UPND’S CHITAMBALA MWEWA WINS LUSAKA MAYORAL ELECTION
CHITAMBALA MWEWA SEALS MAYORAL LEGACY
….Decades after his father was handpicked, wins a historic, hard-fought ballot to claim Lusaka’s top civic seat
By DAVID KANDUZA
HISTORY has come full circle in the chambers of the Lusaka City Council.
Vlogger and business executive Chitambala Mwewa had been officially declared the new Mayor of Lusaka after securing a gripping victory in the tightly contested local government elections.
Standing on the ruling UPND ticket, Mr Mwewa polled 200,029 votes, narrowly defeating his closest rival, Gabriel Kibombwe of the NRPUP, who garnered 195,041 votes.
For Mr Mwewa, popularly known online as Simon Mwewa Lane, this win was deeply personal.
It cements a rare father-son legacy in Zambian civic governance, running straight through the family bloodline as the victory shatters a historical ceiling.
Decades ago, Chitambala’s father, the late Simon Mwewa, served as the first mayor of an independent Lusaka.
However, during that era, the mayoral seat was a ceremonial role filled strictly by presidential appointment rather than the choices of the masses.
Fast forward to today, and the political landscape had entirely shifted.
The modern mayoral office demands accountability, popular support and the grueling grit of a democratic campaign.
Mr Mwewa did not just inherit a legacy; he fought for it on the streets, surviving a turbulent adoption process and intense campaign rivalries.
Known for his fierce, outspoken social commentary and relentless advocacy for civic order, Mr Mwewa had long targeted the capital’s visible decay.
His campaign focused heavily on cleaning up the city, eliminating illegal visual pollution and restoring strict administrative law to the municipality.
In his characteristically direct acceptance speech at the Civic Centre, the Mayor-Elect made his immediate agenda crystal clear:
“I only have one thing to say: the number one issue in the city is cleanliness. There is a lot of work to do, and I think we can start from there,” he said.
By transitioning from a vocal internet commentator into the executive seat of Zambia’s largest city, the Lusaka mayor-elect had proven that local governance does indeed run in his blood.
But this time, it is the people of Lusaka, not a closed-door committee, who have written his name into the history books.