WHAT A MUNDUBILE GOVERNMENT WOULD ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE

WHAT A MUNDUBILE GOVERNMENT WOULD ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE

A widely circulated article by MacPherson Mutale titled “What would a Mundubile government look like?” highlights the questions and hurdles Brian Mundubile’s Tonse Alliance must navigate to form a government. However, that piece stops short. It merely raises questions and skirts around the answers, failing to provide an informed, realistic picture of what a Tonse Alliance administration would actually mean for Zambia. While MacPherson hesitates to give a clear verdict, the reality on the ground provides the definitive answer.

Let us be completely clear: the Tonse Alliance will not form the next government. Zambian voters are highly informed. While public discourse may seem loud, the real majority consists of quiet citizens waiting in their homes for Election Day. When that day comes, reason will prevail over emotion, hatred, and political disorganisation.

Instead of skirting around the issues, we must look directly at the confirmed trajectory of the Mundubile campaign to answer MacPherson’s question. It represents a direct return to the governance style of the Patriotic Front (PF) under Edgar Lungu. Based on current policy stances, actions, and historical precedents, these are the five stark realities of what a Mundubile presidency would actually look like:

1. Reversal of Fiscal Discipline

President Hakainde Hichilema has enforced unprecedented fiscal discipline to stabilise the economy, marking the first of its kind in years. In contrast, Mundubile’s campaign speeches signal an immediate return to reckless public spending. This populist approach threatens to completely destroy years of meticulous debt restructuring and economic stabilisation.

2. Return of The ‘Tenderpreneur’ Economy

Government procurement has recently moved towards transparent, value-for-money bidding processes. A Mundubile regime would instead be dominated by political hangers-on and “tenderpreneurs”. This administration would revive notorious corrupt practices, such as charging the state for undelivered goods—literally supplying air—overpricing public infrastructure for personal kickbacks, and awarding lucrative national tenders strictly based on party loyalty. What you saw under the PF is exactly what they want to retain.

3. Institutionalized Vengefulness and Retribution

State agencies and courts have worked hard to recover stolen national assets through legal convictions. The alliance has openly confirmed its vengefulness by hinting at reversing these legal processes. A Mundubile government would focus on returning assets seized by courts of law due to corruption, releasing individuals currently serving prison terms for the theft of public funds, and dismantling anti-corruption frameworks to shield political allies.

4. Diplomatic Isolation and Weak Foreign Policy

Zambia has restored its international presence, attracting global investment and repairing key diplomatic ties. Foreign policy remains entirely absent from Mundubile’s platform because he knows absolutely nothing about international relations. His administration would drag Zambia back to the isolation experienced under Edgar Lungu, where the country’s international voice and influence were virtually non-existent.

5. Macroeconomic Collapse, Energy Crises and Skyrocketing Cost of Living

Mundubile’s campaign hypocritically targets current economic hardships, yet his own proposed path would inherently cause skyrocketing inflation, widespread unemployment, and a heavily devalued Kwacha. Structural reforms are currently targeting long-term energy sustainability, agricultural productivity, and mining investments. Reverting to the old short-sighted policies would trigger immediate economic regression. Citizens could expect a sharp rise in joblessness as businesses shrink, a severely weakened currency driven by unchecked borrowing and a lack of investor confidence, collapsing mining investments, a catastrophic return to severe power cuts, and poor harvests stemming from the mismanagement of agricultural input chains.

Zambians do not need to guess or wonder what a Tonse Alliance government would look like. Mundubile and his allies have already confirmed it through their rhetoric. It is a blueprint to retain the exact system voters previously rejected, and the quiet majority of reason will ensure it never happens.

Guest Article
(c) Shipungu August 7, 2026