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The People's Brief, Lusaka (2026)

27/08/2026

🇿🇲 BREAKING | UN hands Mundubile, Makebi to authorities as militia probe closes in on Tonse

Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu are now being interrogated by Zambian authorities after leaving United Nations premises in Lusaka, where they had sought protection amid fears of arrest following the disputed security operation at Mundubile’s Kabulonga residence.

Their questioning follows engagements between the UN and the Zambian government over the case. Authorities had presented their position on the intelligence investigation and previously assured the organisation that Mundubile and Makebi would be accorded due process.

The two have now been handed over to the authorities to answer questions surrounding the investigation.

At the centre of the probe are government allegations of an illegal militia network, foreign links and military training outside Zambia.

Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa previously said some individuals under investigation had been monitored for about two years and were allegedly connected to “military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal military training camps.”

Police have also linked their inquiries to the August 14 operation at Mundubile’s Kabulonga residence, where former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot and later died.

Eleven people were apprehended during the operation, including former commandos and retired police officers, while authorities reported recovering AK-47 rifles, ammunition, an automatic U*I, tactical equipment and other material.

Mundubile has disputed the government's account. He maintains Kafwaya was shot inside his bedroom and has rejected the central allegation underpinning the investigation. “There was no militia. There is no militia,” he said in an earlier statement.

Another strand investigators have been examining concerns reports of opposition-linked personnel receiving military or security training in Russia.

Binwell Mpundu had previously spoken publicly about Russian-trained bodyguards before the election, an issue which has acquired greater significance as authorities widen their security inquiries.

Mpundu himself remains away from public view, with his whereabouts not publicly established. He has, however, continued posting on social media, including messages calling on supporters to “defend democracy.”

The investigation has therefore moved closer to the top of the Tonse leadership. Mundubile and Makebi are now before investigators.

Binwell remains out of public view. And the militia and foreign-training allegations which began around the Kabulonga operation are increasingly becoming the central security story surrounding the former opposition alliance.

This is a developing story.

© The People's Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu

27/08/2026

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | TEVETA commits K19.4 million to workplace skills and lecturer training

The Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority has committed more than K19.4 million to train workers and lecturers as Zambia seeks to close skills gaps across key sectors of the economy.

TEVETA Board Chairperson Ngoza Nkwabilo said K16.87 million will go towards Employer-Based Training, covering more than 2,398 employees from 15 companies. Training will include power systems, hydropower operations, equipment maintenance, industrial sewing, energy management, supervisory leadership and other workplace skills.

“By training workers within their actual work environments, we ensure that skills gaps are closed immediately,” Nkwabilo said. She said the approach should improve efficiency and safety while helping companies adopt modern technologies.

Employers participating in the programme include ZESCO, Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation Company, Pembe Flour Mills, Radisson Blu Hotel Zambia, Sanlam Life Insurance Zambia and several other companies. The K16.87 million cost will be shared equally between participating employers and the TEVET Fund.

Another K2.58 million has been allocated to Human Resources Development, supporting more than 66 lecturers from 28 public and private training institutions. They will pursue qualifications covering engineering, agriculture, hospitality, entrepreneurship, accountancy and teaching methodology.

TEVETA Director General Cleophas Takaiza said the programmes were designed to strengthen both sides of Zambia’s skills system — the institutions producing skilled workers and the businesses employing them.

“Employer-Based Training ensures that learning happens where work happens,” Takaiza said. “It shortens the gap between the classroom and the shop floor.”

Nkwabilo has urged participating companies and institutions to account for the funding and complete training within agreed timelines. “We must ensure that every single kwacha invested translates into measurable competence, enhanced employability, and industrial growth,” she said.

© The People’s Brief | Goran Handya

27/08/2026

🇿🇲 EXPLAINER | Investors pile into Zambia bonds after Hichilema win

Zambia’s first Government bond auction after the August 13 election has delivered an early signal from financial markets. Government offered K6.3 billion in bonds on August 21. Investors submitted bids worth about K8.6 billion, putting demand roughly K2.3 billion above the amount on offer. The auction was therefore oversubscribed by about 37%.

The timing makes the numbers particularly interesting. The auction came only days after President-elect Hakainde Hichilema secured a second term. Before the election, uncertainty over the political outcome had contributed to caution among some investors. An earlier bond auction had failed to attract enough bids to cover the amount Government wanted to raise. The first auction after the election produced the opposite result.

