By AARON CHIYANZO
THE UPND says the missing Hatembo siblings are being kept by the Zitukule Consortium for their safety.
But FDD president Edith Nawakwi says the abduction is about making sure UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema files his nomination without facing fraud charges over his acquisition of Kalomo Farm 1924.
UPND spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa says attempts to implicate Mr Hichilema in the abduction were the creation of the Patriotic Front (PF) working with Ms Nawakwi.
But Ms Nawakwi has charged that Zitukule could be a UPND surrogate organisation holding the Hatembo’s fearing they would go to court and expose the fraudulent manner in which Farm 1924 in Kalomo was dispossessed from them fraudulently by Mr. Hichilema.
“That transaction was fraudulent and it is not true that the High Court made a determination on the fraud. There is no time bar to fraud.”
She also expressed fears for the lives of the abducted Hatembo siblings, “We have seen what happens in countries like Iraq when someone is abducted and the abductors realise they cannot hide them anymore, what do they do to them? And this is my daily fear,” Ms Nawakwi said.
Earlier, Mr Mweetwa who accused the Daily Nation, and other like-minded media of twisting facts questioned why the police were holding a UPND member of the National Management Committee, Ackson Sejani, Choma mayor Javen Simooloka and the mayor of Mazabuka Vincent Lilanda when the people keeping the Hatembos, the Zitukule Consortium were known.
Ms Nawakwi said Pheluna, a mother could not willingly go into hiding and leave her sick daughter abandoned. “This matter is about farm 1924 which the family lost fraudulently. The family wants to advance the fraudulent act which was not addressed by the High Court.” she said. Fraud, Ms Nawakwi said, was not time barred as suggested by the High Court, “That is why they are being held until after nomination. I am prepared to face HH at the Police to make this same allegation.”
But Mr Mweetwa has claimed that Zitukule was keeping the Hatembo siblings. “In the midst of the stories that they have disappeared, the Hatembos surfaced and reported themselves to police but police turned them away so they decided to have a briefing to show the world that they were safe and sound and the people who took them to police are known people, Zitukule Consortium of Nikolas Phiri.
“Nikolas Phiri himself in the presence of his lawyer, gave reasons that as a civil society, they were helping the Hatembos for their safety because they are human rights activists. So you know the people who have publicly come out to say we are the ones with these people, we are helping them,” Mr Mweetwa said.
The Hatembo siblings, Pheluna and her brother Milton have been missing for over two months and missed the funeral of their brother, Conwell last week.
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