Munyenyembe: Labour relations legend

MUZ leader Oswell Munyenyembe dies in road horror

By ALEX NJOVU

MINEWORKERS Union of Zambia (MUZ) president Oswell Munyenyembe died yesterday in a road traffic accident on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway. He was 59.
Copperbelt commissioner of police Mary Tembo confirmed the death of Mr Munyenyembe in an interview.
Ms Tembo said the accident happened around 13:10 hours near Maposa sub-station.
She said Mr Munyenyembe, of house number 27 Funda Avenue in Mufulira, died on arrival at Wusakile Mine Hospital in Kitwe where he was rushed for treatment.
“I can confirm that Mr Munyenyembe was involved in an accident. He was being driven by Mr Davies Chibuta, 35, of Natwange township in Kitwe.
Mr Chibuta is still admitted to hospital,” she said.
Ms Tembo said Mr Chibuta was driving a Toyota Prado, registration ACP 873, when the accident occurred.
“The accident happened because of excessive speeding. He (Chibuta) was cruising, he lost control and the vehicle overturned,” Ms Tembo said.
And MUZ deputy president Charles Mukuka described Mr Munyenyembe’s death as shocking.
Mr Mukuka described Mr Munyenyembe as a courageous leader who performed well since his election to the top position in MUZ in November last year.
“We are saddened by the death of our president. We have lost a gallant leader who did a lot  for miners in Zambia,” he said.
And United Mine Workers Union of Zambia general secretary Wisdom Ngwira said miners have lost an experienced union leader.
“We have lost a brother who was experienced in union matters. We needed him around because he was a brave man. He stood for the rights of workers, he was always concerned about the welfare of miners in the country,” Mr Ngwira said.

Kalulushi man charged for 'dog sex'

By ALEX NJOVU

POLICE have slapped indecent assault and defilement charges on the man believed to have been forcing girls to have sex with his dog.
They have also named the man as Evrt jan Wolf, 68, a Dutch engineer.
In an interview in Kitwe yesterday, Copperbelt commissioner of police Mary Tembo said: “We have charged Mr Wolf with defilement and indecent assault because of the nature of the case.
“officers in Kalulushi gave him a lesser charge but since one of the girls was 15 years old at the time and the two others are aged 16, we decided to charge him with defilement and indecent assault too.”
But in a twist that has angered a Lusaka lawyer, police said they have released Mr jan Wolf on bond and he will appear in court soon, an appearance the lawyer doubts will happen since he has been on the run from October last year.
“You don’t give police bond to someone who has been eluding police for weeks or even months,” the lawyer said. “I doubt whether this suspect will appear for mention and I also doubt the police motive for the action but they know better I guess.”
Last year, angry Kalulushi residents ran riot and called for Mr jan Wolf’s arrest after a 16-year-old girl narrated her ordeal with his dog during a public meeting at the Kalulushi Mine Club.
Mr jan Wolf escaped the wrath of the residents and relocated to Lusaka before his capture.
In October, residents stormed Mr jan Wolf’s residence, shattered windows, looted household goods and partially set it ablaze.
The residents also thronged Kalulushi police station and accused the officers of corruption and allegedly intimidating key witnesses.
The residents engaged police in skirmishes and demanded the arrest of Mr jan Wolf, who had fled his home.
Police fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd but the residents later regrouped and blocked roads with logs and stones.
The girl narrated how the man allegedly drugged her and forced her to have sex with his dog for over 45 minutes.
“I was at home cleaning plates when my friend asked me to escort her to see her boyfriend of European origin. When we arrived at his place, my friend introduced me to her boyfriend and offered me a drink which I took. A few minutes later, I started dosing and when I woke up, I found a dog having sex with me,” the girl said.
She accused police of allegedly tampering with evidence and claimed that her life is in danger because some police officers have issued death threats against her and her mother.
If he is found guilty of defilement, Mr jan Wolf may face up to 25 years in jail while the indecent assault case—a misdemeanour—will only earn him less than three years in jail if he is convicted.
And the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) chairperson Beatrice Grillo has said government must urgently deal with sex offenders with the full force of the law.
Ms Grillo was speaking in an interview yesterday, in the wake of police arresting Mr jan Wolf.
“It is horrifying to have such a thing happening to our children. We appeal to the PF government to take drastic measures to put a stop to such degrading activities,” she said.
Ms Grillo said the man must not escape the law by any means.
She said such abominable acts must not be tolerated in the nation.
“We can’t have such things happening in our country and we just sit back, watching. This man must be caged,” Ms Grillo said.
She said the suspect was probably minting millions from selling the videos he was making of girls having sex with his dog.
And Ms Grillo said the country’s morals have declined drastically, resulting in some parents not questioning the activities of their children.
She said some parents are partially to blame for the moral decay in the country.
“Some children disappear from homes and come back with money and parents ask no questions. That is not right,” Mrs Grillo said.
She attributed the trend to growing poverty levels in the country.
She said commercial sex work involving young girls is an indicator that something is seriously wrong in the communities.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of police Martin Malama has called for concerted efforts by families and civil society to curb the escalating gender-based violence in the country.
In an interview yesterday, Dr Malama said the statistics recorded by the Victim Support Unit are alarming and require urgent attention from all stakeholders.
“The level of gender-based violence is worrying and  the Police is appealing to families, the Church and civil society organisations to intervene by way of counselling and other means, to help curb this growing social problem,” Dr Malama said.
Dr Malama said the Church and family members can make a big difference by counselling couples or reporting incidents of violence to the police in good time, to avoid senseless loss of life.
Dr Malama said the police are usually informed after a spouse has been murdered, which is too late.
He said timely intervention in family disputes by church and community leaders will not only save marriages but lives as well.
He said the Victim Support Unit and the Child Protection Unit of the Police Service are always available to deal with such matters.
“Spouses and children are being subjected to violence at home. The Church and community leaders are closer to families, so let them report to the police as soon as they observe abuse,” Dr Malama said.

