Mukwita on Point from The Daily Nation on Friday
30 Jan 26.
The Political Thriller of Zambia: A Week in Fire and Fury
…how Mundubile captured the headlines
“Zambia’s political theatre this week has been nothing short of a thriller: Brian Mundubile’s audacious bid for the presidency has rattled the PF, angered exiled spokesperson Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba, and exposed the fragility of democracy under the ruling UPND.
“Against this back-drop of poverty, fuel hikes, and constitutional “tricks,” or imingalato, the stakes for August’s election could not be higher.”
Mundubile’s Gambit
This week, the spotlight fell squarely on Hon. Brian Mundubile, the Mporokoso lawmaker who dared to break ranks in the fractured Patriotic Front (PF).
After four years of dithering since losing power to President Hakainde Hichilema’s UPND, the PF has failed to hold a convention to select a presidential candidate.
Into this vacuum stepped Mundubile, pitching himself for the most coveted job in town against all odds.
Yet instead of rallying behind him, the PF’s exiled spokesperson Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba and a chorus of “procedure purists” have threatened expulsion for those aligning with the BM8 movement.
I remain befuddled as a political scholar: why fight a man with resilience and a majority of PF MPs openly behind him?
Democracy is not Siberia, it thrives when multiple hats are thrown into the ring, not when one is punished for daring to dream.
Democracy and Opposition
I am a great believer in democracy, not coronacracy, and it only blossoms when opposition movements are strong.
Brian Mundubile’s rise, though ‘imperfect’ according to my brother and hombre EMV, is an attempt to foster such strength.
Still, he would do well to work with other formidable figures—KBF, Fred M’membe, Given Lubinda, Harry Kalaba, Makebi Zulu, and John Sangwa, others too numerous to name.
If unity doesn’t work, so be it but at least try and speaking to brother BM8, I see a hombre willing to embrace all, Greyford Monde, the Rev Danny Pule et al.
There is enough room for everyone in the democratic bubble, provided egos are checked at the door.
Poverty and Hardship: The Fuel of Change
Zambia’s poverty levels remain staggering. As of 2022, 64.2% of the population—about 13 million people—lived on less than $2.15 a day, with inequality reflected in a Gini Index of 51.8.
This grinding poverty is not just a statistic; it is the lived reality of millions who struggle to put food on the table, send children to school, or access healthcare.
Fuel prices, meanwhile, have become a cruel barometer of hardship. In 2025, petrol hovered around K32.14 per litre and diesel at K27.38 per litre, with spikes later in the year.
For ordinary Zambians, every litre translates into higher transport costs, pricier food, and diminished hope.
These hardships often drive citizens to seek change at the ballot box, believing democracy should deliver bread, not just speeches and dreams.
Tricks and “Imingilato” will be implemented-Cornelius Mweetwa
Government spokesman Cornelius Mweetwa, flamboyantly dubbed “Mr Bombastic,” declared the opposition “politically dead.”
Yet in the same breath, he revealed that the ruling party deploys “tricks”—imingilato—to tilt constitutional amendments and polls.
If true, this borders on illegality.
Were the opposition to announce similar underhand methods, arrests would rain down without hesitation like a ton of bricks, ask Miles Sampa.
Shouldn’t civil society and the ECZ investigate these claims? Democracy cannot survive on illegal tricks; it must rest on transparency and laws.
The Army’s Hitlerian Rhetoric
Shock-waves rippled when Army Commander Lt. General Zyeele threatened to “fumigate, eradicate, and exterminate” illegal miners, claiming the orders came from the President.
Adolf Hitler’s ghost seemed to whisper through the airwaves. Thankfully, Defence Minister Ambrose Lufuma chastised him, but the nation remains uneasy: what language will the Commander use next—“annihilate”?
Satire Across the Seas
Across the Atlantic, POTUS Trump once again proved he can TACO—Trump Always Chickens Out—when his Greenland acquisition fantasy collided with NATO’s reminder: “an attack on one is an attack on all.”
He retreated, unlike his Rambo-style escapade in Venezuela, where he “captured” Maduro and his wife. Irony abounds: Greenland breathes ice and fish, Gaza bleeds under bombs. Different strokes for different folks.
Friends of the West: Lease of Life
It pays to be a friend of the West.
Nations aligned with Washington, London, Paris, or Brussels often receive debt relief, aid packages, and diplomatic cover.
For instance:
Ukraine has enjoyed billions in Western support, keeping its economy afloat despite war.
Israel, despite global criticism, continues to receive military and financial backing, ensuring its survival.
Meanwhile, Gaza and Palestinians, lacking such friendship, face relentless bombardment and isolation. As one diplomat once quipped: “In geopolitics, alliances are oxygen; without them, nations suffocate.”
The Coming Storm
With six months to go before Zambia’s crucial polls, poverty gnaws, fuel prices bite, and democracy trembles under the weight of tricks and threats.
Mundubile’s candidacy may yet galvanize the opposition, but only if unity triumphs over division.
The ruling party’s confidence, bolstered by constitutional tinkering, may prove brittle if citizens decide bread and fuel matter more than slogans.
Closing Reflection
The Daily Revelation Newspaper
As I, pen these words, I am reminded of a French political maxim that captures the essence of our struggle:
“La politique est l’art d’empêcher les gens de se mêler de ce qui les regarde.” — Paul Valéry
Politics, indeed, is the art of preventing people from meddling in what concerns them.
In Zambia today, the people must insist on meddling, for it is their bread, their fuel, their democracy at stake.
And that’s Mukwita on Point.
Ambassador Anthony Mukwita is an International Relations Analyst & Author
Source: The Daily Nation Zambia Mukwita on Point