Bloomberg had already been tracking growing interest in Zambia before polling day. Zambia’s local-currency Government bonds had generated returns of about 36% in dollar terms during 2026, placing them among the stronger-performing emerging-market local debt instruments being followed by investors. Citi had also argued that a clear Hichilema victory could support the rally because it would remove political uncertainty and preserve continuity in economic policy.

That assessment became more pronounced after the result. Citi upgraded Zambia’s international bonds from “marketweight” to “overweight” and indicated interest in Zambia’s seven-year local-currency debt. In market language, overweight essentially means the bank sees enough potential value to recommend greater exposure relative to its benchmark.

This begins to explain why economist Lubinda Haabazoka, Associate Professor of Banking and Financial Economics and Director of the University of Zambia Graduate School of Business, sees the 37% oversubscription as an early vote of confidence in the election outcome. His argument is that foreign investors appear comfortable with the continuation of Hichilema’s economic management.

But why Hichilema?

The first answer is predictability. Investors have already spent five years dealing with his administration. They know its broad positions on debt, the IMF, mining, fiscal management and private investment. A change of government would have required markets to reassess those assumptions. His re-election removed part of that uncertainty.

Debt is particularly important. Hichilema inherited a country which had defaulted on its external debt in 2020. His first term was dominated by negotiations to restructure more than $12 billion in external obligations. Progress on restructuring helped restore Zambia’s relationship with creditors and reopened conversations about longer-term investment.

The IMF relationship is another factor. Zambia completed its previous $1.7 billion Extended Credit Facility, while attention has now shifted towards possible discussions over a successor arrangement. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has since congratulated Hichilema and assured him of the Fund’s “unequivocal commitment” to supporting Zambia’s development agenda.

Mining also sits at the centre of investor calculations. Zambia is one of Africa’s major copper producers at a time when global demand for copper and critical minerals is rising. Hichilema has placed mining investment at the centre of his economic programme and wants Zambia eventually producing around three million tonnes of copper annually. Investors therefore have reason to value regulatory and policy continuity.

Still, 37% oversubscription should not simply be translated into a 37% political endorsement of Hichilema. Investors do not vote when they buy bonds. They calculate risk against return.

There are other reasons for Friday’s demand. The Bank of Zambia recently reduced the statutory reserve ratio on kwacha deposits from 26% to 21%, releasing additional liquidity into the financial system. Citi had specifically pointed to abundant liquidity as one reason it expected strong demand for Government securities. Banks and institutional investors with more available money naturally have greater capacity to buy bonds.

This distinction matters because the market is not uniformly bullish. A Treasury bill auction immediately before the bond sale attracted about K1.73 billion against K2.2 billion offered, leaving it undersubscribed. Investors are therefore discriminating between different securities, maturities, returns and risks rather than simply buying everything Government offers.

There are risks too. Zambia still faces electricity shortages, pressure on household incomes, unemployment, climate vulnerability and the difficult task of converting improved macroeconomic indicators into living standards people can feel. Investors will also watch Government borrowing, inflation, the kwacha and whether fiscal discipline survives the political pressures of a second term.

Economist Yusuf Dodia therefore points to what happens after the election. His argument is that Zambia must keep post-election anxiety low and preserve peace, the rule of law and a predictable environment for business. Political stability reduces uncertainty. Uncertainty increases risk, and investors eventually price that risk into the cost of lending Zambia money.

So, is the K8.6 billion auction an endorsement of Hichilema?

It is better described as an endorsement of confidence and continuity than a political endorsement. Investors had their first major opportunity after the election to reassess longer-term Zambian Government debt. Instead of retreating, they offered Government considerably more money than it wanted to borrow.

This is a positive opening for Hichilema’s second term. But one auction cannot establish a five-year economic trajectory.

The election removed political uncertainty. The harder task is turning market confidence into cheaper capital, investment, jobs and an economy whose improvement can be felt outside financial markets.

© The People's Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu

26/08/2026

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | IMF signals continued support as Chinese envoy meets Hichilema in Lusaka

The International Monetary Fund has congratulated President-elect Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election, with Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva assuring him of the Fund’s continued commitment to Zambia.

Georgieva said the IMF remained “unequivocally committed” to supporting Zambia’s development agenda and looked forward to working closely with Hichilema and his administration to strengthen engagement and pursue the shared objective of building a prosperous Zambia.

