LUSAKA-(MaraviPost)-Two detained prominent Zambian opposition leaders were woken around 4 a.m. and driven to Lusaka for a crucial bail hearing without being given any food, their lawyer has told a court.
Presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu — held with 16 others since August 27 on treason charges linked to the August 13 general election — arrived at court on empty stomachs only for the State to ask for more time.
Lawyer Sakwiba Sikota said the defence had served its papers for constitutional bail last Thursday, but when the matter was called before a three-judge panel led by Judge D. Mulenga, prosecutors said they were not ready to respond.
The court granted the State’s request for an adjournment, ordering it to file opposing documents by midday Monday, with the defence to reply by Tuesday.
The full hearing is now set for Wednesday, October 21 at 08:30.
Sikota said the adjournment compounded the hardship already suffered by his clients, who had been subjected to a pre-dawn transfer.
“The only unfortunate thing is that they were woken up very early this morning, maybe about 4am or something like that, and driven to Lusaka. When they were woken up, they were not given breakfast or anything like that,” Sikota said.
“They were not given any food, and they were brought all the way here. So what we have done is we have hurriedly organised for some food for them to be able to at least have something to eat.”
Mundubile, leader of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, and Zulu are facing treason and seditious practices charges.
And after the Solwezi Magistrate Court referred their case to the High Court, saying it lacked jurisdiction, they had to be transported from Kabwe to the capital for trial.
All 18 accused remain in custody pending the bail decision.
From election dispute to treason charges
The detention follows weeks of turmoil after the August 13 general election.
Mundubile rejected the outcome and alleged irregularities, and vowed to launch a legal battle. Days later, security forces raided his residence in Lusaka.
According to his party, the raid turned violent and led to the fatal shooting of his close aide and former cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, an incident that has fuelled public anger and opposition claims of excessive force. Police have not released a detailed account of the shooting.
Fearing for their lives Mundubile and Zulu went into hiding and later sought refuge at the United Nations office in Lusaka, where they stayed for several days under the watch of UN security as negotiations took place between their lawyers, church mediators and State officials.
The two leaders eventually surrendered to police in late August. They were initially held in Lusaka before being charged with treason over allegations of plotting to raise militias and destabilise the state — charges their defence says are politically motivated and based on disputed post-election speeches.
After surrender, the 18 accused were transferred to Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe, Zambia’s high-security facility that holds death-row inmates, a move condemned by human rights groups as disproportionate for pre-trial detainees.
They have now spent more than 50 days in detention without trial, with repeated adjournments of bail applications. The prolonged custody, the conditions of transfer, and the failure to provide food before Monday’s court appearance have drawn criticism from the Law Association of Zambia, civil society groups and international observers who have called for due process and humane treatment.
The State maintains the treason case is non-bailable in the lower courts, hence the constitutional application before the High Court.
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