UPND spokesperson Cornelias Mweetwa has lamented that police have continued unfairly arresting and killing members of his party such that children today now think that is the only reason the law enforcement agency exists.

And Mweetwa says the country is being run by mafia cartels.

Commenting on the arrest of UPND youths on Friday, Mweetwa said PF was using police to prevent his party from painting the streets red because they were panicking.

“What is happening is that now PF are in a state of panic and desperation. There is pandemonium in the PF camp and they cannot even deny this. The issue of youth day particularly, that youths should not march, it is because PF are aware how UPND was prepared on the ground for a mass march that was going to send a very loud signal about the 2021 elections. They were trying to avoid the streets of Zambia becoming red. Look when COVID was at its highest, President Lungu was commissioning flyover bridges, President Lungu had the luxury of holding meetings and not just at Makeni but various places across the country. His Ministers like Bowman Lusambo were at large, so how come now that COVID is a bit on the slide that we cannot not commemorate Youth Day? They were avoiding the red wave that has taken over the country. These arrests are shocking, Youth Day only comes once in a year and youths, being exuberant were having to move from place to wherever they are going to meet and celebrate and commemorate Youth Day as it were and they end up being confronted by police,” Mweetwa said.

“UPND is a target of PF using Zambia Police, those who may understand might think this is genuine work of the police. I was a superior police officer myself, police don’t work like this. In fact, these officers when you go in close contact with them, they will tell you that they don’t even believe in what is happening, but it is just a few individuals up there who are enjoying, therefore they are the ones who are giving these misguided orders to harass UPND. Zambia Police now, if you ask a child ‘do you know Zambia Police?’ They will say ‘yes’. ‘What is the work of Zambia Police?’ A child even of grade two will tell you that ‘it is to arrest UPND and the opposition’. Children don’t even know that police are there to arrest criminals, to be able to safeguard life property. They think that police are there to teargas UPND, arrest UPND, shoot dead UPND members. That is what police are known for. I think that the police under the leadership of HH and UPND will be left to carry out its constitutional mandate.”

He said 25 UPND cadres were also arrested in Luwingu on the same day while a meeting was stopped in Nakonde.

“Police did not just arrest those youths on the Copperbelt, they arrested youths at various places across the country. I am aware that in Luwingu, they arrested 25 youths and then at the end of the day, they released them. In Nakonde, police attempted to disrupt the UPND youths, in Isoka police tried to disrupt the meeting. Yet these are the same police officers when criminal activities take place, they are nowhere to show up. So, it is now the law and the police are there to oppress and suppress divergent views. It is now like the law is there to manage and marginalise the disadvantaged society. It is like the law now is made to govern the poor,” he said.

“Those who are supplying expired drugs and defective condoms, they are waxing and driving big air conditioned VX land cruisers. You have now seen people going to markets to give out envelopes and dish out money to make the owners of the money kneel down and clap in appreciation of the money you are introducing in order to buy their votes, yet the last four years you did not mind who these people were. Thank God that technology has worked, this time even if no single meeting is held for campaigns, PF has already been understood by the people that these people do not qualify for another five years.”

Mweetwa warned police to desist from being used as a biased referee in the political arena.

“We do not want the police to come in this ring and be used as a biased referee, we don’t want! Police should know that they are part of state apparatus, not part of the PF machinery. Let all those who are misbehaving as cadres, wearing police uniforms know that is a wrong platform to do politics. We know that they are very few, it is just this government of PF doesn’t understand that, the distinction between party in government and government. They think that once they are a ruling party, all government machinery should become PF as if we are under one party state. Anyway, the people of this country have an opportunity to speak on 12th August and this voice is spoken once every five years. people should speak to change Zambia,” Mweetwa said.

Mweetwa said the country under PF was being run by mafia cartels.

“If by some miracle PF could return into government from 2021 to 2026, there will be no Zambia to talk about. The country will be run by mafia cartels, the same things we are seeing now. PF is running the country like mafia cartels. People who are unashamed to go round splashing huge sums of money with impunity, only mafias act with impunity. Listen to the way the Ministers are talking even over the eligibility of President Lungu with a very harsh pointed tone as if they are military leaders,” said Mweetwa.