Zambia : Mast Editorial: Police IG Must Prove Critics Wrong On Election Violence

The Inspector General of Police, Graphel Musamba, issued a statement condemning the wave of violence linked to United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres in the run-up to Thursday’s general election. A Mast Editorial said the statement was welcome, but warned that words alone would not be enough to convince a sceptical public.

The piece argued that with polling day approaching, police carry a constitutional and moral duty to ensure all candidates, particularly opposition contenders, can campaign without being attacked or threatened by either cadres or officers themselves. It noted that the ruling party had campaigned largely unimpeded, while opposition figures had repeatedly found themselves on the receiving end of disruption.

The real test now, the editorial said, was whether Musamba’s officers would act against identifiable UPND cadres accused of targeting the campaign of NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu. It linked the pattern of violence to what it described as divisive rhetoric from President Hakainde Hichilema at rallies, and to instructions allegedly issued by a Nigeria-based figure calling himself Prophet Seer 1.

Several specific incidents were raised, demanding direct answers from the IG. Where were police, the editorial asked, when officers reportedly tried to stop an Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) sanctioned opposition rally in Ndola, and when cadres allegedly descended on a hotel and lodge in Kitwe housing members of Mundubile’s campaign team, damaging vehicles while officers looked on.

An incident in Solwezi was also raised, where musicians supporting Mundubile’s campaign were allegedly attacked by people travelling in UPND-labelled vehicles, alongside a case in Mwembeshi East, where cadres reportedly raided a rally for an independent candidate and assaulted musician Clifford Dimba, known as General Kanene, leaving him with head injuries from a machete attack.

Further questions concerned Northern Western Province, where cadres allegedly trailed Mundubile’s entourage, and Luampa in Western Province, where his convoy was reportedly blocked and stoned, injuring a police chief inspector. A separate reference was made to Mongu, where officers reportedly detained members of Mundubile’s musical entourage, including a comedian, and where the candidate was allegedly forced to flee a peaceful rally under tear smoke.

Musamba was called on to respond directly to Mundubile’s claim that UPND cadres have been absorbed into the Zambia Police Service, issued uniforms and firearms, and deployed to obstruct his campaign while concealing their identities behind face masks. These allegations, the editorial stated, remained unanswered by the IG.

While acknowledging that video and photographic evidence of the cited incidents circulates on social media, the piece stressed continued confidence in the Zambia Police Service, adding that the institution’s conduct, not its statements, would be the true measure over the remaining election period.

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