THEY WANT ME ARRESTED
…Katele alleges UPND plot to charge him with treason as ruling party and police deny knowledge
By Adrian Mwanza
FORMER home affairs minister Dr Katele Kalumba says he has uncovered a scheme by United Party for National Development (UPND) officials to have him arrested and charged with treason.
But UPND media director Mark Simuuwe said the party was not aware of such a plot.
And the Apostles Council of Churches in Zambia (ACCZ) has urged government to exercise wisdom by extending a hand of reconciliation to achieve national unity and healing following the just-ended general elections.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Police Service says it is not aware of any such scheme to arrest Dr Kalumba.
Dr Kalumba told The Mast in an interview that he had information that instructions had been issued for his arrest.
“It is extremely annoying that people want to accuse me and individuals like former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu, of plotting a coup d’état. My name has come up that we were trying to plot a coup, which to me is actually nonsense,” he said.
He said the UPND administration was on a witch-hunt expedition to detain any critical voice.
Dr Kalumba urged the government to produce evidence over the claims that he was among individuals conducting militia activities in the country.
“I want to challenge the law enforcement agencies to prove that indeed they found offensive weapons and not what was happening at the moment,” he said.
He said it was upsetting that people were maligning his name and that of Chungu with illegalities.
“How can a person who also supported the party in Chienge try to plot a coup when I funded the party,” he said.
But when contacted for a comment, Simuuwe said his party was not aware of such a plot.
He said the task to investigate and apprehend lawbreakers was the duty of law enforcement agencies.
“Us as UPND, we are not aware of such an activity because, as you are aware, such undertakings are being conducted by law enforcement agencies and not the party,” he said.
Zambia Police Service deputy public relations officer Chipo Kaitisha also said her office was not aware of any scheme by police to arrest and detain Dr Kalumba.
Kaitisha said this when she was asked to comment about the revelations by Dr Kalumba that there was a scheme to have him arrested and charged with treason.
“I am not aware of any plot to arrest Dr Kalumba. But I will find out,” she said.
And Zulu has urged government to promote reconciliation through dialogue with the opposition and other stakeholders to achieve national unity.
Zulu said the continued arrest and police summoning of opposition figures could deepen divisions and undermine efforts towards national healing.
Speaking in an interview with RCV News and monitored by The Mast, Apostle Zulu said calls for peace, unity and national healing must be matched by concrete actions from political leaders.
He said failure to translate calls for reconciliation into action would make it difficult for the country to achieve meaningful healing after the elections.
“The arrests immediately after the elections may signal that the ruling party wants to silence the opposition,” he said.
Zulu said national healing could only be achieved if political leaders prioritise forgiveness and reconciliation over retaliation.
He also urged the opposition to exercise restraint and cooperate with investigative wings whenever they were summoned or called in for questioning.
Zulu said responsible conduct by both government and opposition was critical in ensuring that their supporters remained peaceful and that the country moves towards unity after elections.
