Africa-Press – Zambia. Democracy and Motherland Defenders Coalition (DMDC) has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to disqualify UPND Parliamentary Candidate for Kanyama Constituency for perpetrating violence.
This comes following the murder of two members of the Patriotic Front (PF) by thugs believed to be UPND cadres. Andrew Ntewewe, who is also Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) president said during a briefing in Lusaka today that the banning of campaigns by the Commission if not enough to curb violence.
“We call on ECZ to disqualify candidates where violence is taking place. It is sad that ECZ would just ban campaigns in Nkeyema and Sioma without any appropriate action being taken,” he said.
“Today, we have woken up to the gruesome murders for PF members in Kanyama Constituency. These individuals were seated at their campsite and unfortunately, they were murdered in cold blood. We wonder what ECZ is going to say today given the escalated levels of violence.“
Mr Ntewewe further mentioned that criminals behind the said murders must be brought to book without further delay. He said ECZ cannot sit back and simply ban campaigns and watch while citizens are being killed in cold blood.
“But for us we want to appeal to ECZ and put it on recorded that is it important that criminals of these gruesome murders must be brought to book without any further delay and that candidates who have turned themselves into warlords, threatening the lives of our citizens, must be disqualified,” he said.
“So we call on ECZ directly to disqualify the Kanyama UPND candidate. We cannot sit back and talk about violence and simply condemn violence without any action. ECZ cannot sit back and simply ban campaigns and watch while citizens are being killed in cold blood, that is unacceptable.”
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Member of Central Committee (MCC) Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba Meanwhile, PF Member of Central Committee (MCC) Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba is disappointed with United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema for refusing to condemn the brutal murder of two PF cadres by UPND cadres in Lusaka’s Kanyama township.
The PF cadres were murdered in cold blood using axes and machetes at a command centre in Ward 13 of Kanyama Constituency in Lusaka. Mr Mwamba , who is former UPND vice president described Mr Hichilema as a known blood thirsty Freemason who never condemns any form of violence perpetrated by UPND cadres.
Mr Mwamba said it was unfortunate that Mr Hichilema is on record as having encouraged his supporters to use violence as a guise of defending themselves.
Sensing an imminent sixth election loss in the forthcoming general elections , Mr Hichilema’s supporters have been instructed to create chaos and havoc through indiscriminate attacks and macabre killings of innocent citizens.
The bloodletting UPND leader elects to remain mute at the callous murders and violent attacks on PF cadres and sympathisers. Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have condemned Mr Hichilema and his leadership for not raising concerns among its flock.
Mr Mwamba pointed out that the UPND is known for shifting the blame on PF and other opposition political have clearly exposed their inadequacies politically and administratively.
Some Kanyama residents talked to have asked the Electoral Commission of Zambia to ban the UPND from participating in this election. Others have vowed to decampaign the violent party.
