TRIBALISM IS VERY WRONG REGARDLESS OF WHO PERPETRATES IT – NEW HERITAGE PARTY
6 October 2025
A voice recording of Madam Mumbi Phiri doing the rounds on social media has her stating that to have a person from the Northern Province with a Running Mate from Eastern Province or vice versa, will ensure that they will win.
New Heritage Party would like to state that this is a very unfortunate statement coming from a person that is a national leader, that is very influential because their voice holds sway with the citizens.
At this time when the country is so polarised along party, tribal, regional, and ethnic lines, these sentiments by Madam Mumbi Phiri will lead to more division rather than unity and runs counter to fundamental precepts of our National Constitution as contained in the following articles:
Article 23 – Protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, tribe, sex, place of origin, marital status, political opinion, colour or creed.
Article 8 – Deals with National Values and Principles listing Human dignity, equity, social justice, equality, and non-discrimination in general as key national values and principles of our nation.
Article 60 – Deals specifically with Political Parties. Political Parties are prohibited from being founded on religious, linguistic, racial, ethnic, tribal, gender, sectoral, or provincial basis or engaging in propaganda based on these factors.
Article 173 – Guiding Values and Principles of Public Service. This article emphasises the importance of adequate and equal opportunities for appointments, training and advancement of members of both genders and importantly all ethnic groups in the Public Service.
As we, at New Heritage Party, have stated before, this country will not progress with such retrogressive thinking. A house divided against itself will just not stand.
2026 affords us, as a country, to reset and this type and level of thinking just has no part in the Zambia that we would like to build for our children and children’s children. The coming General Elections affords us an opportunity to draw a line under the insidious but ubiquitous practice of tribalism that has brought us to where we are.
2026 also gives us an opportunity to vote in a political formation committed to the dismantling of political cartels, including the current government) that have held Zambians hostage using tribe, ill-gotten wealth etc
As we approach the 2026 General Elections, let us find the best people for positions of leadership in Zambia, not based on area of origin, but based on merit. We are in the mess that we are in, due to the fact that we have appointed people based on narrow sectarian considerations. This must come to an end.
Any leader that promotes themselves and others on the basis of tribe, ethnicity, age, gender, is being segregative and is at variance with our Constitution as well as our founding motto of One Zambia One Nation.
The New Heritage Party has been very consistent and uncompromising on the question of sectarianism in the country. We refer you to our following statements:
• Calling for the enactment of stronger laws against tribalism in Governments and Policy Making by our Vice President – Admin, on 5 April 2025.
• A Call to Unity on 4 August 2025
• A call to Unity – The Deeper Call on 5 August 2025
• A call to Unity – the Rationale 7 August 2025
• Tribalism in Public Institutions on 17 September 2025
We quote from our statement ‘A Call to Unity the Rationale’ of 7th August 2025
“As we stand at the crossroads of our nation’s history, we recognize the imperative for a united opposition political movement that embodies the spirit of inclusivity and collective purpose.
The daunting tasks ahead—transforming our country into a true multiparty democracy, unifying our people around a shared national development agenda, and resetting our national ethos and governance practices to reflect the founding fathers’ vision of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’—demand a unity of purpose and action that transcends partisan and other sectarian interests.
We envision a Zambia where citizenship is not defined by political affiliation or group (any group) identity but is a badge of honour, bestowed upon every individual by virtue of their birthright or legal residency. A Zambia where every citizen enjoys full human rights as enshrined in our Constitution, and where entry into public service is based on merit, competence, and a rigorous selection process.”
Zambians from both the ruling party and the opposition who think like Madam Mumbi Phiri, Mr Douglas Syakalima, Mr Amon Mweemba (RTSA CEO) and others like them, represent a thinking that is from an anachronistic period in the life of this country and that was roundly rejected in 1964 and the cry of One Zambia One Nation resounded through our nation.
Let us build a Zambia where do away with such thinking, let alone such practices. Let us instead build a Zambia that is embracing of all its people regardless of where they hail from and let us unite around the common ‘Cause’ of developing our people to human dignity, equity, social justice, equality and above all, non-discrimination of our citizens for any reason whatsoever in accordance with article 8 of our Constitution on National Values and Principles.
CHISHALA KATEKA
President – New Heritage Party
PF have no respect for the constitution not even their own. That is why their trademark is lawlessness.
Tribalism is deeply inbedded in the PF psyche. Mr. Lungu used the principle of divide and rule to consolidate his hold on power and avoid scrutiny as to his actual origins.
Insecure politicians resort to tribalism to be heard. Same goes for the tribalist RTSA CEO, who, by the way, seems to have gotten away with his tribal remarks . Maybe it has also become the defacto policy of UPND as a way of addressing the perceived tribal inbalance in government structures.