The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection strongly condemns the government and the police service for the recklessness in operations. It is with great sadness that guns of Zambia Police are becoming louder at a time when the rest of Africa is trying to silence the guns in accordance with the African Union’s 2020 theme.
In February 2020, Zambia lost a young life of a grade 8, Frank Mugala to the Zambia Police gun. On 23rd December 2020, Zambia has again lost two lives to the Zambia police guns – Prosecutor Nsama Nsama and Mr. Joseph Kaunda suspected supporter of the United Party for National Development (UPND). Life is sacred and must be treated with greatest sanctity and reverence. The primary identities of the deceased are that they are Zambian citizens which should be respected regardless of their secondary associations, affiliations, and groupings. No human being deserves to die to the gun because of their political or any other association.
The primary duty of the police service is to defend and preserve life and property, thereby fostering peace and justice in our societies and communities. It is shameful that Zambians must die to the gun especially manned by fellow Zambians. Since Zambia’s Independence in 1964, Zambia has earned herself a descriptive noun of “Zambia a peaceful country” guided by the national motto of “One Zambia, One Nation.” But with the current happenings where Zambians are dying to the guns, it is making the long earned national descriptive noun and the independence ideologies whose aim is for Zambians to live a dignified life through a peaceful and flourishing country, to slowly start fading away. A nation that respects civil and political rights, must amicably work together to restore public order without losing any life.
JCTR has noted the tension in the political environment. Politicians at this moment need to exhibit the highest form of leadership that fosters political and social charity. Currently, Zambia’s political need is politics of recognition, politics of tolerance and politics that would improve the economy and not merely politics of ad hominen. One of the key tenets of the Economic Recovery Programme 2020-2023 is to safeguard livelihoods, but how will livelihoods be safeguarded if the fate of peoples’ lives is at the mercy of the gun?
The Centre calls on law enforcement agencies especially the police service to see themselves as development actors and that they should play this role diligently and professionally to ensure among other issues that no life is unnecessarily lost due to indiscriminate shooting. Unwarranted killings escalate into police brutality. Zambia cannot afford to have both an ailing economy and a violent political environment if as a nation we are to anticipate inclusive development.
The Centre also encourages the general public to take caution and observe the Public Order code of conduct and operate within the guidelines. Noting that 2021 is an election year, the youths, the unemployed and women remain vulnerable to being used as vehicles of political violence. JCTR therefore, encourages all Zambians to detest all forms of political violence. Nonetheless, JCTR re-emphasises that responsible authorities in the Zambia Police Service brings to book and justice those responsible for the two lost lives. The police must also re-strategize their operational code of conduct especially as the country prepares for the 2021 elections. We demand that killing of innocent people must come to an end.
By John Kunda Sauti,
SJ–Faith and Justice Programme Officer
Do not be too quick to judge Zambia Police, JCTR. Let us first allow for independent investigations to be carried out. Already Zambia Police Spokesperson, Esther Katongo, is telling us none of their police officers carried guns on the material day.
Which independent organization will carry out the independent investigations? Stop dreaming
Police u say!!? Real police men where there in the tym of sata,what’s the difference between today’s caders n police, saying so coz even them caders wear uniforms
Keagen Natmap These cadres don’t even have preliminary qualifications and if you check you will be shocked by what you will find out.The only qualifications one will see is a relations within the system and those who managed to corrupt all their ways
PF is a scam and a kakistocracy circus regime
Amijola Joe that’s true sir but I always believe that when it’s tym ,this will be past
This officer should face the hague without doubt
Luba Quombe together with his superiors- home affairs minister, PIG and OPS commandants for using live bullets on unarmed people.
I am truthfully speaking of what i saw in the full Video..the police were NOT aiming at the lawyer , but at the other cadres who think they are above the law behind him who were trying to advance towards the police, and so to say that the police pointed a Gun at an unarmed lawyer is very much misleading !!.. because in the video its clear that the police were aiming at the people behind the lawyer who were coming close to the police.
