from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – THE political crisis in Zambia has taken a new twist following the arrest of the main opposition leader, Brian Mundubile, for alleged treason.
He has been detained alongside Makebi Zulu, his running mate for the controversial August 13 elections.
Earlier on Thursday, the United Nations (UN) Country Office surrendered the duo after they sought shelter and safety at the UN buildings. The pair had sought refuge there.
The Zambia Police Service (ZPS) confirmed that warn-and-caution statements had been recorded from Mundubile and Zulu in connection with the alleged offence.
Police said the allegations were contrary to Section 43(1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
“The two were interviewed by investigators and are currently in police custody,” Godfrey Chilabi, Police Public Relations Officer, said.
He continued, “The Zambia Police Service will provide further information on the circumstances of the matter as investigations progress.”
It is reported that the two politicians were surrendered to the police after four days of negotiations led by a UN Under-Secretary representing the Secretary-General, António Guterres, and President Hakainde Hichilema.
According to sources, Hichilema refused to grant safe passage to a third party or a foreign country, claiming that the duo was facing serious charges or armed insurrection, and ordered their arrest.
The opposition argues that the charges are trumped up.
Their arrest is linked to a high-profile joint raid in Lusaka’s Kabulonga area targeting an alleged armed insurrection plot. The property is Mundubile’s home.
A total of 11 individuals, including high-ranking opposition and political figures, were arrested during the August 13 raid after authorities claimed the group was linked to suspected militia activities, unlawful military training camps and an armed insurrection plot.
Mutotwe Kafwaya, a former cabinet minister, was fatally shot during the raid.
The government on Thursday said that it offered to accord him the funeral and burial honours applicable to a former cabinet minister.
“The family, however, respectfully declined the offer by Government and opted to host a private funeral arrangement,” Patrick Kangwa, Secretary to the Cabinet, said.
“The public is, therefore, requested to respect the wishes of the family. Our prayers go out to the bereaved family,” he continued.
Kafwaya served as Minister of Works and Supply from 2018 to 2019 and Minister of Transport and Communications from 2019 to 2021.
He is the latest opposition figure whose family has rejected government support.
The most high-profile was the family of former president Edgar Lungu, who passed away in South Africa in June 2025 after an illness.
His remains remain unburied because of a long-running fallout between the Lungu family and the government.
Under Lungu’s government, Hichilema spent 127 days in prison in 2017 on treason charges.
– CAJ News