🇿🇲 BREAKING | BRE Gives Tonse 7 Days to Apologise Over Airport Remarks
🇿🇲 BREAKING | BRE Gives Tonse 7 Days to Apologise Over Airport Remarks
The Barotseland Royal Establishment (BRE) has dramatically escalated its dispute with the Tonse Alliance, giving the opposition coalition seven days to apologise over remarks by its finance chairperson, Mutotwe Kafwaya, questioning the need for an international airport in Mongu.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, Ngambela Manyando Mukela said the traditional leadership viewed Kafwaya’s comments as reflecting the alliance’s position rather than merely a personal opinion.
“We are extremely flabbergasted by his statement. Barotseland is an integral part of Zambia. The remarks are discriminatory, divisive and disrespectful to the Litunga and the people of Barotseland,” the Ngambela wrote.
Although the BRE stressed that it does not participate in partisan politics, it warned that it would not remain silent when the development interests of Barotseland were questioned. The establishment demanded that Tonse publicly distance itself from Kafwaya’s remarks, compel him to withdraw the statement unconditionally and issue a formal written apology to the Ngambela and the Kuta on behalf of the people of Barotseland.
The royal establishment further called on the alliance to publicly support the construction and upgrading of airports in Western Province, including Mongu and Kalabo, and commit that none of its leaders would campaign on a platform that denies infrastructure development to the region.
“The people of Barotseland have endured marginalisation for too long. We will not accept any political formation that treats our homeland as undeserving of modern infrastructure,” Mukela said.
The letter concludes with an unmistakable political warning. The BRE has given the Tonse Alliance seven days to respond, cautioning that failure to do so would leave the establishment with no option but to “advise our people accordingly” and engage traditional, civic and international stakeholders.
The intervention marks one of the most significant traditional leadership responses of the campaign and adds fresh political pressure on the opposition as the race for State House intensifies.
© The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu
The Barotseland Royal Establishment (BRE) has dramatically escalated its dispute with the Tonse Alliance, giving the opposition coalition seven days to apologise over remarks by its finance chairperson, Mutotwe Kafwaya, questioning the need for an international airport in Mongu.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, Ngambela Manyando Mukela said the traditional leadership viewed Kafwaya’s comments as reflecting the alliance’s position rather than merely a personal opinion.
“We are extremely flabbergasted by his statement. Barotseland is an integral part of Zambia. The remarks are discriminatory, divisive and disrespectful to the Litunga and the people of Barotseland,” the Ngambela wrote.
Although the BRE stressed that it does not participate in partisan politics, it warned that it would not remain silent when the development interests of Barotseland were questioned. The establishment demanded that Tonse publicly distance itself from Kafwaya’s remarks, compel him to withdraw the statement unconditionally and issue a formal written apology to the Ngambela and the Kuta on behalf of the people of Barotseland.
The royal establishment further called on the alliance to publicly support the construction and upgrading of airports in Western Province, including Mongu and Kalabo, and commit that none of its leaders would campaign on a platform that denies infrastructure development to the region.
“The people of Barotseland have endured marginalisation for too long. We will not accept any political formation that treats our homeland as undeserving of modern infrastructure,” Mukela said.
The letter concludes with an unmistakable political warning. The BRE has given the Tonse Alliance seven days to respond, cautioning that failure to do so would leave the establishment with no option but to “advise our people accordingly” and engage traditional, civic and international stakeholders.
The intervention marks one of the most significant traditional leadership responses of the campaign and adds fresh political pressure on the opposition as the race for State House intensifies.
© The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu