Mazabuka DC narrowly escapes lynching over HH
By Thandizo Banda
MAZABUKA District Commissioner Oliver Mulomba narrowly escaped lynching on Tuesday by angry mourners at a cemetery in Mazabuka after he urged them to vote for President Hakainde Hichilema and UPND candidates in the August 13 polls.
The incident occurred during the burial of a community member when Mulomba addressed mourners and asked them to support Hichilema and the ruling party candidates.
The uncompromised mourners told him off, forcing him to leave the podium.
Witnesses said the mourners became hostile, accusing Mulomba of politicising the solemn occasion.
“The situation quickly escalated, forcing Mr Mulomba to leave under tight security to avoid being attacked,” Josphat Munjila said.
The incident comes amid growing political tensions in parts of Southern Province ahead of the general elections, with residents citing frustration over the high cost of living and poor service delivery.
And UPND cadres interrupted and attacked supporters of independent Monze Central parliamentary candidate Elvis Mainza during a scheduled campaign rally in Katimba Ward yesterday.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) official campaign timetable showed that Mainza was authorised to hold activities in Katimba.
Instead, a group of UPND cadres arrived in an unregistered white Toyota Hilux and disrupted the gathering, attacking the independent candidate’s supporters and chasing people with stones.
Eyewitnesses Rabecca Choombwa and Cynthia Habukali said the intrusion brought the rally to a sudden halt, with armed and masked UPND cadres taking over the venue while beating people.
Mainza’s team described the attack as a clear attempt to intimidate voters and suppress alternative voices in Monze Central.
And National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) accused President Hakainde Hichilema of blackmailing unemployed Zambians by promising jobs to teachers and nurses who attended his campaign rally in Kapiri Mposhi.
In a statement, NRPUP information and publicity chairperson Elias Kamanga condemned the directive.
“If accurately reported, this represents one of the most disturbing examples yet of using the desperation of unemployed Zambians as a campaign tool,” Kamanga said.
He said public service jobs belong to all Zambians and must be awarded on merit, not political affiliation.
“Must one first attend a UPND rally before qualifying for employment? If not, why was employment promised only to those assembled at a campaign meeting?” he asked.
Kamanga said the remarks cast doubt on the integrity of past recruitments and argued that the UPND was struggling to attract support without promising government jobs.
He assured Zambians that under the NRPUP government, recruitment would be based solely on merit and that an infrastructure drive would create thousands of jobs for teachers, health workers and other professionals.
“The unemployed are not campaign props. Their suffering must never be exploited for political gain,” Kamanga said.
Kamanga also condemned the violence by UPND cadres, saying Hichilema had endorsed the attack on the opposition.
“That is why this man you have at community house has never condemned his party for the violence, and this is an eye opener that even under the previous administration the violence you experienced was UPND,” he said.
He said the UPND and Hichilema were violent people who did not want peace.
“Look at what is happening in Monze where UPND cadres are hacking people they view as opposition and Mr Hichilema is quiet about it. This is the true reflection of the UPND. Sadly, no one is able to see it. Even those who were critical of the PF are enjoying the violence now,” he said.
