By HELLEN TEMBO, MELBOURNE MUSHITU and KASONDEE KASONDE –
A CROSS section of society has condemned United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres for their ‘appetite’ to cause violence ahead of this year’s elections.
Meanwhile, Patriotic Front (PF) deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri has urged party members not to retaliate when attacked by opposition political parties.
UPND cadres on Monday went on a rampage, causing a traffic jam on roads in Rhodes Park area after they blocked Makishi and Broads roads on claims that they wanted to protect their secretariat.

. KAKOMA

The party’s spokesperson Charles Kakoma was quoted in the media stating that the UPND cadres blocked the roads on suspicion that PF members wanted to destroy their secretariat in revenge for the attack on the PF Matero Constituency office on Sunday.
Mr Kakoma claimed that his party had information that some PF youths would attack its secretariat, which led to the UPND cadres to block the roads with stones and other objects and disturbed innocent motorists.
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) said it was disappointed at the unruly behaviour by UPND cadres and called for the immediate arrest of those fuelling political violence.
JCTR executive director Leonard Chiti challenged all political party leaders to restrain their members from all forms of violence.
In an interview yesterday, Father Chiti said he was disappointed with the behaviour of cadres engaging themselves in political violence instead of embracing peace and unity.
“I am appealing to all party leaders to discipline their cadres. All those perpetrators of violence should be brought to book because their faces were in newspapers,” he said.
He said regardless of political affiliation, political leaders should strongly talk to their party members for them to desist from violence.
Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja warned UPND cadres against taking the law in their hands going by their conduct to block roads in the capital city.
Mr Kanganja said his command would not sit and watch cadres engage in unwarranted acts and at the same time attack police officers dispatched to maintain law and order ahead of the August general elections.
He told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that the UPND members should avoid taking the law in their own hands by attacking officers who were working hard to protect the lives of all the people in the country.
He called on political party leaders to lead by example by taming their members, and cited the recent indaba at which politicians and the Church agreed to avoid violence.
Mr Kanganja urged politicians to educate their members on maintaining peace.
Meanwhile, the PF has advised its members against fighting back whenever they were attacked by opposition parties.
Ms Phiri said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that party members should at all costs endeavour to avoid violence even under extreme provocation.
“As a party, we are peaceful and we will not allow UPND to cause anarchy in the country. As a party, we will not fight back, but we will allow police officers to do their job,” Ms Phiri said.
She said the UPND was using violence because it had failed to convince the people on why they should change Government.
She also called on the media to be responsible in their reporting instead of twisting facts as they would be held accountable for alarming the nation.
Ms Phiri said it was saddening that some sections of the media had reported that PF members had blocked roads and yet it was the UPND cadres.