THE TRUTH EVERYONE IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE ABOUT BA SIMON MWEWA LANE
Disclaimer: This is my opinion.
Is ba Simon Mwewa Lane popular? Absolutely.
And whether people like it or not, politics is fundamentally a game of numbers. Political parties are often willing to field almost anyone or anything as long as they bring popularity, visibility and votes. In such environments, competence can quietly become a secondary consideration.
Can ba Simon Mwewa Lane win the Lusaka Mayoral elections if he contested?
Highly likely.
The man is undeniably a brand.
At my house, “Iwe dopa apo!” is practically house policy; a slogan used to enforce cleanliness and discourage littering.
That tells you something.
He commands an audience of nearly a million Facebook followers. In modern politics, influence is currency and ba Simon is wealthy in that department.
But popularity and leadership are not automatically the same thing.
Would he make a good leader?
I highly doubt it. (Again, my opinion.)
Before anyone attacks me; yes, I am actually a fan of ba Simon.
I have watched many of his videos: the skits, the public interactions, the confrontations, the “serious” moments.
And my honest observation is this: he often struggles to read the room.
He may genuinely mean well. I am not questioning his intentions.
I am questioning his leadership temperament.
I watched one video where he had a heated exchange with a woman who asked him whether he even had a heart; essentially accusing him of lacking empathy and emotional intelligence in how he dealt with people. What followed was verbal warfare.
In Zambia, only a few people can match ba Simon’s verbal wrestling energy. Kween Bee probably deserves honorable mention.
But leadership is not won through verbal dominance.
Leadership demands emotional intelligence, restraint, empathy and the ability to de-escalate.
Does he possess those qualities strongly enough for public office?
I don’t think so.
My concerns:
1. He appears overly goal-driven while overlooking the human side of leadership.
2. He can come across as lacking empathy.
3. His communication style sometimes prioritizes confrontation over emotional awareness.
Now let’s talk about the bureaucracy question.
This is the uncomfortable conversation few people want to have.
Ba Simon runs a familt business and credit where it is due: sustaining an inherited business is no small achievement.
In Africa, many family businesses collapse after the founder dies. Keeping one alive requires discipline, adaptation and understanding the original vision.
That deserves recognition.
However…
The Lusaka City Council is not a family business.
It is not a private company where the owner makes unilateral decisions and implementation follows immediately.
The Council operates within a complex two-tier structure: political and administrative.
That means: bureaucracy, procedure, resistance, consultation, institutional limitations, delayed implementation, competing interests.
Results are not instant.
Decisions are not yours alone.
You don’t simply say “do this” and everyone moves.
My question is:
Does ba Simon fully understand the patience required to function inside bureaucratic governance systems after operating in an environment where decisions may have been quicker and more centralized?
I highly doubt it.
And that matters.
Because when strong personalities encounter institutional frustration, one risk is becoming disillusioned with the job, colleagues, systems and eventually the responsibilities themselves.
Public leadership is not only about energy, popularity and boldness.
It is also about patience, emotional intelligence, coalition-building and understanding systems.
Ba Simon may be a powerful content creator.
He may even be a strong activist voice.
But being a mayor?
That is an entirely different sport.
Your thoughts?
-Kekero the OG