Is an HH–ECL Meeting on the Cards?…could be a ‘Heal Zambia’ Game Changer- Amb. Anthony Mukwita

Is an HH–ECL Meeting on the Cards?

…could be a ‘Heal Zambia’ Game Changer

By Amb. Anthony Mukwita | 19 May 2025

My morning coffee is brewing, the bacon and eggs are sizzling—it’s a good and blessed day, just to wake up and breathe.

I hope the same for you, good people.

Then my phone pings. A headline from the Daily Nation catches my eye: President Hakainde Hichilema may be considering reconciliation with Zambia’s sixth president, Edgar Chagwa Lungu. I say to myself, “What a wonderful day.” HH WILLING TO CONSULT ECL.

Two living presidents. One divided country. A handshake after years of political acrimony and friction? What could possibly go wrong?

Zambia, a nation of abundant resources yet mired in poverty, could only benefit from such a moment of unity. Love and peace have never been en£mies of progress.

Let me be clear: I’m a nobody in the grand scheme of things and I have no horse is in this race.
I’ve simply been lucky enough to serve my country in high office—perhaps where better men could have been chosen.

But I do know this: no country moves forward when its leaders are at w@r. Economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction—they all stall in times of political conflict.

It’s a zero-sum game. I’ve learned this not just in politics or diplomacy, but in marriage too—21 years and counting with the same wonderful woman E that picks me up every time I fall and I fall a lot. Love wins.

So if presidential spokesperson Clayson Hamasaka’s statement in today’s Daily Nation is a genuine signal from President Hichilema, we could be on the cusp of something positively transformational for Zambia.

I say, forget the cynics. I’m an incurable optimist—my glass is always half full that’s the way I roll.
Imagine a Zambia without political vendettas and knives out, without unnecessary arrests or suppressive laws.

A Zambia where public rallies are normal, where political opponents are not enemies, and where development resumes without fear or favour.

We sit on riches—copper, cobalt, manganese—but we don’t own or benefit from them fully. That’s not just an economic tragedy; it’s a leadership one. And such wealth cannot be harnessed in a climate of animosity.

End the cyber laws. Bring back civil liberties. Let’s just live and let live.

As I often say: war benefits arms manufacturers; prolonged court battles benefit lawyers. Peace, on the other hand, benefits the people.

I’ve studied diplomacy and communication at the highest level, worked in it, and won international recognition. I don’t claim to know everything, but I do know this—Zambia doesn’t need more toxicity. We need healing.

Personally, I miss my former boss, President Lungu. But more than that, I’d love to see him share a glass of champagne—or mabisi—with President Hichilema. Zambia is big enough for both leaders.

This goes beyond politics for me. I have a wife. I have sons. They shouldn’t suffer because of their father’s political past.

If we don’t break the cycle of hate now, it will haunt generations. As they say, hate begets hate. My son could end up hating those who hate me—and so the cycle continues.

If Clayson’s words are indeed sincere, then let the healing begin. Let’s choose love over war.

Mistakes have been made—on both sides. But only sober, selfless leadership can mend broken bridges. If ECL and HH sit down and talk openly, there’s nothing they cannot work through.

Or maybe, just maybe, I misread the Daily Nation.
For now, I’ll return to my coffee and jazz. But I remain convinced of one thing: poverty is real, and we cannot f!ght it with hate.

Imagine a Zambia where Fred M’membe, Harry Kalaba, and KBF can thrive side by side. What’s wrong with that?

In the land of plenty, fools should not die of hunger. And in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

The lips of the wise bring life; fools perish for lack of wisdom.
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Amb. Anthony Mukwita is a published author, former Ambassador, and international relations analyst.