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Davies Mwila

Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
ZAMBIAN legislators yesterday demanded answers from Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila on how the government hoped to ensure safety of foreigners following a wave of xenophobic attacks on Monday.

In a live broadcast of proceedings in the House of Assembly by Zambia’s Parliament Radio, MPs grilled Minister Mwila demanding to know whether the government would compensate foreigners who lost their property in the attacks.

The looters made off with food, drinks, refrigerators and other electrical appliances

Members of Parliament said the attacks which targeted foreigners, mostly Rwandans, were likely to taint the country’s image. The violence started in Zingalume and George compounds in Lusaka on Monday in the wake of the recent murders where some bodies were found without some body parts such as ears, hearts and private parts last month.

Foreigners have been accused of being behind the suspected ritual killings and on Monday hundreds of people rioted and looted shops owned by foreigners, including Zimbabweans, in Lusaka. Some foreigners sought refuge at police camps, Press in Zambian reported.

Minister Mwila told MPs that 11 suspects, two of them foreigners had been arrested in connection with the alleged ritual killings while 254 were detained for the looting spree.

“I want to assure this house and the nation that police are everywhere and the situation has come to normal.

“We’ve arrested 11 suspects for the ritual killings, nine of them Zambians and two foreign nationals while 254 have been arrested in connection with looting. I want to inform this house that no foreigner has been killed,” said Minister Mwila. He said the violence started following false reports that a Congolese who was arrested for conduct likely to cause violence had been released.

Minister Mwila said Zambia was working with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on the fate of refugees in that country, which hosts 400 Rwandan refugees. He said the police were going around all looted shops to come up with the cost so that government is able to make a decision.

One MP had asked: “Is the government prepared to take stock of these foreign nationals so that they live in peace and compensate them for lost property?”

Another one had quizzed: “Can Home Affairs Minister tell us if people are really in safe hands because yesterday police failed to contain the situation. The issue of targeting the attacks on the foreign nationals in the same way that happened in South Africa is putting the name of Zambia into disrepute. What are we doing to safeguard the name of Zambia and that we don’t attack the innocent foreign nationals?”

No official comment could be obtained from the Zimbabwe Embassy in Lusaka but an official from the consulate, who spoke on condition of anonymity since he was not cleared to speak to the Press, said the situation was calm yesterday. Zambia goes to elections in August where incumbent President Edgar Lungu will be seeking to extend his rule.