admin

Zambian rights activists Saturday hailed as a “huge milestone” a decision to scrap two British colonial-era laws: the death penalty and making criticism of the country’s leader a punishable offence.

President Hakainde Hichilema, whose party was in opposition for over two decades, had promised that he would scrap the laws if elected to the top job.

“President Hakainde Hichilema has assented to the penal code of 2022 abolishing the imposition of the death penalty and the offence of criminal defamation of the president, which has been on the Zambian statute books since (the) pre-independence era,” presidential spokesman Anthony Bwalya said in a statement on Friday.

Human rights activist Brebner Changala said the decision was a “huge milestone in the removal of colonial laws that do not fit in the democratic dispensation of the country”.

The executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue Caroline Katotobwe said Zambians would now speak freely.

“As stakeholders we are elated that this repressive law is finally done away with. Thus, allowing citizens to freely express their views without fear of prosecution as was the case in the past,” she said.

Zambia gained independence from British rule in 1964. The southern African nation is home to 18 million people.

There was drama on Friday as angry fans threw plastic bottles at Portable, the controversial singer, during a concert organized by Small Doctor.

Portable was among the artists enlisted for the concert titled ‘Afro and the Beats’.

The concert was held at the Agege Stadium in Lagos state.

The drama started when Small Doctor introduced the ‘Zazoo Zeh’ crooner to the audience but was vehemently rejected by the crowd.

In now-viral videos, members of the audience were seen throwing bottles at him.

Apparently cheesed off, Portable fired back at the audience, saying they “invited a madman”.

“Agege, the devil cannot build a house close to Jesus…know what you are doing, you are the one that invited a mad man, you will see madness,” he said.

His remark further infuriated the audience, with many of them asking him to leave the stage.

Small Doctor tried to intervene as he pleaded with the audience for calm.

“It won’t be well with anyone that disrespects you, do you want to put me to shame? Please don’t be angry,” he told the audience.

But the aggrieved crowd insisted Portable must leave the stage.

The reactions of the audience may not be unconnected to Portable’s recent remark about Small Doctor and Agege residents.

On Thursday, Portable had rained curses on Small Doctor and claimed he is more popular than the ‘Penalty’ crooner in Agege.

“Werey (idiot), he (Small Doctor) said they should strip me, that he will come and settle it. Ogun will kill you Small Doctor, I’m tougher than you….it won’t be well with you, where is your father’s house in Agege, I’m from Agege…I only ran away from home because of money, you sent Awawa boys to catch me…,” he said in Pidgin.

It is understood that Agege fans loyal to Small Doctor considered his remark as a disrespect to the region.