THE MOCKERY OF VICTORY: HH’S CONTESTED MANDATE AND THE DEEPENING CRISIS OF ZAMBIA’S DEMOCRACY- Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
THE MOCKERY OF VICTORY: HH’S CONTESTED MANDATE AND THE DEEPENING CRISIS OF ZAMBIA’S DEMOCRACY
By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
I watched Hakainde Hichilema with deep pain and indignation when he was giving his presentation while attending the 2026 Samu Lya Moomba traditional ceremony in Southern Province. Standing before the gathered nation, he had the audacity to utter these words:
“To my 13 colleagues who contested for the presidency, there was always going to be one winner. So, because I won, I represent all of you. Please just know that you are not losers, you are also winners because your interests will be taken care of as we work for the people of Zambia.”
This statement is nothing short of a profound mockery of the Zambian people and democratic governance. To stand at a solemn cultural gathering and offer condescending platitudes to political opponents—while the country reels from electoral theft, state-sponsored violence, and authoritarian overreach—is an insult to the intelligence of every citizen. No amount of rehearsed speeches or diplomatic posturing will ever alter the fundamental truth: Hakainde Hichilema is an illegitimate president. He was not elected by a majority of Zambians; he was imposed on the nation through military force, state coercion, and systemic rigging.
An Imposed Mandate: The 2026 Electoral Theft and Military Coercion
The claim that HH earned a democratic mandate is completely shattered by the reality of the 2026 general elections. Across the nation, polling precincts were turned into zones of intimidation, voter suppression, and chaos managed by state security apparatuses and ruling party cadres:
The claim that HH earned a democratic mandate is completely shattered by the reality of the 2026 general elections. Across the nation, polling precincts were turned into zones of intimidation, voter suppression, and chaos managed by state security apparatuses and ruling party cadres:
1. Stolen Ballot Papers: In polling stations across the country, organized violence erupted to destroy the integrity of the vote. In Mandevu Constituency, known UPND cadres, including the individual identified as Kalufyanya, forcibly snatched marked ballot papers in full view of armed police personnel who stood by and refused to intervene. These stolen ballots were later discovered discarded in a nearby sewage line, completely invalidating the true expression of the electorate in that precinct.
2. Tear Gas Fired into Counting Facilities: In Kabwe, security forces went so far as to fire tear gas directly inside an active counting facility. The resulting panic forced accredited observers, party agents, and electoral staff to flee for safety, leaving unverified ballot boxes completely unguarded during the critical tabulation phase.
3. Unconstitutional Results Blackout: The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) executed an abrupt, six-hour operational blackout, freezing the declaration of presidential results nationwide without any constitutional or legal justification. This protracted silence irreparably broke the chain of custody for vote tallies.
4. Suppression of Opposition Stakeholders: When official announcements resumed and revealed massive discrepancies between numbers declared at the national center and certified local Gen 20 forms, opposition stakeholders demanded answers. Mr. Enock Roosevelt Tonga—leader of the Third Liberation Movement and accredited stakeholder representing main opposition candidate President. Brian Mundubile under the NRPUP/Tonse Alliance banner—raised a formal point of order. Instead of addressing the numerical mismatches, the Commission ordered state commandos and UPND cadres to assault him. Mr. Tonga was forcibly dragged off the floor, thrown into police custody, and detained without charge simply for demanding transparency.
Lethal State Operations: The Kabulonga Raid and Extrajudicial Killing
The authoritarian nature of this administration reached a deadly peak on the night of August 14, 2026, during a Joint Task Force raid on the Kabulonga residence of main opposition candidate President. Brian Mundubile.
State security forces opened fire during the operation, fatally wounding former Transport Minister and Lunte MP Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya. For nearly five days, senior government representatives explicitly denied the casualty, attempting to cover up the extrajudicial killing. The narrative collapsed only when Kafwaya’s spouse, Mrs. Dinis Ng’andu Kafwaya, filed an urgent habeas corpus application in the High Court compelling the state to produce her husband. Under direct judicial compulsion, the police finally admitted that Kafwaya had died from gunshot wounds inflicted by security forces.
Immediately following this tragic operation, the state manufactured treason charges against President. Brian Mundubile,his running mate Makebi Zulu, and 16 other opposition leaders. Framing political rivals as an “armed militia” is a transparent strategy to rebrand an extrajudicial killing, deflect accountability for the fatal raid, and justify prolonged, unbailable detentions.
The Judicial Lockout: Sealing the Doors of Justice
When the opposition moved to legally challenge these rigged elections, the administration physically shut down the nation’s judiciary.
Under Article 105 of the Zambian Constitution, an election petition must be lodged within a strict seven-day window following result declarations. On August 24, 2026—the precise deadline to file—Chief Justice Dr. Mumba Malila ordered the nationwide closure of court premises under the pretext of “security concerns.” Armed police units and barricades blocked entry to the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and High Court facilities across Lusaka, Ndola, Livingstone, and Chipata. By physically locking the court doors, the state systematically stripped the opposition of its constitutional right to seek legal redress before the legal deadline expired.
Imperative Steps to Address the Political Crisis
An executive that holds power through stolen ballots, military coercion, and the imprisonment of its rivals holds no genuine democratic or moral authority. The speech at Samu Lya Moomba claiming that “everyone is a winner” while political opponents sit in maximum-security cells on fabricated charges is an unpardonable mockery of the Zambian people.
To resolve this crisis of governance, the administration must take the following immediate actions:
1. Unconditional Release of Political Detainees: Immediately release Hon. Brian Mundubile, Makebi Zulu, and their 16 co-defendants, dropping all concocted treason charges designed to eliminate political competition.
2. Independent Probe into the Death of Mutotwe Kafwaya: Facilitate a fully independent, internationally monitored investigation into the Kabulonga raid to identify and prosecute those who ordered and executed the fatal shooting of Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya.
3. Restoration of Constitutional Rights: Reopen judicial avenues and allow a full, transparent audit of the 2026 election results in an open and uncoerced legal forum.
Until these steps are taken, no speech, traditional ceremony appearance, or presidential decree will grant legitimacy to an administration built on force.