The message comes as Hichilema continues receiving diplomatic engagements ahead of his second-term inauguration.

On Wednesday afternoon, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Han Jing visited him at Community House in Lusaka.

“This afternoon, we received a courtesy call from the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Zambia, His Excellency Han Jing,” Hichilema said in a statement on his official page.

“We exchanged views on a range of matters concerning the longstanding bilateral relations between our two countries.”

China and the IMF occupy different but important positions in Zambia’s economic affairs. Beijing remains a major bilateral partner and creditor, while the IMF has played a central role in Zambia’s economic reform and debt-restructuring programme.

The engagements therefore offer an early glimpse of the external relationships likely to remain important during Hichilema’s second term.

With the election concluded, attention is increasingly moving from the campaign to the economy, investment, debt management and the government’s next policy programme.

© The People's Brief | Francine Lilu

26/08/2026

🇿🇲 EXPLAINER | Was a presidential petition filed? What the Judiciary actually said?

Two official statements have created confusion over whether Zambia has a presidential election petition. Read together, however, they establish a fairly clear set of facts. No petition was recorded at the Constitutional Court Registry within the stated filing period. Separately, documents described as “the people’s presidential petition” were emailed to Chief Justice Mumba Malila’s private address and subsequently referred to the Constitutional Court.

The first point comes from the Judiciary’s communication on the Registry. Chief Administrator Nalishebo Imataa said: “No petition had been filed in the Constitutional Court Registry as at 18:00 hours yesterday, 24th August, 2026.” Cabinet Office has consequently announced President-elect Hakainde Hichilema’s inauguration for Tuesday, September 1, citing Article 105 of the Constitution.

But this does not mean no documents challenging the election reached the Judiciary. In a separate statement dated August 25, the Judiciary confirmed Chief Justice Malila had received an email from a member of the public. According to the statement, the email contained documents designated as “the people’s presidential petition,” seeking to challenge the outcome of the August 13 presidential election.

Here is where language matters. The Judiciary specifically acknowledged social-media claims suggesting the petition had been “formally and duly filed.” It did not endorse those claims. Instead, it described the transmission of official court documents through the Chief Justice’s private email address as “highly irregular.”

The Chief Justice nevertheless did not discard the documents. According to the Judiciary, he “quite exceptionally, using his administrative powers, referred the documents received to the Constitutional Court for its consideration on the issue of the filing of the petition.” Those final words are crucial. The Constitutional Court was asked to consider the issue of filing. The Chief Justice's receipt of the email was therefore not presented as a judicial determination that a valid presidential petition had been filed.

This leaves two different propositions, and readers should keep them separate. Was something called a presidential petition sent to the Chief Justice? Yes. Was it recorded as a properly filed presidential petition at the Constitutional Court Registry? According to the Judiciary's Registry communication, no. Whether the exceptional email transmission can acquire legal standing is a matter for the Constitutional Court, not social media or political parties.

There is also context behind the unusual method of transmission. Courts were inaccessible on Monday amid security operations, prompting the Law Association of Zambia and other groups to raise concerns about access to justice during the election-petition period. Police said security risk assessments were underway at several government institutions. State House rejected allegations President Hichilema ordered the court closures to frustrate an election challenge.

For now, Cabinet Office is proceeding on the position communicated by the Judiciary: “at the expiration of the seven days provision allowed for filing in of a petition challenging a Presidential election, the Judiciary had not received any petition.” It therefore says Hichilema “shall be” sworn in on Tuesday, September 1, in accordance with Article 105.

So the position this morning is narrower than much of the online argument suggests. There is no confirmed, duly filed presidential election petition before the Constitutional Court on the material released so far. There are petition documents before the court because the Chief Justice referred them there. Those are not necessarily the same legal thing.

The next decisive word belongs to the Constitutional Court. Until it speaks on the status of the emailed documents, describing them as either a successfully filed presidential petition or an automatically valid challenge would go beyond what the Judiciary itself has confirmed.

© The People's Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu

25/08/2026

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Chief Justice receives ‘people’s presidential petition’ by private email, refers it to ConCourt

Zambia’s Judiciary says Chief Justice Mumba Malila has received documents described as “the people’s presidential petition” through his private email address, amid claims circulating online that a challenge to the August 13 presidential election has been successfully filed.

