⬆️ BUILD-UP | Makebi Zulu, From Body Politics to Presidential Endorsement
The opposition Tonse Alliance is not short of drama, and the latest twist adds another layer of intrigue. Chris Zumani Zimba has endorsed Makebi Zulu as a credible presidential candidate for 2026, hailing him as “a loyal son of Edgar Lungu” and “highly credible.” But there is a complication that Zumani’s glowing praise cannot hide.
Zulu is not just a lawyer and former MP. He is the family’s lawyer and spokesperson in South Africa, the man who has been at the centre of the battle over Edgar Lungu’s body since June. For nearly four months, he has helped the family resist government attempts to repatriate the late president’s remains, insisting on their right to bury him in Johannesburg. Until today, the fight over Lungu’s funeral has remained unresolved.
That is the political baggage Zulu carries into this conversation. While Zumani sees him as credible, many even within PF and the Tonse Alliance see him as compromised. For them, his central role in what has been called “body politics” makes him a divisive figure, not a unifier.
The endorsement also exposes the PF’s unresolved identity crisis. The party has been paralysed since Lungu’s death, torn between camps loyal to Given Lubinda, Raphael Nakacinda, Sean Tembo, and Robert Chabinga. In that chaos, Makebi Zulu’s name now surfaces not as a natural choice but as a desperate gamble. A man known more for managing a funeral dispute than leading a political resurrection.
The irony is striking. Edgar Lungu himself rose to power on claims that he was the chosen heir of Michael Sata. Today, PF is once again running on the endorsement of the dead. Only this time, the figure being endorsed is not even buried, and the man championed as successor is still negotiating the terms of that burial.
Zumani’s narrative of credibility clashes with grassroots sentiment. Within PF, some view Zulu as too tied to the family feud, too unknown nationally, and too compromised by his role in holding back a state funeral. Others argue that his loyalty to Lungu shows he can be trusted to protect PF’s legacy. Both arguments expose the deeper truth: PF has no consensus candidate.
For the alliance, the risk is clear. Endorsing a figure so visibly connected to body politics will only fuel public cynicism that the opposition cannot rise above personal feuds. And for Zambians watching from the outside, the question is sharp: how can a coalition that cannot bury its dead promise to govern the living?
The next weeks will be decisive. As PF wrestles over Lungu’s memory and his remains, Makebi Zulu now finds himself pushed forward as a contender. But until the burial question is resolved, his candidacy will remain tainted by the politics of the grave.
© The People’s Brief | Build-Up
Chris Zumani Zimba can be a king maker of all people?! PF is really a bunch of jokers.
The PF political party is essentially a group of opportunists that flourished on false promises of more money in your pockets. During the time of the late President Michael Chilufya Sata, there was significant chaos and undemocratic behavior, which ultimately led to the succession and rise to power of the late former Sixth President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
We witnessed individuals like Kelvin Bwalya Fube labeling himself as a political strategist, yet today he finds himself mired in political confusion, uncertain of which party he actually belongs to. Additionally, we have political opportunists such as Zumani Zimba and Makebi Zulu employing underhanded tactics, misleading the public by suggesting that the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu endorsed someone to take over his position.
It is regrettable that in Zambia, anyone can suddenly emerge from obscurity and claim they are fit to run for the presidency. Meanwhile, the PF is exploiting the delayed burial of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to garner sympathy from the Zambian populace. From my perspective, both the PF political party and the Tonse Alliance represent complete failures, and by early next year, they will likely be engulfed in utter confusion, leading to their demise.
Regardless of how they attempt to rebrand or change leadership, the PF is a defunct political party with a tarnished reputation, and their past criminal activities continue to haunt them.
It’s his right, but he’s damaged goods