NOT ACCEPTABLE
THAT political cadres in Ndola had the audacity to
attack High Court Bailiffs and Police Officers is not
something that should be taken lightly or tolerated.
The nation must not allow a situation where hooligans should hold sway over the country’s values hindered on respect for the rule of law.
The rule of law must not just be regarded as a political statement from the new dawn administration. It must be an acceptable facet of life among Zambians.
The peace that the country is famous for is due to the Zambians’ desire and commitment to the rule of law.
It is this respect for the law that has kept the country safe and made it an ideal refuge for those escaping turmoil in their home countries.
But this peace is under threat from some sections of the nation under the guise of political cadres who think they can commit illegal acts and get away with it because they belong to the party in government.
This is a misconception that Zambians have rejected, and did so convincingly through the ballot in the August 2021 tripartite elections.
They voted out the Patriotic Front (PF) on account of its violent cadres and voted in the United Party for National Development that promised to remove violent cadres from public rule and promote the rule of law.
This is the more reason police in Ndola must go flat
out and round up all those cadres who run amok on Wednesday and attacked High Court Bailiffs and police officers who went to execute a judgement over private land in Bwana Mkubwa which they were illegally parceling and selling.
The land in question belongs Mulberry Development Limited where they plan to create an industrial park
through which they expect to create thousands of
jobs.
Amidst the fracas, the unruly cadres burnt the mining equipment for Mulberry, leaving the company spokesperson Jonas Kunda shocked and traumatised.
The cadres do not have any legal claim to the land which Mulberry acquired from First Quantum Minerals Limited to develop an Industrial Commercial Park in Ndola.
The area is purely an industrial and mining area with a small residential potion where the company is planning to put up workers’ houses and community amenities that includes, health centre, school and the skills development centre for youths.
When the cadres grabbed the land prior to last year’s elections, Mulberry Development Limited reported the matter to the Police.
Undaunted, Mulberry took the matter to the courts which ruled in its favour.
And with the zero tolerance policy to caderism that the UPND government has come with, Mulberry
Development Limited was confident that the matter
would be looked into.
Government therefore owes Mulberry protection and ensure that the cadres hindering its project, that
will benefit the nation, are rounded up and prosecuted.
The nation needs law and order to attract investors and develop.
Ironically, Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu was speaking about the importance of maintaining peace to attract and retain foreign and local investment which he noted should be protected.
Mr Mwiimbu said this in a speech read for him by his Permanent Secretary Josephs Akafumba during the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a police station at Lusaka South Multi-facility Economic Zone. His message was that investors need protection and when this is not guaranteed, they would simply pack and go elsewhere.
The Ndola cadres should therefore not be spared for they are working against the country’s interests.