By Esther Chisola,
TWENTY-SEVEN senior police officers have sued the State in the Lusaka High Court challenging the termination of their employment, disclosing that one of them even suffered a stroke upon receiving the news.
The 27 have submitted that they were informed in uniform letters dated October 6, 2022 that their employment in the Zambia Police Service had been terminated, effective September 28, 2022, when they never received any complaint nor warning during the tenure of office.
The aggrieved individuals include: Mweemba Ngulube and Simon Tembo, Senior Assistant Commissioners of Police; Arthur Shonga and George Malama, Assistant Commissioners of Police; Dr Fred Mulenga and Chrispine Chambwa, Deputy Commissioners of Police, among others.
The plaintiffs are seeking an order that the termination of their employment was unlawful and illegal and void ab initio.
Ngulube and 26 others also want the Lusaka High Court to order that they be treated as having retired and be paid their pension benefits as though they have worked up to their retirement age.
They also want the court to order the Attorney General to pay them pension benefits, their salaries until full and final settlement of pension benefits, among other claims.
They stated in their statement of claim that they were public officers of the rank of superior police officers at different stations in Zambia.
“Over the years of service, the plaintiffs rose to different high ranks in the Zambia Police Service as shown from the schedule of plaintiffs attached to the Writ of Summons, being Superior Police Officers, save for one being the detective Inspector. During the tenure of office, the plaintiffs neither received any complaint nor warning against their conduct with respect to work let alone faced any disciplinary charges. Regrettably, by the uniform letters dated October 6, 2022 issued by the Human Resource Management Officer at the Zambia Police Headquarters, the plaintiffs were informed that their employment in the Service had been terminated effective September 28, 2022 in accordance with the terms and conditions of service for the Public Service No. 35 (c),” the claim read.
The plaintiffs stated that the said letters of termination neither provided for the requisite notice to them, nor furnish the reasons for the termination of their employment.
“In fact, the letters do not state whether the plaintiffs have been discharged or summarily dismissed, and to the plaintiffs’ utter shock and surprise, the said letters backdate the effective date of termination of employment,” they stated.
The plaintiffs stated that prior to the issuance of the letters of termination of employment, a list of police officers was leaked and circulated on social media platforms, which included them, alleged to have been retired in national interest and/or summarily dismissed from the service.
They stated that when asked about the said list, the Chairperson of the Zambia Police Service Commission as well as the Vice President, expressed ignorance and refuted the same, that there was no such list as no police officer had been dismissed.
The plaintiffs stated that contrary to the foregoing, they were ambushed by the said letters terminating their employments and have consequently suffered mental and psychological shock, anguish, distress, embarrassment and humiliation, having their permanent and pensionable employments cut short without notice or reason thereof.
They stated that in fact, one of the plaintiffs herein suffered a stroke upon receipt of the said purported letter of termination.