The opposition continues to wrestle with itself, while time moves quietly but firmly on.

The opposition continues to wrestle with itself, while time moves quietly but firmly on.

In the meantime, President Hakainde Hichilema has managed to change the tone of the national conversation. Load shedding, once a daily source of anger and political mobilisation, has been largely stabilised. The lights are back in many homes and businesses. The Kwacha is gaining ground, offering at least some breathing space to traders and households.

These things matter.

Politics is not won on press statements alone. It is won on lived reality. When electricity improves and economic signals begin to stabilise, excuses shrink and expectations rise. That is the context within which the opposition must now operate.

Yet instead of matching this moment with seriousness, what continues to play out is theatre.

Monday at the Cathedral was a painful reminder.

Politicians exchanged wide smiles and warm hugs, presenting an image of unity and sympathy following the summoning of Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda by the Drug Enforcement Commission. On the surface, it appeared dignified. In reality, many Zambians saw it for what it was, an opportunity to score political mileage disguised as solidarity.

The smiles looked rehearsed and the hugs felt strategic.

What makes it worse is that these same leaders who smiled and embraced on Monday are often locked in bitter rivalry behind closed doors. The egos remain intact. The mistrust remains unresolved. The exaggerated belief in individual political muscle remains unchecked.

And the public knows it.

I genuinely wish those smiles could be real. I wish those hugs could translate into humility, unity, and discipline. I wish opposition leaders could finally set aside ego and accept a simple truth, there can only be one President at a time. Leadership requires patience, compromise, and at times the courage to support another rather than sabotage them.

Zambians are tired of unity that lasts only as long as the cameras are rolling. Tired of sympathy that doubles as self-promotion. Tired of leaders who look united on Monday and fractured by Tuesday.

Time continues to move, and the political ground is shifting. Load shedding is no longer the blunt weapon it once was. Economic signals are changing the mood. The window for excuses is closing.

If the opposition does not turn staged smiles into genuine unity, hugs into honest reconciliation, and ambition into disciplined leadership, it risks being overtaken by events already unfolding.

Time does not wait. Voters are watching.

Simon Mulenga Mwila
Aspiring Mayor of Lusaka
(DBA Candidate, MBA, LLM, LLB, Legal Practitioner, Commissioner for Oaths, Notary Public)