MMD, UPND cadres clash in Chibolya

MMD, UPND cadres clash in Chibolya
By Lambwe Kachali and Brighton Phiri
Friday February 01, 2008 [03:00]

MMD and UPND cadres yesterday clashed in Lusaka's Chibolya compound during the filling of nomination papers. And police arrested Soweto market MMD branch chairman Aaron Zulu after MMD and UPND cadres exchanged blows, insults and fired missiles at each other.

Earlier, there was jubilation around the city centre when opposition Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata's campaign team drove through Cairo, Cha Cha Cha, Freedom Way and Lumumba roads on his way to drum up support for their candidate during filing of nomination papers at Chibolya Basic School.

Meanwhile, MMD cadres almost barred All People's Congress party (APC) president Ken Ngondo from filling his nomination papers before their party candidate.

The violence erupted after a group of MMD supporters led by Zulu tried to pass through the UPND dancing cadres. When UPND cadres blocked them, an exchange of insults between the two groups started, leading to blows and missiles.

There was pandemonium as women and young school pupils scampered for safety while MMD and UPND cadres exchanged blows. Some PF supporters, who had just arrived, led by their members of parliament Mumbi Phiri and Davies Mwila joined forces in threatening violence against MMD cadres.

Sensing the danger of increased violence, the police quickly picked up Zulu, who was spotted as a ringleader of the ruling party's cadres.

"They have become very foolish, let us beat them up," said Phiri and Mwila as they charged towards MMD cadres. One of the UPND cadres, Emmy Haakuwe, who sustained injuries after MMD cadres threw her in the pool of water, condemned the ruling party's misconduct.

"Is this the government of laws as you claim?" asked Haakuwe. Sata, who witnessed the violence, said MMD cadres' conduct confirmed government's attempt to postpone the by-elections because the ruling party was not ready to face another embarrassment as they did in Nchanga last September.

Sata claimed that the MMD on Wednesday night formed a committee led by Zulu to disrupt the filling of nominations so that the by-elections could be postponed. "This all speaks about the failures of Levy Mwanawasa and his party.

We are on the battlefield and there is no need to engage in violence now. We don't want this by-election to be postponed because our political missiles are well placed to defeat MMD now and in 2011 general election.

Electorates are ready to teach MMD a big lesson. Let this by-election be free and fair," said Sata. Earlier, MMD cadres led by Zulu blocked Ngondo from filling his nomination forms before their candidate.

Zulu told Ngondo to be ashamed of himself for contesting the seat instead of adopting a junior candidate. He said MMD would not be shaken by his candidature. As Ngondo approached the gate, some police officers also barred him.

It was during this time that Ngondo forced his way in after pushing Zulu and a police officer Milton Walusiku. Inside the school grounds, Ngondo mobilised school children, who started shouting that they wanted change.

"Tell them that Mr Ngondo has come," Ngondo said. Officer Walusiku castigated Ngondo for inciting children to make noise at the nomination offices.

But Ngondo told Walusiku to state if he had been sent by MMD to bar him from filling in his nominations. "This is rubbish. I am not a cadre to be treated like this. I am presidential material and I will be in State House in 2011. Just wait and see.

That Levy of theirs will no longer be with them," said Ngondo. Meanwhile, six candidates - Ngondo, UPND's Harrison Mukupa, ULP's Elizabeth Phiri, PF's Colonel Gerry Chanda, UNIP's Hasty Mwachilele and MMD's Mwalimu Simfukwe successfully filed their nomination papers.