Masebo condemns Kampasa shooting

aily-mail.co.zm” class=”f”>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/17/13

By ALVIN CHIINGA and CLAVER MUTINTA
CHONGWE member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo has condemned the use of live ammunition by Zambia National Service (ZNS) officers who killed two residents of Kampasa in Lusaka last Friday.
Ms Masebo also advised members of the public to desist from politicking on land matters as no party can allocate land without the approval of the ministry of lands.
She was speaking on MUVI TV’s The Assignment programme on Sunday.
Last Friday, ZNS officers shot Clement Muloongo and Pumulo Lungwangwa dead and wounded another person over a land dispute.
Ms Masebo said a man only identified as Mr Goma had misled the squatters that the land is theirs and the misunderstanding over the ownership of the land led to the conflict.
Some people believed they were free to settle on the land and started encroaching on it and nearby farms.
Ms Masebo said there has been a general disregard of the rule of law.
“Anybody who is not an agent of the Ministry of Lands does not have any jurisdiction to administer land and should be arrested,” she said.
She said no one, regardless of their political affiliation, is allowed to allocate land illegally.
“This man [Mr Goma] even erected a structure where he put a PF flag and some other party regalia and people thought he was genuine,” she said.
And National Restoration Party (NAREP) president Elias Chipimo has challenged the ZNS commandant to issue a comprehensive statement on what led to the shooting of two settlers of Kampasa.
But ZNS commandant Nathan Mulenga declined to comment, referring querries to the Ministry of Defence.
The squatters have allegedly taken over ZNS land and the officers were trying to evict them.
Mr Chipimo said the shooting was unjustified and has called for an immediate and thorough enquiry into the use of brutal force by security personnel in Zambia.
“We expect the Zambia National Service commandant to issue a statement, explaining categorically what happened in Kampasa and what steps are being taken to identify where the order to shoot unarmed civilians in cold blood and at close range came from,” he said.
He said at press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that Narep believes there are many ways to resolve land wrangles, as opposed to shooting innocent Zambians.
Mr Chipimo said the recent shooting of a football fan in Ndola by police and the killings in Kampasa reflect a clear demonstration of a lack of adequate training of armed services in managing conflict with ordinary unarmed civilians.
He said if Narep comes into power, it will train all security personnel in proper handling of unarmed civilian conflict and ensure that justice is secured for all victims of brutality.
“We will immediately assess the state of squatters in all land disputes and provide a clear road map that will ensure that every Zambian has adequate access to productive land,” he said.
UPND vice-president for political affairs Canisius Banda said the killing of the two settlers is sad and a tragic.
Dr Banda said at press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that there was no justification for ZNS officers to shoot dead innocent souls, adding that the action cannot be justified.
“Land belongs to the people and when officers shoot and kill citizens of Zambia that is totally unacceptable…it must not happen again,” he said.