Africa-Press – Zambia. Independent Member of Parliament for Lumezi, Munir Zulu, has been arrested and charged for expressing hatred, ridicule or contempt towards persons because of race, tribe, place of origin or colour. The charges come after alleged utterances he made on March 28, 2023, at Longacres Police Post car park after his release from police custody.
Honourable Zulu was released on police bond pending court appearance. The arrest follows his statement that villagers from Lumezi were more intelligent than those from Bweengwa.
Last week, in response to the arrest, the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) has cautioned Hon. Zulu against tribal talk. The UPND National Deputy Youth Chairman, Trevor Mwiinde, said in a statement that they had welcomed the arrest and charging of Hon. Zulu, adding that he had sunk so low into cheap tribal talk.
Mwiinde stated that the people of Bweengwa were peaceful, loving, hardworking and intelligent people, just like those found in all the 10 provinces of Zambia, including Lumezi. He further condemned the use of inflammatory language by Munir Zulu, which he described as a danger not only to him but also to the country.
“Munir is on record of having openly spoken against a particular tribe where he alleged that no one from that tribe can become Head of State. If all he has in his head is tribe than we would like to advise him that Zambia is bigger than his clan,” Mwiinde said. He called on Zambians to ignore tribalists like Munir Zulu, stating that they have the capability to bring about instability in the country.
Mwiinde also expressed disappointment in Hon. Zulu, who he described as a disgrace to the youth populace. He added that instead of being a shining example of youth leadership, Hon. Zulu had embarrassingly allowed himself to be used by selfish elements whose aim is to make the country ungovernable.
Zambians have been urged to shun tribalism and embrace unity for the sake of national development. The government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that hate speech and tribalism are not tolerated in the country.
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