Brian Mundubile: The bald Pot-belly Prophet, ‘Bald Black Moses’…is BM8 marching towards State House?

Brian Mundubile: The bald Pot-belly Prophet, ‘Bald Black Moses’✍️

…is BM8 marching towards State House?

Amb. AM 29 Jan. 26.

Hot FM Review

If you had told a random Zambian on Cairo Road last year that Brian Mundubile, affectionately known as BM8, would rise from the shadows of parliamentary benches to stand toe-to-toe with President Hakainde Hichilema, the laughter would have been deafening.

Someone might even have handed you a steaming cup of katubi brew to sober you up from such political hallucinations.

Yet here we are, BM8, bald as a polished gourd and pot-bellied like every favourite uncle at a family gathering, now stands at the gates of State House as the newly minted leader of the opposition alliance.

He is the David to President Hichilema’s Goliath, the unwilling but determined humble hero poised for a showdown on 13 August.

Brian’s potbelly is no ordinary belly; it is a national symbol, a rolling drum of humility, a reminder that leadership is not about six-pack abs but about carrying the weight of the people.

His bald head gleams like a beacon of honesty, reflecting the light of a man who has nothing to hide, just like his soft measured laugh.

He is the uncle who arrives at every wedding with a booming laugh, a pocket full of wisdom, and a baritone voice that could calm a restless crowd in Soweto Market.

I recall him bringing these unifying calming qualities to my late mother Elizabeth Milupi Mukwita’s funeral back in the day, when he could have been somewhere else.

BM8 is not just a politician; he is a family man of five, a ‘bashimpundu’—father of twins—whose Christian faith anchors him like a rock in turbulent waters.

In a land where leaders often forget their roots, Brian wears his faith and family like a badge of honour. He prays before speeches, blesses his children before rallies, and reminds Zambians that leadership without morality is a hollow drum.

What Happened today?

Today, Zambia’s most popular private radio station, Hot FM 87.7, trembled under the weight of BM8’s baritone.

Neither too loud nor too soft, his voice sliced through the static like a machete through tall grass or hot knife through butter.

Callers buzzed in like bees to honey, chanting the hashtag #BM8 as if it were a new gospel hymn. “Poverty levels above 80 percent are unacceptable in a mineral-rich nation like Zambia,” BM8 thundered. “Power must be used to lift people out of poverty, not punish them.”

https://youtu.be/hwoW3uDFsJg?si=tFDgih5dSJmDR6n1

Words are cheap in politics, but BM8’s words carried the weight of scripture. Even hardened critics found themselves nodding involuntarily, as if hypnotized by the uncle’s sermon

“How can we be Africa’s second-largest producer of copper and still be poor?” he asked. The question hung in the air like incense in a cathedral, impossible to ignore.

Hon. Brian Mundubile is no ordinary challenger; he is dubbed a Black Moses, bald head shining like Mount Sinai, potbelly leading the way through Zambia’s political wilderness.

He promises to part the Zambezi River of poverty and lead his people to the promised land of jobs, unity, and dignity. That’s what he said on radio Hot today.

Fuel prices may be sky-high, mealie meal more expensive than second-hand shoes, and load-shedding the only reliable service—but BM8 insists the story can change.

Inflation may dance in double digits, but Brian dances harder, with humility as his rhythm and faith as his drumbeat.

How does President HH counter BM8?


President HH enters the race battered by economic woes and haunted by the ghost of Edgar Chagwa Lungu, whose grave remains empty eight months after his passing.

Madam Esther Lungu still cannot lay ECL to rest, and whispers of spiritual warfare hover over Zambian politics like a persistent cough.

Against this back-drop, BM8 rises like a phoenix. African politics loves an under-dog, especially one with a potbelly and humility.

Côte d’Ivoire had Ouattara, Kenya had Kibaki, and now Zambia has Mundubile—the uncle who refuses to be written off.

On Hot FM, callers unleashed their frustrations, and BM8, ever the constitutional lawyer and construction mogul, answered each with measured respect.

When asked about regionalism, he invoked the gospel of Kaunda: “One Zambia, One Nation.” “A president should not speak divisions,” he declared.

“People from Northern Province must work in Western and Southern Province, not just their own provinces.

That is how we build unity.” His message was clear: unity, not division; empowerment, not marginalization.

BM8’s economic vision sparkles with satire and sincerity. “Out of every $5 billion that enters HOT FM Zambia our national, my government will ensure at least $2 billion goes to Zambians,” he promised. “I want Zambian billionaires in chitenge, not a system that salutes foreigners and scorns locals.”

It was a statement that made even sceptics pause. Imagine billionaires in chitenge suits, potbellies proudly displayed, humility intact. That is BM8’s Zambia.

As the program ended, BM8 displayed none of the braggadocio of a man basking in fresh victory. Instead, he extended olive branches.
“Reverend Dan Pule is a great man. We will work together. He is my big brother.”

BM8 called for unity with Makebi Zulu, Greyford Monde etc, and even those who disagree with him. For BM8, politics is not personal—it is pastoral.

BM8’s mission is to reduce poverty, create jobs, and stop the theft of resources and hand them to foreigners.

As I write, BM8 faces a mighty Goliath in President HH. But armed with wit, humility, and that lovable uncle aura, he stands a good chance in my humble education.

The battlelines are drawn, and Zambians prepare to choose who will walk into the sunset with the best chick called Zambia on Independence Avenue.

Perhaps the restless spirit of sixth President Edgar Lungu, who anointed Brian before his death in Pretoria, will watch over this duel.

Perhaps Zambia will finally embrace its apparent Black Moses, the ‘bashimpundu’ with a potbelly, bald head, and baritone voice.

As the French say, Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre—’everything comes in time to those who wait’. And Zambia, weary of waiting, may just find its humble hero in BM8.
Let the Game of Thrones BM8.

–Amb. Anthony Mukwita is an Author &International Relations Analyst.

Source: The Hot Seat, Hot FM 87.7, Lusaka.