“A Tale of Two Cities: Zambia’s Eve of Coronation”
…Zambia prays for peace and love unity
“A Tale of Two Cities: Zambia’s Eve of Coronation”
…Zambia prays for peace and love unity
AM 1st Sept 26
On the eve of 1 September 2026, Zambia stands at a crossroads that Shakespeare himself might have scripted, a sombre tale of two cities in Africa.
In one city, hon. Brian Mundubile, opposition leader, languishes in Mukobeko Maximum Prison, charged with treason alongside his running mate hon. Makebi Zulu.
Once resplendent in pin striped suits and gold cuff-links, they now crouch in cells, perhaps clad in orange prison garb.
With them are sixteen others, including 68 year old retired Rev. Bishop Trevor Mwamba, and the late Mutotwe Kafwaya, a former cabinet minister whose death in the post poll chaos casts a long shadow.
Their defenders, Counsellors Kambwa Derby Aongola, and colleagues such SC Sakwiba Sikota, SC Bonaventure Mutale, SC Chifumu Kingdom Banda and Snr Counselor Milner Katolo — wrestle with the weight of democracy and justice itself on trial in Zambia.
In the other city, at the Presidential Palace in Lusaka, incumbent President-elect H.E Hakainde Hichilema rehearses for his inauguration on 1 September today.
The stage is set for pomp and splendour: guns firing salutes, rockets streaking the sky, cameras flashing, and dignitaries — kings, Dukes, Presidents or their emissaries — arriving to witness Zambia’s “crowning glory.”
It is a tableau of velvet thrones versus iron bars, of coronation against incarceration.
Timeline of Irony
• 1991: Kenneth Kaunda, once adored, is pelted and voted out, handing power peacefully to Frederick Chiluba.
• 2002–2015: Chiluba himself faces trial, dying under the shadow of corruption charges, a debilitating heart attack.
• 2015–2021: Edgar Lungu hands over power to Hichilema, reinforcing Zambia’s reputation as Africa’s bastion of peaceful transfers.
• 13 August 2026: Zambia votes in a two horse race between Hichilema and Mundubile.
• 14 August: Violence erupts, Kafwaya is killed, arrests follow.
• 30 August: Mundubile, Zulu, and allies are transferred to Mukobeko Prison.
• 31 August: The eve of coronation — Zambia split between palace lights and prison shadows.
• 1 September: The inauguration, a public holiday declared by Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, as the nation braces for unity or division.
Satirical Canvas
In the United States, when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, pundits sighed: “It felt like no win, but it was democracy’s win.”
In Zambia, satire drips sharper: yesterday’s provincial minister, businessman, lawyer, and parliamentarian now shackled like Strauss Kahn, like Maduro’s foes, like the Count of Monte Cristo betrayed by fate.
A philosopher once quipped: “Everything is funny until it happens to you.” Tonight, that gallows humour echoes in Mukobeko’s corridors.
Reflections and Fears
Is democracy on trial, or are Mundubile and Makebi? Pundits whisper: “Will Zambia unite tomorrow or fracture further?”
The world watches, for Zambia has long defied Africa’s stereotype of violent transitions. From Kaunda to Chiluba, from Lungu to Hichilema, it has been the last bastion of democracy.
Yet tonight, the contrast is stark: velvet thrones versus iron bars, say political sceptics but could they be wrong?
Appeal for Peace
Zambia is a Christian nation, and many supporters pray for the safety of Mundubile, Zulu, Bishop Mwamba, and the sixteen others under state custody.
As the Spanish Revolution declared: “Better to die on your feet than live on your knees, peace above all.”
Yet Zambia’s true crown is peace. As Scripture reminds us: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
On 1 September, let Zambia’s people — known for peace and unity — observe calm.
For in the end, democracy is not about orange suits or golden thrones, but about trust, governance, and the autonomy of an African state.
Does western style democracy can work for Africa many ask now?
It is about whether BM8 and MZ8 as they got to be known get a fair day in court and whether Zambia comes out of this in one piece of peace in peace, in my humble view as a lover of peace and democracy.
I pen this with a shaking finger for some reason, but pray 🙏 for the best and peace and love Zambia was long known for.
…
Amb. Anthony Mukwita is an Author & International Relations Analyst.
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