🇿🇲 CAMPAIGN WATCH | Hichilema Returns to Copperbelt as Final Campaign Intensifies
President Hakainde Hichilema has arrived in Mufulira District on the Copperbelt, where he is this afternoon expected to address residents at Kamuchanga Grounds as the UPND enters another critical phase of its nationwide re-election campaign.
The President’s arrival comes barely a day after concluding an intensive two-day campaign swing through Eastern Province, where he held a series of rallies across Katete, Chadiza, Vubwi, Kasenengwa, Chipangali, Mambwe and Chipata.
His immediate return to the Copperbelt reflects what increasingly appears to be a deliberate strategy of reinforcing key electoral battlegrounds rather than simply completing a province-by-province tour.
With just over a week remaining before Zambians vote on August 13, the Copperbelt remains one of the country’s most decisive political theatres. Home to more than 1.29 million registered voters, the province has historically shaped presidential outcomes and is expected to feature prominently in the final days of campaignin
Unlike Southern, Western and North-Western provinces, where the UPND has traditionally recorded commanding margins, the Copperbelt is regarded as a competitive province where relatively small swings can translate into tens of thousands of votes.
President Hichilema’s message has remained largely consistent throughout the campaign. Rather than unveiling major new promises, he has asked voters to renew his mandate on the basis of continuity, pointing to free education, increased Constituency Development Fund allocations, expanded Social Cash Transfers, teacher and health worker recruitment, agricultural support and ongoing infrastructure investment.
The campaign has repeatedly framed the election as a choice between consolidating reforms already underway and changing course midway through implementation.
The Mufulira engagement also marks another chapter in the UPND’s evolving electoral strategy. After becoming the first presidential candidate to physically campaign in all ten provinces, Mr Hichilema has begun revisiting carefully selected districts across Central, Western, Eastern and now the Copperbelt, signalling a campaign increasingly driven by electoral arithmetic rather than geography.
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