THE CLERGY AND THE UNTOLD STORY OF SESHEKE BYE-ELECTION
Today I woke up with so much running through my mind as we wait for the Cybersecurity Bill to be signed by president Edgar Lungu. And quickly I took time to reflect on some issues that we Zambians have forgotten so easily and we wonder why we lost Nsama and Joseph in such a manner. In this reflection, I picked up the sesheke incident and this is what I gathered below.
When we talk about Sesheke, people will always remember the honey bees. They will remember HH escaping heavy artillery and walking in the bush for some hours. They will remember the three gallant men who served the people of sesheke from imminent deaths. It hurts me to see us not idolizing these three gallant men, who lost their jobs so sesheke residents could live. They lost their jobs so that no single life was to be lost in Sesheke. This is a huge sacrifice they made to mother Zambia and to constable Mukela R.I.P young patriot.
By the way, did we know that the reason the officers who defended their police station against PF led assault were not arrested and charged for Assault OABH was because they acted proportionately and lawfully? A police officer who assaults any person is charged and tried for assault before being retired in whatever interest. But realising the assault was within the confines of the law and any criminal case brought against these men was not going to last five minutes in any court of law. Hence the short cut of using the retirement clause which did not need any standard of proof. They handled armed cadres just like Jay Jay Banda ambushed Lusaka Central Police Station and clobbered police officers on duty and he is a free man.
The Government through PF cadre Mbewe, they pushed for dismissal by threatening senior officers who were present. Believe it or not Honourable Kampyongo was against the move to fire his men but, was out numbered. As Mbewe was talking to statehouse where the Sesheke bye elections operation was hatched. I am sure we all know Mbewe, the empty tin from Southern Province, is it Mazabuka.Anyway that aside, we want to share with you the untold story of what happened below the eye level.
Statehouse as usual hatches a plan, code named, “Kang’ombe must fall’. The idea of this plan was to ensure that Kang’ombe is never allowed near the nomination centre as they wanted to win the Election at all cost. In the past such evil plans were done at or within the Red Brick. But, ever since Kaizer Zulu was appointed political advisor, plans are now hatched in Nkwazi office putting the presidency in all the dirty mix. I have avoided the word president because what we have seen is President can be dirty but presidency is an institution.
So, in Sesheke as narrated by a pastor who was chosen as a contact person. A team of officers was dispatched from Western Division HQs. Their assignment was to arrest Kang’ombe a day before filling in his nominations.
When the officers arrived in Sesheke, they went straight to the pastor as directed. Who told them that they must arrest Kang’ombe at all costs.The officers were very professional, they wondered as to what charge they would slap on him? The pastor said, ” Trafficking in Persons”.
The officers rebuked this pastor, and asked him if he knew what it took to frame a charge. More so that there were no witnesses, he remarked that he could arrange witnesses from Namibia so long they arrested Kang’ombe.
The officers refused to take that route, they insisted the pastor brings the witnesses first. So that, they would listen to the witnesses accounts and base their decision on what they would have heard.Unfortunately, the pastor did not produce those witnesses from Namibia and Kang’ombe filled his nomination papers.What we saw after, the heavy artillery, lodges full of machetes and an attack on a police station was all plans B, C and D. Plan A did not work all due to the heroics of professional police officers.
I know you are all wondering, what could have happened to those police officers? When their team arrived in Mongu, the team leader was shocked to find a truck and trailer at his home ready to pick him and his family up, he was on transfer. He was not only transferred but, demoted to a lower rank. I hope Kang’ombe and true patriots of mother Zambia knows these silent heroes. Now the PF and ZAF want cyber security and cyber crimes law.Police officers too need to be free of PF.
It’s my prayer and trust that one day all our men and women in uniform will have this courage and determination to save lives, and that we as Zambians should always stand by the side of such officers. They need our moral support even today. If truly we cared for them, Mukela would have survived. But we forget fast and only wake up when another crime has been committed by the Cybersecurity Bill team. If these men were not fired by the president many PF cadres who promotes violence would have stopped and we could have seen sanity ahead of the August elections.
SIKAILE C SIKAILE
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST FOR ZAMBIA AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL