Former Ambassador Martha Mwitumwa And Daughter Esther Charged With Treason
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Local NewsFormer Zambian Ambassador to Switzerland Martha Mwitumwa and her daughter, Esther Mwitumwa, have both been charged with treason. Esther Mwitumwa was re-arrested by police at the Lusaka High Court after the court ordered her release. This incident has drawn significant attention…
Former Zambian Ambassador to Switzerland Martha Mwitumwa and her daughter, Esther Mwitumwa, have both been charged with treason. Esther Mwitumwa was re-arrested by police at the Lusaka High Court after the court ordered her release. This incident has drawn significant attention to the case involving Martha Mwitumwa.
The case of Martha Mwitumwa has raised questions about the judicial process in Zambia.
The younger Ms Mwitumwa had been freed by the Lusaka High Court after a successful habeas corpus application, brought after she suffered prolonged detention. Police re-arrested her inside the High Court and have since charged her with treason.
She was a member and administrator of the Tonse Alliance Secretariat, which was closely aligned with Martha Mwitumwa during her tenure.
Her mother, the 59-year-old former diplomat, is being held in police custody awaiting appearance before the courts. Police allege she plotted to seize the executive power of the State.
Police spokesperson Ms Chipo Kaitisha said the offence was allegedly committed in Lusaka between November 2025 and October 23, 2026. She said Martha Mwitumwa is accused of acting with other individuals, whose identities remain unknown, in an enterprise meant to take over the executive authority of the country.
Ms Kaitisha set out the allegation in the wording of the charge.
“The suspect, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown, allegedly prepared or endeavoured, by unlawful means, to carry out an enterprise aimed at usurping the executive power of the State in a matter of public and general nature, an act which constitutes the offence of treason,” Ms Kaitisha said.
The former envoy has been formally arrested and charged under Section 43(1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia. Ms Kaitisha confirmed that she remains in detention.
“The suspect is currently detained in police custody and is awaiting appearance before the courts of law,” she said.
The case against the elder Ms Mwitumwa is directed at an official with more than 30 years in the Zambian public service. Her career took her from district administration to one of the country’s senior diplomatic postings.
She served as a District Commissioner and Administrative Officer from 2009 to 2012. She then led Gender in Development as Director until 2017, before becoming Director of State Functions, Protocol and Public Relations at Cabinet Office from 2017 to 2019.
In May 2019, the Patriotic Front (PF) administration appointed her Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation. She also served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva and Vienna.
The former ambassador was also active in the administration and campaign team of the opposition Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, which backed Mr Brian Mundubile as its presidential candidate in the August elections. That puts mother and daughter in the same opposition structures, now facing the same charge.
The two arrests add to the legal battles confronting the Mundubile camp. Mr Mundubile and his former running mate, Mr Makebi Zulu, remain in custody after their bail application failed to proceed at the Lusaka High Court.
The opposition leaders are jointly charged with two counts of seditious practices, contrary to Section 57 of the Penal Code. The State alleges that on August 14, 2026, they used livestreams on their Facebook pages to claim that their Parallel Voter Tabulation (PVT) showed their party had won the presidential election and a majority of parliamentary seats.
The prosecution further alleges that the pair questioned the delay in announcing and verifying the presidential results, called for the results to be published immediately and demanded access to electoral records for independent verification.
When the matter came up in chambers before a three-judge panel led by Justice Geoffrey Mulenga, the State said it intended to raise preliminary issues before the bail application could be heard. It did not disclose the nature of its objections.
The court granted the request and directed the State to file its preliminary application, with the matter set down for hearing on Monday.
Defence lawyer Mr Sakwiba Sikota, State Counsel, expressed concern that the substantive bail hearing had not gone ahead. He accused the State of employing delaying tactics.
The case reached the capital after a jurisdictional challenge in Solwezi, where the two were first arraigned before a magistrate’s court. They argued that the alleged offences were committed in Lusaka, and that they were arrested in Lusaka.
Solwezi Principal Resident Magistrate Mr Mambwe Mukonde referred the matter to the High Court. On November 5, Solwezi High Court Judge Mr Edward Musona transferred it to the Lusaka High Court after establishing that both accused were Lusaka residents who had been arrested in the city.
Both Martha Mwitumwa and Esther Mwitumwa now face treason charges. The former ambassador remains in police custody awaiting her court appearance.
Mr Mundubile and Mr Zulu return to the Lusaka High Court on Monday, when the State’s preliminary objection to their bail application is due to be heard.a
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