BRIEFING | Mpundu withdraws dialogue call, returns to election rigging claims
Former Nkana MP Binwell Mpundu has withdrawn his call for dialogue with President Hakainde Hichilema, less than two days after publicly offering to reach out to the President in an attempt to ease post-election political tensions.
Mpundu, who is alleged to be outside Zambia and whose current location has not been independently confirmed, said on Thursday morning that his change of position followed remarks attributed to UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe dismissing his proposal.
“My heart has sunk so deeply that I regret ever making this call and I immediately withdraw it and apologise unreservedly to all those who did not agree with my call,” he wrote.
The statement marks a sharp reversal from Mpundu’s earlier message in which he said, “I’m taking that first step, I’m reaching out to President HH for peace,” and argued that Zambia needed political dialogue.
This morning, however, he returned to the opposition’s disputed account of the August election, accusing the UPND of manipulating results with the help of the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Army.
He also alleged that the closure of courts prevented an election petition. These are serious allegations which Mpundu did not substantiate with new evidence in his statement.
Mpundu also referred to the killing of former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya during the security operation at Brian Mundubile’s residence and rejected the State’s allegations of an illegal militia. He described subsequent treason charges against opposition figures as “concocted”.
The accused have not been convicted, while the State maintains that its actions arose from a national-security investigation. The circumstances surrounding Kafwaya’s death remain one of the central contested issues arising from the operation.
Mpundu said he had reached out to Hichilema as promised but now believed the President needed dialogue more than detained opposition leader Brian Mundubile.
“Failure to release those unjustly treated and failure to stop the crackdown on the opposition supporters, the UPND will struggle to rule this country,” he wrote, citing what he described as widespread frustration and anger following the election.
His reversal illustrates the competing pressures now visible within the opposition. Some figures have recently spoken about reconciliation and lowering political tensions, while others continue to reject the election outcome and demand the release of detained leaders.
Mpundu has now moved between both positions within days, suggesting that any organised dialogue would first require clarity over what is to be discussed, who would represent the opposition and what outcome each side expects from such talks.
– The People’s Brief | Mwape Nthegwa