Africa-Press – Zambia. I got married over 30 years ago and I have never laid hands on my wife – Hichilema
IN the over 30 years he has been married to his wife, First Lady Muntinta Hichilema, President Hakainde Hichilema has revealed that he has never laid a hand on her.
On July 31st this year, the couple celebrated 37 years of marriage.
Officiating at this year’s Human Rights Day in Lusaka on Wednesday, the Head of State shared that brutalising women only shows that one does not love their partner.
The President who often publicly gushes about how lucky he is to have married his Mutinta,
stressed that never having laid a hand on her does not mean they always agree on everything.
“Brutalising our women, our girlfriends is not acceptable. It means you never loved that woman in the first place. I have been married for over 30 years, there’s not a single day I got close to laying my hands on my wife. It can’t happen,” he shared.
“It’s not that we think alike no. She brings brilliant views in the house, some I agree, some I don’t and vice versa. There’s no reason why you should harm the person you claim to love. When you choose your partner respect them.”
He also recounted a time when the First Lady stumbled upon an artificial intelligence (AI) generated video of him appearing to kiss a young woman, which did not lead to conflict because of the trust they have built over the years.
“Social media has become a menace, one day my wife saw an AI generated video where I was kissing a young lady. She asked that, ‘daddy have you seen this?’ I said, ‘you, continue what you are doing. It’s not possible. Because we have a long trusting relationship,” he shared.
It was at this same event that the President stated that government was planning on making Gender Based Violence (GBV) non-bailable.
The Head of State who got married to Mutinta when he was just 26, has three children with her, namely, Miyanda, Habwela and Chikonka.
On their marriage anniversary this year, President Hichilema posted on his socials that the wife he married 37 years ago still makes him smile.
“37 years later and you are still making me smile. Happy Anniversary Mutinta Hichilema. HH,” he wrote.
And the First Lady wrote that the husband of her youth still makes her heart skip a beat.
“Happy 37th wedding anniversary to the one who still makes my heart skip a beat. Here’s to the quiet joys and endless shared memories we’ve built together. Love, Mutinta,” so she wrote.
In video interviews that surfaced slightly before and after the 2021 general election, President Hichilema shared how he met his wife.
“I met this woman in Lusaka. I met her, observed her for some time. We used to meet in the bus stops and later I figured out where she worked,” he said.
In those videos, President Hichilema also revealed that the couple initially faced challenges in having children, but God eventually blessed them with three.
According to an interview from over three years ago, that surfaced after the president won elections, Mutinta is a signatory on all his bank accounts.
Despite coming from a polygamous family, the Head of State decided to stick to one wife because, for him, ‘you can’t share intimate love.’
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, December 13, 2025
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