THE Patriots for Economic Progress has challenged the Presidency to clarify President Edgar Lungu’s links to Chingola-based murder suspect Kabaso ‘Spax’ Mulenga.
On Monday police announced that Spax had been warned and cautioned for murder and also for unauthorised use of military uniforms.
PeP leader Sean Tembo asked the Zambia Police Service to state whether Spax is the mastermind of recent gassing incidents that have been witnessed across the country.
Tembo said one does not need to be a rocket scientist to follow the trail that would consequently point to the funders of the gassing of innocent citizens.
“As Patriots for Economic Progress we strongly feel that the government of Zambia has a lot of explaining to do regarding the issue of gassing of citizens which went on for a couple of months and the people who were behind it, in terms of masterminds and funders of that activity because we saw that was taking place on a very wide scale,” he said. “It was taking place…affected many parts of the country so it is obvious that a lot of money was put into that activity, to fund such a national operation and therefore it shouldn’t be that difficult to follow the money trail to deduce who was funding the activity.”
Tembo noted that there have been conflicting statements regarding the arrested individuals connected to the gassing incidents, with the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja refuting what former ZPS deputy spokesperson Rae Hamoonga who told the nation that the mastermind had been arrested.
He noted that the period Mulenga was said to have been arrested coincided with the period Hamoonga stated that suspected ringleaders of the gassing incidents had been nabbed.
“It’s on this basis that the state needs to clarify on this matter whether Mr Spax Mulenga is the person who is the mastermind of the gassing incidents and if so, what other charges has he been or the State intends to charge Mr Mulenga with,” Tembo said.
He noted that Mulenga has been a close associate of President Lungu and leaders of the ruling party and was seen in pictures at State House.
Tembo added that Mulenga’s seemingly “intimate relationship” with the Presidency had instilled anxiety among citizens.
“We have also noted a very disturbing trend whereby the accused, in this case Mr Spax Mulenga, is seen in a lot of photographs in the recent past with senior officials of the Patriotic Front including the Republican President, minister like Minister of Home Affairs [Stephen Kampyongo] the Vice president Inonge Wina. It appears that Mr Spax Mulenga is an important PF official although we are not aware of any formal position that he occupies in the party,” said Tembo.
“Going by his access to senior officials including the President where Mr Spax Mulenga is photographed with the President on various occasions including what appears to be at State House, then we believe that the Presidency in terms of the spokesperson to the President has to issue a statement to clarify the links our Republican President has to Mr Spax Mulenga. I believe the people of this nation deserve an explanation from the Presidency so that our speculations and fears that our President is often found in the company of someone who is now accused of murder so that such fears and speculations can be allayed. And that can only happen if there is a clear and concise statement from the presidential spokesperson [Isaac Chipampe] issued on behalf of the President regarding this matter. Otherwise there is a lot of apprehension among citizens in terms of masterminds of these gassing incidents and it is important that clarity needs to be given to the people in terms of links of Mr Spax Mulenga to key members in government as well as the President, key members of leadership of the Patriotic Front.”
