When that American human rights luminary Malcom X said sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down, he was wary of the fact that violence begets violence, a timely warning to the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership.
Anyone under attack is entitled or bound to seek protection. And this kind of protection can be a form of defence while he who is provoked may weigh their capacity to chances to put up a defence the result of which can be serious sometimes ending in death.
This is why the great father of the Indian independence movement Mahatima Ghandi remarked, “I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before anyone at the cost of your life.”
Listening, reading and learning of some chilling accounts of what transpired at the house of worship, Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA), during a prayer meeting in Lusaka’s Matero is despicable.
An eyewitness account by Gregory Chifire suggests BIGOCA was turned into a near war zone except only the assailants – sponsored Patriotic Front youths most of whom were inebriated – were armed while those that had gathered for the Black Friday sermon remained unarmed and therefore defenceless.
“ [I] went to BIGOCA church in Matero this morning. [I] had the most horrible experiences, ever from a church set up. An hour into the service, PF thugs armed with machetes, knob-kerries and other weapons entered the church and started beating everyone.
“I saw Journalists being helplessly beaten, I could see cameras broken, [I] could see elderly people on the ground being assaulted mercilessly by these thugs.
“Bishop Mambo, Gerald Singwa (I think is the one) from ZNBC, could see a ZANIS cameraman shouting for help while the Police officers that were there just watched as knob kerries reigned on his defenseless head…It was horrible,” Chifire narrates.
Horrible indeed. Blood has started spilling in Zambia. This is state sponsored terrorism which Matero member of parliament Miles Sampa is an accomplice. A civic leader Lee Mukupa is also one of those that organized these hooligans that descended on innocent citizens, according to PF sources.
While the rest of the world is fighting terrorism, President Michael Sata, his nephew Miles Sampa and the Patriotic Front are entrenching barbaric politcs in Zambia.
What wrong did Bishop John Mambo do to suffer such griveious bodily harm? You mean expressing his opinion about these failing policies haphazardly implemented has become such a crime to warrant a death sentence by beating at the hands of PF militia?
Miles Sampa was given an opportunity to explain the PF decision on the removal of subsidies a couple of weeks ago and was on television with a fellow economist Muhabi Lungu. He was embarrassingly bruised and left shell-shocked with his awful performance.
For sure Isaac Asimov meant people like Miles Sampa when he said violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. The idiot failed to debate and resolved to bundle drunkards he fed on illicit beer in one of his trucks to go and mutilate innocent souls that were exercising their inherent and inalienable right during a Black Friday assembly.
But the PF should know that they are threading a dangerous path, one that can stir chaos and bring untold misery to this country. What if any of those that was attending the Black Friday meeting was armed with a gun and resorted to self defence by targeting the assailants? What explanation was President Sata, his nephew and those in the PF leadership going to give for any death yesterday?
It is important that President Sata brings this thuggery to an end because people may resolve to use any means to protect themselves because their police service can’t even shield them from robbers.
Just over a week ago, there was similar violence inflicted on MMD officials that were destined for Kanyamna township in Lusaka. Like at BICOGA, journalists were also caught up in dreadful violence instigated by well known PF thugs like Kennedy Kamba.
The PF leadership should know that like Sam Peckinpah asserted, “there is a great streak of violence in every human being. If it is not channeled and understood, it will break out in war or in madness.”
There is every indication that a bloodbath may not be too long before it touches Zambia. What we have seen happening in other places like Mogadishu, Kigali, Bukavu, Goma and Eritrea will be next door. This is not what Zambia deserves.
The incident in Matero has left many shocked while others are tremebling in fear. Why should our hard fought democracy turn out into this way? Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) vice-president Dr Canisias Banda was awestricken.
He said; “Patriotic Front (PF) members wielding all sorts of weapons this morning invaded a church in Matero Township where citizens had gathered to protest the poor manner in which the PF is governing Zambia.
“Many citizens, armed only with freedom and passion for a better life, where badly beaten. Bishop John Mambo, an overseer of the Church of God in Zambia is presently admitted to hospital as a consequence.
“Further, a ZNBC camera was damaged, and its reporter terribly assaulted – Eyewitness.
“How is possible that in 2013 Zambia such barbarism can emerge? What is really happening? It is now evident that instead of progressing, Zambians are now regressing into primitive beasts. How so sad!”
The UPND’s media wing is equally saddened that a President who professes the biblical 10 commandment is so thirsty for blood that he would harm his own citizens perceived as enemies of his government.
They wrote, “When Zambia’s constitution states that the country is a Christian nation, it means that all people must practice or at a minimum live in peace and harmony. This also means that Government must lead in ensuring that all Christian principles are adhered to, by providing leadership.
“When HH [Hakainde Hichilema], Saki [Sakwiba Sikota] and Nevers [Mumba] reported PF to the Commonwealth on abuse of rights, there was an uprising by those who are pro Government. When Mwaliteta’s servant died everyone rushed to lump the death on UPND. When Harrison Chanda died, Brian Hapunda rushed to condemn UPND.
“Well, events of this morning in Matero leave a bad taste in our mouths. How can a group of people attack a church with eminent persons such as Bishop John Mambo, simply because this group was enjoying their rights of assembly?
“This should have happened at Matero bus stop not at a church, the house of the Lord? Where people go to pray! And we call ourselves a Christian nation, isn’t that a shame? Are we still people or we have become animals? But guess what, Wynter, Mwaliteta, Brian are all quiet over this incident, the peaceful PF is quiet instead of condemning that act of contempt by those hired thugs.
“Members of UPND, let us learn to be our brother’s and sister’s keepers. We are living in difficult times, with state sponsored terrorism. Are we surprised? No. Machetes and sjamboks are nothing new with the PF leadership. As far back as 2000, Sata defines his style of politics. Everyone warned us in 2011, but we believe that, sometimes experience is the best teacher.
“We foresee this kind of politics for the rest of the PF term.” But if this is what we foresee in the PF rule, the citizenry will be left with no option but to defend themselves and that is when trouble will break out.
When a United Kingdom-based Zambian journalist Gershom Ndhlovu observes that just over a week ago, MMD Die-Hard member Bowman Lusambo was allegedly kidnapped by alleged members of the ruling PF, today it was MMD Vice President Michael Kaingu with many others who gathered to mark Black Friday in Matero and were beaten up by people said to be PF members, Brian Hapunda attempted to defend the indefensible.
Hapunda is the PF secretary in Southern Province. As if to mock people, he said; “What evidence do you have that the culprits are PF cadres? What makes you sure that perpetrators are members of the Ruling Party?”
Hell no, this joke of a politician called Hapunda wants to play theories when everyone knows those were PF sponsored thugs. The same thugs that disrupted a UPND rally in Kabwata! In any case, who is a member of the ruling PF? How does Hapunda tell these are his own members when they don’t have identity cards. Their only identity are machetes, pangas and knob kerries.
Instead of being remorseful, this is the response you get from the PF leadership but they should be warned that an eye for an eye will only make the whole of Zambia blind for the violence they are defending today and promoting as good, that good is only temporary for them but its evil will be permanent for Zambia will no longer be the peace haven we have all known for many years.
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