Explain the Mandevu killings!
Dear Editor,
AS Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) we are concerned with the new dawn administration’s high appetite for human blood as evidenced by the high number of extrajudicial killings by the police in the past four months. This indiscriminate butchering of citizens on often flimsy grounds cannot continue without being challenged.
We are fully aware of the fact that before the new dawn administration ascended to power, the Police would occasionally shoot down criminals.
However those incidents were few and far apart and even the circumstances were not questionable as there would be evidence of an exchange of gunfire.
However, under the new dawn administration, citizens are being butchered by police at an alarming rate and in very flimsy circumstances.
Take for instance the recent shooting to death of two citizens in Lusaka’s MandevuCompound over the past weekend as reported by the Zambia Police Service spokesperson, Mr Rae Haamonga.
The Police say they only fired two warning shots but they fail to explain how those warning shots ended up killing Mr Charles Chingombe and Mr Andrew Phiri. According to our understanding, a warning shot is fired in the air and not at a target.
Barely weeks ago, Police again mistakenly shot and wounded a 27-year-old Lusaka Pharmacist, Mr Victor Mulenga who was with his wife, on the basis that he did not stop when ordered to do so.
The last time that we heard from Mr Mulenga, he was nursing serious gunshot wounds at UTH, and we do not know whether he survived or died. We have also noted that unlike previous Police Commands, the explanations given by the new Police Command whenever there is a fatal shooting do not make sense. MrHaamonga is also on record saying that Police are under instructions to shoot to kill. The Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba, the Minister of Home Affairs Jack Mwiimbu and President Hakainde Hichilema should explain at what point the Zambia Police changed its policy from shoot-to-maim to shoot-to-kill.
They should also tell the nation whom they consulted before implementing this change in policy.
SEAN E. TEMBO,
PeP President.
