching the country destroy itself is their solution…….
Under whose leader ship , since independence, has anyone seen or heard of Zambians being burned alive by fellow Zambians in the streets ????
The legacy of lungu…..
Comment on Chitimukulu article…***
First of all is Chitimukulu trying to blackmail the Lozi MPs so they can support him in personal quest to gain unlimited power through the discredited Bill 10?
Reality check for you Chitimukulu:
1) Please don’t speak on behalf of the Litunga and his subject… that is very disloyal and disrespectful. Last time I checked you were a munyuku-nyuku. Barotseland has some of the most advanced systems and processes of resolving disputes between His Loyal highnesses The Majesty The Litunga and his subjects. He could either summon them and/or get the Ngambela and BRE issue a statement on his behalf… not you munyukunyuku. No there is no choice to be made here or stand to taken. Oh dear it baffles…
….Oh dear it baffles me how you quickly made that loose connection between your power grab clause (that no one even knew about) and the fight between politics and traditional loyalty… wow!
2) Lozis are naturally very principled people who generally use their conscience to take a stand on issues (notwithstanding the politicians being tainted by the corrupt politicians from some parts of the country);
3) I think you may have put the Litunga in a very awkward position by revealing he has been meeting with you in secret. With him being so unpopular and disliked, this may be viewed as a betrayal by his subjects and his Kuta (especially if he never revealed such meetings). They will basically regard him as a ‘traitor’;
4) Finally not sure I agree with the proposed Paramount whatever…
….4) Finally not sure I agree with the proposed Paramount whatever which appears to be aimed at participating in politics and getting closer to the spoils which I believe Chitimukulu thinks he is missing out on the national treasury and cake. Please leave The Litunga out of your personal ambitions. If you are truly genuine, you would have been advocating for the reinstatement of the Barotseland autonomy that you quoted. By the way why are you leaving out other Chiefs? Is it because you don’t regard them as ‘Paramount’ or important.
Chitimukulu please!
ojs, coming to conclusions without facts is very foolish, many would say. If you wanted the situation to be better, create the change you want to see. President Edgar Lungu is doing his best, its really not an easy thing to govern a nation, even political analysts would agree. The solutions that we need is the police service to be more hands on in terms of catching the perpetrators of this gassing.
Could this be the Armageddon HH was talking about when asked what would happen in Zambia if he loses elections?
Apparently, southern province is still quiet..
Stupid regional thinker.
Lungus legacy…….
Zambians being burned in streets by fellow citizens, the first time since independence
Unprecedented corruption
Unprecedented cader violence
Unprecedented debt
Unprecedented unemployment
Unprecedented rotten compromised judiciary
Unprecedented cader police force
Unprecedented load shedding
Any suspect caught should be taken to court so that we can know who is
behind.So that this pointing of fingers
to each other can stop.lastly let police get details from GBM who claims to know who is behind.
The problem of Zambians is the hate they have for their own nation and their relatives that they invite foreigners to come and torment them in their own land.
I just wonder how many Zambians are involved in foreign nations and speak on their political platforms.
It is a shame that all the demons have been invited to our land to destabilise our beloved nation, some coming from the confused Congo others coming from Nigeria to cause havoc to the innocent people of Zambia.
Politicians stop this evil talk and be united as one nation don’t sell out the peace you have enjoyed and the prosperity you continue to enjoy.
Zambians you are not suffering all is just your depraved minds.
I want to let you know that you are one of the top three countries in the southern Africa,that are…
The vehicle is there police please do your work sure u can find. That vehicle is registered and you know the owner question them.
As yet police full of party cadres have no clue on what to do.
Mapatizya Formula party of thugs.
Poverty Foools. P.F
A few rotten eggs in position are fuelling this uncivilized behaviour. We do not want to enforce Marshall law but you are pulling our hands. This country is peaceful in nature and respected for such world over. Please do not dent our name for the sake of gaining power. Power is gained through winning elections and not causing confusion. Let this be a final warning.kz
KZ
Zambias peacfull image went into the pitlatrine the day lungu acended power…..
The people are wondering why you show more stamina attacking and arresting the opposition then when people are being burned in townships …..and why you have not charged those arrested or followed up on info GBM has while pipo are getting killed ???
While all this is happening in PF strongholds , why are your PF caders silent ?
Martial law, it’s spelt. But explain why the police cannot arrest trouble-makers carrying no weapons at a hotel such as Inter-Continental. Something is not making sense.
Wake up Zambian citizens ! Everything happening with schemes and plans from the evil and corrupt PF goverment, by hiring thugs to do their evil deeds, and the thugs hire poor kids and pay them peanuts to help with their dirty jobs. Meanwhile there are innocent people that are being attacked and murdered by fellow Zambians. Goverment doesn’t care if you kill one another as long as they stay in power. If anyone speaks the truth, they will be dealt with by the police, Zambia is turning into a dictatorship country with a corrupt drunkard as president for life. Only way stop them is for every Zambian to march to the state house and remove that koswe mumpoto ”by thunder or fire”
Politics, ignorance and stupidity aside please, this hysteria is a pure product of unchecked spreading of false rumours. I’ve never seen this kind of behaviour in this country, I have served in several UN peacekeeping missions and what I’m seeing today is similar to what I’ve seen elsewhere in troubled nations. How and why is this hysteria being allowed to spread? Opposition parties and even the ruling party are not acting responsibly to condemn the mindless acts of violence from these instant justice mobs that are killing and attacking innocent people. This must stop immediately, call in the Army my guys will control this situation as these instant justice mobs are the real danger to our peace in Zambia and not a handful of suspects allegedly said to be gassing people in their sleep…
Kaizer Zulu, it’s so unfortunate that you seem to be so narrow minded that everything to you is seen through political lenses. How can law enforcement be objective in their investigation, when you’re already claiming that it’s the opposition committing these crimes? Do you have concrete evidence? Wow. This is so ridiculous and immature, especially coming from a guy who was an adviser to the head of State. Let the police do their job, without you prejudicing their investigation. It’s easy to use the opposition as a scapegoat, to hide your own incompetence as the party in charge.
President Lungu potholed leadership. Leave!
All they want is to see that PF as failed but it is them who will fail again we know it,it is just a matter of time,time will tell very soon.These are acts of Satanism and we know who this Satanist,they want blood,they are sucking blood from gassed people but remember the innocent blood that as been lost is crying in the soil and his end will be very bad we know him.They are involved in incantations,this pure Satanism they enjoy human blood but one day one day one day the truth will be known GOD show yourself upon this land Amen.
It’s a little time away from catching the perpetrators of this gassing syndicate. The sad truth is that some victims are innocent.They meets their fate in the end.
The Catholic hierarchy have also bemoaned saga of gassing innocents people especially school children.