JAY JAY’S FAMILY BREAKS SILENCE

By SIMON MUNTEMBA and TROY MUKUPA

ON the fateful day of Friday, July 3, 2020  in  what is believed to have been  a case of mistaken identity, the Police in Lusaka confronted and shot dead William Tembo, a nephew to  Eastern Province PF youth Chairperson, Emmanuel Banda popularly known as “Jay Jay”.

Tembo, who was commonly known as King Kiki died after sustaining four bullet wounds and was buried in Petauke on Monday July 6. The family did not take kindly to the killing and demanded for Justice.

In trying to seek justice, an angry Jay Jay and a team of his colleagues decided to protest at the highest Police office, Lusaka Central.

According to a source who is Jay Jay’s relative, the family was aggrieved by the death of King Kiki and just wanted details of his killing and to find out who killed him. “You cannot kill someone and think that his relatives will remain mute,” the family member complained.

The source who sought anonymity said the police were persecuting Jay Jay just to shield the police officer who mistakenly shot dead their relative.

He explained that the death of King Kiki infuriated Jay Jay who demanded to meet the officers involved in the shooting incident to get their side of the story but that ended up into a misunderstanding as the officers on duty did not comply with his request.

“Apa nkhani ilipo yakuti a police ofunakuchingilizya police muyao epaya Kiki. Jay Jay eluta ku police kuyodandaula pa imfwa ya Kiki ndiye peiyamba zungo. Lomba seo tidabwa akuti Jay Jay echiyo panga aggravated robbery,” he said.

The source said Jay Jay was a successful business man who runs a number of businesses in the region and could not sink so low as to stage a robbery at the police station.

“Uyo niwenye weka-weka. Jay Jay anama business anyinji ngako muno mu Petauke naku Chipata, so nkhani yopanga robbery niwenye ngako.

“Muntu wayodandaula ifwa yamulisa wake, akuti ni aggravated robbery. Neo nikaliyo onapo kwakukata nyakulila kukamwa. Koma iyi nkani ilute patali chifukwa nase tikuyo labila mu court,” the source said.

He further said contrary to what was portrayed in the media, Jay Jay was a law abiding citizen who respected people.

The source also accused Jay Jay’s political opponents of fueling up the matter for political mileage.

He said it was undisputable fact that Mr Banda’s growing popularity in Eastern Province had unsettled some political stakeholders who have been sponsoring those wild allegations.

“Omumvwila jealous Jay Jay chifukwa okondewa ngako nama youths kuno. So, andale ayake apezelapo mpata pa infwa ya King Kiki kuti amugwese,” he said.

And speaking after he handed himself to the Police, Mr Banda said he never went into hiding.

He said those accusations that he staged a robbery at the police station were fake and baseless and politically motivated with intent to damage his good reputation.

Mr Banda said he was ready to defend himself in court and spill the beans over the charges he was accused of.

He said contrary to insinuation that he had gone into hiding, he had been in Chawala village of Chieftainess Kawaza where he went to bury and finish off the traditional ceremony of his grandfather who died last month.

He said he decided to report himself to Police to clear his name over wild aggravated robbery accusations which never happened.

Mr Banda also said the allegations against him were politically motivated adding that there was more to it than what the public had been told.

“It’s a pure case of political witch hunt where a cartel of some politicians with the agenda of  unseating President Edgar Lungu planned to propagate a well-funded campaign to particularly target me for being a strong man on the ground by implicating me in criminal cases which do not exist,” he said.

Last month, police in Lusaka launched a man hunt for Mr Banda who was alleged to have staged a robbery at the police station. After surrendering himself to the police on Wednesday, Mr Banda was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with intent to steal but was released on bond after presenting two sureties.

After being released on bond in Lusaka on Wednesday last week,Mr Banda travelled to his base in Chipata, where he allegedly had a “triumphant entry into the city”, fully-backed by a convoy and a posse of supporters.

That did not go well with the law as it allegedly abrogated the Public Order Act guidelines, and Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja on Thursday last week ordered for his arrest.

Jay Jay was cornered outside Protea Hotel where he was lodging at the time the arrest order was made. The Easten Province command did not waste time and quickly got their man.

But Jay Jay’s family and friends have vowed to fight for his freedom and the right to tell his story in court. They claim most of the information from the police is false and misleading  because there was no robbery or attempted robbery to start with.

Yes, Jay Jay and his friends went to the police, not to steal but to seek information about his nephew  who had been shot dead by the police.

The have asked member so the public to listen to Jay Jay’s testimony and that of others who were present at the police. And some party officials who gave him a convoy said they were welcoming him in Chipata after he was not seen in public for over a month.

They said that they were happy to see him back after he was reported to have had gone into hiding.