HONOURING THE SACRIFICES OF SENIOR COUNSEL MARTHA MUSHIPE: A TRUE UPND PILLAR

HONOURING THE SACRIFICES OF SENIOR COUNSEL MARTHA MUSHIPE: A TRUE UPND PILLAR As we celebrate appointments and reflect on loyalty, we cannot fail to mention one of the silent but towering pillars of the UPND – Senior Counsel Martha Mushipe. Senior Counsel Mushipe housed the former UPND Secretariat along Lagos Road for many years at […]

HONOURING THE SACRIFICES OF SENIOR COUNSEL MARTHA MUSHIPE: A TRUE UPND PILLAR

As we celebrate appointments and reflect on loyalty, we cannot fail to mention one of the silent but towering pillars of the UPND – Senior Counsel Martha Mushipe.

Senior Counsel Mushipe housed the former UPND Secretariat along Lagos Road for many years at her own cost. At a time when hosting the UPND was considered a crime, she opened her doors.

Her school in Mandevu Constituency suffered great losses because it hosted UPND meetings. Her law firm was targeted, harassed and eventually shut down due to political hostilities. She used her moving adverts vehicles to market the party and its aspiring candidates, despite the violent and hostile environment at the time.

Over the years she sponsored the party and party activities including  candidates who had been adopted to participate in elections.

Many Zambians have benefited from her silent helping hand. She has sponsored students from primary schoo*HONOURING THE SACRIFICES OF SENIOR COUNSEL MARTHA MUSHIPA: A TRUE UPND PILLAR*

As we celebrate appointments and reflect on loyalty, we cannot fail to mention one of the silent but towering pillars of the UPND – Senior Counsel Martha Mushipe.

Senior Counsel Mushipe housed the former UPND Secretariat along Lagos Road for many years at her own cost. At a time when hosting the UPND was considered a crime, she opened her doors.

Her school in Mandevu Constituency suffered great losses because it hosted UPND meetings. Her law firm was targeted, harassed and eventually shut down due to political hostilities. She used her moving adverts vehicles to market the party and its aspiring candidates, despite the violent and hostile environment at the time.

Many Zambians have benefited from her silent helping hand. She has sponsored students from primary school to university level and used her own personal resources for party mobilization without seeking publicity.

Her offices were raided by a battalion of police officers armed with machine guns who camped there for 8 days before conducting a search and later arresting her. She was arrested on 5 different occasions, with one arrest leading to a prosecution for the offence of seditious practices – a trial that took a gruesome 4 years before her eventual acquittal.

She has represented countless party members and cadres, from the President himself, his Vice (GBM), Secretaries General and many others. These cases can be verified on the Zambian judiciary website.

*Why This Matters Now:*

1.  *This is what sacrifice looks like:* While others were negotiating for safety, SC Mushipe was putting her business, her law firm, and her personal freedom on the line.

2.  *Institutional memory:* She knows where the party is coming from. Such leaders protect the party’s values and do not easily betray its cause.

3.  *A resource for the nation:* As a Senior Counsel with proven courage, integrity and legal expertise, she has a lot to offer in governance, justice reforms, and constitutio

nal matters.

4.  *Inspiring women in leadership:* Her story is an inspiration to many young women that courage and principle still matter in politics.

5.  *Loyalty must have meaning:* If the cry of the members is to be heard, then people like SC Martha Mushipe must not be forgotten. Honouring such sacrifice motivates the entire party base.

Mr. President, as you continue to build your team, the party looks up to you to recognize such selfless patriots who carried the party on their shoulders when it was heavy.

*Long live the spirit of sacrifice. Long live UPND.*l to university level and used