ANOTHER POLITICAL PARTY EXPOSES THE ROT AT REGISTRAR OF SOCIETIES
MMD has moved to intensify its battle with the Registrar of Societies, accusing the office of refusing to process its new office-bearers while ignoring what the party says was an unlawful and unexplained change of name in 2024.
The party says the matter goes beyond MMD alone. It is now watching the MNR case under John Sangwa, saying the dispute speaks directly to a wider pattern affecting political parties including the Patriotic Front and others caught in similar “mingalato” situations involving disputed leadership, altered records, and administrative silence.
According to MMD, the registrar has not responded meaningfully despite three visits to his office and a letter submitted on January 28. The party further alleges that its name was changed without the convention which is the highest organ of authority to amend the party constitution and without the knowledge of the general membership. It says the former president only announced the change in November 2025 at another illegal convention.
The party is also questioning what authority was used to permit the name change and to “archive” the MMD name in a way that prevents others from using it. It says it has since checked online, found the name available, reserved it, and printed proof of the reservation.
MMD insists the issue is not merely administrative. It says its constitution is clear that only a convention, backed by a two-thirds majority, can approve such fundamental changes and that the Society Act does not supersede the MMD party constitution or any other registered society. The party further says police have issued a letter indicating that the alleged illegality did in fact occur in 2024.
However, the party says another obstacle has emerged: police have allegedly misplaced the fingerprints needed to complete the documents required by the registrar. That has left MMD trapped in a bureaucratic stalemate, with the police withholding clearance documents while the registrar refuses to proceed without a complete file.
The party is now appealing to the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security to intervene.
At the heart of the dispute is a bigger question: whether the Registrar of Societies is applying the law uniformly, or whether some parties and individuals are being treated differently under a system increasingly viewed as opaque and political. The MNR matter under John Sangwa has sharpened that concern, with MMD arguing that what is happening to it is not isolated but part of a broader pattern of interference and selective administration.
If accurate, the allegations point to a serious test for Zambia’s democratic governance, especially where political party records, leadership changes, and legal recognition are concerned.
Lumba Kalumba Interim National Secretary MMD
KBN TV