UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka has warned the ruling PF “not to stretch their luck too far with violence.”

The UPND says it has noted with shock the death of its two campaign officials in Mongu who were attacked by PF cadres armed with guns, teargas canisters and all sorts of weapons.

The two deceased officials have been identified as District Deputy Vice Chairlady Mwendameyi Mukobela and District Trustee Mbanga Mwangala.

UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka has alleged that the PF went and attacked the UPND campaign centre and later started chasing two of their vehicles with fire arms and teargas canisters.

“Our campaign team was attacked at the campaign centre in the Kaande ward of Mongu Central Constituency”, Mr Katuka said.

He said this happened when armed PF thugs suddenly started chasing them while firing live ammunition and teargas canisters, causing the vehicle which was being driven by the provincial chairman Mr Musangu Njamba to overturn,and one of campaign member Mwendameyi Mukobela died on the spot while the other one Mbanga Mwangala died at the hospital.

Mr Katuka said Provincial Youth Chairperson Mbangu Mbangu and Constituency Vice Youth Chairman Lubinda Imasiku are still in a critical condition.

He said the Western Province UPND Chairman Musangu is also still admitted to the hospital while Mongu Central Member of Parliament Mwilola Imakando got arrested when he went to report the incident to the police and was charged with a trumped up charge of malicious damage .

He said Police are calling for confusion if this is how they will handle the UPND and has urged them to remain professional in the execution of their duties and apply the law equitably.

“Since the PF cadres involved have been identified , we call on police to immediately arrest them. If they are not arrested , we shall help them do the job. We cannot have police officers behaving like PF cadres”, he added.

He has however urged all UPND members across the country to seriously defend themselves whenever they are attacked as police are not ready to protect us.

Mr Katuka said some Police officers have proved to be PF aligned and unhelpful , hence the need for our members across the country to be ready to defend themselves at all times.

But Zambia Police spokesperson Esther Katongo has dispelled Mr Katukas statement that two of the UPND members have been murdered in Kaande area of Mongu in Western Province.

Mrs Katongo said no one has been murdered in the Kaande ward by election and that the names in the statement of those purported to have been murdered died in an accident which happened in Mongu involving a Toyota Prado and a Mercedes Benz which also left seven vendors seriously injured.

She has urged all political parties to always be truthful when giving information to the public because sensational reporting has potential to bring about disorder.

Mrs Katongo said those wishing to get more facts may get information from people in Mandanga area where the accident happened in which the two people who the UPND are reporting to have been murdered were involved.

“Further, there are survivors of the accident who are the vendors who were bashed from off the road by the drivers of the two vehicles involved in the accident”, she added.

Every Citizen has a right to report anyone suspected of committing a crime

I have read a number of articles and social media posts on the issue of tribal hate speech by PF cadres namely, Chanda Nyela and Bizwell Mutale. Nothing wrong with writing such articles of condemnation but just writing will not achieve anything if the perpetrators of tribal hate speech know that there are no consequences to their criminal behaviour.

My plea to Zambians is this: DEVELOP A CULTURE OF REPORTING SUCH CRIMINAL ELEMENTS TO THE POLICE. Lay a complaint, provide evidence and have a docket opened. It’s mandatory for the police to open a docket for any genuine complaint presented before them.

I have noted with dismay the culture Zambians have developed of saying that the police will not do anything because its ruling party cadres and officials involved. This is understandable but let us all remember that ruling parties do not rule forever. Let’s have these complaints filed and if the police don’t perform their job the next government will prosecute. Remember the saying that ‘UMULANDU TAUBOLA’, well this is more applicable to criminal cases as there is no limitation of the period in which a criminal suspect can be prosecuted. Nazi holocaust criminals are still being prosecuted once caught even up to this day.

UMULANDU TAUBOLA.

#WakeUpZambia
#WeAreAllEqualBeforeTheLaw

The Chilubi By-election

By Nkonkomalimba Kafunda

At a very elementary level, students of government and politics are taught that broadly defined governance is three pronged,it has three basic functions:

1. Political
2.Economic
3.Social.

The political function has to do with a conducive environment in which citizens rights and liberties are protected and respected.Where the state ensures there is protection of private property and an overall prevalence of law and order.Where citizens enjoy their rights and precipitously undertake their responsibilities, civic and otherwise.

The economic sphere involves the state creating an enabling environment for citizens to live decent lives, with gainful employment and general access to avenues of prosperity which in turn lead to a happy, healthy populace as well as a productive and well grounded society.

