THE WITNESS IN THE OCTOBER, 2019, KAOMA MURDER CASE OF LAWRENCE BANDA
I DIDN’T SEE THE SHOOTER, I ONLY HEARD A GUNSHOT-WITNESS
By New Dawn Reporter
A 23-year-old woman, of Kaoma District living near where the shooting took place, has testified that he did not see the person who shot at Lawrence Banda leading to his death.
Felistus Liwakala, a general worker at the Mangango Mission Hospital, was testifying during the continued trial in the case were former PF secretary general Mumbi Phiri and Shebby Chilekwa are before the court for murder.
Liwakala said she heard the gunshot but she did not see who the shooter was.
She explained that she also took pictures of Lawrence Banda as he was lying on the ground, which she later gave to the police.
Continuation of trial
More in the below verbatim…
Felistus Liwakala
Prosecution: Witness
My name is Felistus Liwakala, I am 23 years old, I live in Mangango Mission, in Kaoma District, I am a general worker at the Hospital at Mangango Mission Hospital.
Prosecution: Tell the court what you know.
Felistus: It was 6 October 2019, it was on Sunday, in the morning i was with a neighbour friend, I have forgotten the name. We went to the market together, around 10 to 11 hours. While we were there, we reached the plot we found the PF distributing chitenge.
Prosecution: How did you know that they were PF?
The flag was PF and they wore PF t.shirts and chitenge materials and after sometime, I went there and collected the chitenge they were distributing. After they gave us (Me and my friend) the fitenge, we saw a motor vehicle in white colour and in that vehicle we saw PF members and some were sat behind.
The vehicle left us at the same place and went with the youths they were moving with.
Prosecution: Do you know the vehicle?
Felistus: It was a Toyota Hilux with four doors, I can’t remember the number plate. After the vehicle left, after sometime I heard noise, I didn’t know what was happening I only heard some gun-shot.
I ran to the western side, after 20 to 30 minutes, we heard the noise reducing, I went back, when I reached my place, the next plot is for Monde Nyambe, across the road that is where Chinyama lived, when I reached the other side, I came to realise that there was someone lying at the flats I was living, it was only 3 steps where he was lying on the ground. The person lying on the ground was male wearing a man-u shirt, black trousers, on the left there was a handbag which had a PF chitenge. The landlord advised us to get into the house. That is how I got pictures from the window. I was standing at the window, I was moving a mobile cell phone, after sometimes a lot of people came outside and that is how we went outside too.
When we reached outside the house, people started saying we call the police officers to come and help the person who was lying on the ground, that is how Monde and others went to call for a vehicle and when the motor vehicle came, they picked the same man and put him in the vehicle.
I don’t know where they went. After they left, we left the house around 13 we came back around 16, three people came interviewing people they found at the plot and they started asking who had pictures, I gave them through WhatsApp and they left.
I remember Chishimba and Mukelebai. On 10th October around 10 and 1030, They came to me again, they asked me questions, and gave the statement. Then after last year, some people followed me in Mangango, to ask about the same issues. They asked me if I had forgotten anything, I said yes, after the motor vehicle left, another motor vehicle came there were young men wearing PF cloths and some were wearing masks, when they came, they carried hammers, axe, chains.
(At this point, the defence objects to the new evidence the witness wants to bring in)
Prosecution: We have no objection to the strike and that is all to this witness.
Cross examination
Changano: Liwakala good morning, you said you are from Mangano, right?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: Do you go to church?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: And you know that you have sworn to tell the truth before court?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: You know that on 6th October, 2019, you didn’t go to church, right?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: You and your friend, you said you have forgotten your friend’s name, right?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: Is it Juliet?
Felistus: It could be the one.
Changano: You are beneficiaries of PF chitenge materials?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: These people where calm when you found them, right?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: You came close to this vehicle and made a choice of the chitenge you wanted, right?
Felistus: I did not go near where the vehicle was.
Changano: But how did you benefit from the material?
Felistus: They were just throwing.
Changano: When you were coming from the market did you use the tarred road or the gravel?
Felistus: There is no tarred or gravel road.
Changano: I want to bring you to picture 15 and 14, in fact I will start from 12, do you know this place?
Felistus: Yes, I know this place.
Changano: My question is do you stay near that place?
Felistus: I used to stay near that place.
Changano: The PF vehicle was coming from the other side, right?
Felistus: I….
Changano: Do you know that it was coming from East to West along this road?
Felistus: No
Changano: Because you were at the market, so you didn’t see the vehicle the vehicle stops, right?
Felistus: Yes
Changano: How did you come here from Mangango?
Felistus: Police officers came to pick me up.
Changano: Who gave you accommodation?
Felistus: I slept at my relatives.
Changano: Are you a beneficiary of K5000 from the UPND?
Felistus: I don’t even know that they were giving money.
Changano: Are you aware that in that area there was UPND supporter and u are one of them?
Felistus: No
Changano: After getting the PF chitenge material you said you heard a gunshot, right?
Felistus: yes
Changano: But the PF vehicle was facing Western side, right?
Felistus: yes, my lord.
Changano: Are you aware that the people who were supposed to campaign within that place were PF and UPND were supposed to be in Mangango?
Felistus: I didn’t know anything.
Changano: So, when you heard gun shots, 2 gun shots, and you ran to hide, right?
Felistus: yes, my lord
Changano: Meaning that you didn’t know who shot.
Felistus: Yes, my lord
Changano: You didn’t know the shooter in this matter.
Felistus: No, my lord.
Changano: I thanks you, I won’t go anywhere, you didn’t know who shot.
Jonas Zimba, stands to cross examine Felistus:…
Zimba: You lived in Kaoma during that period, right?
Felistus: yes my lord
Zimba: You knew the area, right?
Felistus: yes
Zimba: You knew the people around that place, right?
Felistus: Not everyone my lord
Zimba: You knew Chola a retired soldier, right?
Felistus: I have heard about him.
Zimba: That he was arrested that time in connection with the shooting in he same area, right?
Felistus: No
Zimba: Do you know that Monde was before this court, you mentioned a place where you lived, you mentioned Monde Nyambe, this one was living across, right?
Felistus: Next from our plot
Zimba: So, this person that dropped, did not drop in Monde’s yard, right?
Felistus: Yes, my lord.
Zimba: So, if this person came to court and said he fail in Monde’s place, he will be lying not so?
Felistus: Yes
Zimba: Do you remember that there were freeze
Fl yes
If I tell you t
Makebi Zulu: Good morning Felistus?
Felistus: Good morning my lord?
Makebi:The PF team was camped near your place, right?
Felistus: I did, hear that.
Makebi: The PF team was staying near your place, right?
Felistus: I don’t know that.
Makebi: You don’t know…but you will agree that you stayed near Chinyama’s place?
Felistus: Yes
Makebi: Five houses away where the PF used to meet, right?
Felistus: I cannot know my lord.
Makebi: You said something very important that you took pictures and you gave them to the police, right?
Felistus: Yes my lord.
Makebi: You said you sent them to the police?
Felistus: Yes my lord.
Makebi: Have you been shown those pictures?
Felistus: No my lord.
Makebi: and if you can be shown those pictures you can know them, right?
Felistus: Yes my lord
Makebi: For now your testimony is that you handed them over to the police.
Felistus: Yes my lord.
Court: Re-examination
Prosecution: Nothing my lord
Trial continues, as the State now calls police experts to testify