By Lovemore Lubinda
LUSAKA— Zambia’s presidential candidate Brian Mundubile said on Saturday evening that soldiers carried out an armed raid on his home and opened fire, calling it “not politics” but “an attack on our lives” as the country awaits final election results.
In a video statement on 15th August, Mundubile alleged that heavily armed personnel believed to be from the Zambia Army stormed his residence Friday night.
“Fellow Zambians, I come to you with a heavy heart, but with a clear mind. Last night, heavily armed personnel, believed to be members of the Zambia Army, came to my residence in what I can only describe as an attempt on my life,” he said.
“My home was invaded. Shots were fired. My family was terrorised. I witnessed colleagues sustain gunshot wounds.
Mutotwe Kafwaya, former member of parliament for Lunte, was among those shot and sustained serious gunshot wounds.”
He said the whereabouts of several people were unknown: “Patrick Mwansa, husband to Honourable Tasila Lungu; Georgie Sanga, my presidential spokesperson; Bishop Trevor Mwamba; Richard Bandard, my bodyguard; Johnson Chewe and other members of my campaign team.”
Mundubile demanded answers: “I demand that the Commander of the Zambia Army account for every single person who was taken, detained, or encountered during this operation. Who ordered this? Why was live ammunition used? Who gave the order to fire? Where are the people who were taken from my home?”
He appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema: “Your Excellency, do not allow the uniform of the Zambian soldier to become associated with political violence. The Zambia Army belongs to the people of Zambia. It is bound by the Constitution and by the duty to protect all Zambians.”
To the military he said: “To the men and women in uniform, I say to you: do not allow anybody to turn you against your fellow Zambians. The opposition politician is not your enemy. The voter is not your enemy. Your enemy is poverty, corruption, and injustice.”
He urged calm: “To my supporters and to the people of Zambia, I say this: please do not retaliate. Do not attack anyone. Do not burn anything. Do not take the law into your own hands. I will not seek revenge. I will seek justice. I will defend peacefully, constitutionally.”
“This is not about politics. This is about Zambia. This is about the kind of country we want to live in. We want a Zambia where elections are decided by ballots, not bullets. Where power is transferred peacefully, not seized through fear,” he said.
“An attack on me is an attack on Zambia. An attack on democracy is an attack on all of us.”
The allegations come two days after the August 13 General Election. With 27 of 226 constituencies declared, President Hichilema leads.
Government officials have urged calm as results are announced. The Zambia Army had not responded to the allegations by press time.
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