‘Day One Treason Drama in Lusaka High Court’
…as it happened| Brian Mundubile & Makebi Zulu
AM | Lusaka, 19 October 2026
For the first time since 27 August 2026, opposition leader hon. Brian Mundubile (55), his deputy Makebi Zulu (44), and 16 co accused detainees finally stood before a corte of three High Court judges — Justice Derrick Mulenga, Justice Ireen Tilisa Wishimanga, and Justice Davies Chibwili.
This was their maiden appearance on treason charges, after more than 50 days in Mukobeko Maximum Prison, Zambia’s notorious super-max north of Lusaka, often likened to an African Alcatraz where proverbial “alligators guard the moat.”
The defence bench was a formidable phalanx of 11 lawyers, led by Senior Counsel Bonaventure Mutale SC, Sakwiba Sikota SC, and Chifumu Banda SC, joined by Nkula Bota, Kambwa Derby Aongola, Charles Changano, Leon Lemba, Jonathan Tembo, Tineshi Kasweshi, and others.
WHAT IS THE DEFENCE SEEKING FROM THE STATE?
They sued the Attorney General, the Commissioner General of the Zambia Correctional Service, Frederick S. S. Chilukutu, and Harrington Akushanga, Head of Anti Fraud and Cyber Crime at Zambia Police.
Their plea was blunt: “Free our clients immediately. The law says 48 hours, not 50 days. Probe first, arrest later — not the other way round.” Some 53 days today Monday to be precise.
WHO IS ON THE SUPERMAX DETENTION GUEST LIST?
The 18 detainees include: hon. Mundubile, Zulu, retired Anglican Bishop Trevor Mwamba, Cambridge educated lawyer George Chisanga, businessman Patrick Mwansa, bodyguard Richard Banda, and others.
They were first held at Lusaka Central Police and other stations before being transferred to Mukobeko, where families and lawyers have raised alarm.
Amnesty International, the UN, the African Union, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) have all condemned the prolonged detention as unconstitutional and a violation of human rights.
Colour from court: the High Court grounds in Longacres resembled a war zone. Heavily armed police, blue armoured vehicles, and barricades sealed off the area, preventing the public from glimpsing proceedings.
Muhabi Lungu, Secretary General of the Tonse Alliance, an ex-detainee almost 30 years ago was dismayed: “Justice must not only be done but be seen to be done. Covering up such a high profile trial only attracts more attention.”
Onlookers clung to phone radios, while diplomats and the international press corps hovered, describing the trial as a litmus test for Zambia’s democracy.
The defence’s “free them” application was adjourned by Judge Mulenga, in consultation with his two colleagues, to Wednesday, 21 October at 08:30 hrs in Lusaka.
The state requested time to consult its clients before handing the matter back to the judicial trio.
Sikota SC insisted the case is straightforward: “Our clients were arrested and held for more than 50 days instead of 48 hours. They must be set free. Treason is not a charge you investigate after arrest.”
This is not unprecedented. Zambia’s jurisprudence recalls cases where lawyers and activists were detained for weeks until bail was granted on grounds of unconstitutional detention.
The most recent case is that of Celestine Mukandila, arrested and freed after he made a similar application following long months of detention.
The echoes of those rulings now reverberate in Lusaka’s packed chambers and Speakeasys.
Today’s hearing was historic: the first time the detainees faced High Court judges on treason charges since 27 August, longer for others.
Last week, on 14 October, Mundubile and Zulu briefly appeared in a Solwezi subordinate court on lesser sedition charges, but this was their baptism before the High Court.
The state claims investigations had been ongoing for three years prior to the August polls, yet the defence scoffs at the timing.
The Mukobeko supermax, with its grim reputation, has become the stage of a drama that rivals O.J. Simpson’s televised trial or P. Diddy’s courtroom theatrics — except this is Zambia, and the stakes are democracy itself.
The detainees, lawyers, judges, and armed police form a tableau that could be inked into a John Grisham novel. It’s hard to tell whether you’re listening to Evanescence’s “Lithium” or a freedom anthem, but it is undeniably gripping.
Numbers briefly:
- Judges: 3
- Defence Lawyers: 11+
- Detainees: 18
This is the most consequential political trial in Zambia’s recent history, a correspondent’s ‘wet dream’, an editor’s dream come true’.
Blink, and you miss it. Res ipsa loquitur — ‘the thing speaks for itself’.
Let’s see what Wednesday brings; history in motion in Zambia.
AM-19th Oct 26| Lusaka High Court.
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