The Zambia Reconstruction Organisation (ZAMRO) says there is need for intensive engagement and sensitization of all political parties to curb increased political violence in the country.
ZAMRO Chief Executive Officer Edward Nsama says his organization will for this reason hold a symposium and workshops at every level of political party organization ahead of the 2021 general elections.
ZANIS reports Mr Nsama in an interview this afternoon explained that this is in order to turn the heads and hearts of various political parties general members and cadres away from thirst for violence.
Mr Nsama said the task of ensuring a political violence free electoral process cannot be left alone to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) alone.
“We need civil society to make political parties to tone down violence. Civil society must work to help enforce the electoral laws and promote peace.
“ So voter education to the general public, to political cadres and members is important if we are to end violence”, said Mr Nsama.
Last Thursday, two people are reportedly dead after riot police fired live shots to disperse UPND supporters who had gathered to show solidarity to party leader Hakainde Hichilema as he arrived at Police Headquarters for questioning in the morning of the material day.
Education and sensitization is the best approach in stemming political violence and changing behaviours of political party members to embrace people, reasoned the ZAMRO Chief Executive Officer.
He said there is also need to intensify voter education to ensure that the seven million voters captured by the Electoral Commission of Zambia ( ECZ ) don’t shy away from voting in the elections.
Mr Nsama said it is shocking that the Zambian political landscape has been reduced to a battleground of bitterness, enmity and untold rivalry that decimates family ties and life for the sake of political scores.
“There is too much insulting, mudslinging, as if people are not Christians coming from the same neighbourhood, church? Why this conflict? Laws are there, but there are always law breakers, who break the law with impunity”, said Mr Nsama.
He said though politics has become competitive, there is need to put aside arrogance and ensure that the country’s heritage and legacy of peace is maintained for posterity.
Mr Nsama said his organization is equipped to monitor the country’s general elections set for August 12, 2021.
Zambia’s general elections of recent times have continued to be marred by political violence despite the existence of electoral laws and code of conduct expected to help regulate political campaign activities and enforce the law.
Police Service is compromised, they are politically inclined rather than public service duty bound.
There is no clear line between policing for a party and public service. Can’t see the difference.
Their system is partisan.
How does this become an issue for all political parties? Last I checked the only party that was present during the unfortunate death of our two comrades is the upnd. Please address those issues to the violent upnd party. Pf was not there.
These PF thieves bought military grade equipment and vehicles to police unarmed citizens.
There is only so much you can oppress the people.
History has shown what happens to oppressors once they get kicked out.
Even gassing your own citizens.
Be sensible. There is only one party killing people in Zambia and it’s PF. So why are you trying to involve all parties you mother fckers!
Don’t let PF hide behind other parties, be brave you can’t.
Chilyata was pf in attendance when nsama and kaunda were killed a few days ago ? Learn to be honest with yourself. You know your fellow tribal party were there and that wherever they go violence appears. However the tribalism in you refuses to see things as they are. That is why your hh will never rule this country. Zambian would rather have a frog rule them than have that tribal evil f00l hh
Ridiculous pseudo-intellectualism
Don’t make stupid moral equivalencies between the the gun toting Lungu/Kampyongo government and the harassed opposition. A government insisting it is no less and no more responsible than an opposition party is ignorant of it’s duties to it’s citizens – we should therefore relieve them of that heavy responsibility at first opportunity.
People are not “reportedly dead” they are verifiably dead. Do you need to stick your finger in their bullet holes to treat it as fact?
All Zambians know is that PF is a violent party whose PF government is killing its own innocent citizens. How does other Zambians justify that PF was not there when the two Zambians State Prosecutor Nsama Nsama and Kaunda were killed by gun fire by PF government police force on un armed civilians. Stephen Kampyongo, MoHA, Kanganja IG and president Lungu should take responsibility of curtailing lives of these innocent Zambians.
In an attempt to defend and divert attention from the deep sorrow Zambians grief together with the affected families is to trivialise the lost lives and mock Zambians as mere expendables to gratify political egoistic agenda by PF government.
Remember
they even gassed our people……
resulting in the lynching to death of more than 50 innocent civilians….
Which party was responsible for that ?
The writer completely missed the point. Violence is state orchestrated for a fact. Why talk of parties that are just victims. This is the type of hypocrisy that has ruined Zambia to the level that it has gotten to. You don’t built a country with this type of hypocrisy. I am inclined to think that the writer is just a PF carder who think that carders must never gather to support their leader even when evil intentions of PF to harm him are so clear. This is the thinking of their leader as well. The other time the PF leader was waffling about being warned and blaming opposition leadership for taking carders to support them. Can one be more fo0lish? The dictator has an appalling thinking process not worthy of leader. This together with his insensitivity, defective interpretation of the law,…
Kwena ba PF mwababepeshafye. It was Police and UPND
Are u normal Mr Edward Nsama? Who was harmed by UPND supporters where teo people were shot dead and teargas fired? So prosecutor Nsama Nsama was a UPND supporter!
The Zambia Police was underated by all political parties and it’s high time they claim back their important role of restoring order at every level of our society of course not exterminating of citizens
It’s a PF NGO trying to share PF sins with the oppressed opposition! If this puppet NGO has the balls, it must remind ECL that he has the instruments of power and that he should to man up or else face the people’s wrath which will not be contained by the killing machines he has purchased!
From the comments above, PF ZP??? So would a upnd GRZ replace the entire PF ZP if they assumed office?? As KZ has put it above, the PF were not present, how is it a PF problem when the whole time it was upnd on site?? Remember Sesheke?? PF campaigned peacefully for weeks, when upnd arrived, violence broke out. Let’s be truthful-UPND IS THE MOST VIOLENT PARTY IN ZAMBIA TODAY.
Accussations and counter accussations.Goverment can stop violence but it doesn’t
They condemn in general terms even when they know who is behind it and do nothing about it.
UPND cannot be violent,the Police will snuff them out in seconds.PF will beat people at Church and commit sacrilege by beating people at Cemetery,beat Police at Central Police, govt will do nothing.
America 2 the violent wing of PF based at Soweto market is the chief architect of PF violence.Its strange we speak of violence I’m vague terms.
Why are we zambians always talk rubbish when there is violence or killings? Where does a minister gets rules, who equipes cardes with guns and all military store? If you answer all these questions, then you will know who the killers are.
@Chilyata, which opposition political Parties were present when Komanda Kalimanshi started a fight during the laying of wreaths at the Freedom Statue on Youth Day?
@Chilyata, you must be out of your mind to refer to that incident as political violence. That was a guard of honour for HE Edgar Chagwa Lungu the outgoing President of the Banana Republic of Chambia.