Thank you
One video for investigation is this one. Is this behavior right?Thanks to the video man
Reflection of incompetent leadership in this institution.
Surely I regret the killing of innocent lives in this case. However, I also don’t accept that people can travel all the way from different parts of the country to pay solidarity. HH has thousands of supporters in Lusaka a few can accompany him to the police and stay peacefully and wait for the outcome outside the police station or even in the surrounding area.
The police have a huge task to explain this case to convince the public
The Government also have to compensate the families of the deceased as soon as possible. It should taking years and years and this
trend of solidarity must stop in some cases. Were you there when the offence was being committed? Did you show any solidarity then?
This is against democracy, anybody who wants to give solidarity can even travel from Chama, why should you restrict who should give solidarity, and why should only those who witness the artificial crime be there, No, that’s against democracy. Anybody can give solidarity, there is absolutely no law in Zambia stopping solidarity
ESTHER MWATA KATONGO AND IG KANGANJA have said all those seen with guns and in Zambia Police Uniform are actually not Zambia Police Officers because at no time did any Zambia Police Officer carry a gun at the time HH was appearing at Police Force Headquarters. Anybody that was carrying a gun on that day is not a Zambia Police Officer.
Clara Clara Then that is very scary.
Clara Clara Then why didn’t they arrest those fake police with guns?
We are watching.
Pitt Merry xmas! your reasoning is the same as the police’s. HH is in the same league as ECL. In the last (2016) general election. ECL got 50.4% and HH got 49.6%. which simply means that they are 50 50 in terms of popularity. You don’t expect to summon HH on flimsy charges and expect his followers not to show solidarity. In my opinion the police had a preconceived idea of achieving a zero HH’s supporters. They forgot to use adaptive management of containing the small peaceful crowds. Who were not violent or pushing to enter the Police force HQ. Stop belittling HH he’s a big guy. look at the police officer in the picture. pointing a gun at the lawyer, what wrong did he do to be traumatized and put his life at risk?
KK….. Kanganja and Kampyongo
The problem in Zambia is we only have:
Bakapokola naba pala that’s why!!!!
They just follow commands NO plan B4 and after.
If they can bring one pala or kapokola who was there and ask what happened…
Kufwilafye kuchi sungu nechi nyanja…..
The International Criminal Court in The Hague ,Netherlands needs to be involved in this ZP abuse of power and killings.
Let me correct the Jesuit with the reality of the men and women who graduate from Lilayi. They are taught that:
The primary duty of the police service is to defend and preserve Lungu’slife and property, thereby fostering fear and awe of the presidency in our societies and communities.
All other “duties” are secondary to Kanganja and his Muppets
Its clear the unruly cadres were behind the lawyer because if he gun was being pointed at the lawyer, his hands would be in the air. If hh had already heeded the police call, why was it others business? The lawyers, mob and and cadres should have blocked hh at his office.
How can you point a gun at someone in a country like Zambia like that?
The day of reckoning shall come.
Robert Mugabes dreaded police were taught a lesson and physically humiliated by Gen Chawinga and the military.
See this in Zambia Amnesty International
@ yaks
You are correct !!! HH like EL is a public figure. Police must have anticipated that . All what was required is to control the people who offered solidarity to HH .
The ICC has offices in Arusha, Tanzania. These mother fckers will be tried in Africa, Arusha and save jail in Nigeria, Jos. Kanganja and big head Chimpyongo are definitely good and fitting candidates for The Hague.
What ever the defence by the Zambian police and the government running way from taking responsibility, the truth is that after you have left power , am sad people will remember your actions and you will be prosecuted. I mentioned Gaddafi, Mubarak, Mugabe, Abashir, the former Sebian commander who where so powerful, ruthless , dreadful where are they today? This should save as a lesson to everyone with authority. Do not abuse your PREAVERAGE . Those supporting your brutal actions do not love you. They Will not be there for you when the law will catch-up with you. Please learn from others and not from yourselves.
