VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN MWENSE

…PF members clobbered at a police station, gun shots fired

THE Patriotic Front (PF) has appealed to the ruling UPND to withdraw Gilbert Liswaniso and his team from Mwense after allegedly beating PF members ahead of the Local Government by-elections.

PF deputy chairperson for publicity Emmanuel Mwamba said the Liswaniso-led campaign team needed to be recalled from the area before they wreaked more havoc.

PF members were on Tuesday ambushed and attacked by suspected UPND leaving some members of the former ruling party bloodied.

Mr Mwamba said the people involved needed to be caged and that it was even unfortunate that a firearm was discharged in the mayhem.

“My appeal is that the police should ensure that the gun used in the act is licensed because it is illegal to move with an unlicensed weapon,” Mr Mwamba said.

The former ruling party accused the governing UPND of causing mayhem in a usually and otherwise peaceful town which has left residents in distress after many fell victim to the violence.

Mwense, a district that has not experienced violence of any form became a bloody battlefield after the UPND cadres allegedly attacked the PF members who had run to police to seek security and report the violence.

Mr Liswaniso, allegedly captaining his cadres has been accused of exporting tyranny and barbarism to Mwense a district where both the UPND and the PF have co-existed as brothers and sisters for a long time.

A resident said the district had never known violence and that the people were in shock that the by-election had sparked violence allegedly occasioned by the UPND cadres who had been transported to the area.

“I would like to warn whoever is provoking the people of Mwense that we are proudly Inkaka and we do not tolerate tyranny and barbarism for a long time. We are not cowards and we are ready to fight to the end in defense of our liberties and freedoms. The UPND and the PF have co-existed in Mwense for quite a period of time and what happened last evening ( Tuesday) is shocking. The people they imported injured our people with impunity. They smashed the vehicles for the PF in the presence of the police,” one of the residents said.

But Mr Liswaniso when contacted, his assistant who answered the call said the ruling party national youth strongman was in a meeting in Mwense.

“You know we are in Mwense campaigning and the boss in in a meeting. As soon as he comes out of a meeting, I will ask him to call you back,” his assistant said.