Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga says police summoned NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili because he is implicated in the case of malicious damage to a motor vehicle in Luanshya.

And Katanga says the former Roan member of parliament was also summoned so that police could record his explanation regarding the alleged shooting incident that happened outside his home in Luanshya involving President Edgar Lungu’s Political Advisor Kaizer Zulu.

Katanga told this to “The Punch” online media proprietor Wilson Pondamali who wanted to know why police were not investigating the shooting incident, despite a complaint having been lodged.

“The politicians nowadays go to the press to say: ‘we have written there’ before they even write or deliver the letter so what are the police supposed to do? Wintwala muma politics waumfwa? (Don’t drag me in politics, okay?) I am not emotional. I am using my airtime,” Katanga said.

“The same Kambwili has never reported to the police station [about damaging of his vehicle and firing of gunshots at his house]. I think really if you were a good journalist, you would have followed my remarks. One of those things that we called Kambwili for was for him to come and explain over this. I am with my officers here; he has never come! When you report a case at a police station, it doesn’t end there. When a person goes to a police station, a statement is going to be recorded and after a brief statement is recorded in the occurrence book, if the person doesn’t have time, he goes back. And the person is called back now to explain what has actually transpired so that the police fully investigate that matter. [And] that has never happened to-date despite police on several times having done that.”

Katanga said Kambwili was summoned so that he could shed more light over the shooting incident attributed to Zulu.

“And I am on record having said that one of the issues was for him to be interviewed and shed more light over that issue, which he has never done. And the issue of beating, there was no beating at the police station; I was there myself. Unfortunately, the problem is that when two people have differed, they want to drag the police thinking that police are also politicians. Coming to the issue of ballot papers; that man (one of the accused) came there and when he came there, he was even told that police are not…they even recorded in the occurrence book having received that report and he was told that police are not the custodians of the ballot papers you are claiming. So, the police accompanied him to go to the Civic Centre and verify if those ballot papers are there or not. And he said if police will not take action, we will take the law into our own hands and it’s there on record,” she said.

She charged that Kambwili’s crew damaged one vehicle.

“I was in Luanshya’s Mpatamato myself. And true to his word, they went there and maliciously damaged one motor vehicle. It’s on record. Even him, he is supposed to be the accused the same Kambwili you are talking about. He was implicated in the same and it’s already on record. And the person who was arrested is on police bond. You see, if you have an agenda [then] I am sorry because police are not fools. That man who reported the shooting incident it was almost the same time that Kaizer Zulu also reported, but Kaizer Zulu had the time to explain what transpired. For him, police have been explaining to say can you explain the shooting thing, up to today there is nothing as we speak. So, now, if you were a commissioner, I don’t know what you were to do in such a difficult job,” Katanga said.

Asked if the Inspector General of Police had given her instructions to begin investigations into the matter, Katanga said she could not respond on behalf of the IG.

“Don’t misquote me because I am not the IG. Go and ask him. His number is there and we can give you his number you call him. What I am saying is that we don’t have a report at any of my police stations in the province. Even the copy [of the complaint letter] that you have given me, thank you for showing me that copy, I haven’t even seen it. I have not seen the letter and if I have seen the letter, I can confirm to you that there is nothing fishy; there is nothing that can be hidden. I have not seen any letter and in any case, you are just troubling me because if a copy is given to me, is it me who is supposed to comment on a copy? There is an addressee there who is my supervisor, the Inspector General of Police. We don’t have a report and not even the letter that you are talking about. So, now, I don’t know if we are going to investigate through the media because even the copies you have I have not seen them. So, what am I supposed to do?” asked Katanga.