Mpombo escapes lynching
Mpombo (right)
A GROUP of people chanting Patriotic Front (PF) slogans and waving the party symbol yesterday interrupted the Newsmakers’ Forum after almost beating up former Defence minister, George Mpombo.
According to the Times of Zambia, Mr Mpombo, who was the guest at the forum organised by the Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspapers at Lusaka Playhouse, bolted to safety after the unruly group besieged him calling for his blood.
The members of the group, who rose from the audience chanting PF slogans, had earlier on paid for their entry into the auditorium, quietly settled and allowed Mr Mpombo to start his presentation.
Mr Mpombo started by saying that democracy was cardinal in attracting foreign direct investment and as such, it was important for Zambia to adhere to democratic principles.
He said that it was important that Zambian political parties including the MMD practised true democracy and at that point, the cadres stood up from the audience shouting ‘Pabwato, Pabwato’ and attempted to beat up moderator, Sheikh Chifuwe and Mr Mpombo.
The former Defence minister, who is Kafulafuta Member of Parliament, panicked and was only shielded by Mr Chifuwe until he found space to sneak out through the back door of the auditorium as all the people on the high table scampered for safety.
The cadres later broke the public address system and got away with recorders for journalists while members of the audience scampered in various directions.
Plain-clothed police officers apprehended one of the cadres.
After the cadres had left in three buses, some members of the audience went into the auditorium where Mr Mpombo and Mr Chifuwe resurfaced and resolved that the meeting should continue.
Seemingly shaken, Mr Mpombo later addressed the audience but in an interview insisted that despite chanting PF slogans, the cadres were in fact members of the MMD.
“Those are hired thugs from the MMD and I regret what happened but I know they have been paid to do that,” he said.
Acting MMD spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti said he could not comment on whether the cadres that disrupted the meeting were MMD members or not.
He said he was not aware of the disruption of the gathering as he was only coming out of a luncheon at State House.
In his address to the audience, Mr Mpombo said the MMD should go to the convention and elect new office holders, which would be promoting democratic principles on which it was founded.
Constitutionally, he said that the MMD allowed members to participate in a convention every five years and he would continue advocating for it.
“Our constitution says every five years we should go to a convention and what we are seeing is a bad development where people are saying we should not go to a convention.
“What we have now is an acting president who should be endorsed and if people manipulate the constitution it will mean the end of the party,” Mr Mpombo said.
He said he had no intention of leaving the MMD and in an event that he was expelled, he would take the matter to its logical conclusion and also seek the courts’ intervention.
But Mr Mulongoti maintained that he did not understand why Mr Mpombo could agitate for a convention when he failed to do so when he was in the national executive committee as well as a Cabinet minister.
He said that with the suspension, Mr Mpombo had little room and time left for him in the party.
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mpombo is jst making noise.those thugs would have shaved his beard.why cant he join pf/upnd pact than making noise in the ruling party.he is a shameless coward.by the way ,why is HH given a slot in the inside of that paper but its front page,yo guess is as good as mine
our madnes,is in our levels of devision,poverty know no party,upnd,mmd,pf we are all afected,so plize u who are being paid,know that u are do shar,g that menoies with u yr relatives,so at sum point regardles,of our political,afilit,ns.
When these chaps are talking they seem to be brave. We need peace in zed this trend of voilence should not be entertened
pafwenamwine.
Those PF cadre as you know Sata as a chief thug runs such violent outfits.He did it in the Chawama massacre, he has done on the Matero MP Sinyangwe, reformers, in kasama where he detonated gas canes, the sponsored one on Chizyuka and now this one on useless Mpombo.Put your blind cadreism aside.
I havent heard any of these leaders HH and Sata condemning the violenc on chizuka, now am yet to hear whether RB will condemn this violence. Shaka I agree, these leaders are all power hungry. Lets condemn violence my peace loving Zambians.
Kalyolyo, debate issues that ar contructive, yesterday it was chisuka, today it mpombo, tomorrow it may be you, do not find any joy in this anarchy, this is how civil war begins. take no joy in this sitaution ask thos ein Rwanda, Angola how it all started, remember that already, in lozi land no bemba can win an election vice versa, already GBM and sata said kasama is for bemba’s so you see these are beginigs of greater strife in our country if people like you do not take this situation with the seriouness it deserves. Mpombo and Chizuka you have every right to express you opinions freely, even if it mey not be the ajority view, that is democracy.
Its just a pity that MMD is venturing into cheap politics and violence. Those idiots flashing PF symbols were not PF at all. MMD at its best UNIP tricks. Mpombo is wiser than Chizyuka who jumped that wall fence.
RB your insults of Sata and HH are born out of lack of respect due to your up bringing. we debate and differ on our ways of understandings, political affiliation or ideology but politics of insults are of people with retarded minds whose visions and lack of insight into good citizenry manner, values, common aims and respect of our elders resort to insulting people who are more less the age of your parents.
RB your insults of Sata and HH are born out of lack of respect due to your up bringing. we debate and differ on our ways of understandings, political affiliation or ideology but politics of insults are of people with retarded minds whose visions and lack of into good citizenry manner, values, common aims and respect of our elders resort to insulting people who are more less the age of your parents.
