THE UPND in Eastern Province says it abandoned a radio programme at Valley FM in Nyimba which was to feature party leader Hakainde Hichilema on Friday night due to threats and harassment by Patriotic Front youths.
But Eastern Province PF information and publicity secretary William Phiri says UPND is like a cry baby that wants to seek attention.
Provincial UPND deputy information and publicity secretary Malan Zimba said Hichilema’s radio Explorer programme on Thursday night was done amid threats and harassment by PF youths.
“What happened is that the PF cadres came to radio Explorer wanting to attack us but they failed because our youths were in large numbers. They [PF cadres] followed us at the lodge and they partially damaged our car but we survived it although the windows got damaged. On Friday morning, the PF cadres were searching for us but by then we had already left going to Nyimba,” Zimba narrated.
Zimba said the PF cadres even blocked the road to ensure that the UPND delegation does not pass.
“Our provincial vice-chairperson, who is the owner of the lodge which we had booked, was summoned by the police in connection with the radio programme. But you don’t need a police permit to hold a radio programme,” he said.
Zimba said going by what transpired in Petauke, his team decided to abandon the Nyimba programme which was scheduled for Friday night.
“Again the PF were planning to harm us in Nyimba so we just decided to abandon the programme. We concluded that ‘if we go ahead with this programme, these PF cadres would either kill us or burn the radio station. We abandoned that programme and we had to use the bush roads to bypass Petauke to get to Chipata. By the time we were in Nyimba, PF cadres from Petauke and Nyimba regrouped and started looking for us all over,” he said.
Zimba said he was disappointed with the behaviour of PF cadres adding that every Zambian had freedom of expression.
Hichilema’s programmes were done via phone from Lusaka but the local UPND teams normally stream the programmes on Facebook and other platforms.
But Phiri said he was in Petauke on Thursday and that there was no violence.
“I don’t know what the UPND are talking about. I was in Petauke myself together with my colleagues and there was no any violence. I think the UPND just want attention. As a province, we have issued a statement concerning violence. We’ve warned our youths sternly that anyone who will engage in violence is not going to be protected by the party.
There is no sacred cow for any youth who is unrepentant towards violence. The President is on record that he is not going to condone and he is not going to protect anyone involved in violence,” he said.
Phiri said he was surprised that UPND were crying foul over Hichilema’s programme.
“There was no violence, as the PF provincial team, we were in Petauke and we were with the youths because we were mobilising on the ground. For UPND to say they have abandoned their Nyimba programme, I think they are trying to seek attention but that’s not the way they should be doing things. They are behaving like a cry baby which wants attention,” he said.
Phiri said PF had given UPND an equal platform to do their activities in the province.
“For UPND to accuse us of all sorts of things is not fair,” said Phiri.