By Revelation Editor
Incarcerated opposition leaders Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu’s lawyer, Milner Katolo, last week urged the African Union (AU) and SADC to intervene by encouraging the state state and his clients to sit and find room to resolve matters amicably through a settlement.
Speaking to BBC, Katolo said there were no negotiations currently ongoing between Mundubile’s lawyers and the state.
”But I am aware that the Church mother bodies and the UN had preliminary discussions along those lines,” Katolo said. “We hope and sincerely believe that the powers that be will look at this whole issue as an opportunity to heal the nation,” said Katolo.
He hoped that AU and SADC could engage the state and his clients to find room to resolve “the disputes in an amicable way through a settlement.”
The BBC interview followed the arrest of Mundubile, Zulu and several other leaders in Tonse have been charged with treason over alleged ‘militia’ connections.
The state security wings on August 14, 2026 raided Mundubile’s residence in Kabulonga, which incident resulted in the killing of ex-Transport minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, following what the state described as an exchange of fire. However, that account was denied by Mundubile who said that he saw Kafwaya being shot at by the security forces and that bullets that were aimed towards him missed their target.
State House responded to Katolo’s call by urging proposals on the settlement, but that the same should not compromise the criminal justice system in the country.
It is not deniable that the political temperature in the country is heightened right now following the disputed August 13 general elections in which President Hakainde Hichilema was declared as winner. There is definitely urgent need to calm the temperature down so that the nation could move past this electoral cycle we have just had, genuine grievances notwithstanding.
It will take a lot of magnanimity from all those involved to establish healing, starting from the opposition leaders themselves, the Church, the general populace and more especially the President as leader of the country.
However, the reconciliation should not touch the ongoing treason case. We say so because the offence that has been slapped on Mundubile and his colleagues and the accusations levelled against them by the President and the state are too big. They will therefore, need to be provided the opportunity to clear their names, provided their cases are handled judiciously and competently by the courts system. They need to be given the opportunity to clear their names so that those who govern the affairs of the country can be exposed for who they are, if they are playing dirty politics by using the law enforcement agencies and the justice system to hide their own alleged criminality. Otherwise, this may just encourage the current and future leaders to try to settle their own shortcomings by pointing accusing fingers towards their opposition opponents who are obviously weakened because they don’t have state power.
But at the same time, if there is indeed credence to the allegations by the state, then Mundubile and his colleagues will need to be held accountable to the due process of the law, just like any other Zambian would. They should not get away with it just because they are politically powerful in terms of commanding the following of millions in the country. If so, then any person that is charged of any criminality offence should be granted the leeway to negotiate their way out of those criminal charges in the name of reconciliation.
Zambians should demand that justice prevails in this matter. They should also demand that the matters are handled judiciously, competently and expeditiously by the prosecutions and courts.
Related
By Revelation Editor
Incarcerated opposition leaders Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu’s lawyer, Milner Katolo, last week urged the African Union (AU) and SADC to intervene by encouraging the state state and his clients to sit and find room to resolve matters amicably through a settlement.
Speaking to BBC, Katolo said there were no negotiations currently ongoing between Mundubile’s lawyers and the state.
”But I am aware that the Church mother bodies and the UN had preliminary discussions along those lines,” Katolo said. “We hope and sincerely believe that the powers that be will look at this whole issue as an opportunity to heal the nation,” said Katolo.
He hoped that AU and SADC could engage the state and his clients to find room to resolve “the disputes in an amicable way through a settlement.”
The BBC interview followed the arrest of Mundubile, Zulu and several other leaders in Tonse have been charged with treason over alleged ‘militia’ connections.
The state security wings on August 14, 2026 raided Mundubile’s residence in Kabulonga, which incident resulted in the killing of ex-Transport minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, following what the state described as an exchange of fire. However, that account was denied by Mundubile who said that he saw Kafwaya being shot at by the security forces and that bullets that were aimed towards him missed their target.
State House responded to Katolo’s call by urging proposals on the settlement, but that the same should not compromise the criminal justice system in the country.
It is not deniable that the political temperature in the country is heightened right now following the disputed August 13 general elections in which President Hakainde Hichilema was declared as winner. There is definitely urgent need to calm the temperature down so that the nation could move past this electoral cycle we have just had, genuine grievances notwithstanding.
It will take a lot of magnanimity from all those involved to establish healing, starting from the opposition leaders themselves, the Church, the general populace and more especially the President as leader of the country.
However, the reconciliation should not touch the ongoing treason case. We say so because the offence that has been slapped on Mundubile and his colleagues and the accusations levelled against them by the President and the state are too big. They will therefore, need to be provided the opportunity to clear their names, provided their cases are handled judiciously and competently by the courts system. They need to be given the opportunity to clear their names so that those who govern the affairs of the country can be exposed for who they are, if they are playing dirty politics by using the law enforcement agencies and the justice system to hide their own alleged criminality. Otherwise, this may just encourage the current and future leaders to try to settle their own shortcomings by pointing accusing fingers towards their opposition opponents who are obviously weakened because they don’t have state power.
But at the same time, if there is indeed credence to the allegations by the state, then Mundubile and his colleagues will need to be held accountable to the due process of the law, just like any other Zambian would. They should not get away with it just because they are politically powerful in terms of commanding the following of millions in the country. If so, then any person that is charged of any criminality offence should be granted the leeway to negotiate their way out of those criminal charges in the name of reconciliation.
Zambians should demand that justice prevails in this matter. They should also demand that the matters are handled judiciously, competently and expeditiously by the prosecutions and courts.
Related
You can share this post!
MAFINGA MP EXPLAINS ‘ABDUCTION PLOT’ … it’s to stop me from swearing-in
Debt repayment, wages consume over 72% of K16.1 billion August expenditure
Related Articles
HH’s second and last term of office!
’Innocent’ human blood always cries out for justice
Every well-meaning Zambian should wish HH success in…