The Ministry of Health says although it is outside their mandate to regulate political gatherings, it cannot advise the UPND to go ahead with their planned Kanyama rally because of the Cholera outbreak.

And Vice-President Inonge Wina says public gatherings are currently banned in Kanyama.

According to Byta FM news, Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr Max Bweupe warned that every person who would attend the rally would risk catching the waterborne disease.

The radio station wanted to find out if the ministry had cancelled the rally.

“The Ministry of Health doesn’t deal with public rallies and I don’t think that’s in the mandate of the Ministry of Health to allow or not allow the public rallies. Bweupe said.

“That having been said, right now this is in the middle of an outbreak of Cholera and I don’t think that it’s very advisable to have large gatherings otherwise everybody will have cholera from there.”

But Police spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo said the party still had the permit to go ahead with their rally.

“The rally has been cancelled by who? The police hasn’t cancelled any rally,” said Katongo.

Meanwhile, responding to a question from Chitambo PF member of parliament Remember Mutale during Vice-President’s question time today, Vice-President Wina said public gatherings were not allowed in Kanyama.

“Is government contemplating the decision by police to give the UPND a go ahead with this rally in Kanyama where there is cholera?” asked Mutale.

In response, Vice-President Wina said she hoped the Ministry of Health would normalise the situation soon.

“I was not aware that there was a planned meeting by the political party UPND in that area. However, the situation in Kanyama as it is currently, is still under threat of the spread of Cholera. According to the Public Health Act, when Cholera or any other disease of that nature hit an area, definitely, public gatherings are forbidden. But whatever actions that the health sector is taking in that area will be in the best interest of the Kanyama people and all other people concerned,” said Vice-President Wina.

“So public gatherings especially funerals are not allowed in Kanyama at the moment. We hope this situation will not go on for a long time and the ministry of Health and others will be able to see to it that cholera does not appear in Kanyama anymore.”