Sun, 25 Jun 2017 10:57:19 +0000
By KALOBWE BWALYA
A physical brawl that erupted at the Memorial Park burial site between PF and UPND cadres has been condemned as an insensitive and disrespectful disregard for a solemn environment.
Leopard’s Hill memorial park burial site Chairperson Sipho Phiri urged political leaders to tame their members to respect the dead as burial sites are not places for fighting or playing politics, says has said.
Mr Phiri said it was important to mourn and put departed beloved ones into their final resting places with dignity.
He was commenting on the clash between UPND and PF cadres yesterday at cemetery during the burial of rival members.
The PF were burying Mr. Amos Chilufya, husband to the Chairlady at the New Soweto Marker and the UPND were burying Clarence Malosa Zulu a UPND member, activist and blogger.
The incident happened when suspected PF and UPND cadres were burying their party members started exchanging insults which later resulted into a fight.
Mr Phiri said it was sad that the dead were no longer respected because political parties had resorted to fighting at burial places.
He said the fight which he witnessed was unfortunate and a taboo in Zambian traditional culture.
He said people should start differentiating between politics and mourning and political differences should be put aside during grievances.
Mr Phiri said innocent mourners were attacked, while some were brutally assaulted and beaten by suspected cadres.
He however thanked the police officers for a quick response as many people would have been injured and lives could have been lost.
He said memorial park management was deeply sad over the unfortunate incident which has been the first of its kind to happen.
Mr Phiri warned that he wouldnot tolerate such acts to continue or appropriate measures will be taken to perpetrators.
“So to come and find confusion here in memorial park and seeing people fighting is very sad as this is not a place for politics, but for sending off our beloved ones. It is very unfortunate to be fighting over politics in grave yards and this should come to an end.
In a same fracas there was another family which was burying a mother and the child were also chased and attacked for no apparent reason,” said Mr Phiri.
And police spokesperson Esther Katongo confirmed receiving four cases of assault yesterday around 13:00 hours from Memorial Park burial site in a confusion between UPND and PF cadres during the burial of the former’s member.
