Maravi

UPND beats up ‘MMD cadre’ in police uniform

COMMENT - If it is true that 'the MMD' is giving uniforms and firearms to cadres, that is an extremely serious offense. It undermines the authority of the police, the trust people have the right to have in real police officers, and seriously blurries the distinction between the party in government and the state. Not only should it be illegal to impersonate a police officer, but the person who gave uniforms to cadres should be up on charges.

UPND beats up ‘MMD cadre’ in police uniform
By Speedwell Mupuchi and Jane Mwakasungula in Mufumbwe
Fri 30 Apr. 2010, 04:50 CAT

A cadre who police assaulted at a UPND camp on Wednesday - Pictures by Abel Mambwe

UPND cadres yesterday beat up a man in police uniform whom they suspected to be an MMD cadre masquerading as a police officer at Kalambu polling station.

And voting in the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election kicked off on a slow note. UPND cadres who went to the polling station identified the uniformed man as an MMD cadre. The cadres mobilised themselves and went to confront the ‘officer’, asking for his identity card and service number but the ‘officer’ allegedly said nothing.

The cadres then started beating the ‘officer’ and bundled him into a khaki vehicle registration number AAV 3625 belonging to the UPND and drove to a lodge where UPND president Hakainde Hichilema was staying.

At the lodge, the cadres continually beat and dragged the officer into the lodge until an official shouted: “This is wrong. Take him out of here”.

About three youths then lifted the ‘officer’ and took him to the vehicle. Just then, police officers who were alerted that UPND cadres had abducted an ‘officer’, arrived at the lodge and impounded the vehicle.

The police then got the UPND vehicle and the ‘officer’ and took them to the police station. The ‘officer’ was thereafter taken to Mufumbwe Hospital for treatment.

The police went to the lodge around 07:45 hours, surrounded the lodge and ordered everybody out of their rooms for them to conduct a search of all the rooms.

One of the senior police officers, P. J. Mutale, blamed the UPND cadres for dragging the ‘police officer’ to Hichilema’s residence, explaining that the situation put the UPND leader in an awkward position.

“The youths should not have done what they did because they have put Hichilema in an awkward position. It is making everybody in that area apprehensive,” said Mutale.

And Mutale said police believed that UPND campaign manager Watson Lumba ordered the cadres to abduct the ‘police officer’.

“We want Lumba, dead or alive,” said Mutale. “We are reliably informed that he is the causer of all this.”

Journalists who visited the hospital found the assaulted ‘officer’ with a swollen eye. They even asked him where the assaulted ‘officer’ was, not knowing that it was actually him.

Assistant police spokesperson Moses Suwali told journalists that the cadres used a craw bar to beat the officer whom they left badly injured.

He said police were looking for the driver of the UPND vehicle and Lumba for abduction and assaulting a uniformed police officer.

After about two hours, police officers went and surrounded the UPND campaign centre where they also searched the rooms for Lumba.

They even deflated and removed the wheels from his Nissan Patrol and left it on stones.

Police also arrested Hichilema’s security man, Pretorious Haaloba, and took him to the police station for questioning.

Hichilema said the surrounding of the lodge where he was keeping up was clearly a house arrest on him. Hichilema said MMD was compromising the police by giving cadres police uniforms and guns.

“If they bring a charge, they don’t need to bring these guys here, I will just walk to the police and put myself in the cell,” said Hichilema.

“The issue is not about Watson Lumba and the purported policeman. How many of our people were beaten? How many MMD cadres are arrested who beat our people at the campaign centre? They were taken to the police by our cadres but the police and the MMD sneaked them out of the police and hid them,” said Hichilema. “So what excuse are they going to give that they are looking for Lumba?

They have caused a breakdown of law and order here. I have just been told that they have picked one of my colleagues. I am sure the idea is of picking us one by one. Eventually, they will come and shoot me dead in this room. However, I am not scared.”

Hichilema said they wanted him out of Mufumbwe 10 days ago. He said President Rupiah Banda and the MMD had created a militia aimed at intimidating voters in Mufumbwe.

And Hichilema defied a regulation by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) restricting his movements during yesterday’s Mufumbwe Parliamentary by-elections.

He accused the ECZ of discriminating against him.

“I am under house arrest. The ECZ issued a statement that I should not move officially. My rights to move have been taken away. Judge Florence Mumba (ECZ chairperson) was present at that meeting,” said Hichilema.

“Some members of the party were annoyed and they walked out. One of them was Jack Mwiimbu.”

And voting started on a slow pace partly due to the violence during the election campaigns.
Anti Voter Apathy monitors said the voter turnout was not very impressive.

UPND’s Elliot Kamondo cast his vote at Kyamwina polling station around 07:00 hours where by 07:30, 421 voters had cast their ballots.

And MMD’s Mulondwe Muzungu cast his vote around 11:30 hours.
Muzungu said there was voter apathy because of the violence by UPND.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, CADRES, CORRUPTION, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, UPND, WATSON LUMBA

posted by MrK @ 12:56 PM