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Rising political tension is brewing as government has warned former president Edgar Lungu, and his supporters, to desist from conducting public jogging exercise, with the police claiming that it constitutes unlawful assembly.
The warning was issued in Lusaka by Police Spokesperson, Rae Hamoonga, on Sunday, noting that the unlawful assembly and political activism conducted by Patriotic Front (PF) cadres was a matter of security concern.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Information and Media Director Spokesperson, Thabo Kawana, has also said there was no truth in President Hakainde Hichilema not contesting the 2026 presidential elections.
On Saturday, September 23, 2023, Lungu and some individuals were seen conducting a morning jogging routine.
“We would like to warn the Patriotic Front cadres that public gatherings or demonstrations, including political events, should be notified to the police as by law established,” he said
Hamoonga said failure to do so amounted to a breach of the law. He added that this was to ensure public safety, traffic management and to prevent disruptions to the daily lives of citizens.
“What transpired on Saturday where Patriotic Front cadres went about disrupting the free flow of traffic amounts to unlawful assembly and going forward shall not be tolerated,” Hamoonga said.
He advised that such a procession by a former Head of State should be done with his security detail and devoid of political activism.
Commenting on a video circulating on social media about Hichilema’s re-election, Kawana said the law would deal sternly with individuals in the habit of spreading fake news.
Read more :Opposition PF says campaign to deny ex-President Lungu immunity will fail
Kawana said that spreading of lies was an offence and those perpetrating it risked being punished in accordance with the law.
The warning came in the wake of a video circulating on social media purporting that President Hakainde Hichilema would not seek re-election in 2026.
“We therefore wish to inform the nation that the video making rounds on social media and other media platforms is fake and should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves,” Kawana said.
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