By HOPE BWALYA and REBECCA MUSHOTA –
THE Church has condemned the violent attacks that happened on Saturday in Bweengwa Constituency in Itezhi-tezhi District in Southern Province by suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres.
Several cars were stoned, while a road was blocked and civil servants and journalists were held captive for hours after President Edgar Lungu addressed a meeting in Bweengwa.
President Lungu condemned the violence and directed the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja to arrest those behind the attacks.

. KANGANJA

The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) executive director Pukuta Mwanza has condemned the violence, saying that such acts should not be tolerated as they disturbed the peace of the nation.
“It is very unfortunate, we condemn such acts of violence as they are disturbing the peace in the country especially that we are headed for elections. Innocent Zambians should not be harassed, like what happened,” he said.
He appealed to political leaders to advise their members to refrain from such acts as they might disturb the peace in the country.
The Patriotic Front (PF) media and publicity committee has challenged UPND president Hakainde Hichilema to take full responsibility for the attacks that were a threat to President Lungu and his entourage.
“We put it to the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to take full responsibility for the violent attacks which where a threat on the life of President Lungu and his entourage by the UPND. The violence by UPND in Bweengwa is a serious risk to national security, especially that the Head of State was in the area and those UPND cadres must be brought to book,” PF media and publicity committee member Sunday Chanda said in a statement.
He said it was, because of such acts that the then President Kenneth Kaunda took a decision to ban the African National Congress (ANC) some years ago.
Mr Chanda said Mr Hichilema should exhibit leadership and condemn the violence and not only cry foul when it suited him.
He said Mr Hichilema should ask himself if that was the sort of response he wanted to get whenever he visited various parts of Zambia.
However, Mr Hichilema has said that UPND members carried cards and he would condemn the violence the moment Police proved that the violent cadres were UPND party members.
Mr Hichilema said it was wrong for President Lungu to condemn the violence in Southern Province because he has not condemned the violence that happened at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport against Democratic Front leader Miles Sampa recently.
“Let me assure President Lungu and the Inspector General of Police that, should any of those people perpetuating violence be linked to UPND, I will personally deal with those cases and condemn them publicly, that is leadership,” he said in a statement.
Police spokesperson Charity Chanda said no arrests had been made and Police were still investigating the matter.