ZAMBIA NARROWLY ESCAPED CIVIL WAR….former Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba claims a Mundubile-Zulu victory would have ‘set the country on fire’ due to a lack of leadership capacity to curb post-election violence

ZAMBIA NARROWLY ESCAPED CIVIL WAR….former Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba claims a Mundubile-Zulu victory would have ‘set the country on fire’ due to a lack of leadership capacity to curb post-election violence By DAVID KANDUZAFORMER Justice Minister and State Counsel Wynter Kabimba has issued a chilling warning, declaring that Zambia would likely be engulfed in a […]

ZAMBIA NARROWLY ESCAPED CIVIL WAR
….former Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba  claims a Mundubile-Zulu victory would have ‘set the country on fire’ due to a lack of leadership capacity to curb post-election violence

By DAVID KANDUZA
FORMER Justice Minister and State Counsel Wynter Kabimba has issued a chilling warning, declaring that Zambia would likely be engulfed in a civil war today had the opposition ticket of Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu won the just-ended general election

Speaking during a fiery post-election review programme monitored on Muvi TV, August 22, 2026, Mr Kabimba thanked God for President Hakainde Hichilema’s victory, forcefully arguing that the opposition leaders lacked the discipline, authority and institutional capacity required to quench the volatile post-poll tension.

The veteran politician did not mince his words when assessing the capabilities of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity (NRPU) leadership.

He asserted that the explosive political climate surrounding the August 13 election would have completely overwhelmed them.

“I can tell you that Brian Mundubile and Makbi Zulu would have had no capacity to quench that kind of disorder even if they had won,” Mr Kabimba stated on television .

“They have no capacity. We would probably be in a civil war today if they had won,” he said

Mr Kabimba explained that the public was deeply resistant to a return to the ‘old order’ of political thuggery, stressing that any perceived endorsement of lawlessness would have caused the nation to erupt.

“Nobody would have accepted that. People would have reacted; people would have resisted that. So, it is just as well that they didn’t win. Thank God that they didn’t win,” he added.

A central pillar of Mr Kabimba’s critique focused on the failure of the opposition leadership to exhibit the strict internal discipline needed to manage unruly political factions.

He claimed that neither Mr Mundubile nor Mr Zulu possessed the political will to decisively dismantle caderism—a systemic issue that had historically fueled political violence across Zambia.

According to Mr  Kabimba, managing a fragile democracy during high-stakes elections required an iron clad commitment to law and order.

He implied that a Mundubile presidency would have effectively ‘set the country on fire’ by allowing unchecked lawlessness to dictate national security

The remarks come at a time of heightened political anxiety in the country.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) recently declared incumbent President Hichilema the winner with 60 per cent of the vote, defeating Mr Mundubile, who garnered 38 per cent.

The electoral process itself was highly contentious, briefly marred by district-level clashes, allegations of ballot theft and a temporary six-hour suspension of vote counting that strained public patience.

While international observers have urged all political actors to maintain calm and utilise official legal channels, Mr Mundubile had rejected the outcome.

From an undisclosed location, Mr Mundubile announced his intention to legally challenge the results in the Constitutional Court, citing alleged voting fraud and transmission irregularities.

Mr Kabimba’s televised remarks on Muvi TV have since ignited intense public debate, with ruling party supporters praising his candid analysis of national security.