Political tensions have deepened in Zambia following the death of former cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya during a security operation at the residence of opposition leader Brian Mundubile, days after a disputed presidential election.
Police said Kafwaya, 49, was fatally shot during a joint security raid carried out a day after the August 13 presidential election.
According to the police account, security personnel came under gunfire and resistance from unidentified individuals during the operation and returned fire.
Authorities initially said an unidentified man had been fatally wounded and that a firearm was recovered at the scene.
The deceased was later identified as Kafwaya, a former cabinet minister and opposition member of parliament.
The raid took place against the backdrop of heightened political tension following an election in which President Hakainde Hichilema secured about 60 per cent of the vote, according to the electoral commission.
Mundubile, who finished second with about 38 per cent, has rejected the outcome and said his campaign intends to challenge the results in court over what he described as “serious irregularities.”
The government said the security operation was aimed at dismantling a suspected militia that posed “a serious threat to State security.”
Police said 11 people were arrested during the operation, including three former commandos described as having extensive military experience.
Mundubile, however, rejected claims that his political alliance was involved in militia or insurgent activity.
He said those detained included members of his security team and opposition figures.
The opposition leader said the operation took place at his residence and that Kafwaya was hit by gunfire during the raid.
He also said he was initially unable to determine what had happened to the former minister.
Kafwaya’s death came after members of his family had publicly demanded information from authorities about his whereabouts and condition.
Following the raid, Mundubile reportedly went into hiding.
The disputed election has already attracted scrutiny from international observers amid allegations by the opposition of intimidation, arrests, abductions and violence during the electoral process.
Those allegations remain contested and are expected to form part of the opposition’s planned legal challenge.
Kafwaya served as a minister under the Patriotic Front government between 2016 and 2021 before later becoming an opposition lawmaker during Hichilema’s first term.
His death has now become another flashpoint in the increasingly tense post-election atmosphere.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has called on Zambian authorities to halt arbitrary arrests and ensure that the rights of detainees are fully respected.
The UN intervention has added pressure on the government to explain the circumstances surrounding the security operation and the treatment of opposition figures detained in its aftermath.
For now, key questions remain unresolved, including the precise circumstances in which Kafwaya was shot, the identities and status of those arrested, and the evidence behind the government’s militia allegations.
As Mundubile prepares to challenge the presidential result in court, Kafwaya’s death has further raised the stakes in a post-election dispute already marked by political tension, security concerns and growing demands for accountability.
