Africa-Press – Zambia. In a searing interview on Emmanuel Mwamba Verified, Acting President of the Patriotic Front and the Tonse Alliance, Hon. Given Lubinda, issued a sweeping indictment of President Hakainde Hichilema’s government, accusing it of vendetta politics, tribal domination, and deliberate destabilization of Zambia’s democracy.
The episode, hosted by Emmanuel Mwamba, broadcasting from the United States, featured Lubinda live from South Africa, where he was providing solidarity to the Lungu family during an ongoing legal dispute with the Zambian state over the burial of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
“To keep the remains of a former president in a morgue for 60 days, just so one man can preside over a funeral, is not a matter of protocol. It’s a matter of cruelty,” Lubinda said. “This is no longer about statecraft. This is about one man’s insatiable appetite for pain.”
*“THE STATE WAS SILENT; WE WERE FORCED TO LEAD”*
Lubinda detailed how news of President Lungu’s passing broke not from the government, but from the family, under pressure and without support.
“From 6 AM we waited. By 11, it was confirmed. But by 3 PM, it was his daughter, not the Head of State, who had to speak to the nation. That was the first betrayal.”
In the vacuum of leadership, Lubinda convened an emergency PF NEC meeting and declared a period of mourning. Provincial PF offices became the centers for national grief, as government remained conspicuously absent.
“Our people gathered peacefully. They mourned with dignity. They led where the government failed.”
*A FUNERAL TURNED BATTLEFIELD*
Lubinda exposed how earlier agreements with the family were violated by the state, including attempts to impose a closed church service at the airport and the exclusion of PF leaders from receiving the body. T-shirts bearing Lungu’s face were printed without family or party authorization.
“This wasn’t about honoring a former president. This was a power grab, dressed in black,” Lubinda said. “When the family refused to surrender the remains to the state, the government sued them. Sued a grieving widow. In a foreign court.”
Lubinda applauded the legal defense mounted by family lawyer Makebi Zulu, emphasizing that no Zambian law dictates burial arrangements for former heads of state.
*“ONE MAN’S TYRANNY”*
Lubinda pointed the finger squarely at President Hichilema.
“No Cabinet resolution. No national consensus. This is not government policy, it is one man’s obsession,” he said. “Hakainde is enjoying their suffering. That’s the only way to explain this cruelty.”
He also warned that Zambia’s international standing is now in question, with interventions from South African and regional leaders failing to persuade the government to relent.
*THE QUESTION OF TRIBE*
The show took a sharp turn when a Catholic priest, Father Pombo, criticised prominent political figures from Luapula, Northern and Eastern who have been gullible to be used by the UPND to destabilise the opposition. A female caller then phoned in, attacking the priest and suggesting he was himself being tribal.
Let’s be honest: it is not Zambians who are tribal. It is the political elites, especially the UPND, who have used tribal identity as a weapon since Mapatizya in 2006.
They have shamelessly leaned on regionalism while portraying themselves as victims. President Hichilema’s pattern of appointments, heavily skewed along ethnic and regional lines, is evidence enough. Yet the same voices who jumped to call out Father Pombo are silent when it comes to HH’s blatant tribal favoritism.
The lady who called in should go and reprimand Hakainde Hichilema, not Father Pombo. Let us not pretend.
A CAPTURED STATE: PARLIAMENT, JUDICIARY, AND THE MEDIA
Lubinda described Zambia’s Parliament as a shadow of democracy.
“MPs are suspended for speaking the truth. One was abducted and vanished. The Speaker now answers questions before ministers do. Parliament is no longer independent. It’s an appendage of State House.”
He warned that the judiciary is also falling in line, citing the rushed creation of a Financial Crimes Court upon a mere presidential pronouncement.
“Zambia is now ruled by decree, not law.”
“UNITY OR BETRAYAL”
Lubinda closed with a firm declaration: there is no other path to 2026 except unity.
“The PF will not go it alone,” he said. “Any political party or movement that goes solo in 2026 will be betraying the people of Zambia.”
He recommitted the Patriotic Front and the Tonse Alliance to building a unified, credible opposition front.
“We can only defeat tyranny together. We don’t have the luxury of ego. We have a country to rescue.”
As Lubinda ended the interview, his voice steadied with purpose:
“They feared Edgar Lungu in life. They fear him even more in death. But no matter how long they delay it, his remains will return home. And so will the hope he stood for.”
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