9 Days of silence: Have Mundubile & Makebi left 1.8m+ supporters in Limbo?

According to National Reconciliation Party for Unity […]

According to National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP), which is also Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile’s social media communication channels, the candidate last communicated with his followers on 17 August 2026.

It has now been 9 days since Mundubile last publicly addressed his supporters, raising questions over the whereabouts, plans and next political move of the opposition leadership.

On August 17, Mundubile posted pictures on Facebook of a law enforcement operation at his Kabulonga property, where 11 people were arrested and former Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot dead, according to reports surrounding the incident.

Since that communication, neither Mundubile nor his running mate Makebi Zulu has publicly addressed the estimated 1.8 million Zambians who voted for the Tonse-Pamodzi ticket in the August 13 presidential election.

The silence comes after the Electoral Commission of Zambia declared President Hakainde Hichilema the winner with about 60%, while Mundubile was credited with approximately 38% of the vote.

That result placed Mundubile at the centre of the opposition’s post-election response, with his camp alleging irregularities and indicating that it intended to challenge the outcome through the courts.

The situation, however, became more complicated after police said they wanted to interview Mundubile and Zulu over what they described as “various alarming activities” allegedly capable of threatening or undermining national security, allegations Mundubile dismissed as fabricated.

On 17 August, reports emerged that Mundubile and Zulu had sought refuge at a United Nations agency in Lusaka over fears of arrest, with police confirming they knew their whereabouts and saying they would be afforded due process.

The constitutional seven-day period for filing a presidential election petition then approached its deadline, while the opposition had maintained that it intended to challenge the election result.

However, the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court premises were closed on the final day of the petitioning period for security reasons, leaving uncertainty over whether the intended presidential petition was ultimately filed.

Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) President Kasonde Mwenda, an alliance partner of Tonse, questioned the premise that the wider alliance had gone silent.

“We are also part of Tonse, and I think we are talking. Aren’t you hearing me every day?” said Mwenda.

When asked specifically why supporters had not heard from Mundubile and Zulu, he challenged the question, saying citizens should understand the circumstances surrounding the two leaders rather than present their silence without context.

Mwenda declined to provide a detailed explanation on whether the two leaders were unable to communicate from their current location, instead repeatedly maintaining that they should be asked directly about their situation.

The unanswered questions therefore remain: Will Mundubile and Zulu continue pursuing an electoral challenge, engage their supporters, or chart a different political course?

Attempts by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT to obtain comment directly from Mundubile and Zulu on their silence, their next political move and whether a presidential election petition was ultimately filed proved futile by press time.

Article by Philip Sinkala. Philip is a Journalist & News Analyst at the Zambian Business Times – ZBT