ARMY IS NOT FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE, CHISHALA KATEKA CONDEMNS ZYEELE’S LANGUAGE
New Heritage Party President Chishala Kateka has castigated Zambia Army Commander Lieutenant General Geoffrey Zyeele over plans to exterminate and fumigate targeted illegal Miners in Mufumbwe District.
Speaking when she featured on Radio Phoenix Let the people Talk Programme, Kateka said the Army commander will do well to apologize to the Zambian people over the use of such language which brought more harm than good in other countries.
She said the words fumigated and exterminated were used in Rwanda on the Hutus and NAZI Germany on the Jews before atrocities were committed.
And Kateka has questioned whether the Zambia Police does not have the capacity to handle internal security matters.
She said the Army should not be used as the first line of defence when there is a security concern within the country adding that such is a prerogative of the Police unless they fail.
The Opposition leader has therefore questioned the motive behind General Zyeele’s utterances.
“The Army is not your first line of defence, why should you use bullets as your first line of defence, these are civilians. Internally, your first line of defence is the police, if you think there is a problem, deal with it and retrain them,” she said.
“This army commander by the use of those words, what is he trying to incite, what is he saying about those miners there, they are cockroaches? When you use those words, it means me in the army, I start to look at those like they do not matter. When they break the law, you must be able to go through a legal process. Not to be fumigated and exterminated. There is a reason the Nations world over, countries are structured like that. The Army is not your first line of defence, why should you use bullets as your first line of defence, these are civilians on civilians? Internally, your first line of defence is the police, if you think there is a problem, deal with it and retrain them……He does not end there, he then starts to issue threats against those people who threw stones. Isn’t there not a process already in place, the police picked up some people? Why should the Zambia army overstep and overreach into the realms of what the police are doing.
“This language is definitely not acceptable in Zambia. It is unfortunate and I think the commander would do well to apologize to the Zambians because, those miners when you look at the social economic factors at play in the country, they are trying to make a living just like the Kachasu Brewers when they know that is wrong…. The way we deal with these issues matters if we want to keep the peace we have been enjoying.”
And Kateka has challenged the government to tell the nation if the police have failed to handle the security concerns in the country.
“This issue of illegal miners, it is a security risk on the miners and apparently there may be some criminal elements coming in. However, it is an internal issue which should be handled by the police. When we have not seen that the police have been deployed and have failed, and yet here we are deployment the army. The Army commander says he is following orders from the president,” Kateka stated.
“The commander uses the word exterminate and fumigate. When I use the word fumigate, what comes to mind is to fumigate cockroaches and then you exterminate them mind is cockroaches, you fumigate them. In Rwanda, those words were used against the Hutus, in Nazi Germany those words were used against the Jews. In Zambia, according to our constitution, we have separation of powers in the manner our security and defence forces operate. We have clearly the Police, Army, ZNS and ZAF. We do not have ZAF coming into the place of the police and do what the police should do. The army deals with external security and if the worse comes to the worse, you can use the army especially if institutions fail. When you have criminals, it is still the police who need to sort them out. In Mufumbwe, they should go there to supplement and not to take over. The Army, when you let them loose in a nation, it can bring consequences. The way the Army commander talks, it does not even give an indication that he will show mercy. When the Army gets involved in certain operations, they are quiet about what they do. But this guy is all over the place. This is a civilian’s thing, even when they needed to use the army they should have done it quietly.”
Meanwhile, Kateka has blasted the UPND Government over their amateurish style of communicating important issues to the public.
She said the issues of President Hakainde Hichilema going on leave should have been handled in a professional manner without raising suspicion among members of the public.
Kateka is of the view that people in the current government are waiting for the President to make pronouncements before they can do their job adding that the country needs Ministers who are proactive and not just the Head of State as a starring.
“Communication is not this government’s strongest points. It is one of their weaknesses. If I were in government holding an important position like that of Minister of Information or secretary to cabinet, I would have said to the Country that the president is going on leave. We waste so much time discussing things that could be avoided if this government was effective in communicating,” she said.
“The first time this was asked, somebody from Government should have come to explain that the president is taking his annual leave. But everything with this government is a secret. We have had presidents going leave before but the difference is that it was announced. Even if he falls sick, people fall sick, there is no harm in saying the President is not feeling well, he is going to the hospital. What you communicate matters.
I think I blame his handlers, what is Cornelius Mweetwa is doing. We are so far behind, we need to be a nation that is moving forward. The problem we have as a nation has a lot to do with mindsets. I have dealt with the issue of mindsets after starting an Organisation. I was doing with young people up to the age of 40. We do not train our people to think in a certain way, that is why we need to change our Education curriculum.”
Kateka should just shut up, those illegal miners are a national security risk
Ba Kateka, you want the Army Commander to speak like a civilian? Who will take him seriously? Especially considering the kind of people he is dealing with. Each profession has a language which is peculiar to it. And what the Army Commander is using is military language.
I would have thought ba Kateka had her stint at National Service. What language were you using? There is no need for the Commander to apologise. His language is appropriate and leaves no doubt as to what the consequences would be for those who try to be Jerabo heroes. The Army doesn’t read you your rights before taking you out.
The police and paramilitary have failed to contain the illegal miners.
You are right the Army is not the first line of defence, the only foolish thing is that you foolishly put this issue of illegal miners as if it started yesterday. We are in the 10th line of defence now if it exists lol. We respect you madam stop behaving like those other qualified fools.