Despite a public truce and apologies to rival camps, lower ranking members of political gangs operating under the umbrella of PF in Lusaka’s Chawama Constituency once more donated each other’s blood to the ground with beatings using golf sticks, batons and other crude weapons yesterday.
Hell broke loose when the so-called foot soldiers of the group calling itself ‘Amelicans’ wearing bandanas branded with the American flag were returning from a burial of their member when they met a funeral convoy of another PF group associated with elected structures.
However, instead of sharing comrade greetings and campaign tips, the two groups taunted each other and in no time were on each other’s throats trying to kill ‘colleagues’ in the party and potentially lose a voter.
The community were annoyed with the two gangs behaviour of disturbing the peace in the ghetto with their blood thirsty fights.
Mothers, children and some males descended on the group throwing rocks and whatever else they could lay their hands on so as to force them to choose another venue for their fights.
Squeezed between uppercuts and round kicks from party colleagues, and stones and sticks from the community, the hoodlums were lost for choice and scampered away from the community leaving mayhem in their wake.
The low-level cadres engaged in the fight despite their leaders Innocent Kalimanshi and elected PF officials having reconciled and asked for joint campaign efforts.
By press time, Police had not responded to query seeking a comment on the matter.
©Kalemba June 23, 2021
