ZAMBO MUST GO
…Government must retire him for being unprofessional – Changala
By Mast Reporter
GOVERNANCE and Human Rights Activist Brebner Changala has called for the immediate retirement of Lusaka Division deputy police commanding officer Ronald Zambo if he does not resign on his own for being unprofessional.
And Changala says the people of Zambia will decisively sort out President Hakainde Hichilema and the united Party for National development (UPND) in the August general election.
Last Monday, a combative Zambo ordered paramilitary police officers to tear-gas and forcibly disperse peaceful members of the Catholic Church including bishops, priests, nuns and religious who escorted Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka Archbishop Dr Alick Banda to the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) headquarters in Lusaka.
Changala said Zambo should resign on moral grounds for on many occasions trying to prevent citizens from lawful assembly with the latest being an attempt to tear-gas the Catholic faithful who accompanied Archbishop Banda.
“He’s on my record to have ordered the police to throw tear gas in the name of the President when the faithful were trying to be given way to escort Dr Alick Banda into the DEC premises,” he said.
Changala told The Mast in an interview Zambo’s order to tear-gas the faithful who peacefully accompanied Archbishop Banda was an abuse of authority.
He commended the junior police officers for not obeying Zambo’s instructions saying the incident could have resulted in serious injuries among the people which could even have led to death.
“Carrying out instructions to tear-gas the faithful was the worst which could have happened. It was fortunate that the officer that was being told to throw the tear gas refused to obey the instructions,” Changala said.
He said Zambo’s behaviour should be scrutinised and if found wanting he should be retired without benefits.
Changala said the democratic space in the country had in the last four years been shrinking and the opposition had never been given space by the police to assemble peacefully.
“We have lost four years failing to actually mobilise, assemble and associate. Hichilema always unleashes the police like he did to Archbishop Banda’s sympathisers. It was a war zone. And yet, that was a peaceful procession by the faithful,” he said.
Changala said Zambo’s behaviour last Monday was an attack on fundamental religious beliefs, national unity and peace.
“We have an authoritarian leader in our midst in Hichilema and his brutal Zambia Police [Service],” he said.
Changala said Hichilema had turned against the very Zambians that had voted for him in 2021 and would deal with him in August.
“Hichilema is an elected leader who has turned against the voters. The very people who put him there in power. But this will be dealt with in August. People have decided to let him go,” he said.
Changala said the same opposition Hichilema claimed was divided would shock him in the August general elections.
He said since independence the country had never been divided in the manner it was currently because of Hichilema’s divisive rule.
Last week, Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu praised the police for the “professional” manner in which they handled the crowd during the appearance of Archbishop Banda.
The senior Catholic Church clergyman was summoned by DEC over a second-hand Toyota Hilux van he received as a gift after it was bought as “obsolete” from the Zambia Revenue Agency (ZRA).
The commission’s money laundering unit recorded a warn-and-caution statement from him, which could lead to his arrest.
A cross-section of the Zambian society has condemned the call-out and warn and caution statement as part of the ongoing vicious persecution Hichilema has unleashed on Archbishop Banda for being critical of his rule.
