Zambia Streets

Munir Zulu tells opposition diaspora: Stop exporting tribalism into Zambia

September 8, 2026 zambianstreets

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Munir Zulu tells opposition diaspora: Stop exporting tribalism into Zambia

Former Lumezi Member of Parliament Munir Zulu has criticised opposition supporters living abroad who use social media to spread tribalism, hatred and misinformation, arguing that political disagreements in Zambia should not be driven by people who are removed from conditions on the ground.

Zulu, an opposition figure associated with the Tonse Alliance and Brian Mundubile, said he had become aware of attacks against him on diaspora-run social media platforms but would not be drawn into responding to every accusation.

“I have been made aware of my name trending on some social platforms that are managed by lunatics in the diaspora. I don’t mind about it,” he said. “Zambian problems can only be addressed by we, the Zambian people.”

His strongest criticism was directed at people presenting themselves as opposition supporters while circulating ethnic and hateful messages. “It is sad that amongst those that pretend or project themselves to support our organisation are the first people to spread hate messages, tribalism. It’s nonsensical. They are not here,” Zulu said.

Zulu argued that opposition politics should be shaped by people dealing directly with political conditions inside Zambia rather than online pressure from abroad.

“We face all the difficulties from our land, from the battlefront. We shall not use social media platforms to handle difficulties. We shall face them head on,” he said.

He also pushed back against people attempting to dictate the opposition’s response to current events, saying he remained in direct communication with Mundubile and Makebi Zulu.

“I speak to president Mundubile myself. I know his status. I know his condition. I speak to president Makebi Zulu. I know his status. I know his condition,” he said, before asking why people without first-hand information should “dictate and call us names.”

Zulu further alleged that some people within the Tonse leadership were feeding inaccurate information to individuals abroad, which then returned to Zambia through social media as attacks and misleading narratives.

His remarks place the argument inside the opposition itself: political disagreement is legitimate, but tribal mobilisation and misinformation do not become legitimate simply because they are deployed against the government of the day.

– The People’s Brief | Goran Handya