Commonwealth demands end to arbitrary arrests as it condemns Kabulonga killing

Commonwealth demands end to arbitrary arrests as it condemns Kabulonga killing The Commonwealth has called on President Hakainde Hichilema’s government to halt arbitrary arrests and release all persons detained for political reasons since the 13 August election, in one of the…

Commonwealth demands end to arbitrary arrests as it condemns Kabulonga killing

The Commonwealth has called on President Hakainde Hichilema’s government to halt arbitrary arrests and release all persons detained for political reasons since the 13 August election, in one of the strongest international rebukes Zambia has faced since the disputed vote.

Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said in a statement issued from London that the Commonwealth was dismayed by the security operation carried out in Kabulonga, Lusaka, in which a police officer was injured and former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya lost his life. She called for a transparent investigation into the incident and urged all parties to exercise restraint.

“The Commonwealth expresses concern at the post-election situation in Zambia and urges full respect for the rights of all persons and for the rule of law, in conformity with the Commonwealth Charter and values,” Botchwey said.

She went further, extending condolences to Kafwaya’s family and wishing the injured officer a swift recovery, while calling for constructive dialogue to de-escalate tensions and safeguard peace and stability in the country.

The intervention places the Commonwealth alongside a growing list of international bodies that have raised concerns over Zambia’s post-election conduct. The United Nations Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, and observer missions from SADC, the European Union, COMESA and the Great Lakes Region have all condemned aspects of the crackdown that followed the vote.

The security operation at the centre of the criticism took place at the Kabulonga residence of opposition leader Brian Mundubile the day after the election. Government says the raid targeted a suspected militia cell and that officers came under fire from occupants of the property. Kafwaya, a former minister of transport and communications, was shot and killed during the operation.

Mundubile has given a different account, saying he witnessed Kafwaya shot at close range and that the killing has stained Zambia’s democratic credentials. He has also accused the Electoral Commission of Zambia of aiding Hichilema’s victory and has alleged that the military was unleashed on ordinary citizens to help manage the election outcome, allegations government has not directly addressed.

Hichilema, for his part, has accused Mundubile of running a militia together with retired Anglican Bishop Trevor Mwamba, lawyer and former Law Association of Zambia president George Chisanga, Kafwaya, and a Lusaka businessman. Mundubile has dismissed the militia claims as a ruse designed to discredit him ahead of his planned legal challenge.

Eleven people found at the Kabulonga property that night have since been charged with treason-related offences, charges that carry no possibility of bail under Zambian law. Mundubile and running mate Makebi Zulu have not been charged themselves but have been summoned for questioning over alleged links to national security threats, and are currently staying at United Nations premises in Lusaka rather than returning home.

It is against this backdrop that the Commonwealth’s statement lands with particular weight. Unlike earlier expressions of concern from human rights bodies, the Commonwealth speaks for an association of 56 member states with historical and institutional ties to Zambia, and its language, invoking the Commonwealth Charter directly, signals that Lusaka’s handling of the post-election period is now being measured against standards the country has formally signed up to uphold.

Government has not yet issued a detailed public response to Botchwey’s statement. State House has previously rejected broader allegations of arbitrary arrests, with communication specialist Clayson Hamasaka describing the post-election security operations as lawful investigations rather than a campaign against the opposition, and citing reports of high-grade weapons, alleged mercenary-style training and threats against the Head of State as grounds for the crackdown.

Mundubile is expected to file his Constitutional Court challenge to the presidential result within the seven-day window prescribed by the Constitution, a deadline that falls in the coming days. The Commonwealth’s call for dialogue and restraint, rather than confrontation, will now sit alongside that legal process as Zambia works out how to move from a disputed election toward a settled outcome.

For the family of Kafwaya, the immediate concern remains simpler than the wider diplomatic and legal manoeuvring: an independent, transparent account of what happened at Kabulonga, and confirmation that whoever gave the orders that night will be held to answer for them.