Former Mines Minister Richard Musukwa detained in Lusaka

Former Mines and Minerals Development Minister Richard Musukwa has reportedly been arrested and detained at Ridgeway Police Station in Lusaka. Musukwa, who served in the Patriotic Front government under the late President Edgar Lungu, is also understood to have been politically close to former PF and current opposition figures, including Patriotic Front president Makebi Zulu. […]

Richard Musukwa

Former Mines and Minerals Development Minister Richard Musukwa has reportedly been arrested and detained at Ridgeway Police Station in Lusaka.

Musukwa, who served in the Patriotic Front government under the late President Edgar Lungu, is also understood to have been politically close to former PF and current opposition figures, including Patriotic Front president Makebi Zulu.

Details surrounding the reported arrest were not immediately available by the time of publication.

The development comes at a politically sensitive time, following the August 13 general election and a series of arrests and prosecutions involving opposition figures.

Musukwa’s name has previously featured in investigations by the Drug Enforcement Commission over properties suspected by the authorities to be proceeds of crime. He was arrested by the DEC in December 2023 after being questioned over the matter and was later released on bond.

The former minister subsequently challenged the seizure of his properties in court. Court records show that the matter has continued through the legal system, with Musukwa seeking protection against the State’s efforts to seize his assets.

His latest reported detention therefore comes against the background of an already lengthy legal dispute.

Meanwhile, Tonse Pamodzi Alliance spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba, who is currently in exile, has described Musukwa’s reported arrest as part of what he calls a continued clampdown on opposition figures.

Mwamba has not provided details of the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest, and his characterisation of the development has not been independently established.

The authorities have yet to publicly explain why Musukwa was detained or whether the reported arrest is connected to his previous investigations, the recent election or another matter.

The circumstances surrounding the detention are therefore still developing.

For now, the key questions are:

Why has Musukwa been detained?

What offence, if any, is he being investigated for?

And is the latest development connected to the wider post-election investigations involving opposition figures?

Zambian Eye will continue to follow the matter as more information becomes available.