President Hakainde Hichilema has ordered for the immediate arrest of suspected United Party For National Development cadres who took to the streets and damaged personal property in Lusaka today.
The President who was speaking during a Press briefing at State House this afternoon said he will not support violence of any nature and has asked all UPND members to avoid reacting to provocation with violence.
He added that his government promised to restore the rule of law once elected into government and has ordered the Zambia Police to enforce the law, failure to which the army will be engaged.
Mr. Hichilema noted that it is concerning to see the amount of divisive speech being spread in the country and the threat to national peace and unity in the country.
He disclosed that the Cabinet has resolved to stiffen penalties for advocates of violence and law breakers and other vices such as corruption to deter would-be offenders.
The President also reiterated the government’s commitment to fight corruption and explained that the fight is being implemented by recovery of assets and conviction or acquittal after investigations.
He said the country now has the regulatory and technical capacity to persecute corruption cases which he said should be concluded within 5 months after investigation.
And in response to concerns over the high cost of purchasing alternative sources of energy, President Hichilema tasked providers of alternative sources of energy to pass down the benefit of the tax waiver on solar equipment to the beneficiaries.
President Hichilema said government is working around the clock to ensure the economy does not collapse as a result of the energy deficit, including initiatives such as the tax waiver.
The Head of State further disclosed that government will introduce the open access initiative which will allow for the purchase of excess energy from solar energy.
President Hichilema said the drought that the country experienced has created a serious energy deficit for the country and has assured the nation everything is under control.
The President further assured the nation that government has made progress in rebuilding the economy through debt restructuring and the resumption of mining activities and has asked for patience from citizens during the difficult times.
Politics is about numbers. Cadres can be controlled and looked after by party structures.
Vigilantes, cadres or whatever name we will give them are Zambians and should not be marginalized.
Soldiers to man vigilantes!
” We worked and collaborated very well with Kambwili on the tribal hate campaign” confessed by UPND. Kabwili has since been arrested. His collaborators are still a free. Can the collaborator be arrested – please. If Musamba has failed to arrest these collaborators…LET THE ARMY MOVE IN AND ARREST THOSE UPND members who collaboratted with Kambwili.
. Patience has run out among the UPND cadres. They feel cheated seeing those who were not in the battlefield “eating” while they remain hungry. They have seen people from no where being posted in the foreign service. CDF is eluding them. There leaders are getting mine licences owning mines. THey have waited patiently . Nothing is coming their way. There leaders have abandoned them. Where is Mwaliteta? Where is Liwaniso, ? Where is Jere? Where is Mwiinde? And indeed where is Batuke Imenda? They have failed managed their distruntled youths. Now the Army MUST come and intervene?
Guys this is a working govt. This is how solutions are made…. You don’t run away from challenges you face them head on and create solutions
IG needs to be fired
INDEED HE DOES !!!
TOGETHER WITH ZESCO TOP BRASS
You cannot reason with someone who always think he is right, the sheer arrogance of this chap baffles me.
HH loves to showcase himself on platforms like this ( he loves attention & believes he is the most intelligent president ever ). He loves to remind pipo that he is the commander in-chief of the armed forces.. please everyone knows that!!!
Peronality attack wont help anyone. Safe guarding our property from cadres is important. You will NEVER change anyone by attacking some’s personality.
Lungu NEVER had a press conference and NEVER addressed issues of cadres.
Zambians I don’t know what you really want.
I saw his ( hh ) briefing & I could not finish it coz, I have had an old friend with such character & his ending was very bad. I cannot stand his dictatorship tendencies, his countenance tells it all.. Bane finshi mwaletontonkanya kanshi pa ku votela uyu muntu? The sad part of it is that he thinks he knows it all.. shame
Had an old pal with such character & his ending was so sad, he lost everything.
Cannot stand his arrogance & dictatorship tendencies, his countenance tells it all.. Bane finshi mwaletontonkanya kanshi pa ku votela uyu muntu?
I can never stand his demeanor, the most difficult person to reason with is the one who thinks he knows it all. I pray ZEDIANS back home in Africa have a wake up call now. The army is coming to knock at your doors.. saves you right!!!
Just because he can hold his own in a press comference unlike that drunkard lungu,……..
