A top official from Zambia’s largest opposition party has been arrested and charged with receiving stolen state property, the second in a week, police said Monday.
The arrest of Tiens Kahenya, the treasurer of the United Party for National Development (UPND), came after his party’s supporters seized government equipment used to issue national identity cards.
They claimed the equipment had been used to rig recent parliamentary by-elections.
”He [Kahenya] reported to the police this morning and we have formally arrested him,” a police officer said.
Kahenya, who was immediately released on one million kwacha (around $200) bail, said he did not know why he was arrested.
”I don’t understand why they arrested me when the people who seized the equipment are still free,” he said.
On Friday police arrested the leader of the opposition Zambia Republican Party (ZRP), Ben Mwila, whom they charged with being in possession of state property.
Major opposition parties here that contested recent by-elections in central and northern Zambia, claim President Levy Mwanawasa’s ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) won the polls through fraud.
They alleged that registration cards — which are necessary in order to vote — were illegally issued to MMD voters who were not registered in the two constituencies.
Later on Monday, Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa pleaded with civil servants in the country to end widespread work stoppages, state radio reported.
Mwanawasa said the strike action could lead to unrest in the country, which is already faced with financial difficulties, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) said.
The leader also said the ongoing strike by hospital and court workers amounted to ”cheap blackmail” and urged them to recognise the country was plagued by serious economic problems, according to the radio report.
For the past two weeks Zambia’s legal system has been crippled due by a strike by court workers, who are pressing for higher wages and a housing allowance.
Meanwhile doctors in major city hospitals have also withdrawn their services, accusing the government of failing to pay their housing allowances.
Health Minister Brina Chituwo echoed Mwanawasa’s condemnation of the doctors’ strike.
”We are disappointed with doctors. This is blackmail,” he was quoted as saying by the privately-owned Radio Phoenix.
Workers in several ministries Monday gave the government a seven-day ultimatum in which to raise their wages or face a nationwide work stoppage.
The Zambian government has said it is considering reducing salaries and other allowances paid to civil servants as a cost-cutting measure after overrunning its 2003 budget by more than 600 billion kwacha (about $80-million). – Sapa-AFP