WHERE IS THE VOICE OF AUTHORITY, WHERE IS THE VOICE OF REASON?

guest blog

By Chishala Kateka

Over the last few years, a lot has been happening in this our country of Zambia. Enough drama that, people elsewhere, would only see in a lifetime.

Life for the ordinary Zambians has become unbearably hard. The pinch is being felt even for the fairly well to do.  You see, when you have a lot of people living below the poverty levels, the rich will not be spared because the have nots will ask from those that have. That is why it is difficult to live a life of endowment in an impoverished land, unless you do not possess a heart.

If you do possess a heart, you will keep reaching out to help – if not one, then the other. You will constantly keep sharing. The Bible puts it this way “He who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little had no lack”. At least that is the way things should work.

There are some, even in families, that feel that they should be the only ones to prosper. This mindset is not good.  As long as your neighbor is in lack, then you will not enjoy what you have gathered. Let us try and give each other a hand up. This is also the reason why we buy from those ladies selling cassava or bananas on the road, even when we do not need them – to be of help to them.

Returning to the happenings in the nation, we have had the issues of

• Seer 1
• Tribal comments
• Ritual killings
• Gassings
• Vigilante groups torching and killing whosoever they deem to be perpetrators of the gassings and ritual killings

One does not need to be a keen observer to note that the country is in a state of flux. The situation that we find ourselves in is not good. A lot of the issues we find ourselves faced with can be taken in hand if the relevant authorities would speak or act timeously. Why do we wait for a situation to deteriorate before we begin to speak or to act?

I would like to share a very important lesson from scripture.

Never Allow Vacuums
1 Kings 1:1-6
Now Kind David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be found for our lord the king and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm”. So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king knew her not. Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying “Why have you done so”

The lesson in this is what I would love for us as Zambians at whatever level, to learn from.

While David was busy with Abishag – he was not doing what he was supposed to be doing, passing on the baton to the rightful person as per God’s instructions. Because of this, someone else who ought not to ascend to the throne made HIMSELF king. King David only had to ‘SAY’ something to stop Adonijah from doing what he was doing, but he did not. David had the authority. He was the king! Adonijah saw the vacuum and decided to fill it.

In the matter of the gassings, we have had a deafening silence from those with the authority to speak or act and control the situation. Because of this, the situation has been getting progressively worse.

​Leadership has not been provided and so others are arising to provide that leadership because of the vacuum. We heard Dr. Nevers Mumba rising up and providing leadership in this regard. He issued a statement and then declared a fast for Sunday 16th. If those that ought to do not provide the leadership, someone else will.

Then we heard the Government declaring a fast for the same day and now shortly after that the churches have made another declaration for a 3 day fast 20th to 22nd February.
This matter requires not only prayers – but requires action as well. 

The Vigilante Groups
Judges 17:6 states…
In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Chapter 21:25 repeats this.

I live in what used to be called Valley View but is now known as Mutendere East. This used to be an area where 5 acres plots were allocated to some people but the MMD cadres overrun, took over peoples plots of those that had not yet built or taken possession, demarcated those plots into 12 X 15 meter plots and sold them to the very willing public. I give this background because I am literally on ground zero with regard to observing what is going on.

Every night, you hear the noises of someone being caught and burnt or the vigilante groups of drunken youth going about looking for someone to lynch. I am almost sure that what is going on here is what is pertaining on the ground in other parts of the city and the country.

People are being killed every day – merely on suspicion of being a ‘gasser’.  The other day, a lady (Mika Mwambazi) was stopped on Great East Road by a group of men that looked like they were high on something, demanding to search her vehicle.  Fortunately for her, she drove off but not before one of the men shattered her rear windscreen with a brick.  She probably saved herself from a gang rape or even being killed. She drove straight to the police station and reported the matter.  I wonder whether the police did anything about this.

The vigilante groups are taking matters in their own hands because they see a vacuum. If we are not careful, those vigilante groups will occupy our streets and turn into a law unto themselves. They will turn into criminal gangs and will not be controlled. Why are we not curbing these activities now?

Why must we, as citizens leave in fear in our own homes and in our land?

​Where is the voice of authority in all this?  May those in authority please occupy their space well and take charge?

