TONGAS ARE NOT TRIBAL: They Have Just Been Marginalized
Bradley Chingobe, who is Tonga, writes:-
Tongas are not tribal. Years of marginalization and exclusion taught the people of this region to stan
d together. Let us never forget: this is the only region in Zambia that once gave Chiluba’s MMD almost a unanimous vote. What we see today is not simple tribalism, but a survival instinct shaped by decades of isolation and victimization. We must never forget how The Post Newspaper relentlessly called the people of southern province Bantustans.
This election has also made one thing clear: in certain areas, the refusal to vote for HH has little to do with policy or development. It is driven by bitter hate, a deep resentment of the man himself simply because he comes from elsewhere.
And yet, HH has shared the national cake fairly. Social cash transfers, cash for work programs, free education, school feeding, CDF projects, and the recruitment of health workers and teachers have reached every corner of the country. On the Copperbelt, KCM was reopened, Shaft 28 will start running this December, Mingomba Mine is bringing new opportunities, and the Lusaka Ndola Dual Carriageway is set to transform the region.
The progress is undeniable. But the votes show us something deeper: for some, it is not about what has been delivered, but about who delivers it. That bitterness has overshadowed fairness, unity and the tangible benefits already in people’s hands.
