CHIEF Macha of Choma district has described the habit of falsely accusing anybody of being behind the criminal act of gassing people as nonsense.
“What is more shocking is that the President is mute despite citizens killing each other amidst this criminal act of gassing,” he said. “He should speak to people because that is why we put him there to protect us.”
Speaking when Choma mayor Javern Simoloka paid a courtesy call on him on Wednesday following the incidents of mob justice in the district, the chief said politicians’ pointing fingers at each other irked him.
“The habit of pointing fingers at anybody as the one behind the criminal act of gassing people is nonsense. Why do these politicians point fingers at each other? Let government just find out who is doing this and for what reason,” he said. “We now have a situation where the ruling party is pointing fingers at the opposition and the opposition is also pointing at the ruling party in retaliation. All this is nonsense. Let them just tell us who is behind this and what the motive is.”
Macha expressed disappointment that after more than 50 years of peaceful coexistence, Zambians had begun killing each other.
“I’m very upset because since 1964 we have had no single nonsense that we are seeing now in the country. More than 50 years we were in peace but this situation we are in now of killing each other is scary,” he said.
Macha appealed to people not to kill each other but should collectively fight the crime of gassing.
“We are now killing ourselves, leaving those gassing people. We should fight the idea of gassing people and not killing ourselves. Let police go flat out to sensitise the public about the dangers of taking the law in their own hands. Police must not just sit in their offices and wait to be called that people are killing each other here but must go on the ground to educate the people,” Macha said.
He said the killing of innocent people on mere suspicion of gassing must stop immediately.
The traditional leader urged communities to ensure that all suspects that are caught are handed over to police.
“In the same vein the courts of law also must not take long to conclude matters through unnecessary adjournments because that had potential to defeat the spirit of justice,” Macha said.
“What is more shocking is that the President is mute despite citizens killing each other amidst this criminal act of gassing. He should speak to people because that is why we put him there to protect us.”
He appealed to President Edgar Lungu to address the nation and give assurance.
“I was watching television and I saw the President of Kenya [Uhuru Kenyatta] addressing the nation barely three days of something happening there. That is how it should be,” said Macha.
Meanwhile, Macha ward councillor Choolwe Mubambasu called on the police command in Southern Province to deploy more officers to the area to curb criminality.
“There is too much anxiety among the people because they think that [only] two police officers are not enough to protect them from those gassing people hence the reason now they are taking the law in their own hands on whoever they suspect,” said Mubambasu.
And speaking in a separate interview, chief Mapanza appealed to the government to consider reconstructing the police station in his chiefdom which an angry mob destroyed last week before killing a suspect.
Mayor Simoloka was touring chiefdoms in the district to appeal for calm from the members of the public following the increasing spate of mob justice incidents in the area.