Mundubile appoints Muhabi Lungu acting Tonse-Pamodzi Secretary General

LUSAKA – Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance leader Brian Mundubile has appointed Zambia We Want (ZWW) Chief Executive Officer Muhabi Lungu as Acting Secretary General of the alliance, with immediate effect. The appointment places Mr Lungu in the alliance’s top administrative position following the suspension of Dr Chris Zumani Zimba, who had been serving as Secretary General and […]

LUSAKA – Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance leader Brian Mundubile has appointed Zambia We Want (ZWW) Chief Executive Officer Muhabi Lungu as Acting Secretary General of the alliance, with immediate effect.

The appointment places Mr Lungu in the alliance’s top administrative position following the suspension of Dr Chris Zumani Zimba, who had been serving as Secretary General and presidential adviser.

Mundubile announced Dr Zimba’s suspension earlier this month, with the alliance saying the decision followed concerns over statements and social-media postings issued in his name without authorisation. The suspension was described as an administrative measure pending investigations and possible disciplinary proceedings.

Why Muhabi Lungu?

Lungu is not a newcomer to the Tonse-Pamodzi political structure.

He has been one of the more visible voices associated with the alliance and its wider political arrangements, particularly through the Zambia We Want/WOZA grouping.

Before the August 13 general election, Lungu was Secretary General of Zambia We Want and played a public role in the alliance’s campaign and political messaging.

In May, when WOZA formally partnered with Tonse ahead of the election, Lungu announced that the grouping had resolved to support Mundubile’s presidential candidature.

Lungu has also remained publicly active after the election.

On September 7, he called for Mundubile and Makebi Zulu to be taken to court promptly, arguing that an early court appearance would help address concerns among the families of those detained and serve the interests of justice.

More recently, Lungu has continued commenting on the detention of opposition figures and the wider post-election situation.

The Zimba suspension

The appointment follows a significant change in the alliance’s leadership structure.

On September 9, Mundubile suspended Dr Zimba as Secretary General and presidential adviser with immediate effect.

According to the alliance, Mundubile invoked Article 13(6) of the Tonse Constitution in effecting the suspension. The alliance said Dr. Zimba was facing investigations and possible disciplinary proceedings over a series of statements and social-media postings that it considered unauthorised.

Dr Zimba subsequently questioned the suspension and said he would respond to the allegations through the appropriate process.

The change is also notable because Dr Zimba had been a prominent public voice for Tonse during and immediately after the election. In August, for example, he publicly argued against pursuing an election petition, describing such a process as confrontational and saying it would not heal political divisions.

A changing Tonse-Pamodzi landscape

The latest appointment comes at a time when the political structure surrounding Tonse-Pamodzi has undergone several changes since the August election.

Mundubile’s National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) announced its withdrawal from the Tonse Alliance on August 23, with party secretary general Nonde Mubanga saying the decision followed consultations within the party.

At the same time, different figures within the broader Tonse-Pamodzi structure have continued to make public statements on the detention of opposition leaders, dialogue, the election aftermath and the future direction of the opposition.

Against that background, Lungu’s appointment gives Mundubile another senior figure with an established public profile to coordinate the alliance’s affairs and communication.

For now, the appointment is described as acting, meaning it does not necessarily indicate a permanent change to the position of Secretary General.

The immediate question is therefore how Lungu will operate in the role, particularly as the alliance deals with internal organisational changes, the detention of senior members and disagreements over how the opposition should respond to the post-election political environment.

Zambian Eye will continue to follow developments within Tonse-Pamodzi and the wider opposition landscape.