By Chambwa Moonga
CHIKONDI Foundation president Bishop John Mambo is distraught that reports of political violence continue even when President Hakainde Hichilema has strongly spoken against the vice.
On Monday, Socialist Party general secretary Cosmas Musumali narrated to The Mast that UPND supporters travelling in four-wheel drive vehicles attacked a Socialist Party camp in Kaumbwe, Petauke in the early hours of Sunday.
Dr Musumali said the attack was unwarranted and unprovoked.
“It was brutal! All the people that were in the camp were badly beaten, four of them have sustained very serious injuries,” Dr Musumali said. “Amongst the four is an SP member who is over 70 years. His condition is pretty critical. We are going to monitor and ensure that he recovers as quickly as possible.”
He hoped that there were no internal injuries among those SP supporters that were seriously injured.
“The attack was not something that was unexpected. The behaviour of the UPND members on the ground has been one of provocation. The UPND members, and the leadership also, know that they are losing the election in Kaumbwe,” said Dr Musumali. “They are now resorting to the old tactics that the PF used. And these are the ones where you intimidate the general populace, you disturb the [campaign] camps of your competitors. That way you end up winning the elections.”
The people of Kaumbwe Constituency voted for their member of parliament yesterday.
Upon seeing pictures of two injured Socialist Party members and the party’s vehicle with a smashed windscreen, on The Mast front page on Tuesday, Bishop Mambo reacted.
“It [violence] makes a very sad reading, having come from elections and the President having directed everyone to stop acts of violence. To see [photos of] an old man and a young girl in agony does not show respect. What will the family say and what are we saying? Are we moving forward or we are moving backwards? When the Commander-In-Chief says stop this, you stop it. It doesn’t need an opposition leader to call a minister and all that. All of us must be responsible enough,” Bishop Mambo said. “We are just from having prayers! It (national day of prayer and fasting) must have meaning, an impact. These are the things that we should have been talking about – denouncing [political] violence.”
The clergyman wondered why one would resort to destroying someone else’s property or worse still, kill one another over an election related issue.
“That’s uncalled for! We, as a country, must be moving forward. We had a peaceful election [and] a peaceful handover of power,” noted Bishop Mambo. “The next thing [is that] we, the Church, must be in the forefront to denounce political violence regardless of who has done it. At the end of the day, you are an opposition [member] but you are a Zambian. You are in government, but you are a Zambian.”