Why UPND Cannot Afford to Discard Sylvia Masebo
By Bright Jere
A viral Facebook post this week tried to dismiss Sylvia Masebo as “finished” and “never helpful.” Thousands joined in mocking her. But this is exactly the kind of moment when UPND should pause and defend its own, not join the mob.
She anchored the UPND alliance. When UPND needed to build bridges with other political parties, it was Masebo who quietly coordinated and anchored that alliance. She was trusted as Chairperson for Strategy and Mobilisation because she could stitch together partnerships that gave UPND national reach. That is not the profile of someone irrelevant, it is the profile of someone indispensable.
She delivered the presidential vote in Chongwe. Yes, she lost her parliamentary seat. But in Chongwe East, her ground, President Hichilema won comfortably. In Chongwe West, where another UPND candidate stood, the President actually lost. That contrast matters. It shows that Masebo’s community did not turn against UPND or the President. On the contrary, she delivered the presidential vote where it counted.
She mobilized even in defeat. After her loss, she did not retreat. She quietly mobilized multitudes of supporters who slept at her home so they could attend the inauguration and show solidarity to the President. That is not the behaviour of someone “finished.” It is the behaviour of someone who still commands loyalty and channels it toward the party.
She stood with the people at the stadium. At the inauguration, she did not rush inside to secure a front row seat. She stood at the entrance, helping thousands of supporters enter without harassment from gate minders. That image, a senior member of the party choosing to serve at the gate rather than sit in the spotlight, tells you everything about her priorities. She put the people first.
She fought corruption head on. At ZAMMSA, when containers of medicines went missing, she personally reported the entire management. She made sure ZNS went to the warehouse in Makeni where they were kept and returned them to ZAMMSA within a week. That is not a leader who looks away. That is a leader who acts, even when it makes her unpopular.
Her record inside the party speaks for itself. In the adoption process, she won 427 votes against her rival’s 34. In the NMC elections, she ranked among the top six nationally. Those numbers show her standing in the party. Social media noise cannot erase that.
She is still at the peak of her career. Today, she remains a senior member of the highest policy making body of the party, a position higher than that of an MP. That means her political career is not finished. In fact, it is at its peak and will remain so until 2031. To call her “finished” is to ignore the reality of her influence and authority inside UPND.
Her loyalty was to the President and the party. During the campaign, her messaging was not only about Chongwe East. It was about re electing President Hichilema and strengthening the UPND ticket. She treated the President’s victory as more important than her own. That is loyalty, not self interest.
A warning for UPND members. When rivals clap at your downfall, it is not because you failed the people. It is because you stopped being an obstacle to them. Any UPND member cheering Masebo’s wounds should remember how quickly the same can happen to them. If a senior minister can be humiliated publicly without the party defending her, what message does that send to every hardworking cadre?
Sylvia Masebo has carried heavy loads for UPND. She has built alliances, delivered the presidential vote in Chongwe, mobilized supporters, defended the President, fought corruption, and still sits at the very top of the party’s policy making body. To discard her now would not only be unfair, it would weaken the party itself.