But the Judiciary has stopped short of saying the petition has been formally lodged before the Constitutional Court.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the Judiciary said the Chief Justice received an email from a member of the public containing documents seeking to challenge the presidential election outcome.

“The Judiciary is aware of ongoing social media assertions claiming that this petition has been formally and duly filed,” the statement said.

The manner in which the documents reached the Chief Justice has itself raised a procedural question. The Judiciary described sending official court documents to his private email as “highly irregular.”

However, Chief Justice Malila has taken an exceptional administrative step. The Judiciary said he has referred the documents to the Constitutional Court “for its consideration on the issue of the filing of the petition.”

This distinction is important. Receipt by the Chief Justice does not, on the Judiciary’s statement, amount to confirmation that a presidential petition has been validly filed. The Constitutional Court will now consider the filing question, and the Judiciary says affected parties will hear from the court “in due course.”

The development comes at the end of the constitutional period for challenging the election of President-elect Hakainde Hichilema and a day after courts were closed amid security assessments. The closure prompted concern from lawyers and civil society over access to court registries during a sensitive electoral period.

For now, therefore, claims online declaring either that a presidential petition has been successfully filed or that no challenge exists are ahead of the court. Documents have reached the Chief Justice. They have been referred to the Constitutional Court.

Whether they constitute a valid presidential election petition is now a question for the court.

© The People's Brief | Chileshe Sengwe

25/08/2026

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | State House pushes back on court closure claims, tells petitioners to produce evidence

State House has rejected claims that President-elect Hakainde Hichilema ordered Monday’s closure of courts to prevent the opposition from challenging his re-election, saying the allegation misrepresents both the President’s powers and the security operation undertaken that day.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka said the Judiciary is an independent arm of the State and Hichilema has no constitutional authority to decide “when, how or from whom the courts receive filings.”

The statement follows criticism from the Law Association of Zambia, civil society groups and opposition supporters after courts were closed under heavy security on Monday, during the closing stages of the constitutional period for presidential election challenges. Police later said intelligence-led security assessments were taking place at courts and several other government institutions.

State House has now challenged anyone claiming the closure prevented a presidential petition to demonstrate this. “If a petition was genuinely prepared but prevented from being filed, those making that claim should produce it, together with evidence of when and how an attempt was made to lodge it,” the statement said.

It also argued that potential petitioners had earlier opportunities to approach the courts following ECZ’s declaration of Hichilema as President-elect. “The law fixes the outer limit of the filing period; it does not require a petitioner to wait until its final hours to approach the court.”

The statement contained a pointed reference to opposition figures currently staying at premises associated with an international organisation after police summoned Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu for questioning in the continuing alleged militia investigation. State House said respect for judicial institutions “cannot be selective” where some people seek court protection while avoiding summonses.

Government maintains Monday’s operation was preventive and extended beyond the Judiciary to premises connected to the ministries of Justice and Home Affairs, the National Prosecution Authority and Attorney General’s Chambers. Police have, however, not publicly disclosed the specific security threat which prompted the extraordinary measures.

“The election is over,” State House said. “Those with legitimate grievances are entitled to pursue every remedy the law provides, and Government will not stand in their way.”

The statement sharpens an important post-election argument: the opposition and civil society have questioned why access to courts was disrupted during a sensitive constitutional period; State House now says anyone claiming an election petition was actually obstructed must show the petition — and show the attempted filing.

© The People's Brief | Mwape Nthegwa

25/08/2026

FORMER minister of Finance and National Planning Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane says most investors are actually relieved that the Tonse Alliance did not win the elections. News Diggers

24/08/2026

🇿🇲 EVENING WIRE | Binwell captured as police explain court lockdown, 79 held in Lusaka cyber raid

Monday evening closes with Zambia’s security agencies running several operations across the country, while authorities have finally offered an explanation for the extraordinary closure of courts and other government premises earlier in the day.

In Muchinga Province, the Drug Enforcement Commission says Binwell Chanda, 59, has been arrested in Mafinga for alleged trafficking in 18.5 kilogrammes of cannabis. DEC spokesperson Allan Tamba said the cannabis was wrapped in banana leaves and concealed in polythene bags. Three other suspects were apprehended in separate operations in Southern Province and at the Chirundu border.

The name has attracted attention online because of the prominence of another Binwell in current opposition politics. The suspect identified by DEC is Binwell Chanda. He should not be confused with politician Binwell Mpundu. There is nothing in the DEC statement provided linking this arrest to the continuing political or militia investigations.