Kalulushi dog sex man arrested

By ALEX NJOVU

A European man, believed to have been forcing girls to have sex with his dog, has been arrested.
The man has been on police wanted list since October last year but cannot be identified for now because there have been threats on his life since the story broke out.
Last year, irate Kalulushi residents ran riot and demanded the man’s arrest after a 16-year-old girl narrated her ordeal during a public meeting at the Kalulushi Mine Club.
The man evaded the wrath of the residents and relocated to an unknown destination before his capture.
In an interview in Kalulushi on Monday, Copperbelt commissioner of police Mary Tembo confirmed the arrest.
“We arrested the man in Ndola and he will be appearing in court in the first week of February,” Ms Tembo said.
She said police in Ndola have taken over the investigations from their Kalulushi counterparts.
In October residents stormed the man’s residence, shattered windows, looted household goods and partially set the house ablaze.
The residents also thronged Kalulushi police station and accused the officers of corruption and allegedly intimidating key witnesses.
The residents engaged police in skirmishes and demanded the arrest of the suspect, who had fled his home.
Police fired tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd, but the residents later regrouped and blocked roads with logs and stones.
The girl narrated how the man allegedly drugged her and forced her to have sex with his dog for over 45 minutes.
“I was at home cleaning plates when my friend asked me to escort her to see her boyfriend of European origin. When we arrived at his place, my friend introduced me to him and I was offered a drink, which I took. A few minutes later, I started dozing and when I woke up, I found a dog having sex with me,” the girl said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She accused police of allegedly tampering with evidence and that her life was in danger because some police officers allegedly issued death threats against her and her mother.

