OPPOSITION United Party For National Development (UPND) youths led by Media Committee Member Langison Ngungu were yesterday beaten by senior members allegedly instructed by UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka and Gilbert Liswaniso.
According to the battered Ngungu, he and fellow Youths had gone to deliver a petition seeking clarity and redefinition of the UPND constitution clause which is meant to spell out who qualifies to be a Youth in the opposition political party.
A visibly disturbed as a result of the beating, Ngungu said that shortly after making a formal complaint against erring UPND Vice National Youth Chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso that it was perplexing that a youth would be physically abused for merely seeking clarity.
He said that the UPND Constitution is not clear enough when it comes to defining matters relating to the youths.
Mr Ngungu said in an interview with members of the press who had gathered outside the Central Police Premises that the petition is fully backed by not less than 300 signatures obtained from a cross-section of UPND youths.
” Our petition was not a one man document, it is an agreement signed and sealed by the majority of UPND youths in the party, but we were shocked to only be attacked upon delivery to the SG Mr.Katuka by senior members of the youth league led by Gilbert Liswaniso and his friend and business partner Samuel Ngwira at the SG’s instruction” Mr Ngungu Lamented.
Mr Ngungu who led the Petitioners said that he and his youth peers in UPND are perturbed by the lack of expressive democracy in the Hakainde Hichilema led political outfit.
” You see from the time the party leadership announced the date for the party’s Convention many leaders who include Gilbert Liswaniso have been in panic mode seeing as by age they don’t qualify to recontest their positions as youth leaders as they are way older than the national constitutionally prescribed age for youthhood, so they now think whoever that seeks clarity is after their life positions,” Mr Ngungu said.
Meanwhile, Police in Lusaka has confirmed receiving a report if Assault Ocationing Actual Bodily Harm from Langson Ngungu aged 29 of Lusaka West who identified himself as a member of the UPND media team.
Zambia Police Public Relations officer Esther Mwatakatongo said in a statement that Mr. Ngungu has been issued with a medical report and investigations have been launched.
Only in Africa
Ba LT careful with Zambia report stories, what has happened to plagiarizing Zambian observer stories , Zambia report stories no bwino bwino they are too sensational.
What you should be reporting about is how you journalists especially Zambia independent broadcasters have flown prime TV CEO under the bus when he came out with response from a collective decision, why have other private broadcasters played a Judas escariot on him?
If you tribal cult constitution is not clear on who is a youth, how long one can be president etc, use the national constitution. Who is violent now when thugs are now killing each other.
Very sad and disappointing.
This is the number 1 reason some of us are unable to join political parties.
Stephen Katuka has held that position for too long he needs to be replaced by someone younger and more forward thinking like Anthony Bwalya.
If HH their party president won’t say anything condemning this violence and punishing Katuka then he’s just as bad as Mukula one, which goes without saying, he’s not fit to rule this country.
The revolutionary gear ‘red beret’ is not civil and will NEVER win you presidential election. President Lungu prohibit revolutionary gears. The smart Luapula boy FTJ Chiluba tore down the tower of a Malawian dictator without wearing such gears.
It end up that Ngungu is a PF member.
Shame!!!
When it comes to political violence the UPND and the PF are Siamese twins. This is just a rehearsal of what’s to come should Hichilema win next year’s elections. Those chaps brandishing toy guns in bars now will be beaten into catatonia, UPND is a savage Party. Just wait and see.
I have never really understood the function of a youth wing beyond militia activity and hooliganism. Also, with aged leadership it appears youth wings are places young people wile away their age while they themselves build up gangs that will help them when their geriatric time comes to contest national leadership.
The PF have Kennedy Kamba , the thug who controls PF cader thugs who use extortion of the public at bus stops and in markets to pay them selves……all from a party , PF that uses violence and sackings on anyone wanting to challenge lungu for the leadership of PF
Put an age limit on youth leaders
Luapula boy: Chiluba was not there whn the really brave people formed MMD. He was not even the best person to lead the party to elections in 1991. He just had name-recognition as a result of his 17 yrs as leader of ZCTU. There were better people who were shunted out but I accept that democracy doesn’t always give u quality leadership. As for the reported violence btwn UPND youths, dialoguing skills are poor just about everywhere u go in Zambia. Wht kind of language was used to describe management whn UNZA lecturers went on strike last yr? Even whn a complaint is genuine, nothing justifies insults.