International criminal court, hear our cries
If the statement attributed to Esther Katongo is true then we are in a more serious problem than I imagined!! . So, if she says the Police had no guns and the people that were there in uniform and carrying guns were not police officers, who were they and why did the police not arrest and remove them before the incident?? You can’t have militias operating side by side with the police!!! Is she admitting that allegations of PF cadres wearing police uniforms and carrying weapons are true???
You are all missing the point ,
Lungu can not freely win any election and needs PF police controlled cader violence to subdue any popularity of any opposition,
The man is hopeless , even in his PF party he does not tolerate any aspirations of leadership by anyone…….you dare have ambitions of leadership , you are in trouble ,
instead of proving his popularity , violence and intimidation are what that lungu knows…..
Lungu is just a violent thug who has managed to hudwink some of his rats that he is humble…..
No other leader in Zambia can break his record of the most political murders under his administration ….
He plays humble but his record of political murders without covctions should say it all……
Never mind the recent murders…….
We should never forget that under lungu Zambians were being burned alive in our towns and streets by fellow Zambians, more than 55 innocent civilians were killed as gassing suspects while lungu waited and watched hoping to have the hunger of blame pointed at HH ,
Only after the international community demanded a meeting with him did he stop the slaughter …..
Who investigates Police conduct? To create employment, government should establish another state agency to keep all the other agencies in check. OP is Lungu’ toilet brush, to clean his mess. We can’t leave all the work to the speaker and MPs question time in parliament.
Nemo judex in causa sua.
But I also say, Hunc quaesitorem in causa sua. Investigator in his own cause.
What a charade!
Honestly speaking these are not police officers, but PF carders mascareging as police offices. There are a lot of carders in all government institutions, because a well trained police office cant behave like that. The PF have deployed a lot of carder in almost all the institution, if its zesco it too much, you can report a fault if you don’t have anything (@ yamanzi ilipo) they can even take more than two weeks to fix simple problem, but if you have yamanzi its one day, This is how but our public institution have become under PF. What do you expert from carders who are not even educated, the only thing they know is to impress their master (Lungu, Kampyongo,Lusambo, Davis Mwila etc) and they mandate is to make sure they deal with the opposition in the name of police office.
When people say HH should have gone alone, are they telling us not to escort them next year when their turn comes. All leaders need support at a particular time. Believe me, I was among the crowd when kk was released from mukobeko prison. It happened even to our saviour. It’s just that way.
These are not cops but cadres from the streets in uniform who are high on something am afraid. And theirs is to please their master so their bellies are full. We can’t breathe. Help???!!
The gun os pointing at the lawyer. Totally needless.
Wait for August to come next year ,more killings are likely to take place because of Shindano. The police will do all they can at the totalling centers to scare the opposition so that votes are manipulated in their favor especially in muchinga,luapula and northern provinces but the good thing is that their plan will be slinced by vigilant voters.Lets brace for harder times ahead as the ECZ and the PF are faced head on. My condolences to my two brothers who lost their lives in such a manner.
Why is Lusaka times tabloid one sided,they keep on blocking my views.
Sometimes we can all be shallow in situational analysis as the case here is no longer about HH and those that escorted him for questioning by police but murder! The police always want to portray a menacing and intimidating presence when “maintaining” order over gatherings and the stance when it involves political gatherings especially of the opposition parties the police exhibit a likeness to hornets whose nest has been shaken and the anticipation of danger ready to attack! It’s no longer the matter why sympathizers accompanied HH as behavior of police with the public has invited distrust and animosity! The Zambian police officer is no longer regarded as “a friend” of the people and this view is extreme in opposition circles! The police know they cultivated and planted the field for…
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection have brain bankcrupt. If I may ask, do you have your own investigative wing for you to conclude that police assasinated the individuals you have mentioned? I seriously doubt not only your intelligence but your wisdom, too. It was only yesterday the president issued an instruction for a full investigation to home affairs ministry, it is shocking how you know already that it is in fact the police who shot the victims. What is your purpose in society, anyway you chaps?
