Kabonde transfers Mutentwa over blocking of Vice-President
By Kabanda Chulu and Abigail Chaponda in Kitwe
Mon 09 Aug. 2010, 04:10 CAT
COPPERBELT police chief Antoneil Mutentwa and two other senior officers have been transferred to Lusaka for allegedly failing to prevent the ‘blocking’ of Vice-President George Kunda’s motorcade by the Patriotic Front (PF) in Ndola last week.
But Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde has said the immediate transfers of senior police officers are a normal routine in the police service.
Well placed sources revealed that Mutentwa, together with two of his senior officers Stella Libongani and Danwell Kasonde, had been transferred to Lusaka due to allegations that the trio failed to control PF president Michael Sata and his cadres from ‘blocking’ Vice-President Kunda’s motorcade.
The sources said Mutentwa was moving to Force Headquarters to replace Medical Services director Dr Martin Malama, who was now Copperbelt police chief while Ndola district officer commanding Libongani would be replaced by spokesperson Bonny Kapeso.
The sources said Copperbelt head of criminal investigations Kasonde had also been moved to Lusaka and would be replaced by Mhlakeni Zulu.
“It is very sad that Mr Mutentwa is going to Lusaka to take over from Dr Malama and Dr Malama is taking over from him but this is a way to frustrate him since he will be in charge of medical services, and he is not a medical doctor while other senior officers Libongani and Kasonde are also going to Lusaka though we are not sure the positions they will occupy but Kapeso is taking over from Libongani while Zulu is taking over Kasonde’s place,” the source said.
The sources said in order to make the transfers appear to be routine procedure, Kabonde had indicated that other divisional senior officers would be transferred as well.
“Northern Province commanding officer Charles Lungu is moving and he is going to be replaced by Sam Chewe and Western Province commanding officer Vaels Muzwenga is going to paramilitary and the one to replace him is Mr. Mweemba and Protective Unit commanding officer Mary Tembo is going to Airport Division to swap with Sakubeta Sakubeta,” the source said.
“It is like more transfers will be implemented in order to make it appear routine but what I can tell you is that all this has happened because PF leader Sata blocked the Vice-President and also police operated professionally without getting orders from MMD cadres during the recent Chifubu by-elections.”
But Kabonde in an interview confirmed some changes in the police service although he refused to name the officers who had been transferred.
“I can confirm that there are some people moving because of being transferred and these are normal and routine transfers in the police service but I cannot give you the names of the people and where they are going. As the police, we don’t publicise our transfers. But yes, there are people who are moving,” said Kabonde.
Vice-President Kunda’s motorcade was last week blocked as Sata’s convoy headed to Chifubu grounds, where he was scheduled to hold a rally.
Labels: ANTONEIL MUTENTWA, CORRUPTION, FRANCIS KABONDE, GEORGE KUNDA
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MMD cadres block other parties from Kawama market
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Thu 29 July 2010, 04:00 CAT
MMD cadres and State House security officers on Tuesday afternoon allegedly harassed and blocked other political parties from campaigning at Kawama market in readiness for the Chifubu parliamentary by-election.
PF cadres who were at the scene told Post Online that
MMD cadres, with the help of the police, were threatening to beat anyone who went near the market to campaign saying that MMD was the only party allowed to campaign in the area.
One of the cadres, John Bwalya, explained that MMD cadres blocked the PF-UPND pact from campaigning because they were chanting slogans and telling people not to vote for MMD.
“We were doing our usual campaign of going door-to-door. When we finished, we went to the market where we wanted to campaign to people selling at the market but as we were heading towards the market while singing, we were stopped by MMD cadres and some police officers and they told us that we were not allowed to campaign at the market, only MMD was allowed,” he said.
“From there we were upset and we almost fought because we were not happy but some cadres tore three of our friends’ t-shirts and said that since MMD was the ruling party, they were going to make sure that they use the police to stop us from campaigning.”
Bwalya said he and other cadres later reported the matter to Chifubu police station.
When contacted for a comment, Copperbelt commanding officer Antoniel Mutemtwa confirmed that police had received a report and summoned all political parties.
“We received a report from some political parties and we have summoned all of them to find out what really happened. But I can confirm that the police is investigating a matter in which some MMD t-shirts were torn. But we have called all the parties to get to the bottom of what is happening,” said Mutentwa.
And police sources confirmed that State House security officers had been deployed and were helping MMD cadres blocking other political parties from campaigning.
“We as the police are disappointed with what we found when we went to Kawama to check what was happening after reports that MMD cadres were blocking other people from going into the market. We were surprised to find that police officers from State House were helping the cadres,” said the source.
“At first we thought they were just cadres, but after we questioned, that is when they showed us their identities. We feel intimidated that State House police can come here, to make us look like we don’t know how to do our job.”
Meanwhile, PF campaign manager Willie Nsanda said he would talk to the police over what happened in Kawama because he did not want violence.
“To say the truth, I am not happy. If MMD wants to fight we are more than ready to do that but because we assured the police that we’re not (here) to fight, we won’t. It seems MMD is taking us for a ride. Violence is bad. We don’t want a repeat of what happened in Mufumbwe. But we are going to talk to the police,” said Nsanda.