Bad manners upnd you may not get my vote with such behavior.
The problem we have in Africa is not who rules us but how we rule ourselves!
Our mindset determines our destiny.
Now this thuggish, selfish and corrupt mindset whether it’s in PF or UPND no matter where it is will only bring us grief and agony.
Let’s change our mindset.
Violence and intolerance is what characterizes upnd. I really don’t see why Zambians should change grz from PF to this cursed party because there is nothing new they will bring to the table, if anything they will be worse!!
Ngungu’s seek for clarity is not what he wanted to know,honestly we all know the age group for the youth he has been bought!
It’s not what UPND states but what is universally accepted,mwakulaponokelwa mahala wen bought to fuel confusion
It’s not strange!!!
On this article you will not see the likes of tarino and his fellow tribal herdsmen commenting. It is because to them their party can do no wrong. I have instructed the police to investigate this violence. Any violence against any zambian irrespective of party affiliation is a criminal matter which should be followed up. We can’t have people acting like gorillas. Where is their demigod hh to comment on this indiscipline.
Ati I’ve instructed the police to investigate, kkkk! That’s what Hichilema will also do next year should he win elections.
No wonder they are against Bill-10 because they want to deny a youth his right to parliament shame upon Mr Katuta and this what we have been saying upnd is a party for people who are very stingy.
UPND is worse than PF and I keep telling you guys…am non partisan and i criticized both PF bandits and UPND thugs…
@Aristotle Zambia reports is better than the very un professional agenda driven observer. I don’t think it’s reported by journalists the observer
I don’t issue comments on articles that are against a party that promotes gay rights. Come rain or sunshine I will always support a party that speaks up for gay rights. We are only human too
They Mapatizya formulaed themselves.
Why didn’t they just annihilate themselves so that what could remain would be a violence free Zambia.
This is sad indeed. If HH won’t admonish his SG and that useless Liswaniso then I urge all Zambians to shun away from this party as it won’t do well for Zambia. How can you have life positions in a party, tear up that useless constitution. I urge all youths to support leaders that have a mind for them, the old have failed to really do something for the youth because all they think about is the impending retirement. Let’s not be tools for the old people use when we can do something for ourselves by uniting.
UPND a party of thugs. These thugs are now inflicting pain and bodily harm on its cadres. Shame on HH and UPND. This explains why the physically challenged people were stoned when they went to petition HH to support them through Bill 10.
What can one expect from a political Party which is led by somebody who not only became party leader through TRIBALISM, but has also gone on to lead the party without being elected for more than 20 years!! The Wamuyayaya leader who has not gone for a Convention, despite losing 5 times in row!!
I condemn any violence from any quarter or party. But has anyone noticed the excitability from PF sycophants when it involves the UPND?
The fact of the matter is we do not want this cadre violence from whatever source. Equally, any objective sane person knows that most of the
violence, it’s origins and ‘perfections’ in it’s pure political primitive form, originates from the PF. The govt. has not even ever moved meaningfully
to quell the same because it suits their rule by brutality and fear.
I condemn any form of violence, political or otherwise that may be avoidable or is not necessary. But note the excitability of PF sycophants who have been quiet for a while but crawl from under the rocks they have been hiding under, when they ‘hear’ UPND is involved. Yet we know over the years that the PF have been the originators, instigators and ‘perfectionists’ of political mayhem. Now they want to behave as ‘holier than thou’. None is perfect, but some, like most of the PF regime characters, deserve the proverbial eternal fire.
Violence should be condemned at every level and I do so consistently. But neither do I fail to notice the excitability of PF sycophants when this involves the UPND. They come crawling from underneath the rocks they were hiding under when other serious issues were being debated in regard to PF failures, in order to portray a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Yet we know the PF regime have been the originators, perpetuators and ‘perfectionists’ of the most violence over the years – using the brutality and element of fear to remain in power at all costs. Let us not be deluded by elements that are likened to those that have historically ignited civil strife, wars and genocide in their selfish primitive endeavours to stay in power and further control and share the meagre resources.
@Haarold Muna: nowhere in the article is PF mentioned. It’s clear you are a upnd fanatic who believes all problems of this country are because of PF. But if you follow the history of this country, you will agree that cadreism has its origins in the UNIP days of the vigilantes through the MMD days. Upnd has adopted this culture through practices like the infamous Mapatizya Formula or the recent Sesheke brutality. Blaming PF for what you are will not convince voters to choose upnd over PF!!