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CSOs demand inquiry into Mufumbwe violence

CSOs demand inquiry into Mufumbwe violence
By Moses Kuwema and Felix Kashweka
Fri 07 May 2010, 03:20 CAT

THREE Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have demanded that President Rupiah Banda sets up an independent enquiry into the violence that led to loss of life and property in Mufumbwe.

In a joint statement by the Anti-voter Apathy Project (AVAP), Southern African Center for Constructive of Resolutions of Disputes (SACCORD) and Caritas Zambia, the three CSOs also demanded that the enquiry should also look at the allegations of the usage of police uniforms by unauthorised persons.

Caritas Zambia head of justice and peace Milimo Mwiba who read the statement on behalf of the organisations said the enquiry should comprise various stakeholders including those who were not directly involved in the electoral process.

”We believe that the police cannot be left to investigate the process alone as they were part of the violence. The police and the intelligence systems should take responsibility for the lapse of security in Mufumbwe. The political parties should publicly renounce violence and begin to build peace constituencies in their structures,” Mwiba said.

Mwiba said with the 2011 elections underway and if no concrete measures were put in place, the country would be laying a dangerous foundation.

She urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to bring all stakeholders together to find a solution to the potential violence before the 2011 elections.

“The ECZ should also be categorical in condemning traditional leaders who deliberately violated the law by siding with political parties during elections. It was saddening to note that political and traditional leaders used divisive methods to attract attention and voters.

One such example was the demotion of headman Tahameya of Matushi by chief Chizela of the Kaonde people of Mufumbwe for allegedly supporting the opposition UPND and that he was not Kaonde.

There were also reports that all Chokwes were threatened to be repatriated to Angola and their land confiscated if they voted for the opposition. This was a serious case of intimidation,” Mwiba said.

And SACCORD executive director Lee Habasonda said there was need to be proactive in finding out what exactly led to the violence in Mufumbwe.

“We don’t want a Kenyan or Zimbabwean way to resurface in Zambia…so we will be willing to testify before the enquiry because we were on the ground and saw what happened,” he said.

Habasonda hoped that the CSOs’ demands would be met adding that they made the demands with the assumption that they were dealing with reasonable leaders.

“We plan to formally write to President Banda and we are also going to engage ECZ… we do already have the support from the civil society organisations,” said Habasonda.

The Mufumbwe by-elections were marred with violence and political hooliganism that left three people dead, several injured including parliamentarians and property damaged.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 2:48 PM