PF commander Muchemwa got money from Inter City shops, bus owners by force, testifies ex Town Clerk
FORMER Lusaka town clerk Alex Mwansa has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that notorious PF commander Francis Muchemwa would harass bus owners at Lusaka’s Inter City Bus Terminus and compel them to pay levies amounting to K20,000 and K50,000.
He said those who could not manage to surrender colossal sums of money to Muchemwa, who worked under the umbrella of PF, were whipped and forced to vacate the bus terminus.
Mwansa, who narrated before chief resident magistrate Davies Chibwili on how the accused terrorised shop and bus owners, said when he assumed office, he was told not to frustrate the dual system of revenue collection in markets and bus stations between the Lusaka City Council and the PF.
“I requested if there was an agreement between the council and the PF branch. I was informed that there was no partnership agreement between the council and the PF. I established that the PF branch had entrenched itself at Inter City Bus Terminus,” Mwansa said.
“On the part of the PF branch, they were collecting from structures, some within the station, outside the station and wheelbarrow pushers, and also new buses introduced to the station would be charged”.
He indicated that in order to maintain order, he proposed for the introduction of a revenue parking management system but members of the PF branch at Inter City objected.
“The idea was to introduce the cashless revenue collection management system where a council cashier and PF branch were not going to handle cash. We reached a stalemate and a meeting was convened at State House chaired by Mulenga Sata, as mayor of Lusaka by then. This was in 2014,” Mwansa explained.
“In attendance were officials from the PF branch namely Mr Gowa, popularly known as Commander 1. There was also Innocent Kalimanshi, the station manager, and Mr Francis Muchemwa. We failed to reach a compromise and the system was frustrated.”
He said Kalimanshi, Gowa, Muchemwa and others were the leaders of a vicious Inter City bus terminus battalion who collected money, on behalf of the party.
“Mr Gowa was Commander One, Muchemwa was three and Kalimanshi was second in command. In 2014, Kalimanshi was expelled from the station and Francis Muchemwa took over as commander two. These three commanders were in charge of security at Inter City, apart from the council security,” Mwansa said.
He told the Court that the PF branch had more powers and overwhelmed the police.
“In terms of employment, we (LCC) would be availed with the list of recommended staff to be employed from the PF party,” Mwansa said.
He contended that revenue collection was not satisfactory during Muchemwa’s reign but after his party was rejected by 2.8 million voters in the August 2021 elections, there was a positive trajectory in revenue collection after the PF branch was shut down.
“The first quarter of 2022, there was much improvement in revenue collection and business environment, in terms of improved sanity,” said Mwansa
At this point, Muchemwa’s lawyer Joseph Chirwa requested that the matter be adjourned to Friday so that he could prepare for cross-examination.
Magistrate Chibwili adjourned the matter to May 19.
The once-feared so-called PF Commander two is facing six counts of possessing suspicious property worth over K12 million, two counts of tax evasion, one count of failing to comply with the provisions of the tax income Act and obtaining money through pecuniary advantages.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba