236 Views Zambia is slowly slipping into full election mode, and the mood on the ground is characterized by a mixture of hope, frustration, hard bargaining and unyielding cost of living. With just 10 days to the general elections, politics is no longer confined to Lusaka boardrooms, but is playing out in clinic queues, market […]

236 Views

Zambia is slowly slipping into full election mode, and the mood on the ground is characterized by a mixture of hope, frustration, hard bargaining and unyielding cost of living.

With just 10 days to the general elections, politics is no longer confined to Lusaka boardrooms, but is playing out in clinic queues, market stalls, bus stations and on rally grounds across the country.

The gloves are off. With just over a week to go, President Hakainde Hichilema and National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) challenger Brian Mundubile are no longer campaigning, but are fighting for survival, and are dragging every nurse, farmer, trader and unemployed graduate into the fight with them.

The battle exploded into the open on Sunday in Chadiza. President Hichilema took to the podium and turned a rally into a recruitment drive. He stood before thousands who had been waiting since dawn and promised fast-tracked hiring of health workers, subsidized drip irrigation for 50,000 farmers, and faster trade through Chirundu and Kazungula.

“Give us the mandate and we will finish what we started,” he declared. “We are employing. We are building. We are opening markets.”

The crowd roared. Youths surged forward. Women ululated. But underneath the cheers was desperation.

However, for critics, people are not clapping because they are satisfied, but are clapping because they have nothing left to lose. Years of waiting for jobs, drugs in clinics, and affordable mealie meal have pushed them to take any promise that sounds like a lifeline.

That is the President’s strategy. Use the rally, make the announcement, get the headline. Critics call it reckless. They say jobs should not be dangled from a political stage. Jobs should be advertised, competitive, and delivered through institutions, not crowds.

The President’s camp calls it direct leadership. They say government must speak to people where they are, not hide behind bureaucracy. They argue that after years of empty promises, voters want to hear commitments face to face, and they want to see a President who shows up.

Earlier in the week Mundubile opened fire towards Hichilema in Kanyama and Matero. He did not come with new pledges wrapped in slogans. He came with accusations and a counter-offer.

“Enough of turning employment into a campaign stunt,” Mundubile told a packed Kanyama grounds. “Jobs must be advertised. They must be competitive. They must not be prizes for those who shout the loudest at a rally.”

The crowd erupted. In Matero the next day it was the same. Traders left their tables. Bus drivers parked and walked. People are angry, and Mundubile is feeding that anger.

He promised to clear the backlog of volunteer health workers in his first 100 days. He promised drugs in clinics within 6 months. He promised to slash waste in government and use the money to cut fuel and mealie meal prices. He promised to give cooperatives cash, not loans with impossible conditions.

“People are tired of groundbreakings that lead nowhere,” he said. “Tired of MOUs that die in a drawer. We want food today. Medicine today. A payslip at month end.”

Mundubile also demanded transparency from the President Hichilema administration on a number of issues.

“Today in Mufumbwe, I made a clear and urgent appeal to President Hakainde Hichilema, release the nationwide geological survey report without further delay.

“This report was financed with public resources. It is not the preserve of a few in authority; it is a national asset that rightly belongs to the people of Zambia.

“Every Zambian has an equal right to know the mineral wealth that exists beneath their land.

“Citizens across North-Western, Southern, Central, Northern, Muchinga, Eastern, Western, Luapula, Copperbelt, and Lusaka provinces must not be excluded from information that directly concerns their future and prosperity,” he charged.

He said traditional leaders, as custodians of the land, also deserve full access to this data, adding that with it, they can better understand the resources within their chiefdoms and confidently engage investors who can drive meaningful and inclusive local development.

“Why should a young entrepreneur in Chavuma, Kabompo, Manyinga, Zambezi, Chongwe, or any other district be kept in the dark about opportunities that could unlock investment, create jobs, and transform entire communities?

“Transparency is not a favour, it is the foundation of progress. Openness builds trust in leadership. When citizens are informed, they are empowered to participate fully in shaping the nation’s economic destiny, rather than watching from the sidelines.

“Zambia’s mineral wealth belongs to all its people, and the knowledge of that wealth must be shared equally and without reservation.

“If we are truly committed to empowering our citizens and ensuring that communities benefit from the resources beneath their feet, then the path forward is clear; Release the report. Let the people know what is rightfully theirs.

“That is the standard of transparent, accountable, and people-centred leadership that Zambia deserves and must demand,” he went on.

The clash then turned personal and financial. Mundubile made headlines by asking for donations from his supporters after President Hichilema mocked him and sarcastically advised him to apply for CDF instead.

Twenty four hours later, Mundubile hit back with numbers.

Fellow Country Men, Women and Youth both at home and abroad, I bring you good news on this bright Sunday afternoon as your servant political leader.

My running mate and I are pleased to announce that our NRPUP Presidential campaign fundraising project we launched yesterday has received overwhelming positive feedback and legendary support across the country and abroad.

Within 24hours, we have received over K860,000 cash in financial donations. In addition, our campaign fundraising team has recorded K2.8 million of campaign financial pledges coming this week from yesterday 15:00 to today same time.

Clearly, this is unprecedented popular approval and countrywide support that I as your servant President, Brian Mundubile do not take for granted. I am thankful and indebted to you all for this profound gesture and historic political endorsement.

On behalf of my running mate, NRPUP members and the stakeholders of Tonse Pamodzi Alliance, I salute our marketeers, farmers, public transport drivers, college and university students, saloon and barbershop staff, welders, miners, nurses, uniformed officers, teachers, council workers, business owners, landlords, tenants, old men and women, diaspora supporters, doctors, car dealers and repairers, guards, maids, and villagers among many others for the generous support and for believing in my leadership by physically donating to my campaign and expectant victory next week.

Please, continue donating, continue visiting the platform and continue sharing the information with your friends, workmates and family every day. This is a visible testimony that this campaign and my presidency belong to you as Zambians.

Let us peacefully walk together and legally win this election together as One Zambia, One Nation.

The dueling rallies and dueling money claims capture the raw mood of this election. It is no longer about policy papers. It is about who can put food, jobs and dignity on the table first.

Hichilema is running on continuity. He points to infrastructure, trade deals, and recruitment drives. He tells voters that stopping now will kill momentum.

Mundubile is running on rupture. He points to cost of living, stalled clinics, and lack of transparency. He tells voters that 10 days is enough time to decide if Zambia wants more waiting or a hard reset.

On the ground, voters are bargaining. In markets in Lusaka, Kitwe and Chipata the question is the same: what do I get, and when. Farmers want inputs and irrigation now, not after elections. Youth want capital without red tape. Health workers want deployment letters, not speeches.

With 10 days left, the campaign has left the boardroom and moved to where people live. The President is betting that promises made to crowds will turn into votes. The challenger is betting that anger and a call for transparency will turn into a wave.

One thing is certain. Zambians are not voting out of loyalty. They are voting out of necessity. And both men know it.