Kalulushi dog sex man arrested

Jerabos' days numbered

By ALEX NJOVU

MINISTER of Home Affairs Kennedy Sakeni has directed the Copperbelt police command to crack down on a notorious group of criminals called jerabos that has been terrorising Kitwe residents for a long time.
He has also warned that police officers who are on the payroll of the ruthless gang will be purged from the service.
Mr Sakeni has further directed the Police in Kitwe to take over the investigations in which a man in Kalulushi has been accused of using young girls to sleep with his family dog.
He was speaking when he toured Riverside Police Station in Kitwe yesterday.
Mr Sakeni directed the police  in Kitwe to arrest the jerabos and ensure that their activities are briought to an immediate end.
“I am directing the police command on the Copperbelt to deal with these jerabos once and for all. Arrest them. Make sure you meet them with the full force of the law. They cannot continue terrorising our people. Our people need protection and the police officers who are conniving with the jerabos to cause problems in communities must resign now. There are a lot of people looking for jobs,” he said.
Mr Sakeni wondered how a truck -load of cobalt parked at police station in Kalulushi could disappear.
“I want the police officers who helped in the disappearance of the truck that was laden with cobalt to be brought to book, I want them to be arrested, and there is no way cobalt that is at the police station can disappear. This thing happened just before the Patriotic Front (PF) government came into power. I know that some police officers had a hand in the disappearance of the cobalt,” Mr Sakeni said.
He said Government is worried that the jerabos have continued causing havoc on the Copperbelt through their organised crime but warned that their days are numbered.
Mr Sakeni said the police officers who are working with the gang to cause problems in communities must resign and urged the police command to deal with such officers.
“Why should our people in townships sleep early for fear of being attacked because of these jerabos, I want this thing to come to an end. Do not only protect people with money, protect everyone including those who don’t have money,” he said.
Mr Sakeni advised police officers against being on the payroll of any gang, including the jerabos.
He told Kitwe district police commanding officer Musa Chibesa to ensure that the man who is suspected of using young girls to sleep with dogs is arrested as soon as possible.
“I want you the police in Kitwe to take over the investigations and ensure that the man is arrested as soon as possible. Why should the man be protected? Who is he when politicians are being investigated by the police? The police should not side with anyone when conducting their investigations. As government we will not interfere in the work of the police, this is why our colleagues in the past regime must not accuse the PF government of harassing them when the police are doing their job. They must just assist the police with investigations instead of accusing the police of being used to harass them,” Mr Sakeni said.
He described the conditions in the cells at Riverside Police Station as pathetic and pledged that Government would assist in improving the conditions of cells countrywide.
Mr Sakeni said Government would provide modern tools for police officers to deal with rioters.
He told police officers at Kamfinsa College that the new government is concerned with the welfare of the officers but warned them against using live ammunition when dealing with trouble-makers during riots.

Residents riot over dogy -girls sex

By ALEX NJOVU

IRATE Kalulushi residents on the night of October 20 rioted and demanded the arrest of a man of European origin for allegedly forcing girls to have sex with his dogs.
And police have arrested six people for allegedly ransacking the man’s house.
The angry residents stormed the home of the man on Chilengwalesa Road, shattering windows and partially setting it on fire before looting several household goods.
The residents also thronged Kalulushi police station after a 16-year-old girl narrated her alleged sexual encounter with the man’s dogs during a meeting at Kalulushi Mine Club.
They accused police officers handling the case of allegedly receiving bribes from the suspect.
The residents also accused some police officers of allegedly issuing death threats against the girls and key witnesses.
They engaged police in skirmishes and demanded the arrest of the suspect, who had fled his home.
Police fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd, but the residents later regrouped and blocked Mansa Road with logs and stones.
The Copperbelt police command called for reinforcements from Kitwe, but the residents had already caused extensive damage to the suspect’s house.
A check by a Zambia Daily Mail crew at about 20:00 hours found police officers keeping vigil at the house after the residents had already looted it.
Several household goods were found scattered around the house while appliances such as television sets, computers and some pieces of furniture were looted.
Acting Copperbelt police commanding officer Milner Muyambango also confirmed the incident and described it as unfortunate.
“What happened in Kalulushi on Thursday is sad and we are calling on members of the public to desist from taking the law into their own hands. We have since arrested six people who took part in the riot and will appear in court soon,” he said.
Mr Muyambango said the police are expected to hold a meeting with officials of a Christian non-governmental organization (NGO), which is helping the victims to speak out about their experiences.
He said calm has returned to Kalulushi but that police are still keeping vigil to ensure law nd order.
And during a meeting, the girl narrated how she was allegedly drugged by the suspect and forced to have sex with a dog for over 45 minutes.
“I was at home cleaning plates when my friend asked me to escort her to see her boyfriend of European origin. When we arrived at his place, my friend introduced me to her boyfriend and then I was offered a drink which I took. A few minutes later I started dozing and when I woke up I found a dog having sex with me,” the girl said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She accused police of allegedly tampering with evidence and that her life is in danger because some police officers have issued death threats against her and her mother.