🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Binwell Mpundu Joins Mundubile’s Tonse
Nkana Member of Parliament Binwell Mpundu has formally joined the Tonse Alliance faction led by Brian Mundubile, drawing a clear line in the widening divide within Zambia’s opposition.
His decision is significant not only because of who he is, but because of which Tonse he has chosen. There are now competing centres of gravity within the broader opposition space, one aligned with Brian Mundubile, and another orbiting around Given Lubinda and elements still positioning themselves within Patriotic Front structures. Mpundu has placed himself firmly in the Mundubile camp.
Appearing alongside Mundubile, Mpundu framed his move as an act of unity rather than ambition. “We have chosen unity in the face of a common enemy, an enemy to democracy, the economy and the rule of law,” he said. The language was deliberate. It signals alignment with Mundubile’s narrative of consolidation ahead of Parliament’s dissolution.
Mpundu, who leads the Movement for Good Governance, popularly known as Ichabaice, acknowledged that he harbours presidential ambitions. But he insisted this was not the moment for fragmentation.
“Like any other political party, I also want to be president, but today it is not about individual pursuits,” he said. “We have not made this decision out of impulse, but after careful consideration in the interest of this country.”
The clarification matters. The Tonse Alliance name carries political weight, but it is no longer monolithic. Mundubile emerged as Tonse president after internal realignments, while other PF-aligned leaders continue to navigate separate political platforms and contest leadership legitimacy.
By joining Mundubile’s Tonse, Mpundu effectively strengthens that faction’s claim to being the structured opposition vehicle outside the PF legal gridlock.
Mpundu also rejected claims that his movement is confined to online activism. “We are going to give you a test run on Youth Day. Ichabaice is not a Facebook party,” he declared. It was both a challenge and a promise, one aimed at proving ground strength in a political environment where numbers now matter more than rhetoric.
Mundubile welcomed the move as evidence of generational cooperation. He told supporters that young people have long been excluded from meaningful political influence and that the alliance would prioritise youth issues.
The subtext was clear: Tonse under Mundubile wants to be seen as the viable opposition structure heading into August.
As Zambia edges closer to election season and Parliament’s dissolution, political lines are hardening. With the PF still mired in internal disputes and legal complications, the question is no longer whether the opposition will unify, but under whose banner.
For now, Binwell Mpundu has answered that question decisively.
© The People’s Brief | Francine Lilu
Unity would be all faction get back together reset for on solution, otherwise, its all about self ambitions, Zambians are not ready for such a political risk, we’re still traumatized by the pf violence just some few years ago
Going no where. How can a serious person vote for ichabaice? Let’s be serious, for once.
Same brain. Same everything why should they stay away from each other. They have same behaviour. Let them be in their way of rough behaviour. Look at it both were chased out of parliament on several occasions due to misbehaving. Now they think if they join each other history will change? Never already they are put in the minds of people that they can never be trusted to rule the country. If they failed to rule their small portions of the country consistently how would they be trusted to rule the entire nation? Let them keep wasting their time together with their minions
Don’t think that you can cheat the youth, women and people living with disabilities to vote for you. You lost it with your strong stance against Bill 7 that was seeking to further their interests. You were very much against Bill 7. Tell the youth how you voted for the bill seeking to empower them. Your presidential candidate and yourself are members of parliament. Why didn’t you attend the proceedings in the national assembly to debate in issues that were in favour of the youth you now claim to support? Those in the opposition that supported the youth, women and persons living with disabilities were expelled from their parties. Explain how you are going to positively empower the youth? Jobs in the health, education and military including ARMY, ZAF, ZNS, ZP, PS and ZAWA were given to the youth. You were yearning to block their participation in the decision making process to determine their future by working hard against and to block the enactment of bill 7 that was meant to provide for their participation in national affairs. You practically let them down and now you want to cheat them that you are for the youth!!! You are now working with the people who denied them free education, bursaries and food by withdrawing these allowances and some people you have joined still want to withdraw these privileges from them should you be voted in on August 13th. I will be surprised if the youth will take that suicide route on August 13th. They know who is for them and considers them through various youth empowerment activities and funding. Let us wait and see whether the youth are ready to lose what they have gained so far. Good lucky to you as you work hard theoretically to deceive them when you practically go against them. You want to use them as your ladder to prosperity while trying hard to shoot their interests down. Now it is show time for you against the you you want to hoodwinked to support you but when time to prove your love for them, you conveniently stay away from the proceedings seeking to practically empower them. Let us see if your campaign messages will speak to the actions you have been seen to take in their favour in the last five years up to August 13th. A challenge to the youth to tell who is who in the case for their interests.
From same pot or basket no need of making it as a news these are tricks which doesn’t add any value to politics no impact at all.