THE UPND and NDC youths have informed the police that they have scaled down their intended peaceful countrywide protests to Lusaka and Kitwe on the Copperbelt.
The youths intended to peaceful protest in all the 10 provincial centres but police advised them against such undertaking and instead advised them to scale down.
In a letter to Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja dated October 5,2020 and signed by UPND deputy national youth chairman Gilbert Liswaniso and National Democratic Congress national youth chairman Charles kabwita, the youths said this was in line with suggestions from his office that the police cannot allow countriwide protests on the same day unless they are scaled down.
“We are hereby informing your office that on the 7th of October, we will hold the said protests on the Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces and we will have aour rally at Freedom Statue in Lusaka on the 11th of October 2020,” reads the letter. “We would also like to stress that these protests will be peaceful and in line with the Public Order Act.”
Liswaniso and Kabwili pledged to ensure thaat the two parties’ marshals provide security for the event.
“We believe that this is a fairly straightforward issue and we do not accept your office to go back on its word as it will be inimical to our country’s democratic cridentials,” said Liswaniso and Kabwita.
The two parties had written to Kanganja informing him about their intention to demonstrate against the online voter registration exercise being implemented by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
But Deputy Inspector General of police in-charge of operations Bonny Kapeso told them that they would not be allowed.
He claimed that national demonstrations, if allowed, were a sign of a failed government hence his office could not agree to grant permission to hold demonstrations countrywide.