JOIN DRIVERN TAXI AS PARTNER DRIVER TODAY!
MINISTER of Home Affairs Davies Mwila yesterday told Parliament that Government will soon introduce a law to restrict the sale of machetes commonly known as pangas.
Mr Mwila said in the wake of politically-orchestrated violence, Government will be compelled to put in place a law to guide the selling of machetes.
The minister was responding to a question by Kasempa member of Parliament Kabinga Pande (MMD), who wanted to know if a machete is an offensive weapon, during points of clarification.
This is after Mr Mwila presented a ministerial statement on the alleged curfew in Choma and training of militia in Lusaka.
“Mr Speaker, machetes are sold openly on the streets. Do we need a permit to own a machete? In the villages almost every house has an axe and a machete to use for cutting trees and branches. So, is a machete an offensive weapon?” Mr Pande asked.
The minister explained that one does not need a permit to buy a machete but that Government will soon restrict its sale.
“Government will soon introduce a statutory instrument to restrict the sale of pangas,” Mr Mwila said.
Mr Mwila told the House that police raided a property in Lusaka following intelligence information that the UPND was training militias with a view to disrupting peace if it loses the general elections.
“Sir, police found the following offensive weapons at the premises: seven machetes, one pistol, one golf stick, a number of catapults and five pairs of boxing gloves. A training register with names of people who had participated in the training exercise code named ‘50 percent plus one’ was also found in the training hall,” Mr Mwila said.
And Mr Mwila said there is no curfew in Choma or any other parts of the country.
“The deployment of police in Choma is normal. They are part of the continued police efforts that Zambia as a whole remains peaceful,” he said.
Zambia Daily Mail
