TREASON PROBE DEEPENS… as Barbra Musamba accuses Archbishop Alick Banda of using Catholic Church as campaign launch pad for detained Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu

TREASON PROBE DEEPENS… as political and economic blogger Barbra Musamba accuses Archbishop Alick Banda of using Catholic Church as campaign launch pad for detained Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu By DAVID KANDUZA A FIERCE political storm is engulfing the Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka following explosive claims by a prominent Zambian online commentator Barbra Musamba, who […]

TREASON PROBE DEEPENS
… as political and economic blogger Barbra Musamba accuses Archbishop Alick Banda of using Catholic Church as campaign launch pad for detained Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu

By DAVID KANDUZA
A FIERCE political storm is engulfing the Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka following explosive claims by a prominent Zambian online commentator Barbra Musamba, who alleges that Archbishop Alick Banda weaponised the church pulpit to facilitate a hostile Government takeover.

The damning allegations surface just hours after Zambia Police Service investigators formally recorded a warn and caution statements for treason against National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu.

According to a detailed public statement posted on Ms Musamba’s official Facebook page, the seeds of the alleged treasonous plot were planted well before the heavily disputed August 13 general elections.

Ms Musamba openly tagged Archbishop Banda as the central ‘architect’ of an illegal scheme aimed at usurping State power.

She pointed directly to a highly controversial Candlelight Prayer service dubbed for ‘peace’ held across Lusaka parishes on August 12, 2026—the exact eve of the national polls.

“The hosting of the candlelight service was not a sacred church service,” Ms Musamba asserted. “It was a campaign meeting where a lot of things exchanged hands, some of which border on a direct threat to national security.”

The online commentator further questioned why the broader Catholic Church in Zambia had not formally distanced itself from the event, given that the candlelight symbol heavily mirrored opposition campaign iconography.

Ms Musamba claimed the close attachment between the opposition duo and Archbishop Banda intensified after the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) summoned the prelate regarding a sensitive motor vehicle and money-laundering investigation.

Instead of complying cleanly with law enforcement, Mr Mundubile and Zulu reportedly rushed to Archbishop Banda’s defense, framing the probe as State-sponsored persecution and publicly vowing to fight back and reclaim the state.

“Now who vows to fight the Government for trying to address a possible corruption case?” Ms Musamba wondered.

“At this point, Archbishop Banda acclaimed himself as a possible kingmaker, probably to oust the Government and disguise his corruption, which has heavily tainted his image,” she wrote.

The fallout from these political manoeuvres had quickly escalated into a severe constitutional crisis.

Mr Mundubile and Zulu were detained at the Lusaka Central Police Station after emerging from two weeks of hiding inside a United Nations building, where they had sought refuge following a lethal paramilitary raid at Mr Mundubile’s Kabulonga residence.

During that post-election raid, authorities claimed to have uncovered military-grade equipment, leading President Hakainde Hichilema to accuse his political challengers of attempting an armed insurrection.

With senior legal heavyweights Sakwiba Sikota SC, Chifumu Banda SC and Bonaventure Mutale SC scrambling to manage the treason charges, the focus shifts heavily back to the clergy.

Ms Musamba’s scathing critique leaves a looming question mark over the upcoming presidential inauguration scheduled for next week.

“Where does this high-grade criminal investigation leave Archbishop Banda and the entire Catholic institution in Zambia?,” she asked.-KAN