EDITOR’S CHOICE – Money, Loyalty, and Ambition: Who will Carry the Opposition’s Torch in 202
Mudolo. Makebi. Mundubile. Katotobwe. Kalaba. M’membe – Who will it be?
Will the opposition finally find a leader strong enough to face President Hakainde Hichilema in 2026, or will the search collapse under the weight of money, ego, and mistrust?
Can WJ Mudolo, a man with deep pockets and connections in South African business circles, convince ordinary Zambians that he is more than just the businessmen’s project? Will his sudden emergence be viewed as hope for renewal or as a foreign-financed intrusion into Zambia’s sovereignty?
Will Makebi Zulu tying his fortunes to the late president’s legacy endear him to PF loyalists? Can his legal sharpness and youthful image translate into the political gravitas required to challenge HH, or is he simply another name in the long list of ambitious but untested aspirants?
Does Brian Mundubile, with his grassroots connections and parliamentary colleagues behind him, truly stand a chance in a campaign where money speaks louder than loyalty? How far can a candidate go in modern Zambian politics without the millions needed to mobilize, brand, and protect a movement? Can his reputation survive the whispers of betrayal and the accusations—whether fair or not—that cling to his name?
And what of Chanda Katotobwe, the wealthy yet quiet lion? Will his impressive asset base and deep business ties be enough to build him into a household name, or will he remain a boardroom favorite with no resonance in the compounds and villages where elections are won? Can a man unknown to the masses be transformed into a national contender in less than two years?
Are the business elites right to place their bets on Mudolo as a fresh face untouched by the PF legacy, or on Katotobwe as a tried and trusted ally in their financial networks? Will money decide the opposition’s flagbearer, or will political chemistry and grassroots trust prove stronger than boardroom calculations?
And beyond the Tonse experiment, will Harry Kalaba, with his diplomatic charm, or Fred M’membe, with his socialist fire, emerge as the real dark horses? Can either of them transcend the fractures of the opposition and forge a credible alternative to HH’s dominance?
In the end, will the opposition find unity, discipline, and a candidate capable of commanding both the hearts of ordinary Zambians and the wallets of wary business elites? Or is the 2026 race already lost, not because HH is unassailable, but because the opposition is too busy fighting its own shadows?
My baboon will carry the torch.