Maravi

Musosha’s harassment is unacceptable – Katele

Musosha’s harassment is unacceptable – Katele
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Friday, April 03, 2009 6:51:20 PM

MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba has charged that some MMD members’ harassment of local government deputy minister Chrispine Musosha is unacceptable and warned that the ruling party will not protect members involved in violent activities. And Kalumba encouraged Musosha to help resolve the problems of allocating market stores without fear or favour.

Commenting on MMD cadres that harassed Musosha at Lusaka International Airport on Sunday over his opposition to politicising of the New Soweto Market in Lusaka, Kalumba said violence at whatever level was not the way to resolve differences in a civilised world.

"We cannot resort to physical harassments of individuals or even verbal abuse of others as a way of resolving our differences," said Kalumba in an interview from his Chiengi Constituency on Wednesday.

Kalumba explained that shortly after the fracas at New Soweto Market on Friday, Musosha had taken a group of victims, some of whom were badly beaten, to Parliament to explain to him about what had transpired.

"Some of the people I recognized them; they were MMD, others were not. After listening to their account, in the presence of Honourable Lwipa Puma and Honourable Musosha, I said that this appears to be a struggle between competing business interests. It didn't look like a party matter. So Honourable Musosha therefore, said, 'we are going to deal with this as government'," Kalumba explained. "According to what he told me, I think Honourable Musosha had offered a platform to reconcile the parties involved. In fact, I even said to him at that point that 'this is a business interest and seems there have been some interests and it becomes a state matter to protect the lives of those that have been endangered. He then told me that he had already reported the matter to the Inspector General of Police."

He said Musosha further told him that a committee would have to sit to allocate stores at the market.

"Now if that is what he is being attacked for, then I regret; that is unacceptable in a civilised society. There is a law. The law must be followed," Kalumba said. "If MMD members are involved and they may be doing so because they have business interests, the party will not protect anyone involved in violent activities that break the law. That is not acceptable. If they can't follow procedure, then it will be difficult to defend anybody's interests."

He said the market Act that was put in place by the MMD government was supposed to regulate and create a transparent system of allocating stands and managing markets.

Kalumba called on the MMD members, who are marketeers, to be sober minded and calm.

"I know that as individuals they have lives to lead, they have children to look after, they have business interests to pursue, let them pursue these interests according to the law. I really pray and wish that people should desist from violence and it is important that they speak the truth," Kalumba said. "For Honourable Musosha, I ask him to have bigger shoulders. He has been placed in a very sensitive ministry, which is managing a lot of people's livelihood interests. Let him be sober enough to carry this matter and help resolve it without fear of favour."

MMD cadres on Sunday harassed Musosha, compelling him to use police commissioner Willies Mangimela's official vehicle to escape the wrath of the cadres.

On Monday, Musosha vowed to sort out the culprits one by one through the police and courts of law so that they explain why they behaved in the manner they did.

However, chief government spokesperson Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha underplayed Musosha's harassment while local government minister Benny Tetamashimba wondered how else the cadres could have behaved when people in the Soweto Market Development Committee were allegedly allocating stands to themselves.

Labels: CHRISPINE MUSOSHA, KATELE KALUMBA

posted by MrK @ 5:51 PM