PF cadres fight in Ndola

As the patriotic Front in Lusaka shores up its support through public rallies a division has appeared in Ndola on the Copperbelt. It appears Patriotic Front (PF) cadres in Ndola May 25 fought when provincial and district officials disrupted a youth meeting organised to launch a movement to prepare for the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The youths, led by Mutale Chileshe, organised a meeting at Mpezeni Hall in Chifubu Township to launch the ‘Youths Unite-2011 a Must’ movement to kick-start the 2011 campaign. However, provincial and district leaders disrupted the gathering, arguing that the organisers had no authority from the party leadership.

Police were called in to quell the violence, while a group of cadres accused the members of the movement of being sponsored by enemies of the party. PF Ndola chairperson Rebby Chanda in the company of provincial and other district leaders, rushed to Chifubu Police Station and requested police to disperse members of the movement maintaining that the group had no blessings from the party.

Chanda and other leaders then drove to Mpezeni Hall and announced that the meeting had been cancelled. This angered organisers of the meeting who clashed with other cadres as police and party leaders struggled to separate the incensed cadres. Chanda said there were people who wanted to destabilise the party and accused the movement of being sponsored.

PF Copperbelt youth chairperson Menyani Zulu summoned the organisers to the provincial office. Some PF members said the group was sponsored to campaign against PF president Michael Sata and propose another leader to stand as presidential candidate in 2011.

But Mr Chileshe said he would only respond to the allegations after meeting the provincial party leadership. The movement members complained that the PF leadership was rigid and that the situation should change if the party wanted to win the next elections. The fight only ended after Mr Chanda and other leaders with the help of the police managed to take one group away. No arrests were made.