Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has noted with extreme concern the escalating political violence that has been occurring over the last few days. We note that this violence has largely been perpetrated by political party cadres of the two biggest political parties in Zambia, the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND). We would like to strongly condemn this unfortunate state of affairs, which not only undermines the core aspects of our electoral process, but could also potentially result in loss of life if not curtailed. Unfortunately, the leaders of both the PF and the UPND have previously treated the issue of violence perpetrated by their cadres with kid gloves, and it is therefore not surprising to see the escalation that is now happening. We are convinced that the failure to nip this violence in the bud on previous occasions is largely responsible for what we are now witnessing. We would therefore like to make an earnest appeal to President Edgar Lungu and Mr Hakainde Hichilema to realise that no political prize is worth sacrificing the life of any single Zambian, which is the risk we are taking if we allow this violence to take root. We challenge the two, being the leaders of their respective political parties, to take a very strong stance on the issue of political violence by condemning what is happening and calling on their cadres to put an immediate stop to it. It is our belief that taking a strong stance on the part of the two leaders will be a very strong antidote to the violence we are seeing and will go a long way in changing the situation for the better. We believe that it is high time President Lungu and Mr. Hichilema took responsibility for the actions of PF and UPND cadres, respectively.
In the same vein, we would also like to call on all political parties to take appropriate action to prevent the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we have all observed, the situation appears to be getting worse in terms of the rising cases, and political parties have a moral responsibility to ensure that they do not contribute to the worsening of the situation. We therefore call on political parties to rethink their campaign strategies in the light of this worsening COVID situation.
Sampa J. Kalungu
TI-Z Chapter President