Mob Action – Our Responsibility

When a suspected ‘gasser’ is caught guilty or not, a mob descends on them and takes the law into their own hands. This person is beaten to a pulp and burnt by the mob – men, women and children! Since when have Zambians become bloodthirsty people? They bay for this person’s blood and are actually proud of their accomplishments after the deed is done.

Dear Zambians, if this issue needs to be sorted out, we must get to the root of the matter. The only way we can do so, is by interrogating the very people you are killing. So even when these people are arrested by the police, you follow and torch the police post. 

What sort of thinking is that?

• That dead person will now not reveal who sent them, that’s for sure
• That police post will have to be rebuilt at some point using tax payer’s money

If a mob can lynch people based on mere suspicion, then we are all (including those lynching others) vulnerable to that same suspicion and subsequent lynching. If only those in authority could speak to the public and educate them, they would understand. Please occupy your space, speak out.

Effect of the burnings on the Zambian people

Let us not, for a minute, think that our society is going to be left unscarred as a result of the mob actions we are taking. We laughed the South Africans to scorn over their xenophobic attacks. We thought that they are heartless people.  What is the difference with what we are doing?

Our national conscious will become seared and killing will become the order of the day and will become meaningless. Most of the people being killed are innocent. Their blood will cry out from the ground to their Creator.

​We shall not come out clean in this whole thing.

Those in a position to do something – please speak out; do something before we go into deeper trouble than we already are! There is a spiritual consequence to pouring out blood. Let the church rise up strongly and condemn these acts, let the political leaders speak, let the police speak out and act, let the public speak out. May the voice of reason rise in Zambia!

Division along political lines

The country is deeply divided along political lines. Everything seems to boil down to the fact that one is either in support of the ruling party – the Patriotic Front, or in support of the main opposition – the United Party for National Development.

As Zambians, we seem to have lost the capacity to reason as we support our preferred parties and candidates.  Even when they do something wrong, we seem to support them blindly. Even when the other side does something that is right, we boo them.

I have seen a trend on Facebook where we have some people that continuously pour scorn on the ‘other side’ as if their life depends on it. Views of their naysayers are deemed to be nonsensical and not to be entertained at all – even if they are logical. Remember that we are a multi-party nation and people are entitled to their opinion. It is not he that speaks the loudest that carries the day. Remember that you are not the ultimate repository of wisdom, yours is just ONE of the opinions. When you do express it, please do so in a less derogatory manner otherwise you begin to sound like a clanging symbol.

Rather than just pouring scorn on the other side, debate and show cause as to why your view should carry the day. That is maturity. Let us not do politics like that fellow citizens. Let us not fall into the “we are always right” trap and point fingers at one another. Let us reason together. Let us occupy this space like mature people.

​May those that are heading their parties give guidance to their members.

Division along tribal lines

I am of the view that this is a tool that is being used by politicians to support their candidature. My appeal to Zambians is that, let us not allow this. Outside of the political arena, we do very well as One Zambia, One Nation.

I would even go as far as to say – let us decampaign anyone promoting voting on tribal lines whether they are in our preferred party or not. Let us agree that Zambia is bigger than any political party. The political parties found Zambia and they will most likely, leave it. Before the political parties were, Zambia was.

​Let the voice of reason prevail in the nation!

The Seer 1 Saga 

In Africa, we are a deeply spiritual people – whether Christian or otherwise. We believe in “something.”  Africans are by their very nature superstitious people. This then is the reason why someone will come and say to you that when you see a cockroach in your house or a fly sitting on your wall, it could be a force of darkness sent against you. You must bind it – and since you have no way of knowing whether this is true or not, you go ahead and do so. We also believe that to ‘sit’ or occupy a certain position – Chieftainship, Ministerial post, Presidency or even at CEO level, you must be protected and re-enforced with certain powers.

The problem with this is that when you go to get those powers, you will rely more on those powers than on your ability and capabilities in order to deliver. You feel that the ‘powers’ will see you through.  Needless to say, that your delivery will be below par.

We heard Seer 1 stating the fact that certain people had gotten powers from him and that he would name them unless they returned the powers.

So far, I have only seen one fairly unknown person mentioned. 

Why did Seer 1 not engage these people privately before coming to rant in the public? Why did we, as Zambians, pay so much heed to this incident? The whole nation was interested with these goings on as we were baying for the revelations of those that went to get powers especially by those looking for the downfall of some of those that we hope will fall.  Even I held my breath! 

How many man hours were lost in the process?