But MMD deputy campaign manager Joe Malanji denied the allegations saying MMD cadres were the ones that were blocked from campaigning.
“Hundreds of MMD women and youths were attacked by some cadres. It is not true that it is MMD. As MMD we are going to report to the police about this sad development,” said Malanji.
Labels: ANTONEIL MUTENTWA, CADRES, JOE MALANJI, JOHN BWALYA, MMD, POLICE CORRUPTION, WILLIE NSANDA
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Cops pounce on security officers in oil scam
By Staff Reporter
Wed 19 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
A COMBINED team of police and some private investigators on the Copperbelt has smashed a racket in which unscrupulous people have been stealing oils from oil marketing companies which they later resell on the black market.
Police have since arrested 18 people in connection with theft of oils and fuels.
Copperbelt Province police commanding officer Antoneil Mutentwa confirmed the operation that started on Saturday night.
“Yes, I am aware of that, some security officers are involved. There were some people who came to us and told us that some people were selling to them drums of lubricants at half the price of the commodity and this raised suspicion,” Mutentwa said.
“We followed it up and we caught them in the act - stealing lubricants (at BP storage deport in Kitwe which is managed by Dana Holdings Limited).”
Mutentwa said during the operation on Saturday night, eight people were nabbed and police recovered 14 - 210-litre drums of Castrol oil.
“We nabbed eight people. Five were security guards from Magnum Security,” said Mutentwa.
“Today (yesterday) we have recovered 19 drums along Ndola - Kapiri Mposhi road.”
Mutentwa described the operation as a big one as it was spreading out.
Dana Holdings Limited chairman and chief executive David Nama yesterday said following persistent break-ins and theft of oils, he decided to bring in private investigators who combined with Kitwe police officers.
Nama said during the operation on Saturday night, the officers found a car without a number plate packed at BP depot in Kitwe and they pulled to check what was going on.
“They interrogated the driver and asked him to open the boot and they found 19 five-litre containers of Castro Oil. They harassed him and he revealed that he was just booked and the owners were inside loading lubricants,” Nama explained.
“They pressed the security guard who led them somewhere else instead of where these people were loading the lubricants until they decided to check the other area. They found them loading lubricants in a canter truck. They had loaded 12 drums. That was the second trip. In the first trip around mid-night, they loaded 19 drums. So when they saw the police, these thieves tried to run away but they were all apprehended.”
Nama said those arrested then led police to where they sold the lubricants.
“We found three drums at a home in Buchi in Kitwe and we went to a place along Masangano - Luanshya Road where we found more than 300 - 210-litre drums of oils from BP, Total, Spectra, Shell in two warehouses in the bush,” he said.
“We also found 70 drums of paraffin and a fuel tanker. What they do is take the lubricants and mix with paraffin and sell to people. This is economic crime and police should have been aware of this. This is a typical mafia business. We even found seals.”
Nama advised people to buy lubricants from authorised dealers or they risked having their vehicles damaged. Dana Holdings is the sole distributor of BP lubricants in the country.
Labels: ANTONEIL MUTENTWA, FRAUD
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Police try to squeeze rioters’ names from COBUSU leaders
Written by Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 6:15:00 PM
POLICE in Kitwe have turned the heat on Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) leaders to reveal names of students that took part in last week’s riot or take the responsibility.
But Copperbelt division commanding officer Antoneil Mutentwa said investigations on who was involved in the riot were on-going and that the union leaders were just among the list of people to be interviewed so far.
COBUSU secretary general Kenneth Sampa confirmed in an interview yesterday that police told him and his president Kasonde Mwenda that the case might fall on them if they failed to provide the names of the students who rioted and burnt a private vehicle belonging to a 76-year-old man.
"They said by virtue of us being on the scene, we should provide them with names. But we told them that we can't know all the students in campus and besides, there were a lot of strange faces," Sampa explained.
He said he felt victimised by the statement that failure to furnish police with names would mean that he be implicated in the case.
"We are thinking of engaging a lawyer but we have problems with money at the moment so we are planning to go to Legal Aid Board this [yesterday] afternoon," he said.
Sampa said on the actual night of the riot, he and Mwenda had gone to the roadside to try and restrain the students from engaging in violence and that they even called the dean of students to inform him of that.
And Mwenda said police labelled students’ representatives as suspects by virtue of them being leaders.
"But we told them that we did not authorise the riot. The students are gone and police were not there on the scene, so I don't know how they expect to know who was involved," Mwenda wondered.
However, he said he was not scared of the investigation because COBUSU leaders were nowhere near to guilty over what transpired.
But Mutentwa said he was not aware that the COBUSU leaders were told that if they did not furnish police with names then the case would fall on them.
"Well, I am not aware of that and I was not part of the interviewing panel. But that is not how we operate as police because that would be tantamount to blackmail which would not help us secure a conviction," said Mutentwa. "That is not an official stance of the police. We don't work like that. Our investigations are still going on and we'll be interviewing other people. The student leaders were just part of that list."
Labels: ANTONEIL MUTENTWA, COBUSU, DEMONSTRATION, KENNETH SAMPA
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