By Amb. Emmanuel mwamba
ABDUCTION, DETENTION AND ARREST OF NGOCC BOARD CHAIRPERSON UNACCEPTABLE
Non-Governmental and Community Based Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Board Chairperson Beauty Katebe was arrested in what can be best described as an abduction.
The Zambia Police Service on Friday May 22, 2026, at the Lusaka Civic Centre accosted, picked and later detained Katebe at Kabwata Police Station alongside 11 other individuals, including former Lusaka Deputy Mayor Ketina “Ketty” Nanyangwe.
It must be recognised that Katebe has been a consistent voice standing up for women and girls and now in this season, the women in politics.
The case of Nanyangwe us poignant as her competitor Chitambala Mwewa brings concerns around the candidature and leadership and highly offends women and the values fir which NGOCC stand for.
It is common knowledge that social media influencer and State House vlogger Chitambala Mwewa (Simon Mwewa Lane) has faced widespread public backlash for statements that critics and gender-rights organizations describe as misogynistic, disparaging, and deeply rooted in baseless stereotypes.
For this reason NGOCC’s stance on decampaigning Chitambala is on firm ground.
Disappointing however, was the conduct of the Zambia Police that chose to take sides and chose to protect Chitambala while abducting Katebe, Nanyangwe and others to prevent her from filing of nominations while clearing and paving a way for Chitambala.
Statements previously issued by Chitambala are dangerous and highly insulting and in many instances, constitute hate speech.
The most prominent controversies regarding his comments on women center around the following incidents:
“They are Slay Queens and Sinhke Mothers.”
Insults to Women in Politics: Mwewa has courted controversy for disparaging remarks targeting women in leadership, with commentators and politicians calling out his generalized, demeaning narratives about female political figures.
The “Slay Queens” Comments: He sparked public anger with statements dismissing female leadership aspirations, going as far as claiming that “slay queens shouldn’t be running the City council” refering to Lusaka Mayor Chilando Chitangala and hrr Deputy, Ketty Nanyangwe.
Generalizing Female Conduct: In a widely condemned post, he generalized female behavior, implying that some women trade their bodies for favors, prompting strong rebukes from civil society and women’s rights advocates.
Public Humiliation of Market Women: Many will remember that during his “Keep Lusaka Clean” campaign, Mwewa filmed and publicly criticized female vendors. Critics accused him of targeting women because they are economically and physically vulnerable, rather than addressing men, to justify his cause at the expense of marginalized women trying to survive.
Backlash from Advocacy Groups: Organizations such as the Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) and keading women’s voice, have consistently rejected his gendered scrutiny of female leaders, demanding instead that women be assessed purely on their professional productivity and integrity rather than baseless, patriarchal stereotypes.
His harrasment of street vendors, hawkers and other traders is well documented.
Ms. Katebe was therefore right to raise a lobby against such a leader.
The Zambia Police therefore misconductef themselves to engage itself in a purely matter of politics.