Empires Fall, Ballots Rise: Zambia’s Cautionary Tale ahead of 13.07.26

Empires Fall, Ballots Rise: Zambia’s Cautionary Tale ahead of 13.07.26

Amb. AM wrote:

History is a cruel teacher, and its lessons are written in the rubble of fallen empires.

Rome, that mighty colossus, lasted nearly 1,480 years before arrogance, overreach, and internal rot brought it crashing down.

Athens, the cradle of democracy, collapsed in 404 BCE after the Peloponnesian War, undone by hubris and intolerance.

Britain, once master of a quarter of the globe, shrank after World War II, humbled by colonial resistance and economic exhaustion.

Even the United States now flirts with the Thucydides Trap, the historical curse where a ruling power collides with a rising one — China — reminding us that even superpowers are mortal.

Africa has its own graveyard of fallen giants. Idi Amin’s Uganda, once ruled with brutality, ended in exile then died.

The apartheid regime of de Klerk collapsed under moral bankruptcy and global pressure.

Shaka Zulu, a military genius, was undone by succession strife.

Zambia’s own Kenneth Kaunda (KK) and Frederick Chiluba (FTJ) saw their legacies tarnished, proving that no one is spared.

The lesson is simple: hubris, arrogance, and intolerance are the termites of power.

And yet, when you remind Zambians of this inevitability, they call you bitter, a hater, jealous because you didn’t get that job.

But I know better. I was once a powerful CEO and influential Ambassador, and I know power is transient.

Even Jesus, the Son of God Almighty, had to carry His own cross to fulfill the Word. What goes up must come down — with a thud.

Now Zambia faces its own moment of reckoning.

On August 13th, 2026, more than 8.7 million registered voters will decide between two horses: President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) and Brian Mundubile, a boy.

The demographics are restless: 53.1% women and 60% youth (18–34), a generation demanding jobs, dignity, and hope.

President HH, the incumbent, faces challenges: rising unemployment, broken promises on economic revival, and shrinking trust in governance plus graft.

His advantage lies in incumbency and international recognition, but fatigue gnaws at his base here in Zambia says JCTR and others.

Brian Mundubile, meanwhile, draws crowds without regalia or cash inducements, positioning himself as the outsider against a weary establishment.

With Makebi Zulu at his side, he offers a fresh face to disillusioned voters. Coming to drain the proverbial swamp.

In this hunting political season of ballots, my advice is simple: respect even those you dislike, for they hold the power “to extend or end your lease on political life.”

Praise singers should remember: Brutus loved Caesar best when he did not antagonize Rome. This is just an election, not the end of the world.

As the Spanish saying goes: “En política, el amor dura lo que dura el interés” — in politics, love lasts only as long as interest. And the Bible reminds us: “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).

Zambia needs love, not hate, if it is to endure beyond the polls.

Could Brian Mundubile be the Black Moses Zambia has been yearning for? Perhaps.

But even Moses wandered before reaching the Promised Land just like Brian.

The wind of change comes like a thief in the night.

Let Zambia choose love, lest it too become another empire remembered only for how it fell.

Failure is usually nigh in a political season like ours now, you can try but you cannot stop it. It’s a scary thing but it’s for real. It always ends.

Is Brian the real deal? 

By Amb. Anthony Mukwita, Author & Analyst

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