Maravi

Mwaliteta's houseboy hacked to death

Mwaliteta's houseboy hacked to death
By Edwin Mbulo and Brina Siwale in Livingstone
Sun 03 Feb. 2013, 15:10 CAT

OBVIOUS Mwaliteta's 19-year-old houseboy has been murdered in Livingstone in unclear circumstances. And Mwaliteta, who is Western Province minister and PF campaign manager for this month's Livingstone by-election, has pleaded with all political players not to resort to murder in a quest to gain political power.

Joana Liakoka was hacked on the head with a suspected machete in Livingstone where Mwaliteta has set up base ahead of the February 28 by-election.

Southern Province police commissioner Charity Katanga said police would wait for postmortem results before making a conclusion on Liakoka's murder. Katanga, who visited the Batoka mortuary and the murder scene, said there was no indication of an accident.

"We shall, however, wait for proper results (post-mortem) before we can say much," said Katanga.

And during a press briefing at Armadillo Oriento Restaurant after visiting Batoka mortuary where he went to identify Liakoka's body with police officers and the scene of the murder on the Lusaka-Livingstone road, Mwaliteta said it was not necessary for political players in the Livingstone by-election to instil fear in others.

"In the last by-elections we lost three youths. Why are we killing each other? We have the number plates for the vehicle our friends have been using to ferry youths from Matero in Lusaka, but it is not necessary to instil fear in each other. If this is the so-called Mapatizya formula, it is very unfortunate. The only problem the boy did was to be at the command centre, he is not even a cadre. You want to instil fear in the PF so that we don't campaign in the night. I beg you please, if this is the famous Mapatizya formula, please leave us alone," Mwaliteta pleaded.

Mwaliteta said information on the ground was that the people of Livingstone wanted the PF candidate Lawrence Evans to advance developmental projects for the tourist capital.

Mwaliteta, who constantly broke down, said Liakoka was found dead 100 metres from the lodge being used as a command centre for the PF and was placed on the road so that the cause of his death could be attributed to a road accident.

He said Liakoka had a deep cut on the back of his head and some burns.

"I'm told that he had gone to answer a phone call when he vanished although his shoes were found at the lodge," said Mwaliteta.

Labels: LIVINGSTONE, OBVIOUS MALETITA, PF, POLITCAL VIOLENCE

posted by MrK @ 3:12 PM