Africa-Press – Zambia. During the reign of the Patriotic Front (PF) government from 2011 to 2021, Zambia witnessed a troubling wave of politically linked deaths that painted a grim picture of intolerance, police brutality, and suspected state-sponsored violence.
Among the most painful memories is the killing of Mapenzi Chibulo in 2016, gunned down by police during a peaceful UPND march. Then came the tragic death of Vespers Shimuzhila, a University of Zambia student who suffocated after police tear-gassed her hostel during a protest. In December 2020, the nation was shaken again when Nsama Nsama Chipyoka, a prosecutor, and Joseph Kaunda, a UPND supporter, were shot dead in broad daylight by police officers during a protest near Lusaka Central Police. These were not isolated events, they exposed a dangerous trend of suppression and deadly force under the PF government.
So, where was Binwell Mpundu when all this was happening? Where was his voice when Lawrence Banda was gunned down in Kaoma, when Obed Kasongo succumbed to brutal injuries after a by-election attack, and when Grayzer Matapa was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Petauke in 2021? These are not just statistics, they were citizens whose lives were cut short by a system that thrived on political violence under ECL. Binwell was silent then, yet today he speaks the loudest.
Why didn’t he raise his voice when justice was needed most? If he truly stands for the people, he must start by acknowledging this dark past instead of pretending it never happened.
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