Freelance Photo Journalist was attacked at a Kagem Mining Dinner event attended by Minister of Mines and Water Development Christopher Yaluma, Deputy Minister of Youth Development and Sport Ronald Chitotela and some Zambia National Olympic Committee Executive Committee members on Saturday evening at Pamodzi Hotel.
According to eyewitness, the events started when Kagem Chief Executive Officer Ian Harebottle rushed to the stage to remove a guest of Asian Origin who had taken to the stage and started using a microphone. The Kagem CEO, grabbed the microphone from the man and led him out of the Mopani room.
It was at this stage that , Jean Mandela, who was covering the event, followed the two men outside where a tussle between the two continued since scores of guests of asian origins were walking out the same room. Kagem CEO, Ian, upon realising that the Photo Journalist was outside where the tussle was taking place, jumped on the journalists and tried to grab the camera, but only managed to remove the lens off it.
When the Kagem CEO failed grab the camera off the Photo Journalist, he shouted instructions to the door bouncers to grab the camera from Mr Jean Mandela. The more than 4 door bouncers descended on Jean Mandela, managed to get the camera that was hooked on his right arm. At this point many guests started coming out of the Mopani room to see what was happening outside and surrounded the Kagem CEO and his Asian Guest.
Later, Jean Mandela was seen trying to make a call, but a certain man in a grey suit wearing spectacles arrived, grabbed him, twisted his arm , they tussled for some minutes and he managed to get his phone; and, when Mr Mandela tried to follow him to ask for his phone back, the man smashed Mr Mandela’s phone against the tarmac just outside Mopani room entrance facing the car park, damaging the it in the process. The man was later identified as Nyirenda (the son of William Nyirenda, the Kagem board chairperson)”.
Later on,a land cruise with some police officers drove in and one police officer came out but it was not clear what they came to do on the scene.
Why is it that reference is made to ‘guest of Asian origin’ without saying ‘CEO of European origin’. Let’s be fair bane.
The Asian man origin must have detailed the panama fimo fimo.
It’s sad to propel ethnic divisions in today’s global village by calling him guest of Asian Origin. Although, Mr. Ian Harebottles organised Kagem Mining Dinner and Umwine musunga talamba minwe (the person who prepares porridge can’t have dirty hands and be forced to wash them before eating even if there’s cholera outbreak, you can’t be selective at identifying people by their ethnic grouping. The option could have been an hooligan guest, probably an intruder. The phone was grabbed and damaged may it must have tapped people’s telephone conversation like that of Chishimba Kambwili and Chanda Kabwe. These journalists are criminals and like being bought everyday, donating their souls to the devil.
That journalist of Rwandan origin is a problem, he always get beaten like Fr. Bwalya.
Chachine you only bring someone’s race into a story if the race is relevant to the story. Was this a racial warfare? Were Zambians of Asian origin being discriminated against? Otherwise thank you for exposing the violence and cacophony that our Minister decided to ignore just because he wanted to eat his three course meal.
Only in Zambia can a CEO behave like a rabid dog and still keeps his job, and not even an arrest. Sad how Zambia has been turned into a Banana Republic.
Foreigners fighting over our emaralds and the uselrss Zambians smiling. Emarsld mining is one sector where the Zambian gvt has realy gone to sleep and why should the chairmans son take things personal? Ba kabwalala imwe you have been stealing our wealthy for a long time?
The CEOs name is known and included but no sure if the reporters knew this man of Asian origin
Bullying is not allowed in Zambia and anywhere else for that matter. I dont know Ian Harebottles but he seems to be a disgrace along with his cohorts
Bullying is everywhere in Zambia. Just look at the way the PF thugs and cadres behave at markets and bus stations and just everywhere. Is that not bullying? The UPND woman who was stripped naked, is that not tantamount to bullying and intimidation? Nonsense!!!
Please stop using the name of Chipolopolo you are contaminating it! Do you know how many people have suffered at the evil hands of UPND thugs?
I am very sure the information held by the man of Asian origin, is very damaging to the man of the European origin.
@ Rainman, Illuminati 1666 & The Magna Carta Im sure the info that the Asian man had for the European man is in this message written for Zambian readers who are reading this!
But why is Jean Mandela always in confrontational situations?Last time it was Koffi Olomide beating his ass and several other instances.Maybe this foreighnor is the problem.
A brave journalist is bound to find himself in controversial situations. Its only clerical journalists that work from comfort zones.
That’s because our lazy journalists were helping themselves to the free food and drink too scared as they would not be allowed back in.
There is nothing like Mandela being a problem. The big issue here is that the man in question did not want to have his struggle with the Indian man made public. It’s a shame for a man of his position to wrestle with someone. Imagine what image it could have given of him. It’s so common of people that when they are doing embarrassing things, they do not want cameras and journalist around them. They know their names will be dented. That’s the truth.
According to Sata, as per Kambwili’s revelation, this is one of the whites who would have been a big fool if he were of another colour. As for those overzealous security guards and that son of nyirenda, they should bury their heads in shame. And the buggers are so ugly, yak!
Hard Bottle was all over this like white on basmati rice. Give us more info as to why the man curries no favour with him. Hope the short guy got a few good shots in. Looks like security had no intention of stopping their boss from brawling but went all gorilla on Mandela. Sue the gems.
