MMD cadres beat up Post journalist

MMD cadres beat up Post journalist
Written by Chibaula Silwamba and Christopher Miti in Chipata

POST photojournalist Thomas Nsama was yesterday beaten and harassed by ruling MMD cadres at Chipata airport when he went to cover the arrival of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma.And Nsama formally lodged a complaint to the police at Chipata Central Police Station about the beatings by the cadres.

The incident happened shortly after President Rupiah Banda arrived at the airport to wait for the arrival of Zuma.

Nsama said the MMD cadres harassed and started slapping him at about 10:30 hours, while senior government officials were watching.

Nsama had gone to greet President Banda's chief analyst for press and public relations, Dickson Jere.

After Nsama greeted Jere, the presidential press aide told President Banda's son, who was standing next to him that Nsama's boss had written about him.

While Nsama was talking to Jere, three MMD cadres came and demanded to know the media organisation he represented.

Nsama said he was approached by three MMD cadres from Lusaka whom he knew by faces, who asked for his press pass, but he refused to produce it and then they demanded for his camera.

After Nsama refused to give them his camera they started threatening to beat him.

"When the cadres came, I said, 'I am with Mr Jere here and then Jere explained that 'leave him, he is an innocent man' but the cadres ignored him. They started dragging me and beating me with their fists," Nsama said.

Later the cadres threatened to sort him out if he did not leave Chipata airport.

Nsama ignored their orders and told them that he was at the airport to cover Zuma.

As Nsama was being harassed and roughed up, Jere, agriculture minister Dr Brian Chituwo, Eastern Province permanent secretary Eularia Syamujaye and some MMD officials stood by watching.

Before Nsama could finish explaining and defending his presence at the airport, the cadres started dragging and hitting him in the head with their fists.

The unruly cadres shouted that Nsama and his colleagues from The Post would not cover the arrival of Zuma.

"When I refused to produce my press pass they all said they know me I was coming from The Post newspaper in Lusaka and they said 'you are not going to cover this function, just leave the airport' and when I refused to leave they said they were going to sort me out and tried to grab my camera but I resisted and the three started beating me on the head with fists and some security personnel from State House restrained the cadres and rescued me while another officer blocked the cadres from following me but State House officers advised me to leave the function so that they can conduct their duties of protecting the President. They said it will be very difficult to divide themselves in order to protect me and also to protect Jacob Zuma and President Banda," Nsama said.

The authors saw the three cadres viciously punching Nsama's head with their fists.

"Nicha Post tizachimenya, tizamupaya! [He is from The Post! We will beat him, we will kill him!" the cadres shouted.

As Nsama was being roughed up, these authors tried to come between the cadres and their colleague but the cadres could not restrain.

The security personnel struggled to stop the untouchable cadres.

"Even the President knows us. We will sort you out. Mwachilamo kulemba pali ba President bathu! [It is too much of you writing articles on our President]" the cadres shouted after the security personnel restrained them.

After that Nsama followed the guidance of the security personnel and left the airport.

Nsama said he left for his safety and went to report the matter at the police.

"The police recorded a statement from me about what happened and asked me to go to Chipata General Hospital for medical examination. I went to Chipata General Hospital but I was advised to go back to the hospital on Monday March 2, 2009 because the doctor was out of office for other duties," said Nsama.