AUTHENTICITY CANNOT BE MANUFACTURED: THE CASE OF BRIAN MUNDUBILE AND PEOPLE LIFTING HIS BANNER IN A CROWD OF PF PARTY MEMBERS
By: Douglas Kabwibwi
Authenticity in politics cannot be staged or manufactured. It is built through honesty, consistency, and the courage to stand openly with those who genuinely believe in your leadership. When a political leader relies on another party’s crowd to wave their banner, it does not create popularity. Instead, it exposes desperation and weakens credibility.
The recent Women’s Day march-past has brought Brian Mundubile into the spotlight for exactly this reason. Images and observations from the event showed a few individuals lifting an FDD banner associated with Mundubile, yet the surrounding crowd appeared largely dressed in Patriotic Front (PF) regalia.
This immediately raised a simple but important question: if the crowd was truly mobilized by the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) under Mundubile and his team, why were they not wearing their own party regalia or lifting their own party symbols?
In politics, identity is visible. Party colours, clothing, and symbols are the most obvious ways supporters express their loyalty and affiliation. People know the PF regalia. They recognise the PF symbol without hesitation. The green attire and the PF emblem are well known to the public.
Because of this, the attempt to present such a crowd as an FDD crowd simply does not withstand scrutiny. Citizens are politically aware, and they understand exactly what they are seeing.
What appeared during the march-past created a clear contradiction between the perception that was being projected and the reality visible on the ground. It looked as though a few individuals had been strategically placed within the crowd to lift an FDD banner, while the much larger group surrounding them visibly reflected PF affiliation. Attempting to claim that such a crowd belonged to FDD does not strengthen the narrative of support; it instead exposes the strategy behind it.
The optics of the situation speak louder than any explanation that may be offered afterward. If the crowd truly belonged to FDD supporters mobilised by Mundubile and his team, one would naturally expect to see FDD regalia, FDD symbols, and supporters proudly identifying themselves with their party. That is how genuine political mobilisation works. Supporters of a party do not hide their identity; they display it with pride.
Instead, what the public saw was something very different: PF regalia, PF symbols, and a crowd whose appearance clearly aligned with another political formation. The presence of a few individuals lifting an FDD banner within such a crowd does not transform that crowd into FDD supporters. If anything, it raises further questions about the authenticity of the image that was being projected.
This is precisely why authenticity in politics matters. Genuine political support does not need to be borrowed, staged, or manufactured. When a leader commands real grassroots backing, supporters naturally come out wearing their party colours, lifting their party symbols, and openly identifying with their movement. There is no need to borrow the visibility of another political group to create the impression of support.
For Brian Mundubile and his team, the Women’s Day march-past has unfortunately raised uncomfortable questions about credibility and political authenticity. What may have been intended to project strength and popularity has instead drawn attention to the gap between perception and reality.
The public is not easily misled by political theatrics. Citizens can clearly distinguish between genuine support and a carefully arranged display. Attempting to claim a crowd wearing PF regalia and lifting PF symbols as your own simply because a few individuals within it are holding your banner does not convince anyone. It only reinforces the perception that the support being portrayed is not authentic.
In the end, such tactics amount to cheap politics. They underestimate the intelligence of the public and risk damaging the credibility of those who engage in them. Leadership requires confidence, transparency, and the courage to stand with one’s real supporters — not borrowed crowds.
Authenticity cannot be manufactured. And when attempts are made to manufacture it, the result is often the opposite of what was intended: exposure rather than admiration.