By Mwaka Ndawa
PATROTIC Front youth chairperson, Daniel Kalembe, has been found with a case to answer in a matter he is facing charges of assault in the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court.
Lusaka chief resident magistrate Lameck Mwale said there is overwhelming evidence warranting him to place Kalembe on his defense as the state has established a prima facie case against him.
This is in a matter where Kalembe is facing two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Kalembe is on March 12, 2020 alleged to have assaulted self-proclaimed PF ‘national commander’ Innocent Kalimanshi and Nathan Phiri.
During trial,Joseph Kozi, a driver of Kasama member of parliament Kelvin Sampa, told the court that Kalembe did not assault Kalimanshi and Phiri claiming the two were assaulted by a tall man.
Kozi narrated that on the material day Sampa asked him to accompany him to the freedom statue where the youth day celebrations were held and he was told to drive a van belonging to the party.
Kozi said when he reached at the freedom statue, he parked the van and stood a metre away from the vehicle so that he could listen to President Edgar Lungu’s speech.
He said a group of youths, among them Kalimanshi and Phiri, sat at the back of the van.
Kozi told magistrate Mwale that he saw another group of youths walking towards the van whilst chanting songs inciting violence to which he decided to go and sit in the vehicle because they did not mean well
He claimed that he saw a tall man directing Kalimanshi’s group to leave the premise but they refused to heed to his directive and they told the said man that they would rather die at his hands than leave the premise.
Kozi said confusion characterised the area where the youths had gathered and many people were assaulted, including Kalimanshi and Phiri
He told the court that the assault victims sought medical attention at the University Teaching Hospital after obtaining police reports at Lusaka Central Police Station.
Kozi claimed that he did not see Kalembe assault Kalimanshi neither was the latter’s assailant before court.
Earlier, Kozi explained that he could not avail himself before court to testify in the matter last year when he was summoned because Kalimashi and Phiri wanted him to tell the court what he did not witness, and allege that Kalembe assaulted them.
And Kalembe’s arresting officer detective chief inspector Mutakatala Mwiya said he arrested Kalembe for assault following a report by Kalimanshi and others that they were lynched by him.
Kalembe will open his defence on April 7, 2021.