NUMSA, Africa’s largest trade union with over 300,000 members demands the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Fred M’membe by Zambian police
11 August 2024
Press statement
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) demands the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Fred M’membe, the President of the Socialist Party of Zambia. Dr. M’membe has been jailed by Zambian police and is being detained at the Twin Palm Police Station in Lusaka since the 8th of August. He has been arrested and charged with seditious practices and the charges are related to an article that was posted on his Facebook page, where he was exposing the corruption of the Zambian government under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema. Almost a year ago, (9 August 2023), NUMSA issued a similar statement condemning the Zambian government for arresting Dr. M’membe on ‘trumped up charges’. He is clearly a victim of harassment by a paranoid, intolerant state.
Dr. M’membe is not the only politician who has been harassed by the Zambian state. Opposition leaders have reported cases of abduction and assault at the hands of police, including Mr Emmanuel Mwamba, who is the former Zambian Ambassador to South Africa and also a senior leader in the Zambia opposition party, the Patriotic Front, claimed he was abducted, arrested, physically assaulted by police, and detained for days, before being released.
According to a report by the BBC in May, Honourable Emmanuel Jay Banda, a member of the opposition, and a Member of Parliament was allegedly abducted and assaulted. Other leaders of the Socialist Party of Zambia and their families too have faced harassment and physical assault.
Dr. M’membe was refused bail and has spent the weekend in jail. The party has been consistently vocal about exposing the corruption in Hichilemas government. Dr. Cosmos Musumali the General Secretary of the Socialist Party says the party views the arrests as a form of ‘intimidation’ by the state but they will not be deterred. They say Dr Fred is in ‘high’ spirits despite the conditions he is facing.
Dr Fred M’membe is an advocate of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Court and High Court of Zambia. He is a member of the International Bar Association and sits on its taxes committee, a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Southern African Lawyers Association and the Law Association of Zambia. He is also a journalist who founded and edited The Post, a daily newspaper established in Zambia in 1990. He managed and edited it for 26 years until the government ruthlessly closed it in 2017. The newspaper had an office in Havana for eleven years.
NUMSA stands in solidarity with Dr. M’membe, the Socialist Party and the people of Zambia. We condemn the Zambian government for abusing its power and for silencing opposition parties. Intolerance of opposition politics is one of the hallmarks of an autocratic state.
NUMSA is warning the Zambian state that we are watching them and we have noted how the state is reacting with increased violence against opposition leaders, and dissenting voices.
ENDS
Issued by Irvin Jim
NUMSA General Secretary
For more information, please contact:
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola
NUMSA National Spokesperson
0833767725
phakamileh@numsa.org.za
NUMSA Head Office number: 0116891700
NUMSA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NumsaSocial
NUMSA Twitter account: @Numsa_Media
NUMSA Website: https://numsa.org.za/
We are 20 million in Zambia and we have agreed to follow laws of the country. So 300,000 is nothing to change our stance.
Let them stay in their lane, kutumpa uku!
This numsa is a union in South Africa which has laws the abide by. Noti ubupuba talking about fuledi matako whose been breaking Zambian laws, niya how?
Advise your Fred to be a law-abiding citizen. Here we have a government of laws unknown to the South Africans where anybody can pull a gun and shoot to terminate a life. This is taboo in Zambia. South Africans keep your lawlessness to yourselves. The lives we lost on account of your independence is enough. You tend to forget so soon.
Watching from far, it is clear that the writer and his union know nothing and feel nothing aboit the mischief of M’membe. Let him rot in jail. After all he is confortable their and continues with his freedom of speech, thanks to the good leadership of HH
Are ZP supposed to shiver because some 300000 union members in a foreign country says so? Clean your country first.
Typical “the emperor has no clothes” denial/responses !!
Observer you keep Fred.Mmembe in your lawless ramshackle where indiscipline is the order.of the day. Every country has Laws to be followed and respected. Next time don’t post PF abomination coz you will be bruised for supporting stupidity and foolishness malume.
NUMSA and you Irvm Jim, I think in the first place you have no right to make demand on the unconditional release of Socialist Party President of Zambia.Zambia is a sovereign country and has it’s own laws formulated in parliament where there are opposition,rulling party and independent members of parliament and of course a President elected by the people of Zambia.It is a responsibility of all nationals and visitors of the country to respect the laws here prescribed in our Zambian laws and the constitution.Therefore any body who decides to break the law with impunity shall be visited by the law regardless of his position in society or internationally.Zambia police does not jail people contrary to your assertion.Politics must be practiced with a high degree of responsibility,honest,devoid of spreading of false hood, misleading claims,generating misinformation, false narratives, accusations, dishonest, false accusations, and lying.Political culture built on lies is not intertained and it is uncouth in this country.Zambia enjoys good relations with neighboring countries and many countries in the world including the republic of South Africa.Any person who breaks the law must realize the consequences lawyers are not excluded and political party presidents.We have cyber laws too and they ought to be respected too.Your friend is held by the police for seditious practice and this may be the second one committed by the same person.You have indicated that he has been charged on tramped up charges and he is a victim of harassment by paranoid government of President Hichilema.But you brother man or sister I have failed to know your gender your talk and demand is rigmarole and irresponsible.Dont involve our president in issues he doesn’t have a hand in.They are busy breaking the law intentionally ana they start crying the loudest.Their behaviour may risk their political careers.Dont be misled by these un popular opposition presidents who don’t even have representation in parliament.They are not even a threat to the ruling UPND.