🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Mundubile Sharpens Economic Attack, Says UPND Has Failed Ordinary Zambians
Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile on Sunday intensified his campaign offensive against the ruling UPND, accusing the government of failing to improve the lives of ordinary citizens despite spending nearly five years in office.
Addressing supporters shortly after attending a church service in Ndola’s Chipulukusu township, Mundubile framed the August 13 election as a choice between what he described as continued hardship and a new political direction under the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Progress (NRPUP).
Standing alongside running mate Makebi Zulu, the opposition leader urged residents to turn out in large numbers and vote, arguing that the current administration had failed to address the cost of living pressures facing many households.
“We’ve come to borrow your vote because others who borrowed your vote in the past, they just wasted it,” Mundubile told supporters. “Have they reduced the price of mealie meal? Have they reduced the price of cooking oil? Petrol? We’re just suffering, isn’t it?”
The opposition leader also accused the UPND government of prioritising foreign interests ahead of local citizens, one of the strongest themes emerging from his campaign message on the Copperbelt.
“They value foreigners while we love Zambians above all,” he said. “Our resolve is to free our country whose majority are the poor. We want to improve the lives of our poor citizens.”
Mundubile challenged the ruling party’s development record, arguing that infrastructure projects associated with former president Edgar Lungu remain more visible than projects undertaken since 2021. Referencing facilities such as airport developments and the Kafulafuta Dam project, he questioned what major infrastructure achievements voters could directly attribute to the current administration.
“Our friends, in their five years in government, have not done even a single thing,” he said. “Before President Edgar Lungu died, the works he did are still showing.”
Employment and youth opportunities also featured prominently in the address. Mundubile alleged that access to government jobs had become increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens and promised that a Tonse Alliance government would create opportunities that benefit future generations.
He argued that recruitment into public institutions should be accessible to all qualified Zambians regardless of background or connections.
As the campaign enters a more competitive phase, Mundubile concluded with a call for voter mobilisation, warning supporters against complacency. “Don’t feel lazy to vote,” he said.
“Even a small group of people can win an election. Go out and vote. Two weeks after August 13, we’ll come back to thank you.”
The remarks come as opposition parties intensify campaign activities across the Copperbelt, a province expected to play a decisive role in determining the outcome of Zambia’s 2026 general election.
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