NOEL IYOMBWA writes
A BUS driver was hacked and left for dead by suspected call boys whom he had refused to pay for their illegal station within the Lusaka central business district.
Edson Tembo, is a driver working for Capital Buses commonly known as Flash which operates at Millennium bus station in the central business district.
Edson was hacked in the head and left bleeding in the dead of night after parking his bus.
He is one of the latest victims in the illegal bus stations stand off between callboys and bus drivers, who are harassed and forced to cough out fees at illegal bus stops.
The matter has been reported to police and government is aware of this standoff.
Mr Tembo suffered a deep cut on the back of his head and on his left ear.
He narrated that on a day he could not remember clearly but in April, he was attacked shortly after parking his bus.
āWhat happens is that when you are working during the day with your bus, these call boys ask for money and when you refuse to give them, they will do anything.
āSo, on that particular day I was going home around 20:00 hours when suddenly I was hit with an unknown object in the head. When I woke up in hospital I was told by some eyewitness, a fellow bus driver who was also attacked the same night, that I was attacked by call boys from the station,ā he said.
Mr Tembo said he was admitted to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) for two days.
He reported the attack at Emmasdale police station but no arrest has been made despite giving the police a clue about the perpetuators.
Mr Tembo said as a result of the attack, his eye sight has been affected and doctors have advised him to seek the help of an eye specialist.
And Capital Buses proprietor Ishmael Kankhara is disappointed with the failure by the police and the city council to enforce law and order on the call boys who have continued to harass his bus drivers.
Mr Kankhara said the police were not supposed to be reminded to enforce the law on individual law-breakers.
He said meetings had been held regarding the matter but there had been no improvement.
Very sad indeed