https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dDF8i4bT-U SOLWEZI – “It may look dark now, but light is coming.” That was the message being sung and chanted by supporters of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu on Monday morning as they gathered in Solwezi to show solidarity with the two opposition leaders appearing in court on seditious practices charges. The supporters gathered outside Supporters of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu have gathered outside the Solwezi Magistrate’s Court as the two opposition leaders return to court over charges of seditious practices. The supporters have been singing and chanting in solidarity with the two men, who have spent more than a month in custody in a separate treason case. Inside court, the defence has challenged why the sedition matter is being heard in Solwezi when the alleged offence is said to have occurred in Lusaka. The court has also declined the defence application for oral evidence, with Principal Resident Magistrate Mambwe Mukonde ruling that the issue was already covered in the documents before the court. Now attention turns to the plea and what happens next in the sedition case. Watch the video from Solwezi and read the full Zambian Eye report here: #Mundubile #MakebiZulu #Solwezi #NRPUP #ZambiaCourts #SeditionCase #ZambiaPolitics #LatestNews #BreakingNews #the newsroom

SOLWEZI – “It may look dark now, but light is coming.”

That was the message being sung and chanted by supporters of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu on Monday morning as they gathered in Solwezi to show solidarity with the two opposition leaders appearing in court on seditious practices charges.

The supporters gathered outside the Solwezi Magistrate’s Court as Mundubile and his running mate were expected before Principal Resident Magistrate Mambwe Mukonde for plea and possible commencement of trial.

The gathering followed the transfer of the two men from Mukobeko Maximum Correctional Facility to Solwezi by road on Sunday.

It was a different mode of transport from their previous appearance in Solwezi, when they were flown to the North-Western Province. The latest road transfer had already attracted attention before Monday’s proceedings began.

Supporters sang and chanted slogans in support of the two, who have spent more than a month in custody in connection with a separate treason case.

Their presence outside the court gave the proceedings a political and human dimension beyond the legal arguments taking place inside.

But inside the courtroom, the focus was much narrower: whether the sedition case should proceed and how the defence’s objections would be handled.

Defence asks why Solwezi?

One of the first issues raised by the defence was the location of the proceedings.

Lawyers representing Mundubile and Zulu questioned why the two were appearing before a Solwezi court when the alleged offence is said to have occurred in Lusaka.

The defence argued that both the warn-and-caution statements recorded by investigators and the charge sheet identify Lusaka as the place where the alleged offence was committed.

They therefore applied for the presentation of oral evidence in support of their position.

The application, however, was not upheld.

Solwezi Principal Resident Magistrate Mambwe Mukonde ruled that the issue raised by the defence had already been covered in the documentary material before the court.

With that application disposed of, the matter moved towards the question of plea.

What are Mundubile and Makebi charged with?

The two face two counts of seditious practices contrary to Section 57 of the Penal Code Act.

The prosecution’s case centres on material allegedly published through livestreams on the respective Facebook pages of Mundubile and Zulu following the August 13 general election.

According to the allegations before the court, the publications included claims that the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity had won the presidential election based on its Parallel Voter Tabulation and had also secured a majority of parliamentary seats.

Those are allegations at this stage and remain subject to the court process.

The issue is important because the case is not a trial of the political claims themselves. The court must determine whether the conduct alleged by the prosecution meets the elements of the offence charged.

That distinction matters in a case involving political speech and social media during an election period.

The case is separate from the treason charges

For Mundubile and Zulu, Monday’s appearance is only one part of a much larger legal situation.

The sedition case being heard in Solwezi is separate from the treason case under which the two have remained in custody.

The pair were taken to Mukobeko Maximum Correctional Facility in August and have remained there for more than a month.

Their continued detention has become a subject of political debate, with supporters and opposition figures questioning the length of time before the treason matter reaches the courts.

The State’s position on the separate treason allegations is a matter for that case and has not been determined by a court.

The distinction between the two cases is therefore important.

The proceedings in Solwezi concern the alleged publication of material on social media and charges of seditious practices.

The treason case is separate.

Why today’s proceedings matter

The Solwezi case had previously been adjourned on September 25 after Mundubile told the court that his lawyers were not present.

The State indicated that it was ready to proceed but did not oppose the adjournment in the interest of justice.

Magistrate Mukonde then set October 5 and 6 for the matter to return for plea and possible commencement of trial.

That brought the two men back to Solwezi this week.

But their return has also revived questions over the decision to hear the case there.

The defence has previously questioned why a matter involving alleged social media activity said to have occurred in Lusaka is being heard in Solwezi. Police have previously said lawyers representing the accused were notified about the transfer.

The location issue therefore forms part of the background to Monday’s proceedings, even as the court deals with the substantive charges.

Outside the courtroom, supporters wait

While lawyers argued inside the courtroom, supporters remained outside, singing and chanting in support of the two men.

Their message — that the situation may look dark but that “light is coming” — reflects the wider political significance the supporters attach to the case.

For them, Mundubile and Zulu are not simply accused persons appearing before a magistrate.

Mundubile was the NRPUP presidential candidate in the August election, with Zulu as his running mate.

Their detention has consequently become part of a broader political debate over the treatment of opposition figures following the election.

But the court’s task remains narrower.

It is required to determine the criminal allegations placed before it according to the evidence and applicable law.

For Zambian Eye, the significance of Monday’s proceedings therefore extends beyond the chants outside the court.

It is a case that sits at the intersection of election politics, social media, criminal law and the question of how political disputes are handled through the courts.

And as supporters wait outside chanting that light is coming, the immediate question inside the courtroom is much more precise:

Will Mundubile and Makebi take plea, and will the sedition trial finally begin?

The answer will emerge from the proceedings before Magistrate Mukonde.

Related posts:

1. Mundubile and Makebi head back to Solwezi — but this time by road
2. 25 days and counting: Treason suspects still waiting for court as LAZ raises alarm
3. Mundubile, Makebi at Solwezi Police after being moved from Mukobeko
4. Mundubile Release Demand Grows as Lawyers Are Denied Access at Mukobeko