Police have stormed Saint Mathias Mulumba Catholic Church in Lusaka’s BAULENI demanding that the Sunday Mass is halted and congregants disperse and the cholera epidemic continues to spread around the country.
Police also dispersed Kabwata St Paul’s UCZ Congregants and some teargas was used to resisting congregants.
This is in response to government’s directive that gatherings of any nature are avoided following the outbreak of cholera that has greatly affected the country’s capital city, Lusaka.
In Rufunsa district three suspected cholera cases have been reported forcing the local council to embark on a massive sensitization exercise and cleaning of the surroundings.
Rufunsa Town Council Chairman Bartholomew Kalambalala yesterday told traders that there were three suspected cholera cases at Chinyunyu health centre.
Mr. Kalambalala therefore led a team of soldiers to supervise a cleaning exercise at Mpanshya market and later held a sensitization meeting at Chimusanya market.
He said government was working tirelessly to fight the disease and has since called on the local people to maintain high standards of hygiene so that cholera does not spread to other areas.
He said being in the most affected province, Rufunsa needed to join hands with government in combating the disease.
Mr. Kalambalala added that maintaining cleanliness should not just be in this period of cholera but should be an ongoing thing as it will help government in combating a lot of other diseases.
He has since commended the Zambia Army in the area for partnering with the council in supervising the cleaning of market areas.
Meanwhile, Rufunsa District Commissioner, Judith Chama has called for an urgent meeting with all stakeholders in the district to find a way of supplementing government efforts in preventing cholera from spreading to other areas.
In Siavonga, District Commissioner (DC) has called on churches in the area to improve sanitation and their surroundings so as to avoid the spread of cholera.
Mr. Lovemore Kanyama, who today inspected churches, bemoaned that sanitation in some of the premises is poor.
Among the churches he inspected together with some security officers included the Salvation Army, New Apostolic, Bread of Life and the Shepard Ministries.
Mr. Kanyama urged churches whose surroundings are unclean to improve saying they would not be allowed to congregate next week if the sanitary conditions remain the same.
He has meanwhile encouraged the churches whose surroundings are clean to continue maintaining the good hygiene standards.
The DC said the state and council police, including health inspectors will continue monitoring and inspecting bars, markets and other public places.
He pointed out that the district is working hard to avoid the outbreak of cholera.
“I therefore urge the community to coordinate with the law enforcement agency,” Mr. Kanyama said.
Wow …. how did we get to this Zambia sure?
Ho…ho…elo lwanya nomba, dununa reverse. Even using teargas on church congregants?
Wordless. Whats up mother Zambia?
Eish! What’s wrong with Sunday churches, they must possess Satan’s arrogance, bless the SDAs, they complied( law abiding citizens).
Most churches are at loggerheads with authority because they believe cholera will be eradicated through prayer
Defiant church members should have been beaten.
General Kanene do not be silly. God said apply wisdom. These congregants can pray from home. They have Bibles, it is a Christian nation. Pastors, Bishops, priests and the like can perform services on television and Radio. Simple logic.
Rev Sumaili should be vexed since she is religious minister. Just pray and cholera will be gone off the face of zambia.
ZAMBIANS SEEM TO BE DUNDERHEADS. WHY NOT WORSHIP IN YOUR HOUSE WITH YOUR FAMILY INSTEAD OF EXPOSING YOUR LIFE TO DANGER? PASTERS MUST ALSO BE ARRESTED FOR EXPOSING GOD’S FLOCKS TO DANGER. ABA BANTU TITHE YALIBENGILA MUMA TOBO SANA. THEY CAN’T THINK BEYOND TITHE. THEY ARE VERY CLEPTOMANIAC.
IF THE CHURCH CANNOT OBEY INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE STATE AUTHORITYTHEN YOU KNOW WHY ZAMBIA HAS CHOLERA. FIRST ZAMBIANS DON’T OBEY SIMPLE HYGIENIC INSTRUCTIONS AND THESE ZAMBIANS INCLUDE CHURCH PRIESTS. HOW CAN THE CHURCH CHOOSE TO COLLECT OFFERINGS FROM THE ENDANGERED CHURCH GOWERS AND NOT PROTECT THE PEOPLE WHO FEED THE PREASTS THEMSELVES? DOES IT MEAN THAT CHURCH PREASTS IN ZAMBIA ARE IDI0TS WITHOUT COMMON SENSE WHO WOULD PREFER MONEY INSTEAD OF THE HEALTH OF THEIR FLOCK?
I believe it is “priests” as opposed to “preasts” which is reminiscent of “breasts”, and I am sure that isn’t what you mean. The link between churches obeying government instructions and the reasons why we have cholera in Zambia are not as clearly related as this. This incident above is unfortunate – both for those refusing to comply and those having to resort to force. We should really be taking stock of how the outbreak began in the first place. No other country in the sub-region (not even on the continent) reports a cholera case, let alone an outbreak every rainy season. Why should that be?
The archbishop of Lusaka has issued an instruction on meetings during these trying times. The priest of this Parish is worried that if they don’t congregate he will miss his umutulo or offering. Too bad that people seem not to care about their well being.
