UPND youth chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso has admitted that the unruly group of young people who stormed the PF Secretariat over the weekend were members of his own party, warning that such behaviour is a danger to the country’s democracy and to the ruling party itself.
Featuring on Hot FM’s Breakfast Show this morning, Liswaniso broke the silence that had surrounded the incident, saying his own inquiries revealed that the youths, who were seen in party regalia, came from Kanyama after holding a meeting in Chinika before embarking on their own roadshow.
Liswaniso distanced senior party officials, particularly Lusaka deputy mayor Ketty Nanyangwe from the attack, saying some people were wrongly linking her grassroots mobilisation programmes to the violent group that descended on the PF Secretariat.
The youth chairperson cautioned that the UPND could not afford to tolerate caderism in any form and that violence risks pushing the ruling party out of favour with voters.
He revealed that he personally spent the day of the incident making calls to establish who the perpetrators were, and that honest members confirmed that they were indeed UPND youths.
“For me my punishment is different from everyone. When you are identified as the ring leader, we chase you from the party,” he said.
The youth boss said UPND had tried its best to reduce caderism despite isolated cases such as the recent attack.
The raid on the PF Secretariat, captured on video over the weekend, left the opposition party crying foul after its members were beaten and property was damaged.
The party has directed authorities to launch investigations into the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
By George Musonda
Kalemba November 17, 2025
