A NDOLA Businessman has told the Ndola Magistrates’ Court that he did not mean President Edgar Lungu when he said “Ch*kala Lungu”.
And Ndola Principal Resident Magistrate Obbister Musukwa has set December 17, 2020 for judgement in a case where the Ndola Businessman is charged with defamation of the President.
In this matter, Edward Zyambo, 35, is charged with defamation of the president by saying “Ch*kala Lungu, Ch*kala Chakwe.”
Particulars of the offence are that Zyambo on October 20, 2020 at Ndola with intent to bring the President into hatred, ridicule or contempt, did utter defamatory words in which he said, “Lungu Ch*kala Chakwe, Lungu Ch*kala Chawishi”.
The matter is before Principal Resident Magistrate Obbister Musukwa.
When the matter came up for defence, Zyambo told court that on October 20, while going home in the night, he found about 10 Somalians on a foot path in Twapia.
He told court that when passing through the footpath, the Somalians grabbed him by his trousers an altercation ensued in which they started exchanging insults.
“I told them, ‘you Somalians are stupid and will go back to Somalia’. I also told them that they were the ones attacking innocent people as they liked to stand many [of them] in footpaths,” he said.
“They said ‘Ch*kala Zambian you just live in Zambia, but we are the owners of the money in this country’,” he told court.
It was also alleged that Zyambo told the Somalians that once the opposition won elections, “they would see as it was President Lungu who made them stupid”.
“You said Lungu Ch*kala Chakwe, Lungu Ch*kala Chawiso?” the state asked him during cross examination.
He told court that the only ones he heard uttering the words were the Patriotic Front cadres as they gave a statement to police after he was taken into custody.
When asked if he was referring to President Lungu, Zyambo said there are a lot of Lungu’s in the country.
“Ba Lungu bengi, (Lungu’s are a lot). The only President I know is Edgar Chagwa Lungu and not Lungu,” said Zyambo.
Magistrate Musukwa then set December 17, 2020 for judgement.
2 Responses
With that defense, this chap will be in
How about justice for “Utupuba” citizens who were defamed in full view of Diplomats and the world? This one sided application of the Law is not fair. Better we remove immunity to level the playing field. We have also not seen Psychiatric Evaluation of the accused or toxicology screening. The best is to repeal all defamation laws since naba Kateka insults citizens also!