CAMPAIGN WATCH | Mundubile Expands Promise List, Says Lungu Will Be Buried Under Tonse Govt
Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile continued his campaign through Muchinga Province on Tuesday, promising to improve livelihoods, empower small-scale miners and complete key infrastructure projects, while also introducing former president Edgar Lungu’s burial into the alliance’s campaign message.
Addressing a packed rally at Presidential Park in Chinsali, Mundubile expressed confidence that the Tonse Alliance would form the next government after the August 13 general election. He urged civil servants to remain professional and politically impartial during the campaign period, saying they should perform their duties without placing themselves in compromising situations as the country heads to the polls.
Mundubile also used the rally to revisit the unresolved burial of former president Edgar Lungu, whose body remains in South Africa following a dispute between the family and the Zambian government. In remarks that elevate the issue into the alliance’s campaign platform, he said he and running mate Makebi Zulu had agreed that a Tonse government would ensure Lungu is buried in Zambia with full dignity.
“What you must know is that our father Edgar Lungu has not yet been buried. What Makebi Zulu and I have agreed on is that when you vote for us and we win, we will honour late President Edgar Lungu and bury him with respect. Our father needs to be buried with respect,” Mundubile told supporters.
Turning to development, the opposition candidate accused the UPND administration of failing to manage the country effectively and pledged what he described as people-centred policies if elected. He promised to end what he called the harassment of artisanal miners at gold mining sites and instead support local mining activities.
“Government cannot employ everyone, so we will support and empower small-scale miners instead of displacing them,” he said. Mundubile also pledged to complete the Chinsali–Mulinsolo Road, improve township roads in Chinsali and finish the Mbesuma Bridge to strengthen connectivity in Muchinga and Northern provinces.
Running mate Makebi Zulu focused his address on governance and civil liberties, alleging that recent cyber legislation has undermined freedom of expression.
“This government is restricting people from speaking out. The last five years have been difficult. You talk online, they say it is cybercrime. If you say government is not doing its job, you get arrested,” Zulu said, as he criticised what the alliance describes as shrinking democratic space.
The Chinsali rally formed part of the Tonse Alliance’s campaign through Zambia’s Northern Circuit, where the opposition is seeking to consolidate support in regions historically associated with the former Patriotic Front.
Several senior Tonse leaders attended the event as the alliance continued rolling out campaign promises across the country ahead of polling day.
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