MMD cadres attack PF conference

MMD cadres attack PF conference
By Ernest Chanda
Sun 20 Mar. 2011, 04:01 CAT

MMD cadres yesterday morning physically attacked PF members who were attending their party provincial conference at Lusaka’s Garden House Hotel.

The MMD cadres who were armed with machetes and slashers had earlier on pitched a tent about 80 metres away from the hotel where they also hung a big banner bearing the message ‘2011 RB FOR PRESIDENT’. Others put up stands at Munjili market opposite Garden House Hotel and disguised themselves as traders.

The cadres then blocked the Lusaka-Mumbwa road resulting in unprecedented traffic jam in an apparent bid to prevent PF leader Michael Sata from attending the conference.

They later advanced towards the hotel entrance at about 09:15 hours and started beating up some PF cadres who stood by the gate.

While that was going on, other MMD cadres threw stones at the hotel gate as they shouted: Boma ni Boma (Government is government).

The situation caused panic among motorists, traders, passersby and cadres.

By the time delegates inside the hotel knew what was happening outside, many PF cadres had been seriously injured and were bleeding profusely.

Two cadres lay unconscious by the roadside and were later rushed to hospital by some sympathetic motorists.

The attacks lasted for over an hour before riot police officers arrived to quell the violent MMD cadres.
Later PF central committee member Geoffrey Chumbwe complained to police officers about their seemingly deliberate poor security organisation.

“You people should have been here even before we arrived. You can't allow these people to attack us at our party conference. They had their conference but we never went there to interrupt them. We will not sit by and watch them burn this country. We will take them on. And why did it take you over an hour to come after we called you?“ asked Chumbwe.

And upon noticing the presence of police officers, the MMD cadres scampered in different directions.
Police officers then controlled the situation briefly and cleared the road.

But the MMD cadres later regrouped just opposite Petroda filling station, about 250 metres away from Garden House Hotel.

Incensed by the turn of events, the PF cadres on the other side gathered by the road side, very close to the hotel entrance and vowed to fight back if provoked again.

As they waited for their leader Sata, some PF cadres chanted their famous ‘Don't kubeba’ while others sang solidarity songs.

And after about four hours of waiting, Sata arrived unnoticed and proceeded to the conference room where he addressed the cheering party members.

And according to a senior police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, the MMD cadres were ferried to Garden House in large numbers on Friday evening on instructions from senior MMD functionaries.

“We don't know where this man MMD Lusaka Province chairman William Banda wants to take this country. He brought them (cadres) here yesterday Friday evening and bought them Shake-Shake. In fact he invited us also and we drank together. It was there that he gave them specific instructions to disrupt the PF conference,” the officer said.

“And for those who disguised themselves as traders, the idea was for them to attack Mr Sata as he was coming to open the conference. That is why you saw those stones heaped at the market. But this is not good politics because I believe that all of them are Zambians.”