JOHABI BLAMES PF FOR YOUTH DAY VIOLENCE

UPND Eastern Province Chairperson Johabi Mtonga has claimed that the thuggery and hooliganism that characterised the International Youth Day celebrations in Chipata was not perpetrated by the ruling party cadres but that the Patriotic Front (PF) youths were allegedly fighting amongst themselves for unknown reasons.

Mr Mtonga said the UPND youths during the celebration conducted themselves in a responsible manner and the accusations that they attacked PF youths are untrue.

In an interview, Mr Mtonga has claimed that it was in fact the PF youths who were fighting amongst themselves for unknown differences.

He said the UPND leadership directed party youths not to take any alcohol or any drugs so that they do not engage in any violent acts.

“I saw the clip this morning (yesterday) I didn’t see anyone putting on UPND regalia chasing the PF. I tried to analyse and realised that it is the fight among themselves.

UPND yesterday (Tuesday) were very peaceful and what we told our youths is that don’t take any alcohol, the match past from my office here to the golf ground, we went to 1940 it was peaceful, from there now we went to independence stadium,” he said.

Mr Mtonga wondered why the UPND could only focus on attacking the PF youths when Citizen First youths were part of the celebrations and none of them was attacked.

“It is their internal fight, why didn’t we fight Kalaba’s youths because they were there in the stadium and the President waved at them and he was very happy,” Mr Mtonga said.

And Mr Mtonga said assertions that UPND engaged in violent acts for fear of being outnumbered are baseless.

“We can’t be outnumbered by PF, PF now is just on paper, even UKA is the same. You must judge them through these by-elections.

If PF were strong why are they getting maybe four votes, sometimes zero,” Mr Mtonga said.