Kopala UPND vows crackdown on “Presidential insults”
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) on the Copperbelt Province says it will no longer fold its arms over escalating insults against President Hakainde Hichilema.
The party has warned that those involved including adults allegedly using children will face police action.
UPND Copperbelt Provincial Chairman Elisha Matambo said the August 2026 General Elections are over and the focus must now shift to national unity and respect for state institutions.
He singled out social media conduct since the polls, accusing a section of Zambians of crossing the line from political criticism to personal degradation.
“The August 2026 General Elections are over. The people of Zambia have spoken, and President Hakainde Hichilema stands today as our Head of State and Commander-in-Chief.
“That office does not belong to the UPND, but to every Zambian and it will be respected regardless of who anyone voted for,” he said.
Matambo, who is also Lufwanyama East MP-Elect said in the days since this election, a section of people have descended into insulting the President in the crudest, most degrading terms imaginable.
” This is where our patience runs out completely because children are now being dragged into these attacks. Grown men and women are recruiting minors to abuse the Head of State of this country. That is not political expression. That is not ‘freedom of speech.’ That is a disgrace,” Matambo added.
The Provincial Chairman further said all UPND structures from provincial to ward level had been placed on full alert to monitor and document offenders.
He said the members will be watching, documenting and reporting every single case of such conduct to the Zambia Police Service and other relevant authorities without exception and without delay.
He warned that anyone involved in insulting the Head of State and particularly anyone using children to do it, should know that a case file is being built.
Matambo was, however, quick to distance the party from vigilantism, insisting that the approach would be strictly legal.
“Let no one mistake this resolve for a call to disorder. We are not asking anyone to take the law into their own hands and we will not tolerate that within our ranks either,” he said.
-TV Yatu | Sanfrossa Mberi | August 21, 2026.