The social aspect is in respect of taking care of those who can not take care of themselves, the aged, the disabled, widows, orphans and all generally vulnerable groups in society through interventions such as social cash transfer, the provision of quality but affordable social services such as health care and education. Construction of roads, hospitals schools and other social infrastructure is the ambit of government and should be done so countrywide and without discrimination. This infrastructure is built at huge cost but usually with little economic benefit and that is why the private sector does not undertake such projects, while they are essential there simply is no profit.

It falls on government therefore to spread the tax Kwachas equitably so that every Zambian regardless of their location has access to affordable, preferably free, health, education and other social services. It follows therefore that to use the implementation of measures to achieve these lofty, noble but totally achievable goals by a government should never be used as a campaign tool during elections, creating an impression to voters that if they elect an opposition candidate as their representative in the legislature, the benefits of having a government will not accrue to them.

This evening I was watching the ZNBC main news and the Chilubi campaigns featured prominently albeit partisanly so. PF speakers at a rally were telling the people to vote for Mulenga Fube, their candidate, so that ongoing projects could continue as an opposition lawmaker will not have the capacity to mobilise the required resources to bring these projects to their desired conclusion.

In a nutshell the PF are telling the people of Chilubi that government will abrogate its responsibilities towards them if they vote for the opposition.How effete can this ruling party get? On top of abysmally failing to provide an environment for citizens to thrive economically and pursue dreams of happiness successfully, this government now wants segregated development.

This reminds me of defenders of Apartheid who said the system was separate but equal. No wonder there is such disparity in development in the majority of UPND strongholds. How callous will this regime sink?

Finally, while we understand the oppositions cry of electoral malpractices ranging from vote buying to violence perpetuated by the PF, boycotting elections will only rob the people of Chilubi and by extension the Zambian people their right to vote for a candidate of their individual preference, especially now that we need the numbers in parliament to keep bills like the nauseating bill 10 at bay. To UPND Chairman for Elections Gary Nkombo and NDC Spokesperson Saboi Imboela, and through them to like minded Zambians, boycotting of elections only works where the ruling party has a moral compass. It is abundantly clear that this is not the case here. Wining an election by any means is the order of the day, Legitimacy is not in their lexicon.

By Anthony Bwalya – UPND Member

We were always raised believing, that if you work hard hard, are honest enough, kind enough and God fearing enough, you could and can be anything under the sun; irrespective of your family name or tribe.

However, the Patriotic Front (PF) are intent on overturning the narrative by making the nation believe that for a child to hold certain positions in our society, they must possess the right kind of name and hail from the right kind of tribe and province.

Today, children from Tonga households are being told, and in no uncertain terms, that they will never be fit to assume the highest office in the land by mere reason that they are Tonga.

This toxic sentiment is being actively generated, promoted and being spread by the PF through its high ranking officials – from the Presidency, and now by subordinates of the presidency; identified individually as Chanda Nyela and Bizwell Mutale.

It is patently clear, that the incessant and systematic attacks and tribal discrimination against the Tonga is aimed at perpetuating the PF’s stay in power by driving dangerous tribal fear into the hearts of Zambians.

This continuous and reckless propaganda by the PF against the Tonga people is meant to benefit PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu. It is being done in his name.

The UPND cannot stop tribalism in its deathly tracks. It must be Zambians themselves who must rise and defend the sanctity of our national unity by sending a strong and unequivocal message to President Lungu and the PF, that we shall not stand by and watch them destroy our peace and unity for purposes of fleeting political lattitude.

There is nothing holy about the tribal hatred and division being peddled by the PF.

There is nothing Christian about the PF’s tribal agenda.

The tribal divisions we are being subjected to can only be the works of the devil and his unholy agents of destruction, whose sworn alliance with forces of darkness is aimed at destabilizing our nation for individuals’ personal interests.

A Tonga child can be a PRESIDENT just as much as Bemba or Kaonde child can, and all must equally be encouraged to aspire towards being the very best they can possibly become in service of God and country.

If President Edgar Lungu is indeed a President for all Zambians, he must do Two (2) things:

(1) Discipline both Chanda Nyela and Bizwell Mutale for propagating and promoting tribal hatred contrary to our Christian national values of oneness and…

(2) Apologize to the Tonga people of Southern province for the unprovoked, targeted, ethnic verbal attacks they have continued to endure at the hands of PF operatives in the name of discrediting the candidature of Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, while promoting that of President Lungu himself.

We cannot and must not sit and watch while the PF sets up in flames the country we all love.