Ba LT, what is this, “Police have stormed Saint Mathias Mulumba Catholic Church in Lusaka’s BAULENI demanding that the Sunday Mass is halted and congregants disperse and the cholera epidemic continues to spread around the country”. So the police want the epidemic to spread around the country. Please ba editor check your reporting before publishing.
Could be using SIRI
Hopeless media
I am not sure Zambia Police make an effort to talk to people. They are quick to fire tear gas. I cannot believe a priest would have refused police orders if they had spoken to him. We need to respect ourselves as a people – only then will others respect us. Politicians have messed up. Instead of humbling themselves before the people, they are taking high handed actions and teargassing long suffering citizens.
An instruction was already given – this was defiance. Did you hear anything like this yesterday? No – because the SDA’s complied.
Bane let’s comend ecl for taking a bold dicition to protect the people,town should be clean lelo lelo.
Too little too late. It did not have to take an outbreak of Cholera and loss of lives for the President and his minions to see that Lusaka and Zambia were unacceptably filthy and unhygienic to steps such as removing of street vendors and cleaning of Soweto market. These are reactive solutions which are not addressing the structural and infrastructure problems around sanitation and clean water supply in the high-density residential areas of Lusaka. We need systematic solutions around garbage collection in both residential and commercial locations (low and high density), the presence of garbage bins etc as a minimum.
I don’t even understand what the major of Lusaka, Min of Local Gov and Min of Health are still doing in office. They have resigned by now or moral grounds failing which the President should have fired them by now. What possible solutions are they implementing now that they could not put in place before the outbreak? Mediocrity at its best!
No no no no. Commend Edgar Lungu for what? Cholera is a sign of a failed system. Lungu’s lesser fer approach is the reason we have cholera. He could have cleaned the streets long time ago before deaths occurred if he wanted. But he chose to embrace lawlessness in order to remain popular in state house. He deserves NO praise st all.
He was busy flying around to every inauguration in Africa, meanwhile disease was forming and waiting for the right time to strike.
Those countries he was visiting are laughing at him now.
if the police can order the churches not to conduct services, then people shouldn’t be allowed to work until 30th January 2018
After street vendors are sorted out all shop owners must be made to pave their shop frontage and give the shops a lickbof paint
Bozo – Good idea, in fact I have said several times that all buildings in the Lusaka CBD and around the country for that matter need facelifts.
Forgive them father for they do not know what there doing.
Forgive who? The churches or the police?
Coutinho for joining Barcelona
Since Chlorine has run out, teargas is proving to be a better substitute … lolest! This tells you what needs to be corrected in Zambia! Our people have a form of godliness not based on accurate bible knowledge (2Timothy 3:1-5) In other words, our people have stopped thinking. They now act by instinct like wild animals. My people are indeed destroyed for lack of knowledge. There is no godliness in being filthy! Cleanliness is next to Godliness! You reap Cholera when you don’t bother about cleanliness. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom! If we don’t wise up, Lusaka and Zambia will be a disaster! We need to apply wisdom to build a successful Zambia. Don’t blame it on the devil! Cholera is man-made! Well done Police!
The should be locked up,
Word on the ground is that there was NO teargas used. LT please recheck your sources (and i mean not facebook sources).
In light of all these precautions, People might as well stop using Minibuses for the mean time… after all you have more that 5 passengers at each respective time!
The prist must be sent to prison for some lucture,coz he is search unidoit ,
Is this meta or para-english?
@ blabla … Well said
Muleshinikisha tumone street vending mulanda ati emomusungila Ababa ngamwalabasunga nokulya.
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS OF HYGIENE AS THEY MOVED FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN THAT WHEN THEY ARE PRESSED THEY SHOULD GET A HOE AND GO FAR AWAY FROM THE COMMUNITY IN THE BUSH AND DIG A HOLE THEN BURRY THE STUFF. HE IS GOD AND CLEAR EVERYTHING TO DO WITH DISEASE BUT HE HAD TO TEACH THEM. THEREFORE AS CHRISTIANS WE SHOULD BE IN FOREFRONT TO PROMOTE GOOD HEALTH AND NOT BEING DEVIANTS. GOV’T IS ALLOWED TO RULE BY GOD. SO WE DOUBT THESE CHRISTIANS.
The fight against cholera needs both the government as well as the common man to fight this scourge. Us Zambians are generally very unhygienic and like low standards. How does someone go and drink beer at a bar that has no toilet and who do you blame for getting sick for drinking or eating from unsanitary places. And, most churches do not have proper toilets despite their Pastors and Reverands driving expensive cars. We should learn to be proactive, shun and shame unhygienic places whether they are bars, restaurants or church toilets
This is where councils should come in. They should close down such establishments. But we all know that councils have been hollowed out by corruption.
Comment:
kikikkikikikik
All well meaning and normal Zambians must support the president for the measures taken to stop the spread of cholera. This is a national disaster as lives are been lost. Street vending should be banned completely.
We can congregate but during the time of shaking hands as a sign of peace, we shouldn’t do that.
Those have always been our precautions during mass
Ku Koonda ma offerings…even during cholera outbreak. No T-Bone ba pastor and church elder polepole.
Bottom line is loss of money for these churches, yes you can watch tv or radio and pray or at home but what about the poor pastor/priest and their flash cars , houses and life style……