By MUKWIMA CHILALA
Bus drivers banished from Lusaka’s City Market have expressed worry that the police officers have not helped in safeguarding their return to the Market.
Some drivers have continued to be chased from operating from City Market Bus Station by purported UPND cadres on the pretext of having had links to the former ruling PF .
Some drivers who sought anonymity told the Daily Nation that they are skeptical that the deployment of Police officers in bus stations will help in addressing the issue of cadrerism because some officers have been complicit to the cadre’s actions.
The drivers have singled out some purported UPND members calling themselves as committee members in charge of all bus station only identified as Joe Zambia, Dodo and Lloyd.
The drives said that the said Joe Zambia is the one who is supposed to protect them from cadres because he has installed himself as the UPND committee chairman in charge of all bus stops but was instead the one in the forefront chasing them from the markets .
‘’ We have tried seeking the help of the officer in charge at City Market that the other day when we tried to report back for work in the station in his company we were attacked with machetes and one of our friends was hacked in the head in the presence of the Officer in charge for City Market Police ,’’one of the driver narrated .
“ And this Joe Zambia that has been chasing with his group actually don’t even have drivers licences but are just UPND cadres that have been brought in the Station to harass we genuine drivers with vehicles in the station. So we have packed our buses for fear of victimization by these same cadres ,’’
About twenty two drivers have been affected on the Matero Lilanda bus route in City Market and have resorted to packing their buses in township for fear of been beaten by the cadres in City Market .
And an effort to get comments from the single out purported UPND cadres Dodo, Joe Zambia and Loyd proved futile as their mobile phones went unanswered.
