STORM IN VIP TENT
…NERUP leader Ezra Tembo scolds ushers over seating protocol
By DAVID KANDUZA
THE serene protocol of a civic installation ceremony fractured into public theatre yesterday, October 23, 2026, when Ezra Tembo, president of the National Economic Rescue and Unity Party (NERUP), loudly scolded event ushers and flatly refused to take his assigned seat in the VIP tent, declaring himself ‘too senior’ to be ushered in prematurely.
The drama unfolded in full view of his personal entourage and a scrambling Press corps during the official installation ceremony for the new Mayor of the City of Ndola, Kennedy Kasaba.
The standoff began when ceremonial ushers approached Mr Tembo, after disbarking from his official vehicle in the Ndola City Council parking lot.
Mr Tembo serves as the Member of Parliament for Dag Constituency and commands legislative leverage as the leader of the party with the majority of opposition MPs in the House.
The ushers requested that he take his place under the main VIP pavilion ahead of the arrival of the event’s guest of honour, Nicholas Phiri Permanent Secretary for Technical Services at Local Government and Rural Development
Instead of moving forward, the new opposition leader of Parliament dug in his heels.
“I am a senior person. I can’t go in there,” Mr Tembo barked at the increasingly flustered ushers, his voice carrying across the lawn.
When protocol officials followed up to quietly persuade him to take his seat, Mr Tembo doubled down, scolding the staff for what he clearly perceived as a breach of political hierarchy and etiquette.
He insisted that his status as a party president and a dominant parliamentary leader meant he should not be seated ahead of or beneath a civil servant, even one of a Permanent Secretary’s stature.
His flock of loyal party followers immediately rallied around him, nodding in agreement and murmuring support, while journalists backed down as they tried to capture the unfolding spectacle.
The public display of political friction highlights the perennial, ego-driven battle over protocol and precedence that frequently shadows official State functions.
While the installation of Mr Kasaba was intended to celebrate local governance and administrative continuity in Ndola, it would instead be remembered for the day a party leader drew a line in the sand over a VIP tent.
Government protocol officers and Ndola civic officials have yet to issue an official comment on the seating arrangements or the subsequent altercation.