Mundubile And Zulu Handed Treason Warn And Caution, Detained At Lusaka Central

Mundubile And Zulu Handed Treason Warn And Caution, Detained At Lusaka Central Brian Mundubile, the leading opposition presidential candidate, and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, have been issued a Warn and Caution Statement on treason charges following hours of police…

Mundubile And Zulu Handed Treason Warn And Caution, Detained At Lusaka Central

Brian Mundubile, the leading opposition presidential candidate, and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, have been issued a Warn and Caution Statement on treason charges following hours of police interrogation. The pair are now detained at Lusaka Central Police, ending a standoff that had kept them beyond the reach of law enforcement for days.

The statement was administered on Thursday, 27th August 2026, after prolonged questioning. Both men appeared with a senior legal team, comprising Sakwiba Sikota SC, Chifumu Banda SC and Bonaventure Mutale SC, who have represented them throughout the process.

Their detention followed their surrender by the United Nations to Zambia Police officers earlier the same day. The handover came under terms agreed between the UN Secretary General’s representative and President Hakainde Hichilema, in which the State pledged that Mundubile and Zulu would be subjected to the rule of law and full due process once in custody.

The two are currently being questioned at the Law Enforcement Agencies Command Centre near Civic Centre. No further charges beyond the Warn and Caution Statement have been disclosed at this stage.

The case traces back to a military raid on Mundubile’s residence in Kabulonga, an operation that ended in the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya, the former Cabinet Minister of Transport and Communications. In the aftermath, the Head of State accused his main rival of forming or harbouring a militia with intent to overthrow the government, an allegation that set off the sequence of events now culminating in the treason process.

Fearing for their safety after the raid, Mundubile and Zulu sought refuge at the United Nations buildings on Alick Nkhata Road, where they remained until Thursday’s handover. Their extended presence there had placed the UN at the centre of a delicate negotiation between the two sides, ultimately resolved through the due-process guarantee extended by the presidency.

The pair are not alone in facing treason accusations arising from the same political crisis. Senior figures within the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, including Bishop Trevor Mwamba and former lawmaker George Chisanga, have also been charged with treason, pointing to a broader legal action against the opposition coalition’s leadership rather than an isolated case against the presidential ticket alone.

Mundubile’s legal team is expected to outline its next steps once the pair have completed processing at Lusaka Central. Attention now turns to whether formal treason charges will follow the Warn and Caution Statement, and to how the due-process pledge given to the United Nations will be tested in the days ahead.