The shooting of 2 innocent Citizens by ZPS is a prelude of what will happen during the 2021 General Elections. The ECL Govt imported all this sophisticated Military Hard with 2021 Elections in mind. ECL is determined to retain Power in 2021 and serve a Third Term by using a Militarised ZPS and PF. The idea is to crush Opposition protests against a PF Rigged Election in 2021. ECL is persecuting HH to make sure his name is not on the 2021 Ballot Paper. ECL is determined to rig 2021 Elections by Hook or Crook. HH is the biggest threat to ECL’s Third Term dream. Zambians should brace for a State Sponsored violent Election in 2021. The writing is on the wall.
The Plan for rigging Elections in 2021 by ECL are underway. All this Military Hardware was bought with scarce foreign exchange with the objective of crushing any riots that the Opposition might stage after the 2021 Elections are rigged. What happened on Wednesday December 23,2020 is a rehearsal of what will happen during the August 2021 Elections. We better brace for a violent Election next year. God forbid!
All fair-minded people are unanimous on this issue : the police killed Nsama and Kaunda. These include the Human Rights Commission, Brebner Changala, the Catholic Bishops, the free press and yours truly.
I have lost confidence in these *****.
It’s aggregious for society to condemn Police for carrying out there noble duty like this. The primary duty of the police service is not to defend and preserve life and property, thereby fostering peace and justice. The primary duty of police is to enforce law and order as a service thereby fostering peace and justice.
Don’t mince word JCTR. Ask yourself, world wide, when police are confronted with unrully mobs, what’s their response? You can almost always predict the outcome.
Remember that if you begin to dissect the composition of a mob, you will soon learn that we have various elements of character in it. Zambia Police does not recklessly give permission to mobs to protest without good scrutiny. The Zambia we are in today…
The call for solidarity to h² is total hogwash!
The nigga does not give solidarity to you in your death.
He lives while innocent souls perish.
He seems to love it. Why? Because the nigga always unashamedly makes political mileage out’a his mischievous acts when you die.
The evil in h² is bigger than that in Lucifer.
I have never witnessed a chilling cold and mean person like h² in my entire period of breath on this land.
UPNDEAD niggaz, when the police summons your god, they do not expect the gang of goons with guns to show their ugly faces there.
If you niggaz will defy police guidance, you will always put your and the lives of innocent people in danger.
Get that in your hopeless thick skulls. You will not disregard and dishonor public institutions. I have seen…
The sound of a gun may entail real bullets or blanks or teargas. All these apply on different scenes.
Whereas you have delelad the office of the President and Parliament. We can not allow you to delela the Police because you know when police fail the bigger dogs are dangerous. Loosen the Army to the streets and it’s finished.
The Police will discharge their duties the best way they know how.
Uku tuleya when police says no rally, it’s no rally. The f00lishiness exhibited by the upndead is appalling!
Thorn in the Flesh – this interested me from your post: “when police are confronted with unrully (sic) mobs, what’s their response? ” Firstly, I have not seen any video where the crowd was disorderly. Instead I have seen a video that was quite the opposite. Please produce one for us? Actually, neutral eyewitnesses like the HRC seem to collaborate that the crowd was peaceful. Secondly, the Police are not a law unto themselves. They too have procedures to follow even in such circumstances and must respect the constitution and basic citizens rights. If they did follow the procedures then they should happily answer questions such as: Who gave the command to fire teargas at the crowd that was orderly and why? Who gave authorisation to use live ammunition on fleeing, unarmed civilians? we…
We shouldn’t pretend that the Police are still a neutral law and order body in this country under this current Govt. Ask yourself, how many live bullets were fired when an unruly PF mob invaded Central Police and even beat up Police Officers? How many teargas canisters were discharged when Minister of Health appeared with a supporters at Court which same supporters even disturbed the court proceedings? Lets demand the truth over this and past similar Police related political killings and hold the erring responsible. This we can do in a factual and decent manner. It behooves us to steer away from hate filled diatribes.
Days are numbered 2021 is coming
Hichilema should stop encouraging violence by saying umwenso nimfwa let’s fight for our protection. Because one day he will face the same violence
He is the causer of all these fracas. And he is promoting violence.