POLICE DENY PROTEST MOVEMENT PERMIT TO MARCH AGAINST HIGH COST OF LIVING

Police in Lusaka have denied the protest movement a permit to carry out their peaceful protest on October 18, 2023 against the high cost of living, citing security concerns.

According to a letter dated October 10, 2023, signed by Lusaka Urban District Officer Commanding E. Malama and obtained by Phoenix News, Police say the organizers have not availed their physical addresses for easy communication and coordination.

While acknowledging having received the notification for the protest, police say 500 people is too huge a number for an informal organization to manage arguing that the protesters may fail to control the group as they have no insight into who exactly is marching with them.

Police say the protest movement has not met some conditions citing the provisions of section 5 of the public order act chapter 113 of the laws of Zambia, as read together with section 5 c of the amendment act number 1 of 1996, which requires protesters to provide a list of marshals of sufficient number to monitor the procession, as one of the matters of concern.

Mr. Malama has advised that the protest should not proceed and has warned that going ahead will constitute a breach of peace which is punishable by law while indicating that the protest movement has the right to appeal against the position of the police.

Meanwhile, according to one of the organizers of the protest, Mutompei Nawa, the group is accessing its options but is yet to react to the position of the police.