Mangani: Dismissal Was Unexpected,I Have No Comment

Lameck Mangani says he received with a lot of shock the decision by President Michael Sata to drop him as PF Eastern Province chairman.
And Mangani has demanded that police act on the apology by one of the youths that belonged to the Jimbos that allegedly attacked innocent people.
In an interview, Mangani said, “I have no comment right now, it happened and I received it with a lot of shock because I did not expect it although I saw it coming because of the movements of events. I was working for the people of Eastern Province, so I can’t make a quick comment without consulting the people on the ground.”
Mangani was removed from his position for allegedly supporting the Jimbos, a group of drunken youths that harassed and beat up innocent people.
Mangani had defended the jimbos as a group of youths that provided security for him at the time he resigned from MMD.
But yesterday, Mangani said police should thoroughly follow-up issues surrounding the now infamous Jimbos following a public apology for their mischievous behaviour.
He said the issue of the Jimbos was political.
“If indeed they (Jimbos) apologised, it’s a police matter. Let the police take it up. In Zambia assault is a serious offence, so if people have identified themselves that they were beating people, let police take it up, it’s a police case,” Mangani said.
But Eastern Province police commissioner Grace Chipalila said police had not received any reports of anyone having been beaten by a jimbo and that the law enforcers had nowhere to turn to.
Chipalila said police could not just pick up a person for being called a Jimbo without committing any case.
Meanwhile, new PF Eastern Province chairperson Atan Mwamba said the party would transform Jimbos into meaningful youths.
Mwamba said the Jimbos apologised for their mischievous behaviour and had also vowed that they would never repeat what they did.
He said the party wanted to transform Jimbos into responsible youth leaders.
“In fact, that name ‘Jimbos’ is not there, they are responsible youths. As a party, we have embarked on projects that will better their lives, like registering corporatives so that they sustain their living, not depending on day-to-day