Brian Mundubile, the presidential candidate of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP), and his running mate Makebi Zulu are being transported by road to Solwezi by prison authorities and the police for a court appearance on Monday. They are due to take…

Brian Mundubile, the presidential candidate of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP), and his running mate Makebi Zulu are being transported by road to Solwezi by prison authorities and the police for a court appearance on Monday. They are due to take a formal plea in a sedition case, and the trial could begin.

On their last appearance, the two NRPUP leaders were before Principal Resident Magistrate Mambwe Mukonde. The case was adjourned to 5 and 6 October for a formal plea and the possible start of the trial.

The case stems from social media posts made after the tense 13 August election. Mr Mundubile is accused of making a Facebook post claiming that the NRPUP was leading the presidential race, based on Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) data. The post also demanded that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) resume vote counting and announce the results. Mr Zulu is accused of posting that Mr Mundubile would shortly address the nation, and urging the public to remain on standby.

The ECZ suspended the counting and announcement of results nationwide on 14 August, saying the decision followed reports of violence targeting polling staff and, in some cases, the theft of marked ballot papers. The commission later lifted the suspension. The European Union Election Observation Mission said the suspension was followed by a deterioration in the transparency of the tabulation process.

As the two leaders head to court, TONSE Alliance presidential affairs chairperson Binwell Mpundu has challenged the authorities to produce the evidence behind the alleged militia activities in a separate treason case involving Mr Mundubile, Mr Zulu and other opposition figures. Mr Mpundu questioned why investigations that he said began in 2023 have yet to produce tangible evidence sufficient to take the matter to court.

“So in this case they have been investigating an imaginary militia for four years, but they still have not gotten any tangible evidence. But when they address the nation, they speak with authority and conviction that they picked evidence including high-grade military weapons,” Mr Mpundu said in a social media post.

His remarks follow government statements that persons linked to alleged militia activities had been under surveillance for between three and five years before a joint security operation at a property in Kabulonga. Government said the operation led to the recovery of restricted military equipment and the arrest of several people. A statement from Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa said Mr Mundubile was also found at the scene.

Mr Mpundu disputed the government’s account and questioned the evidence presented publicly in support of the allegations. He also challenged claims that security officers came under fire, saying the authorities had not publicly shown the evidence he believed should accompany those claims.

“They claim they were shot at when they raided Brian Mundubile’s house, but they have failed to show any gun they retrieved, let alone the exchange of fire with our militia. No one was hit, but they managed to kill Hon Mutotwe Kafwaya, who was just in the house, at close range,” he said.

Government has maintained that the operation followed intelligence on individuals considered a national security threat, and that officers were met with gunfire, resulting in an exchange of fire. Authorities said former Cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally wounded during the operation. Mr Mundubile has separately rejected that account and said Mr Kafwaya was shot inside his residence.

In his social media post, Mr Mpundu also said people connected to Mr Mundubile were being targeted in an effort to obtain statements implicating the opposition leader and his associates. “They are now out abducting anyone connected to Brian Mundubile and taking them to torture chambers and forcing them to implicate Mr Mundubile and team so that they can be freed,” he said. He called on the authorities to end what he described as an unnecessary act, and to release Mr Mundubile and his colleagues.

Other political leaders have also raised concerns. Socialist Party (SP) president Dr Fred M’membe said the tensions that followed the election, including the sweeping arrests of opposition members, “cannot be swept under the rug in the name of ‘moving forward’.” He called for an end to the weaponisation of the criminal justice system against political opponents.

Former Cabinet minister Given Lubinda asked how long treason suspects can be held before they are presented before a court. He said the State told the nation it had followed the matter for years, and he wants the Director of Public Prosecutions to say what the law allows.

For the two NRPUP leaders, the next step is the court in Solwezi. The matter is before the court on Monday, with 5 and 6 October set for a formal plea and the possible start of the trial.