The arrest of Catholic Church Archbishop Alick Banda has drawn a sharp line between the ruling party and the opposition, with the United Party for National Development (UPND) urging the public to let the courts decide and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Antonio Mwanza accusing politicians of using the Church only when it suits them.

Archbishop Banda was arrested and detained on Monday and is facing a charge of being found in possession of a Toyota Hilux suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). The courts have not yet pronounced themselves on the matter.

UPND media director Mark Simuuwe said that was reason enough for everyone to step back. Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, he urged the opposition and members of the public to allow due process to take its course and to give the courts space to determine the case independently.

Mr Simuuwe said no individual should be considered immune from prosecution because of their position in society or in a religious institution. He said religion should not be used to shield wrongdoing, and stressed the importance of respecting the courts and allowing them to carry out their constitutional functions.

At the same time, he said the Archbishop was innocent until proven guilty, and called on the public not to interfere in the judicial process.

“We did not intend to discuss the archbishop. He is innocent until proven guilty,” Mr Simuuwe said.

His position drew a very different reading from Mr Mwanza, who commented on the arrest in a television interview on Monday, the day Archbishop Banda was detained. Mr Mwanza said the issue was not the Church but the conduct of politicians.

“So, the issue really is the hypocrisy of us, the politicians. It’s not about the Church,” he said.

He said the Catholic Church had been consistent on questions of justice, accountability and transparency, and put it in his own words.

“The Catholic Church, for instance, has been very consistent on the issues to do with justice, accountability and transparency,” Mr Mwanza said.

The DPP leader said the UPND should never forget that the Church it was criticising today had stood with it in opposition. He described the Church’s record of speaking out under successive governments.

“They were firm against the MMD. They were firm against the PF. They are firm against the UPND,” he said. “This UPND worked hand-in-hand with the Catholic Church when they were in opposition.”

Mr Mwanza recalled that when President Hakainde Hichilema was arrested, the Catholic Church was there for him.

“Even when President Hakainde Hichilema was arrested, the Catholic Church was there and they visited him at Mukobeko,” he said.

He said politicians of every side were guilty of the same behaviour, and that the Church’s role changes depending on who holds power.

“We work with the Church when it suits us. When we’re in opposition, the Church becomes our stakeholder,” Mr Mwanza said.

He said it was unfortunate that the UPND was now treating the Church as a problem when it was in government, adding that the relationship between the Church and government had become one-sided. Mr Mwanza went further, saying the UPND had changed from being a people’s voice into a dictatorship, and he described politicians as liars and dishonest people who should not be trusted.

The two statements frame the same event in opposite ways. For the UPND, the case is a matter of equality before the law and respect for the courts. For Mr Mwanza, it is a test of whether politicians treat the Church as a partner only while they are out of power.

The Catholic Church’s collective voice reached the public on the same day as Mr Simuuwe’s briefing, when the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) issued a pastoral letter calling for de-escalation, dialogue and respect for the rule of law.

For now, the position is that Archbishop Banda faces a charge related to a vehicle suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the ZRA, the courts are yet to rule, and both sides of the political divide have put their positions on record.

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