Africa-Press – Zambia. The Tonse Alliance is imploding in full view of the nation. A week of bare-knuckle politics has seen member parties close ranks against Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) leader Kelvin Bwalya Fube, who is now accused of attempting to upend the Alliance’s leadership structure.
New Congress Party President Peter Chanda has struck the first blow, declaring on Diamond TV that KBF is “not yet an official member” of the Tonse Alliance. “He must first be accepted by the full council of alliance leaders before making pronouncements on leadership,” Chanda said, a thinly veiled rebuke of KBF’s claim that PF Acting President Given Lubinda cannot chair the Alliance.
Patriotic Front loyalist Ibrahim Mwamba has gone further, branding KBF an “outsider with no authority” to meddle in the coalition’s affairs. “He has not signed the Alliance Constitution, and until he does, he remains outside,” Mwamba said in a statement dripping with irritation.
The Tonse Alliance itself doubled down on PF’s supremacy in a strongly worded communiqué. “PF’s leadership of the Alliance is constitutionally mandated and not subject to rotation,” Deputy Spokesperson Ephraim Shakafuswa said. “Any attempt to redefine this arrangement undermines the Alliance’s stability.”
This is no ordinary skirmish. The battle lines are clear: KBF is openly challenging Lubinda’s leadership, while Alliance partners, fearful of a vacuum, are closing ranks behind PF. But the timing is toxic. The death of former President Edgar Lungu, who held the Alliance together as Chairperson, has left a vacuum that is now threatening to rip the coalition apart.
However, this is a familiar pattern. PF, notorious for bloody succession battles, is heading into another storm. “Once Lungu is buried, the gloves will come off,” observer Elias Phiri told The People’s Brief.
“This is a party and an alliance with no clear line of succession. Expect more fire.”
The infighting is already reshaping the electoral map. Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe already broke away from earlier opposition unity agreements and fielded his own candidate in the Mfuwe by-election.
“This is the start of a domino effect,” analyst Catherine Sitali warned. “If the opposition cannot unite in a by-election, how will they face the UPND in 2026?”
For now, the Alliance insists the disputes are being “handled internally.” Tonse Alliance bigwigs have attempted to calm the waters, saying the tensions are “normal issues in any club.” But the public jabs, the thinly veiled insults, and the walkouts suggest otherwise.
Meanwhile, the ruling UPND is watching from the sidelines. “The opposition is handing them 2026 on a silver platter,” Sitali said. “They may not get everything right, but a divided opposition has no chance of unseating them.”
The Tonse Alliance was once billed as Zambia’s answer to UPND dominance. Today, it is a coalition tearing itself apart, with members locked in a power struggle that may consume them all.
You are reading The People’s Brief Gist with Ollus R. Ndomu.
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