Does not mean he is bad………
Vote wisely vote for HH7 in 2026/31
@ UFIMBENUMA
Why are always negative whatever GRZ says its bad to you, please grow up learn to appreciate when good policies are implemented. That panga party of yours is gone for good just engage in entrepreneurship if you have no skill there is CDF to assist you.
Let’s see the first police officer to arrest a Upnd member.
He threatened Edgar Lungu at this press conference without giving a specific crime Lungu may have committed. Is the army mandated to make civilian arrrests? He failed to refer to the cadres who insulted and threatened Lungu.
On electricity: WHAT HAPPENED TO ” THERE’S NO LOADSHEDDING BECAUSE OF BACKGROUND WORK WE HAVE BEEN DOING QUIETLY”?
I have been a strong critic of this President to make him better and I must say this has to go down as one of his best speech. I advocated for stiffening the laws to stop those trying to divide this nation and he has done exactly that. We shouldn’t be shrouded in tribalism in this day and age. Tribe should be replaced on all legal documents with nationality. If we all identify as Zambian, then it becomes our duty to serve our nation with distinction. Only selfish and lazy people tend to hide behind tribalism because it’s their only way of survival. I hope those experimenting with tribal wars will take up the offer by the president to travel to Rwanda.
Even last weekend, UPND cadres blocked Mumbwa road at a place they were hosting a funeral and were stopping cars and hurling insults at everybody. By the way why did that case in Kasama were UPND cadres went to beat a government official end. Usually there are loud calls for arrests but released quietly, it’s normally window dressing, because by now we could have atleast one name of a UPND cadre arrested in the past 2 years
Bring in the army…… Musamba has failed!!!
Army? Do you know what you are talking about? This is a democracy not a military regime. If the police fail it means the reigning party has failed. It’s government’s job to ensure civility. When there is a breakdown that is failure by those ruling and it means someone else leading another civil political party must take over. Certainly not the army!
We will wait to see if those UPND cadres who created confusion at LAKE ROAD will be arrested. If not lets the army move in . THIS IS THE BIGGEST TEST !!!!!
Musamba arrest those cadres otherwise you are a gonner. The army will move in.
Princess Kasune’s biography on the National Assembly of Zambia’s website states that she has a master’s degree in divinity, and a Masters in Non-Profit Administration.
He doesn’t want a lawyer for obvious reasons.
What is Divinity? And what is non proft administration? Administering schools, Old people’s homes or churches?
Yesterday I realised our beloved HH realises he might serve one term. My take home? 1. That he sends ‘spies’ to tell him what’s on blogs? ..and he ‘laughs’ at the feedback…well Sir you have a paid intelligence wing it can provide you accurate data on true feeling of the citizens 2. He said he was a ‘transactionalist’ uhm indeed we only need to look at sun hotel and lima bank 3. He instructed the SC to minute his instructions to avoid ‘hanging around sessions’ well sir forest 27 is still standing! the VXs bought under your watch havent been sold per your instructions!4. Lastly the filling of the vacant ministry was fine but please relook at Justice maybe you can send Hon K to community development and look for a Justice minister…hope your ‘spies’ share this with you.
Who takes the presidential pronouncements seriously?
1. No more toyota VX …Sell all of them. ( More are being bought)
2. Sell the presidential jet….(It is still there.)
3. No more caderism..(.Upnd cadres have now even started beating innocent citizens.)
4. There will be regular press briefings – When was the last one?
5. Cut down on travelling by ministers, MPs and senior Civil servants….. They are still travelling.
6.Arrest the Upnd cadres…..Lets wait and see if Musamba will do it.
7. Lungu will be arrested…. Lets wait and see if Musamba will do it.
8. I will bring in the army…….Lets wait and see.
Kwacha to stabilise in two hours after swearing in?
No more loadshedding? navinangu na vinangu
You see, Bitterness, Anger & Unforgiveness consumes you. So when you have such a leader this is what you get like what is happening back home in Zed Africa.
It will be yet another wasted 5 years full of rhetoric and near-misses in terms of policy implementation. We need to dismantle structures such as cadrism and this idea that tribe can trump anything. There’s the Copperbelt as a shining example of how tribe can be diluted; send in your best brains to actually study that cultural setup and see how you can implement it. After all, anything for peace and harmony, right? Legislation will not do it. Other than that, a lot of good thinigs in the presser that I suspect will just end up as near-misses as is the Zambian way of politicking.
