Johannesburg – Zambian opposition party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), has accused police of shooting dead one of its supporters, and injuring others.
The shooting occurred during clashes after the UPND tried to hold a rally over the weekend in the Kanyama township of the capital Lusaka.
However, the police dispute this version of events, claiming that 20-year-old UPND supporter, Stephen Kalipa, was stabbed by UPND cadres and subsequently died after being rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, the Zambian Eye online newspaper reported Police spokesperson Esther Mwata Katongo confirmed in a statement Sunday afternoon that police had received a report of murder in which Kalipa was reported to have been stabbed with a knife by an unknown person suspected to have been among the UPND cadres.
According to the statement, the killing took place at about noon at Mbasela Market after police had dispersed a group that was involved in an “unlawful procession”.
Katonga said the police had also received another report on Sunday in which Bertha Zuze, aged 21 and also from Kanyama compound, was in critical condition and fighting for her life in hospital after being assaulted with a plank by UPND supporters.
The police spokesperson said the police would not stand by as innocent citizens were harmed but would bring the perpetrators of lawlessness and indiscriminate violence to book.
However, she denied reports circulating on social media accusing the police of brutalising Kanyama residents and arresting over 300 following the attempted UPND rally.
“We did deploy our officers in the area to monitor the situation which we can confirm to have been calm except for a group of about 100 suspected UPND supporters who tried to provoke the deployed police officers by conducting an unlawful procession in Kanyama,” she said.
Katonga said the police subsequently arrested two people trying to take part in the rally and were continuing investigations into the violent confrontation.
The UPND had notified police of their intention to hold Sunday’s rally but police warned the opposition party not to proceed on the grounds of security concerns.
The opposition party, however, defiantly replied that the rally would proceed, irrespective.
Hakainde Hichilema was selected as the UPND’s candidate during Zambia’s 2015 presidential by-election and became the main opponent to the ruling Patriotic Front’s candidate, current President Edgar Lungu, after receiving 47 percent of the vote to Lungu’s 48 percent.