Meanwhile, police have broken their silence over Monday’s closure of courts and heightened security around key state institutions. Inspector General of Police Graphel Musamba says security agencies are conducting intelligence-led risk assessments at selected government premises.

“The operations are intelligence-led and preventive, aimed at safeguarding Government institutions, public officers, and members of the public accessing these premises,” Musamba said.

The exercise covers selected facilities under the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, National Prosecution Authority, Attorney General’s Chambers and other institutions.

Musamba said the operation “is not directed at any individuals or group,” but authorities have not disclosed the specific threat which prompted courts to close and armed personnel to be deployed. This has left an important part of the story unanswered.

LAZ, NGOCC and civil society figures have demanded fuller explanations and restoration of access to the courts. Their concern centres partly on timing: Zambia is approaching the end of the constitutional window for challenging President-elect Hakainde Hichilema’s election, while Brian Mundubile’s camp has indicated it intends to petition.

Another major operation has meanwhile unfolded in New Kasama, Lusaka. A joint team involving police, DEC, Immigration and the Zambia Cyber Security Agency apprehended 79 people at Evana Estates over a suspected organised cybercrime operation.

Those detained include 35 Ugandans, 11 Chinese nationals, 10 Zambians, eight Kenyans, six Ghanaians, five Liberians, two Burundians, one Chadian and one Zimbabwean.

Authorities say they seized 73 desktop computers, six laptops, 140 mobile phones, five Starlink kits, 75 passports and cash in kwacha, US dollars and other currencies.

Investigators are also examining possible human trafficking or exploitation, after preliminary information suggested some foreign nationals may have been recruited under deceptive circumstances and had their movements restricted.

Six Ugandans have so far been found to be staying in Zambia illegally, according to Immigration. All 79 remain in custody while investigations continue.

So Monday ends with three distinct security stories which should not be conflated: a DEC drug operation involving Binwell Chanda, a major suspected cybercrime network under investigation in Lusaka, and an unexplained security threat serious enough to trigger restrictions around courts and other state institutions.

The government has now explained what the court security operation is designed to do. What it has not explained is what triggered it.

© The People's Brief | Franklin Lumpa; Ollus R. Ndomu

24/08/2026

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Courts shut under heavy security as election petition window narrows

The Law Association of Zambia has demanded the urgent restoration of access to courts after judicial premises were closed on Monday amid a heavy security presence, at a sensitive moment in Zambia’s post-election process.

LAZ says heavily armed military personnel have been deployed around court premises in Lusaka, with some areas reportedly sealed using tape marked “Crime Scene.”

The association says it had seen an unsigned memorandum communicating the closure to Judiciary staff but, at the time of its statement, had received no formal public explanation for the measure.

“The closure of the Courts has immediate implications for access to justice,” LAZ said, pointing particularly to bail, habeas corpus and other urgent proceedings involving people currently in detention.

The timing has drawn particular attention because the constitutional period for challenging President-elect Hakainde Hichilema’s election is approaching its end.

Tonse figures have indicated that Brian Mundubile intends to challenge the presidential result, making access to the Constitutional Court and its registry especially important.

“The closure of the Courts during this constitutionally prescribed period creates a real risk that persons seeking to exercise this constitutional right may be prejudiced,” LAZ said.

The association has asked the Judiciary to immediately clarify how urgent and time-sensitive documents can be filed and ensure nobody loses a constitutional or statutory right because court premises are inaccessible. LAZ says it is engaging Chief Justice Mumba Malila and the Attorney General over the situation.

The People’s Brief has also observed heightened security around court premises, particularly in Lusaka. Tonse supporters online are interpreting the closure as an attempt to frustrate Mundubile’s anticipated petition, while UPND supporters have attributed the deployment to security concerns.

Neither explanation has been established as the reason for the closure.

No official information cited in the LAZ statement establishes a declared state of emergency, and LAZ itself acknowledges genuine security concerns can justify temporary restrictions. Its argument is narrower: any such measures must be lawful and proportionate and cannot be allowed to effectively close the door to justice.

With no authoritative explanation yet accounting for the extraordinary security measures, the unanswered question is now as important as the closure itself: why have Zambia’s courts been shut at precisely the moment when some of the country’s most consequential and time-sensitive legal matters could be heading there?

© The People's Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu

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