🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Miti backs Hichilema’s presidency, raises alarm over political misinformation
Governance activist Laura Miti says she is glad President Hakainde Hichilema remains in office, despite her concerns about recent developments affecting Zambia’s democracy.
Speaking on 5 FM’s Burning Issue on Tuesday, Miti said she did not want Brian Mundubile to win the August election because she associated his candidacy and that of his running mate, Makebi Zulu, with a return of the Patriotic Front (PF) to power.
“Would I have wanted President Mundubile to win? I will say no,” Miti said. She described Mundubile as “a nice guy” but questioned the direction she believed the country would have taken under his leadership.
She also alleged that, after Mundubile declared himself president, some political cadres began attempting to reclaim shops. Those claims were part of Miti’s account on the programme; they were not independently established in the material provided.
Miti said her preference for Hichilema’s continued presidency did not mean she was satisfied with everything that had happened since the election. “While I am really sad and upset about the things that have happened, we Zambians need to put a stop and say, ‘we cannot continue destroying our democracy this way,’” she said.
“When I look at us as an economic entity, I am happy that President Hichilema is in office.” Her remarks drew a distinction between her assessment of the election’s political alternatives and her concerns about the state of democratic governance.
Turning to the information environment, Miti accused former diplomat Emmanuel Mwamba of spreading fabricated stories and said she was concerned that growing numbers of Zambians abroad relied on him for news about the country.
“You can’t have someone who makes up stories to the extent to which Emmanuel Mwamba does,” she said. Miti argued that freedom of expression should be defended while claims circulated to large audiences should also be scrutinised.
Her accusations against Mwamba were not accompanied in the supplied account by specific examples that could be independently assessed.
Miti further described Mwamba as “a fugitive from justice” and said he “probably should be extradited home to face his case.”
This is her stated position, not a determination of Mwamba’s legal status or whether the requirements for extradition have been met. Any criminal allegations remain subject to the applicable legal process, and Mwamba’s response to Miti’s remarks was not included in the account provided.
The interview placed two questions alongside each other: how citizens assess the political choices made at an election, and how they judge the information used to form those views. Miti expressed support for Hichilema remaining president while calling for greater care in the country’s democratic life and public debate.
As she put it, politicians “come and go”, but Zambia remains the shared responsibility of its citizens.
-The People’s Brief | Goran Handya