By Times Reporter
POLICE in Kitwe have charged 14 people with arson while 34 others have been remanded for riotous behaviour and malicious damage.

Police Inspector General and spokesperson Brenda Muntemba said yesterday that 48 people, among them a woman, would appear in court soon.

Ms Muntemba said police arrested the rioters on Saturday and Sunday after paramilitary police moved into the area.

She said police had not yet charged the 34 as more people were still reporting the damages caused to their properties.

“The 34 have not been charged yet because people are still bringing in reports of damages to their properties,” she said.

On Saturday, some people set ablaze four vehicles and parts of a mosque in Bulangililo township, before smashing windows to several houses and vehicles belonging to residents of West African origin following Zambia’s 0-1 loss to Senegal in a soccer match.

A Times check at some of the houses found that the attackers had made away with household goods, that included television sets, carpets, radios, clothes and food.

Salimata Sylla, said unknown people besieged her home while her husband Wakary Sylla was away and smashed windows to their five vehicles parked in the yard, before breaking into the house, where they got away with clothes and electronic equipment.

Sylla said she only managed to escape with the children by climbing the wall fence on the other side of the house.

At another house belonging to Yely Ducure, a Toyota Hiace registration ACH 1389, was burnt to ashes after the same group set it ablaze with parts of the house.

And Kalenga Ibrahim, a Moslem found at the mosque complained that the damage caused to the mosque was regrettable especially that it was unjustified.

Mr Ibrahim said the mosque was a Zambian property that benefitted everyone in the township.
“They destroyed everything in the new mosque that has not even been officially opened,” he said.

He said even the borehole that was installed for use by everyone in the township because of erratic water supply, had been damaged.

Mr Ibrahim said the perpetrators took advantage of people’s absence at the mosque and that authorities should ensure that the law took its course.

But some residents told their Member of Parliament Eugene Appel that they were forced to riot after the Senegalese provoked them.

During a meeting at Valley View Basic school on Sunday, the residents alleged that after Senegal had beaten Zambia on Saturday, Senegalese nationals started uttering unpalatables to Zambians.

One of the residents Mcleans Chupa alleged that the Senegalese nationals had said that Zambians were foolish and this was the reason they had lost the match.

Mr Chupa said the Senegalese had also boasted that they had taken all the emeralds in the country and what remained was to take over the country, Zambia itself.

“It was bad after the match, the Senegalese nationals lifted their flag higher and started calling Zambians foolish and worthless people. Our flag was put down as Senegalese nationals stepped on it,” Mr Chupa said.

But Mr Appel advised the people in the area against being emotional and taking the law into their own hands.

He promised that he would investigate what caused the riot.

“Words do not kill, but actions kill. Yes, You may have been provoked, but when you act and beat up people and damage their property, you will be arrested and charged regardless of whether you were provoked or not,” Mr Appel said.

“Football issues should not be mixed with religion. I am really saddened that people went to the extent of demolishing the mosque where Senegalese worship,” he said.

Source : http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=4&id=1125951440