UPND and NDC youths have vowed to continue with their planned nationwide peaceful protests despite refusal by police to grant them a permit.
Speaking during a joint press briefing at the UPND secretariat, Wednesday, UPND national youth chairperson in charge of politics Gilbert Liswaniso charged that the PF government was full of junkies and the country was being led by criminals.
“Government yaba Edgar Chagwa Lungu niyama junky, muziba junky ka (President Edgar Lungu’s government is full of junkies, you know junkies? Most of them are junk. Casino ndiye nchito yabo (gambling at Casinos is their job)…we should understand that we are being led by criminals and when I mean they are junkies I mean just that,” Liswaniso said.
He said they could never appeal to Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo because he is a cadre and leader of violence.
“Lelo mukamba kuti tichite appeal, kuli aKampyongo, nichite appeal kuli boss wa violence? Nichite appeal kuli cadre because Kamyongo was cited in the commission of inquiry. So why nichite appeal kuli cadre munzanga, we have no time for that (today you are saying we appeal to Kampyongo, I should appeal to the boss of violence? I should appeal to a cadre, why should I appeal to my fellow cadre, I have no time for that),” Liswaniso said.
He further called on youths to turn up in large numbers demonstrate against ECZ chairperson Esau Chulu who he said was the source of suffering for Zambian youths.
“So nikumpepani (I am begging you) as ma youths across the country, tomorrow lets demonstrate. What we are demonstrating for, sitifuna (we don’t want) Chulu, olo Chulu amwalile lelo nizaka tundila pa manda pake, mumuuze (even if Chulu were to die today, I will go and urinate on his grave, you should tell him). This man is an evil man. This country today is divided because of the useless man,” said Liswaniso.
He added that the youths are going to demonstrate so that they can test the new police vehicles, adding that they are not afraid of arrest as they would still be able to vote even when incarcerated.
He called on Chulu and ECZ CEO Patrick Nshindano to resign from the Electoral Commission of Zambia because they were causing confusion in the country.
Earlier, NDC national youth chairperson Charles Kabwita said he was very disappointed with police deputy inspector general Bonny Kapeso because despite engagements, they still refused to grant them the permit to protest and hold a rally.
“We have been engaging the Lusaka Police command since last week and nothing tangible has come out of that and I am extremely disappointed with our elder brother, our father, our dear friend Mr Kapeso because when we went to his office, the impression he gave us was that he was going to grant the permit for the protest and the rally. Elo bamona ati kwashala two minutes to go elo balanda ukweba ati rally teti mukwate (at the final minute, this is when they are telling us that we will not be able to hold the rally),” he lamented.
He said the youths didn’t want the current leadership at the helm of the ECZ.
“We say no to online voter registration, we say no to Esau Chulu, we say no to Patrick Nshindano, we say no kuli bamayo ba foreigner bafumine ku Malawi, tatulemi fwayamayo, mulei patikisha fye ukuba uko, tatulemi fwaya, mukaleta confusion (we say no to that woman from Malawi, we don’t want you madam, you are just forcing yourself to be there, we don’t want you, you will cause confusion),” Kabwita said.
He charged that the ECZ is insisting on a new voters roll because they wanted to make money off the printing of cards despite people still having voters cards in good condition.
“There is nothing wrong with the 2016 register, why waste money making new voters cards when the current ones are okay?” asked Kabwita.
He dared Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja to prepare his people as the youth also prepare themselves for the protest today.
And when contacted for a comment, Kapeso directed this reporter to the IG but Kanganja was unreachable by press time.
