STOP IT: WEAPONISING TRIBE IS NOT GOVERNANCE
Mr Hakainde Hichilema was recently quoted as telling supporters at a rally in Choma, Southern Province that, under the previous administration, buses arriving from Choma at Lusaka’s Intercity Bus Terminus were allegedly met with violence, with passengers beaten once identified as coming from Choma. He further warned the supporters that should he be voted out of office, they would again be beaten or targeted by a future administration.
It is reckless, irresponsible, and deeply troubling that such utterances can come from a sitting head of state. In truth, Mr. Hichilema’s utterances amount to nothing but emotive and divisive reasoning, coupled with unsubstantiated allegations, which are absolutely devoid of verifiable evidence. Even more disturbing is the clear suggestion that violence would certainly return if he were to lose power.
Mr. Hichilema’s utterances raise serious and obvious questions about their logic, intent, and inferences:
1. Is Mr. Hichilema subtly presenting himself as the sole guarantor of the personal safety of the people of Southern Province, or of Choma in particular, in so doing tying their personal security directly to his continued presidency?
2. By invoking alleged past violence and projecting future persecution, is Mr. Hichilema implying that the peaceful alternation of political power is now dangerous and that Tongas will rule Zambia forever to guarantee their safety?
3. Is Mr. Hichilema suggesting that citizens from Southern Province must only politically identify and tie with him personally, or else invite abuse and victimization?
4. Is Mr. Hichilema reducing the people of Southern Province’s hard-won democratic right to choose their leaders freely into a survival calculation motivated by fear?
Mr. Hichilema’s deceptive strategy of weaponising fear, ethnic identity, and political loyalty by connecting voter safety to incumbency and tribe is a serious threat to Zambia’s democracy, national unity, and long-term security. Zambia has had seven presidents since 1964, and at no point has the safety of any group of citizens been justifiably conditioned to the continued tenure of a single individual.
Fabricating tales of marginalisation to inflame tribal loyalty is not advocacy – it is calculated betrayal. When leaders lie to their own people, inventing grievances where none exist, they weaponise identity for personal ambition while sabotaging genuine progress.
This cynical manipulation converts community bonds into instruments of division. It replaces evidence with emotion, dialogue with demonisation, and transforms legitimate political discourse into tribal warfare. The victims are not only other communities, but the very people being deceived, and denied honest leadership and yoked to manufactured conflicts that serve no one’s interest but the manipulator’s.
Real marginalisation demands truth-telling and coalition-building. Fake marginalisation demands only followers willing to believe lies. Communities flourish under leaders who unite them around shared aspirations, not demagogues who divide them with fabricated enemies.
The measure of leadership is not how effectively one can stoke resentment but whether one has the integrity to tell uncomfortable truths and the vision to transcend tribal boundaries.
It is therefore illogical, immature, and dangerously irresponsible for anyone, least of all a Head of State, to suggest that the security of a particular region or ethnic group is conditional upon his remaining in office. Mr. Hichilema’s attempt to hold the people of Southern Province hostage through fear-mongering must be rejected unequivocally. Zambians are tired of this brazen tribalism emanating from the highest seat of power. Democracy cannot thrive where fear and ethnicity are used as a political weapon. Equally, national unity cannot survive where leaders intentionally propagate ethnic anxiety for their own political survival. Stop it!
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party and 2026 Presidential Candidate of the People’s Pact.
Just like Laura said it, the best worst of anything that Fred Membe ever did was to go Tonga people bashing> He thrives and enjoys this subject to the fullest, It is his best show on the road. No one can write a better satire when it comes to doing so on the Tonga people. This is the man whose living bread during the rule by the PF was insulting and trashing the Tonga people. Fred Membe called the Tonga the Bantustan people, the people he said Zambia doesnt need and membe has no right to to try and attack anyone who talks tribal. He satarted it all in this country, at least the first to openly publish a whole newspaper to just bash anything Tonga. If you are a bantu botatwe, you can only be a ful to think of voting for fred membe. Like Shakafuswa said, the people from non north eastern Zambia region should first be mad to vote for Fred Membe. Never ever
People don’t vote for you because you speak the loudest when condemning others. Tell the people what you are going to do better than Hichilema. Then people may consider giving you there vote. Under UPND results have started showing considering what we hear that the previous administration plundered the economy just to make HH fail. The suffering of the people is due to their reckless borrowing and looting as they were leaving office. The insiders have hinted us as to what was happening. The definitely should not come back. They betrayed the people when they know that they caused the suffering people went through just because of their hatred for one man. Shame on them.
Truth be told, the only thing Fred Mm’embe is able to do successfully is being an armchair critic, writing article after article. What he does not know is no one reads or pays attention. He has gone past winning any elections.
When standing at that rally and saying l dribbled them on Bill 7, which people did he dribble, which people is he referring to as being dribbled
At UNZA they used to sing at wabe itole …. Eee! Who ever remembers the song please insert the name.
Hakainde does not even hide the fact that he is tribalist. The Hakainde project is just an experiment we the citizens got horribly wrong. The wise KK warned us, but like idiots, we ignored him. These are the results. We will put things right.
REJECT TRIBALISM, CORRUPTION AND OPPRESSION.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN AUGUST.