🇿🇲 EXCLUSIVE | Chawama Still Carries Lungu’s Shadow
One year after the death of former President Edgar Lungu, the streets of Chawama offered a reminder that his political legacy remains deeply rooted in the constituency that launched his national rise.
On Friday, Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu spent the day in Chawama, beginning with a memorial church service before embarking on a motorcade through one of Lusaka’s most politically symbolic constituencies.
The response was difficult to ignore.
Supporters lined sections of the roads, waved, chanted slogans and followed the convoy through densely populated communities where Lungu built much of his political identity. Men, women and young people emerged from shops, bus stops and residential areas as the procession moved through the constituency.
The atmosphere was less that of a funeral remembrance and more that of a political homecoming.
Photographs from the event captured supporters raising clenched fists, waving toward the convoy and surrounding the vehicles carrying Mundubile and Zulu. In several locations, residents spilled onto roadside pavements and trading areas to catch a glimpse of the alliance leaders.
The turnout offers an early indication of where Tonse Alliance appears strongest as the campaign enters a critical phase.
Chawama is not just another constituency. It was Edgar Lungu’s political base. It is also where his daughter, Tasila Lungu, later served as Member of Parliament. For many residents, politics remains intertwined with the memory of the former president.
This reality is central to the Tonse Alliance campaign.
Since Lungu’s death last year, the alliance and figures close to the former president have consistently argued that the unresolved burial dispute has denied him a dignified send-off. The issue has evolved beyond a family matter and become a recurring political theme in opposition messaging.
Makebi Zulu, who serves as the Lungu family’s lawyer and spokesperson, has been among the most visible voices on the issue. His presence alongside Mundubile has strengthened perceptions among supporters that Tonse Alliance has become the principal political custodian of Lungu’s legacy.
Friday’s events appeared to reinforce that connection.
Throughout the day, the memory of the late president remained the unifying theme. Supporters repeatedly referenced his name while others used the occasion to express frustration over the fact that Zambia’s sixth president remains unburied one year after his death.
But beyond the symbolism lies an important political question.
Can emotional attachment to Edgar Lungu translate into votes for Brian Mundubile? That remains uncertain.
Political history shows that sympathy, nostalgia and legacy can energise a base. They can strengthen support in traditional strongholds. Winning a national election, however, requires converting sentiment into a broader governing message capable of attracting voters beyond loyal constituencies.
For now, Chawama appears firmly receptive to the Tonse Alliance message.
Whether that energy extends beyond the constituency and into the wider national electorate will become clearer as the campaign intensifies over the coming weeks.
One thing, however, was unmistakable on Friday.
A year after Edgar Lungu’s death, his political presence still looms large over the constituency he once called home.
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