Police detain Mast reporter over Zaloumis
By Mast Reporter
POLICE in Kabwe yesterday detained The Mast correspondent Thandizo Banda at Chowa Police Station in Kabwe for taking a picture of the vehicle carrying Electoral Commision of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis.
Meanwhile, Zaloumis yesterday visited her daughter, Maria at Chowa Police Station where she is detained and the two had a meal together in the office of the officer-in-charge.
Zaloumis was visiting her daughter, prominent farmer Maria Zaloumis, who was in detention at the same police station in connection with the murder of Enock Simfukwe.
Banda, who was detained around 11:00 hours hours, was however released at 14:30 hours after paying an admission of guilty fine for the offence of conduct likely to cause the breach of peace.
He arrived at Chowa Police Station and introduced himself to shift officers who advised that he wait for a response from the officer-in-charge who was engaged with the the senior Zaloumis and her daughter Maria in his office.
Upon discovering that the ECZ chairperson was exiting the police station amid tight police security The Mast reporter followed and took a picture of the vehicle carrying her.
Some members of her entourage descended on the hapless journalist and whisked him to the officer-in-charge, who swiftly threw him into a jam-packed cell where he joined other inmates.
Police confiscated the reporter’s phone and deleted the pictures he had taken trailing them even to the recycled bin.
After languishing for three hours in the cell, where inmates showered him with love and respect, the agitated officer-in-charge followed him there and warned him not to write any story about his detention before releasing him unconditionally.
Banda was ordered to pay K89 admission of guilty fine and was issued with a receipt number 1421213 AG before being allowed to go.
Meanwhile, the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) says it is shameful that it had to take public outcry for the Zambia Police Service to arrest Maria.
FDD spokesperson Anthony Chibuye wondered why police had to detain and charge a journalist on duty when they had dragged their feet in arresting Maria.
“As FDD we wish to express our deepest disappointment with the Zambia Police Force ([since it’s no longer a service] of its late arrest of Maria Zaloumis and the subsequent detention of a journalist on duty covering a story of public interest. While we understand that this police force of Hakainde Hichilema is under the cadres at its helm, it’s shameful that it had to take the public outcry for the police to act,” Chibuye said.
He said the FDD would continue to monitor the situation as it demand justice for Simukwe.
“Under a normal functioning system, the police were supposed to arrest Maria Zaloumis immediately they learned about the death of the suspect around 01:00 hours in the morning. Yet it has taken the whole country to demand justice for Simfukwe. And we wonder how many criminals that the UPND are busy shielding,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zaloumis yesterday visited her daughter, Maria at Chowa Police Station where she is detained and the two had a meal together in the office of the officer-in-charge.
She spent most of her time locked in a meeting with the officer-in-charge in his office.
Maria was released from the cell where she had spent the night and joined her mother in the officer-in-charge’s office.
What was discussed in the meeting remains unknown.
