By CHUSA SICHONE –

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) deputy secretary general Bridget Atanga has said she does not acknowledge the reported suspension of 21 women from the ruling party in Eastern Province.

Recently, PF district chairpersons in Eastern Province resolved to suspend the women from there who had travelled to Lusaka seeking audience with President Michael Sata against their provincial chairperson Lameck Mangani whom they accused of having a gang called ‘jimbos’, which was allegedly terrorising them.

But Ms Atanga said in an interview with the Sunday Times during the week that as far as she was concerned, the women were not suspended because she did not have any letter that indicated to that effect.

“Nobody suspended them, hear it from me. They have not been suspended. If the provincial chairperson could come and talk to them and they were very happy, they went back, how are they suspended?” she asked.

“There is no suspension for now because I don’t have written material in front of me on my table that honourable Mangani suspended these women or anybody in Eastern Province,” Ms Atanga said.

Ms Atanga said the “misunderstanding” that existed between the women and Mr Mangani had been resolved when the latter travelled to Lusaka and he has since gone back with them to Eastern Province.

Katete District chairperson Joseph Makukula on April 3, 2014 presented the resolutions on behalf of other chairpersons in the area to then acting President Alexander Chikwanda.

The Eastern Province chairpersons resolved that the women in question were suspended pending expulsion and that they should not be allowed to meet President Sata.

The chairpersons felt that the women were allegedly being funded by the MMD to cause internal wrangles in the PF and that their trip to Lusaka was not communicated to their respective district officials.