PF CADRES  ASSAULT* *UPND ‘IRON’ WOMAN

10.02.2021

Unruly PF cadres this afternoon rounded and assaulted UPND die-hard supporter, Mercy Changwe.

This is the third time the 51-year-old gallant woman has been assaulted by PF cadres in a space of 11 months.

And recounting the unfortunate ordeal in an interview this afternoon, Ms. Changwe narrated that a horde of PF cadres armed with offensive weapons charged on her while she was serving her customers at her stand situated in Woodlands.

She said that the attack comes in the wake of numerous attempts and threats to burn her alive for supporting the opposition UPND, with the most recent one being a failed attempt yesterday as she wasn’t home.

“They (PF) came here yesterday to come and attack me. But when they didn’t find me at home, they interrogated on my whereabouts and phone number. [But] after my daughter told them that she wasn’t aware of my whereabouts, they told her that they’d come back to attack me today,” she said.

She said that around 14 hours, she was confronted by a PF gang driving an unregistered Toyota Alphard who threatened to beat her and pour battery acid on her body, she however refused to succumb to their demands for her to remove UPND regalia from her stand, and they drove off.

She said to her surprise, around 16:00 hours, the same unregistered Toyota Alphard resurfaced buses laden with PF thugs armed with offensive weapons including machetes, iron bars, and knives, who then descended on her.

“It was around 14 hours this afternoon when an unregistered Toyota Alphard drove to my stand (Woodlands). The people on board were PF cadres, they s threatened me and said they were going to burn me to death or pour acid on me. After I challenged them to they decided to drive off. Around 16 hours, the same vehicle reappeared but this time around with buses behind it. That’s how those on the buses started beating me with iron bars and other weapons,” she said.

She said they hit her head and knees and kept warning her that she should never again display her regalia on her stand.

The cadres have since walked away with K3, 000 cash, and merchandise worth K2,000.

Ms. Changwe has sustained a broken ankle, bleeding ears, wounds, head injuries, and fractured arms.

She reported the matter at Nyumba Yanga police station and later went to Chilenje clinic for treatment.

UPND MEDIA TEAM