By MOSES SILUNGWE
INCACERATED former PF deputy secretary general, Mumbi Phiri, says she has surrendered every difficulty and suffering to Jesus Christ.
Ms Phiri was talking to PF acting president, Given Lubinda, when he visited her at the Kaoma Correctional facility where she is in custody while awaiting direction from the Director of Public Prosecution in a matter she has been jointly charged with murder. To Page 3
Ms Phiri has been charged with Shebby Chilekwa, a PF member accused of shooting Lawrence Banda, in 2019 during by-election campaigns in Kaoma.
The following is as narrated by Ms Phiri to Mr Lubinda.
“For me as a Catholic have entered Lent in a special way, so it has to be prayers and surrendering to God.
And for me I think it is going to be the proper Lent when I am doing this whole heartedly just to pray to God.
And that day, you know I was cooking. I was outside and my ka niece was pa gate.
So when the police came, they said we are priests. Can you imagine! We are priests, we have come to visit.
Then the child opened the gate and they entered through the kitchen. They came straight indoors where I was. Then I looked and I remembered two faces.
Then they said, we want you to escort us to the police. Then I saw they had papers and I asked what are those papers for? Then they said they are search warrants. I asked them, do you want to search, then they said no since we have found you.”
Then I said I can’t follow you, let me speak to my lawyer, that is how I called the lawyer, then Zimba (Jonas) since he was in Kabwe said he will find us there.
Then that is how we walked. They said we have to go to Kaoma, then I asked in the evening? And they said yes.
So that is how they took me, but the children organised very first. We started off, and they followed. I think they followed after an hour.
Now they were changing the number plates so the children got confused, the number plates they saw when we were at the force headquarters was switched. So they (children) came and passed us.
Then I saw this vehicle flying …then I said those are my children. So that is how the police also got scared because paja pongenela pa Kaoma paja pamene pasilila tarmac, and you can imagine they didn’t know in the night. They were flying so they called them, you have left us, we are just behind.
That is how they followed us, they slowed down and followed us, and we arrived at 04:30 and they took me to the police station. First, we came here (Kaoma Correctional Facility) and charged me then they took me to the police station
And the children stayed. They were there for three days until they took me to …and moved me here (Kaoma Correctional Facility).”
Ms Phiri could not take appear before the magistrate on Monday as the assigned magistrate was ill.
