Zambia Media Critique

Zambians blame his advisors for the diplomatic blunder but state blames it on interference from a Zambian opposition leader President Edgar Lungu’s attempt to dialogue with leading South African opposition party leaders Mmusi Maimane and Julius Malema   on the sidelines of the SADC summit in South Africa backfired terribly, sparking a heated debate on a diplomatic blunder that should never have being. The two opposition leaders from South Africa were vocal in criticizing President Lungu on the arrest and detention of his main rival on treason charges, a matter that has since been discontinued by the state. Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba announced that the Zambian President had summoned the two leaders over their continued interference in Zambian politics. The background to this call for dialogue stems from among other incidents, Maimane’s attempt to attend a court session for the Zambian opposition leader and show solidarity and lobby for his...

State releases incarcerated opposition leader and commits to Commonwealth brokered dialogue By Bruce Chooma – Lusaka Zambia’s leading opposition figure Hakainde Hichilema and his co-accused walked to freedom on Wednesday 16 th August, 2017 after the state entered a nolle prosequi   in the matter in which they were charged with treason.   His release came after the President of the United Party for National Development (UPND) spent four months in maximum remand prison in conditions described as dehumanizing. Zambia’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lillian Siyuni on Wednesday morning filed a ‘nolle prosequi’ in the case where Hichilema and five others were supposed to stand trial. The accused party had pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges. A ‘nolle prosequi’ application is an entry in the court record to the effect that the plaintiff or prosecutor will not proceed. The decision to drop the charges had been reported earlier by Reuters news agency citing an...