PRESS STATEMENT
Hakainde Hichilema on the shootings in Chongwe
The events of Friday 14th June 2013 where two unarmed individuals were killed because of land, made sad reading. In a country where the population density is 17 people per square kilometre or 17 people per 100 hectares, meaning each one of us, from a day old to the oldest person can have access to 5 hectares of land comfortably; people not die or be killed for claiming as little as an acre of their 5 hectare entitlement (69 plots of 40x20m)?
My condolences to the families of the deceased, over the needless death of their loved ones. Death is beyond our collective understanding, but when the cause of death is by another human being, it is extremely painful, because the element of avoidance comes into play. I am not sure what drove the man to shoot and kill, and not shoot and disable at the very minimum, whatever his reasons, he made a grave mistake. He made a grave mistake because this is shortly after two people were shot with live ammunition on the Copperbelt, their crime; buying football tickets.
Colleagues, when incidents like these become commonplace, it tells us that there is a deeper problem somewhere. Why are our service men, who should make us feel secure in their presence become a source of fear? This is a question I have no answer to, but possibly someone has an answer out there.
My condolences once more and God Bless the departed.
And UPND Vice-president Canisius Banda wrote on his facebook page