Patriot are you dreaming or just living in cuckoo land? What wrong has Mpombo done to PF/UNDP? It seems once someone is driven by cadre mannerism there is no differece in separating factuals from the truth. Those hired loose MMD cadres are not only creating bad impression on MMD but instigating unwarranted anarchy. This is an attribute and an attest of MMD using slogans and symbol for another political party to hide your selfish character assassination of PF. MMD acts are not only pathetic in modern politics but morally wrong and this is a sign of trying to stir trouble. The same MMD will paint it self as the moderate political party. The signs of cracks in MMD are evident and visible. Let us wait and see
Those are PF/UPND cadres and they think with thier assses just like their leadr Hakasata
I foresee blood in 2011! If this nonsense is not stopped, Zambia could easily plunge into a civil war! These idiots who call themselves leaders just keep playing around like this without thinking. Rupiah is so quiet on political violence. We need change in 2011, I’m just doubtful that HH and Sata are the leaders Zambia needs…they are both power hungry and incompetent. May be we should rent the country out to other countries for five years while we find a better crop of leaders…
There is no doubt that MMD thugs disguised as PF/UPND cadres were involved in the Chizyuka and Mpombo violence incidents. These are acts of a despearate regime and we all know that RB is in deep water. The violence will get worse as we approach election time. I am sure we will witness a test of what to come in the Solwezi Central election. For you who doubted the report in one of the Western media about Zambia being one of the countries to face civil strife it’s time you paid attention. We have to unite as a country and stop this regime from destroying mother Zambia. We need to join forces with the Post and other progressive forces and put an end to this rubish!!!
What happened to the self flaunted thick skinned political demagogue Mpombo? This comedy is serious. Just last week Mpombo through Mmembe said his troops are on standby to lynch the MMD Chairman in Ndola rural dead or alive, they would cage him to death. He said he has an army of cadres for any warfare. But hardly 48 hours later here he is running away from the UPND-PF thugs.What has happened to his much flaunted thick skin and sacrifice for the nation at any cost?
It really shouldnt matter who sent who here, as sesnible blogger we should just condemn this behaviour period! Whether they were MMD, PF, UPND will not remove the key issue which is that the current politics in Zambia, have no tolerance for democratic views. If you had, this new culture will be un heard of. So bloggers, quit pointing fingers and just condemn this violence period!
Its sad that Now UPND-PF Thugs that went for UPND’s Major CHizyuka and PF pro democratic reform in PF have gone for Mpombo’s blood as Mpombo cowardly runs away.I hope poverty and frustration for empty rhetoric doesn’t take them against their leaders HH and Sata when the battle for PACT leadership starts.I foresee these thugs assassinating their leaders unless Government given them full state protective security.I think they take this Mpombo chap as after their leaders’ opportunity to emerge strong.
you should be ashamed of yourself ba RB coz we don’t expect you to sink that low as to even fund the acts of violence and as for MMD thugs I can say you are beings of lttle faith and knowledge and indeed you are ignorant, why should you attack an innocent man all in the name of loyalty? Think before you do anything. now that you failed, we shall see where the 30 pieces of silver you received will take you!
Even Chizhuka was clobbered by MMD, the tricky is naked!
Backward MMD this is 2009 and not 1909. Grow-up you idiots!
Kweena ba Movement for Mad Dogs elo Bapwile eee!Im sure they are the ones who are sending cadres disguised as UPND-PF members to beat up people at every press brief in order to paint a picure of violence in the pact, particularly PF.Remember the Zero Option and the Black Mamba stupidity under Kafupi?
I have some important news, Mpombo was about to highlight a few issues that would not have been in the interest of the pact. I hear he was about to castigate Sata and HH on the hunger they have for power to have gone to bed without properly adressing issues of consolidation and further show Zambians how undemocratic they are with the way that the y hundled chizyuka. This news reached our president HH who quickly acted on it, to make sure that PF/UPPND does not look like a bad party, and similalrly expose ruling party as an undemocratic party. Thus it was ordered by HH and not Sata. Alas the use of PF symbol. HH is coniving litle prick!
clement for real chiwamina galu kuluma mbuzi not mbuzi kuluma galu. lol
MMD Cadres at work, how sad
Lelo lelo, when it was chizyuka againts the thugs, all of you were supporting it. Now that its is a possible PF sympathasiser atti its not us. Zed politics, look at how shallow we have gone. This is the begining of the kind of political anarchy we will witness when some people come into power. My God please bless my country, save us from this new hooligan system of politics.
this violnce can get out of hand. We need to stop it right, Yesterday it wasChizhyuka, today mpombo, tommorow it will be you
Chiwamina galu. When Chizyuka was attacked, you were very happy. Now why are you complaining when the spear is in your house. You started this yourselves. So lets see how far it will go. Viva thugs. Chizyuka must be smiling
RB time for primitive of politics has gone. Sata is the darling of the ordinary people and it seems you are part of these hired loose MMD cannon disguising in PF by using slogans and the symbol. Many mature person can see the stupidity exhibited by MMD thugs and this is how visionless and crooks resort to do.
We are not idiots not to know that it is MMD doing that. Whats will be the benefit of PF/UPND to do that after all we are waiting for that election to choose him as our candidate and win it under the PACT
This is how low MMD is becoming by using PF symbol and slogan as a violent political party. It a shame on the MMD part as they know who are these people or cadres.Using a symbol or slogan of another political party is criminal act and is beyond modern politics but stone age politics or politics of prostitution and poverty. MMD is finished.
Just shave his gottie….What is this fool waiting for to join the PF
Lucky brat next time he wont be that luck and for sue he will taste the machete….Sata has promised to loan the gang he commadered in Chawama and this brat will surely not escape next time