PF campaign strategy – Donchi kubeba reloaded:
A. Obtusification: Lying that Lungu is not to blame for all economic ills and that it is Global….and that Zambians should not complain but thank Lungu who is getting fat each day in pocket and body!
B. Falsification / Smear / Hate campaign: Accuse HH of sattanism, mason, privatisation
C. Tribalism: Demeaning and intimidating other tribes that challenge Muchinga Bemba PF failure. Label and insult them as Tonga whilst exaulting wako-ni-wako Muchinga Bemba-Eastern alliance.
D. Violence through Police and PF militias.
E. Blackout HH from public media whilst Lungu branded campaign vehicles everywhere.
F. Enhanced corruption of population through economic blackmail.
G. Heroism. Using KK and Sata legacy to woo Muchinga/Eastern.
@Sindamisale.
I come from Muchinga but the economy has hit me bad as well so I am not voting for anyone who is responsible for the mess our country has found itself in. As a matter of fact I find it wrong for people to be promoting tribalism when it’s just an identity that has nothing to do with the country’s performance economically. There are those of us who come from what I would call neutral tribes and we associate with every Zambian like they are all our brothers and as such, we don’t want to be associated with groups that promote hate on the basis of tribe. I am not interested in voting for anyone just because their tribe is neighbors with my tribe in Muchinga. So when you say Muchinga, you’re including even tribes that have never known tribalism such as Namwangas. Namwangas my…
For for pf cader yaluma violence is a cup of tea, look at him that’s one happy face with a big smile. But am sure the Indian guy had too much whisky that’s why the white guy wisked him away to delight of the brown guy yaluma.
He was about to pill the beans on how your docile selves are being shortchanged in dividends and the dull Yaluma is smiling.
Hey that ceo his looks reminds me of Gordon Brown former British premier, who lost a lot of votes at last huddle of his campaigns because he couldn’t tame his tongue, call an old lady a bigot without realizing that the microphone was still on, unlike Zambian the britons couldn’t take such silly language from a politician, they sacked him, just wondering why we tolerate bena kambwili, Frank, mumbi etc.
Hmm what’s happening there, was he singing a song?
I was there, the guy was drunk and was being gently removed , note the one photo where he has his hand around Harbottle waist. nothing here just a slow day for news, make a big story out of nothing.
Aaah Iwe. Nothing here when we can see pictures. Pictures of destroyed cellphones! Nothing here??
Try damaging or lying a finger on a journalist in Europe or States…you will be sued…this Mandela guy should have gone straight to UTH and police…people are so docile!!
House full of ba mwisa..so unzambian to fight like that
That guy ‘of Asian origin’ looks intoxicated even from the photos. What I can deduce from the first images is that Ian was being as gentle as possible when removing that potted moron off the stage. Most of these investors and businessmen move in delegations. Not only was he going to embarrass himself if he said something witless, but his people too. Nga bali mu ponona, bali chitafye bwino. A punch or two to get him out of his drunken stupor was well deserved.
He was about to thank you for your docility and folly
Towani just get back to sleep. The Indian guy doesn’t look drunk in any way. Looks like you ve been paid to make such postings or you’re just a muzungu wanga
jean you can sue for some of that dough the white man of European origin is making from our gems. What good luck you had being F**ked up by such a good suing candidate! keep us posted. cheers
When you have a kagem party and the guests are mostly Indians and ministers and their relatives, just know Zambia has completely lost control of our emeralds.
After change in GRZ we want to know why the auctions are not being held in Zambia as happened with sata.
These are sad times for Zambia and the struggling masses.
the question is why was he removed from the Mopan room. What type of information was this man reveling such that they remove him form the stage.
This journalist is always beaten. I recall he was also assaulted by musician Koffi olomide. Being rwandeese, he must have fled Rwanda for Zambia after a beating
Foreigners fighting over Zambia’s wealth. Wake up Zambians
This is exactly my perception of matters…a CEO can not get hands on unless there is something..he does not want to come out…imagine a White man and an Indian there has to be money somewhere…we need investigative journalists in Zambia.
We are disappointed that the media did not approach Kagem for a comment on this matter, and Mr Mandela did not respond to telephone calls and text messages.
Mr Mandela was not assaulted during the function.
He was requested to desist from taking photographs of a private discussion outside the function, but continued to do so, and as a result security personnel temporarily removed his camera.
Mr Mandela’s phone was damaged by a guest. As a gesture of goodwill an offer was made to replace the phone, but Mr Mandela has declined to accept this.
The two gentlemen in the photograph are long-standing friends and business colleagues and subsequent photographs from the event show them shaking hands.
Kagem communications, can you tell us why emerald auctions are no longer held in Zambia so as we avoid drawing the wrong conclusions ???
Why was the chairman’s offspring featuring prominently at the function?
Kagem give us the full story from your side. I know Zambian journalism is rotten but here we can all see your executives were misbehaving. It looks like you are hiding something
I might be wrong but from the look of things I don’t see a struggle on the released pics. Also have a close look at this guy’s phone. It looks like it was broken even before the incident. That damage looks old.
Anyway may the truth prevail.
You are another one who is being paid to post pro Muzungu rubbish. How do you question the phone damage when Kagem above is agreeing that the phone was damaged in the place?
The violent things now spreading like bush fire. Where is the leadership of this country?