Actually there’s no tribalism among our peoples. It’s the treatment of certain people that’s brewing up this discontent. Play the cards openly and fairly everyone will forget which tribes they come from.
On the Economy: Lungu is standing in the way of our economic recovery.
Sure? How can Lungu stand in your way. Yes he may have messed up but definitely he cannot stand in your way unless he’s more powerful than a sitting president.
Clutching at straws! Lungu weak and harmless as he is? Oh sorry I shouldnt make conclusions since I havent checked his bank account.
On Tribal Hatred: Recently a representative of the Upnd urged the mines in North Western Province to give priority to the local people….is this not tribalism… jobs are advertised and only the right candidate will get that job.
If it was like this in the olden days, the copperbelt wouldn’t be the way it is now. It would only have the owners of the province.
Unless one entirely grew up in a rural setting, one would not appreciate the development that can be achieved through cross-pollination of people.
Yet you dont complain when CDF in your region is given priority to companies from your region ……..????
#Spaka… what’s CDF? Those are things I don’t care about….. even the cash transfer we know there are people who have the means or are able to have means but are on this scheme… because of connections… they just use the K200.0 on alcohol.
On Lungu’s arrest. Edgar Lungu will be arrested if he continues to break the law…. meaning he has already broken the law and should be arrested. First time I am hearing of a police officer telling a thief that next he steals he’ll be arrested.
Bottom line….there are no grounds to arrest him and his immunity doesn’t extend to what he’s doing now.
But Nevas Mumba will say; THIS IS THE HH I KNOW.
Lungu is behind all this tribal speachers by his MPs and that munior zulu……….
He is holding clandestine illigal gathering disguised as church meetings…….
Why don’t you arrest him…. because that’s what you are good at.
Iwe Spaka unlike you villager from Bweengwa, Lungu was brought up in Chimwemwe. I bet he speaks more Bemba than Nsenga and has never been to “his village”. Copperbelt doesnt know tribes. Just look at the people it votes into any office. Vernon Mwaanga made Luanshya his home, so did Sikota Wina, Simon Kapwepwe made Mufulira his home, Baldwin Nkumbula made Kitwe his home, Warren Mwambazi wont be uprooted from Ndola etc. We are a liberated lot. Its you villagers from rural Zambia who are trying to drag us back to primitivity
Arrest the cadres… this is good HH. No selective justice
Unfortunately he has just called for…. not ordered the arrest….see? No firm commitment
I did not hear him speak about the kidnapping of the lawmaker last week!
@luka he did he said they are studying the case of when he the current ‘law maker’ in question attacked and beat up police men on duty …
Which case took place a long time ago. So without the botched kidnap that case would not come up. Since we’re talking about old cases can we please resurrect the case of murder of Mr Kungo in Solwezi.
I dislike the comment “Zambians forget easily” when referring to past negative practices. We took concrete action for those malpractices, we fired the PF and ECL. So why continue to make reference to them and attribute any improvements to the goodwill of the new government. We expect the improvements as a minimum right and if this does not happen, we shall fire again in 2026.
#Spaka because of your deliberately imposed bias you think Edgar Lungu had only his tribesmen in his cabinet…all non easterners/northerners MPs were appointed ministers, Mwakalombe, Lusambo, Kapata, Malanji. Next all provincial ministers were nominated from among the locals and you automatically labelled them enemies including vice president Inonge. Those from Upnd who accepted positions were expelled and ostracized.
I know it’s no use educating you.
Oh Mr President you left a vacancy for Minister for Central Province you might want to appoint Hon Dairies or as he is better known Hon Kahand
Mwiinde some youth chairman has announced that twenty four of those youths have been arrested. But why is the police spokesperson quiet? Because it may not be true.
My biggest challenge in our country is not the double standards by Hakainde but the people that still believe what Hakainde says after all these lies
It’s exactly my feelings about the ignoramuses that have stuck with Donald Trump down here. Perhaps the world is about to end as more fools take the reigns?
He must not deploy soldiers on our streets. We are not dolts. If he wants to run a dictatorship and military government, not in Zambia, but in his place or only to people who support him. He cannot abrogate our laws willy nilly. This is Zambia.