By Saviour Chishimba.
TONGA PERSECUTIONS: STATING IT AS IT WAS
I had no idea about the silent persecutions of Tonga compatriots until I was detained, abused, tortured and humiliated for 7 days and 7 nights, without trial, for simply calling on the government to stop corruption and human rights violations in our country.
By way of preambular emphasis, let me very CLEAR; for as long as we don’t acknowledge that our country’s division deepened during the reign of the immediate past regime, the current issues will not be resolved fairly and comprehensively. The nation will recall how cabinet ministers unapologetically hailed vitriol against Tongas without any condemnation or action from the appointing authority.
Worse still, the regime even appointed a commission of inquiry to look into the voting patterns and electoral violence immediately after the 2016 elections, in which I too participated as a candidate for President of the Republic of Zambia. Where is the report of the commission and what measures did the then regime take to promote national unity? This evidently shows that the commission was simply meant to further annihilate the Tongas. It was all #HighGradeUbupuba politicking through divide and rule.
When I was betrayed and picked from Diamond TV station, taken to an unknown destination, moved to Room 101 at Police Headquarters and eventually detained at Woodlands Police Station, I could not believe what I saw with my own eyes and heard from the victims. The police cell had more Tonga inmates than any others. Was this coincidental? Some of the victims were close to death due to bleeding from wounds which were inflicted on them by the state police and operatives. While in detention, my attention immediately shifted to these victims because I realised that although I too was suffering my situation was nothing as compared to Tonga inmates.
I am still horrified (even as I write) by what I witnessed during my time in detention. Every night, the police cell was packed to capacity as more and more Tongas were brought in. More than 90% of them would be brought close to midnight and by 3am they were picked up while being brutally beaten as the police took them out to other cells somewhere else. When they found me inside, some would exclaim, “…Ah! Bo President Chishimba, you are here?…”. Some told me that the state had been moving them from cell to cell everyday and that their families did not know where they were. They also requested me to pass on information to their families when my time to be released arrived. I smuggled a pen into the cell and I started writing their details and the phone numbers of their wives or close relatives on my toilet paper. The only crime these fellow citizens committed was being Tonga.
When I was unconditionally released by the brutal state from detention, we, in the United Progressive People (UPP), launched the #TouchOneTribeTouchAll campaign.
We are a United Nation of Tribes under One Country. The slogan One Zambia One Nation is actually misleading. It’s not possible for the diverse 73 tribes to be one nation because each tribe is a nation. Therefore we are United Nations One Country.
Before colonial invasion, each of the 73 tribes existed as an independent nation under a tribal king. We were forcibly put under the BSA company rulership through blood and iron. However, we still lived together because this is how we existed before colonialism. We were peaceful tribal nations and even when tribal wars emerged, we were able to make peace among our nations.
Our founders united to liberate this country from colonial settlers. All the 73 tribes paid the price for freedom. Each tribe brought its comparative advantage to the table. Bembas brought courage, Lozis (who were more educated than all other tribes) brought informed strategic direction, Tongas brought money (they started selling cattle to raise money for the struggle), Namwangas brought subtlety/shrewdness, etc. I can list what each tribe contributed, but for time and space. Simply put, all tribes contributed and this included other nationalities like natives of Indian, Greek, Jewish, etc origins whose ancestors settled among us in early 1900s.
Tribal politics from both the ruling and opposition groupings must be condemned and rejected by all patriots. Our country needs healing and the national debate must focus on nation building irrespective of who is President. We can only have one President at a time.
We need solutions to the current crises and all of us must work together from both sides of the divide because this is the only country that we have.
Saviour Chishimba
PATRIOT & LEADER – UPP
Picture Credit: News Diggers – the woman detective opening the door for me to enter the police cell at Woodlands Police Station where I spent 7 days and 7 nights. I have NEVER ever in my entire life been in trouble with the law in Zambia or other countries. This was the first time and I really never expected this to happen to me because I was only speaking for the masses and if the then regime took the advice they would have continued in power today.
TONGA PERSECUTIONS: STATING IT AS IT WAS
