Zambia : Recognise HH First, Zimba Tells Mundubile, As Dialogue Push Gathers Pace
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NewsLusaka - Zambia: As dialogue pushes forward, Zimba urges to recognize HH first, highlighting the importance of mundubile in this process.
HeadlinesFeature Politics 3 min.Read Recognise HH first, Zimba tells Mundubile, as dialogue push gathers pace By Moses Musokotwane September 9, 2026 FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsAppRecognise HH first, Zimba tells mundubile, as dialogue push gathers pace
Tonse Alliance founder Zumani Zimba has urged National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) presidential candidate Brian mundubile to publicly recognise President Hakainde Hichilema as Head of State, arguing that recognition, not confrontation, is the fastest route to dialogue between the two camps. The Tonse Alliance founder, who also holds the NRPUP secretary-general and chief presidential adviser portfolios, made the call in a statement as pressure builds from multiple directions for Zambia’s two leading political camps to sit down.
“The fastest way to get HH’s attention to dialogue is for Mr mundubile to publicly recognise that Mr Hichilema won the election and is the President,” he said. “How can HH be motivated to dialogue or reconcile with people who don’t recognise him as President?”
Mr Mundubile came second in the polls with 38 per cent of the vote against Mr Hichilema’s 60 per cent. He, his running mate Makebi Zulu, and 16 others remain in detention, charged with treason.
The Tonse Alliance founder was direct about what the detained pair stand to gain from a change in posture. “Accepting HH as sitting President and respectfully appealing — not demanding — for dialogue with his government is the best way out for the freedom of BM and the team,” he said, cautioning against the alternative path some supporters have taken.
“For BM and MZ supporters, the idea of attacking, insulting and denouncing HH will not and will never help to resolve the problem of BM and MZ, either today or tomorrow.”
His appeal rested on a wider point about how Zambian presidents have historically been treated once accepted in office: “Whenever a Republican President was recognised, regardless of how he won, by his competitors, he or she feels comfortable, free and confident to be engaged in any national political discourse.” He called on the Church, traditional leaders, and regional and global bodies to keep pushing for dialogue and reconciliation between the President and Mr Mundubile.
The appeal is not coming from one quarter alone. Former Nkana member of Parliament Binwell Mpundu has shifted his own public tone in recent days, moving from confrontation towards an olive branch aimed squarely at State House. “I’m taking that first step, I’m reaching out to President HH for peace,” he posted on Facebook.
The recognition push lands at a moment when NRPUP is working to project unity from within Parliament, even with its presidential and vice-presidential candidates behind bars. Party leader Ezra Tembo told journalists at the National Assembly that all 59 NRPUP law-makers sworn in this week remain loyal to the current leadership structure. “When it comes to allegiance to the party leadership by MPs, we are a team,” he said. “We do not have any problem in terms of loyalty because there is nothing that has changed in terms of leadership. The party is intact, and MPs and other elected officials are loyal to the party leadership.”
Secretary-general Nonde Mubanga was said to be meeting NRPUP MPs individually to align them on the party’s position going forward. The party is also expecting 16 additional seats through the proportional representation system, on top of its 59 constituency wins. Feira MP Emmanuel Tembo and his Chama Central counterpart Yotam Mtayachalo both said they had no issue with the party leadership, while Lupososhi law-maker Shadreck Katuta said his own focus in the new Parliament would be women’s and youth empowerment through the Constituency Development Fund.
That show of parliamentary cohesion gives the recognition argument added weight: a party functioning normally in the House, even as its top two leaders sit in custody, strengthens the case that dialogue rather than deadlock is the more useful posture for all sides.
Not every voice in the aftermath of the election has been calming. The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) has separately raised concerns about the post-election period, citing worries over access to justice and judicial independence. Its president, Steven Thiru, said the organisation was not taking a position on the merits of the election outcome, describing its intervention as focused strictly on the rule of law and the safety of lawyers.
The recognition message, however, stays fixed on the practical next step rather than on the events of the campaign itself. The ball now sits with Mr Mundubile. Whether he takes up the suggestion, or waits on the courts to rule on the matters still before them, will determine whether the coming weeks bring the two camps to a table or leave both sides exactly where they started.
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