STOP THE VIOLENCE CADRES
…Protect all citi zens regardless of their political affiliation
WHEN President Hakainde Hichilema ad dressed the nation at his Community House in Lusaka to toast his victo ry in the August 12, 2021 presidential election, he promised that his govern ment would run the affairs of the nation strictly under the rule of law.
Mr Hichilema repeated the promise at his inauguration in Lusaka. But in the last four months Zambians have not seen any serious commitment to the protection of the rule of law.
United Party for National Development (UPND) cad res have been terrorising members of the Patriotic Front (PF) with impunity in a relentless crusade of vengeance.
Many PF members are still in hiding after their homes were attacked by the maraud ing cadres. There has been no serious effort to curb this violence except feeble assur ances and veiled justifications from senior party officials.
Police have been treating the perpetrators of the vio lence with kids’ gloves be cause they want to impress the UPND. Most of the cases that have been reported in Lusaka and other parts of the country have either stalled or have been ignored. The victims have nowhere else to go. Where is fairness here? Where is the freedom and the justice Mr Hichilema prom ised? In many instances the suspects are well known but they are roaming freely, going round victimising members and supporters of the PF. Zambia is a democracy where it should not be a crime to be long to an opposition party.
Three weeks ago a horde of UPND cadres descended on a hapless family in CK Marble Village, Garden House, Lusaka, and demolished their house because they are known PF supporters.
The cadres heartlessly smashed household property, ripped off the house’s roofing sheets, removed doors and windows and stole the money the family had earned from their small business. Right now, the family is homeless.
This case has been report ed to the police but no one has so far been arrested.
Last week social media was abuzz with a video in which UPND official and President Hichilema’s political advisor William Banda was threat ening the PF with violence during campaigns for the forthcoming parliamentary by-election in Kabwata.
Surprisingly, there has been no word from the senior UPND officials condemn ing or disowning Mr Banda’s threats, which suggests he has the backing of the top leadership.
Recently, UPND cadres went to Chelstone police station and attacked a small group of senior PF officials who had escorted the party’s chairman for information and publicity, Mr Raphael Nakacinda, who was being interviewed by police.
Seven of the thugs were ap prehended but released later in the evening. Nothing has been heard about the case to date.
In Kasama, a committed PF member popularly known as “Chanda America” was ab ducted by a gang of UPND cadres who tortured and bat tered him mercilessly before taking him to the police station.
The cadres instructed the police to detain the victim, who had been seriously in jured and needed urgent treatment. The police denied the victim access to medi cal attention and continued keeping him in a cell without charging him for over three weeks.
Many of our members are too scared to come out of hid ing because gangs of armed UPND cadres have been go ing to their homes looking for them.
This is not the freedom Mr Hichilema promised. This is not the rule of law he prom ised us. He has a duty to pro tect all citizens regardless of their political party member ship from political violence.
We urge him to show leadership by taming his ex cited cadres. We also urge President Hichilema to pub licly rebuke Mr Banda to stop inciting UPND cadres to at tack PF members.
The campaigns for the Kabwata by-election will serve as a serious test of President Hichilema’s com mitment to the maintenance of the rule of law and protec tion of the human rights of all citizens.