The endorsements keep coming. The defections keep making headlines. And Makebi Zulu keeps repeating the same message: none of it will matter until the ballots are counted.
The Tonse Alliance presidential candidate has pushed back against suggestions that a growing number of political endorsements for President Hakainde Hichilema provide a reliable indication of what will happen when Zambians go to the polls on August 13. His message is straightforward: elections are decided by voters, not by politicians changing sides. The endorsement story has become one of the most persistent features of this campaign season. Barely a week passes without another opposition figure, independent candidate or former political rival publicly backing President Hichilema and the ruling UPND.
For the ruling party, each endorsement is presented as evidence that support for the administration is extending beyond traditional political boundaries and regional affiliations. Former vice-president Enoch Kavindele has been among the strongest voices advancing that view. He has said experienced politicians do not switch positions casually, but assess developments across the country, consider national issues and make political judgments based on what they see. His position is that many of those endorsing President Hichilema have examined government programmes and concluded that supporting the incumbent is the right course.
Makebi Zulu takes a different view. The Tonse Alliance leader has stopped short of dismissing the endorsements altogether. Instead, he has drawn a distinction between endorsements by political figures and choices made by voters. In his view, the alliance’s support among ordinary Zambians remains intact and is rooted in the experiences, expectations and concerns of citizens rather than decisions made by politicians.
At the centre of the disagreement is the issue of political momentum. The UPND wants voters to see the election moving in its favour, with endorsements presented as evidence of growing acceptance of President Hichilema’s leadership. Endorsements are among the most visible tools available to any campaign seeking to demonstrate political strength and broaden its appeal. The party’s supporters view the endorsements as confirmation that confidence in the administration continues to expand.
Opposition leaders understand the value of that perception, which helps explain why Makebi Zulu and his allies continue to challenge the notion that endorsements provide a clear indication of electoral outcomes. Their position is that support should not be measured by political declarations alone and that voters retain the final authority at the ballot box. By challenging the significance attached to endorsements, they are seeking to keep attention focused on the electorate rather than on political figures changing allegiance.
History provides examples of elections where expectations changed during campaigns. Political momentum has shifted, endorsements have not always translated into votes and electoral outcomes have sometimes differed from assumptions made during campaign periods. Whether that happens again in August remains a matter for voters and not political commentators, candidates or endorsers.
On that point, there is broad agreement across the political divide. When polling stations open, endorsements, defections and campaign declarations will give way to the choices made by citizens. What remains will be a ballot paper and a decision made by each voter. That decision belongs to the people.
Uyu alipo sangapite- He cant pass.
And when he asks that PF to come back and do what. Tell him that to come back and restore mealie meal at K120, fuel at K17 and fertiliser at K650. And he should not even talk about PF defaulting on the loans because he knows very well that the world had closed bevause of covid and it was not only Zambia that defaulted there after.
When these PF surrogates ask to come back to restore prices , tell them……….
You know prices rise because MMD left prices……….
fuel k5 , maize meal k50 and fertiliser k200……..
Not those crazy PF prizes and top of maximum borrowing and failure to pay back.,……….while almost all CDF funds were being stolen
FWD2041
Atleast people are talking about the prices they were promised and not MMD. So why gag them. Just deliver, if not vacate. Common sense is not common.
He promised the reduction of prices on his own. Voluntarily actually! As for fuel he even promised that he was going to cut out middlemen and fuel would be K12 per litre. He was even doing some tuma calculations. So why are you bringing in MMD? Focus on the issue, that is how you fail exams. I wonder how you found yourself at that embassy.
Failure to pay back debt by PF has a very good reason. Though I am not PF and never been. I know that the default was caused by the world economies shutting down because of covid, the reason Zambia was not the only defaulter. So dont cheat people here
@spaka
So if all CDF funds were being stolen, who has ever been convicted over the same. None. Zero. Why do you people lie so much and blame and lump your failures and inadequacies on PF. I voted out PF but on second thought they were better than you by far. Caderism has very much been there since 2021, to a non discerning eye, they cant pick that these UPND cadres have been operating below radar to avoid detection.
What a load of nonsense. Do Mundubile and Zulu u rinate fuel or s hit mealie meal for them to bring down the prices? No politician has power to bring down any prices of anything unless they nationalise and get taxpayers to subsidise. But we know where that led us to after 27 years!
@Spaka remember the voting majority is only semi literate that is why prices come up all the time back in the 70’s one could by a house for K30.000
Remember too your boss played the same dishonest game
@musaninyoze
I agree with you, he lied that he was going to bring the prices down in the last campaigns
Baptista Joss
No one is being gagged , if it was their time in office before 2021, people would have died and maimed for asking questions , now you are free……..
Mudamvako
HH made promises and predictions like any other leader in waiting but found things completely rotten , everything was rotten , from the economy to the moral fabric of society………..
Mulepheres’ friend
If PF has an excuse of default because of Covid , UPND has the excuse of one of the worst droughts to deal with and still have GDP , jobs and investment growth……….in top of the rotten country PF left….
Gambino
The difference between current CDF and PF CDF is what was being stolen , we all saw the caders flashing bundles of US dollars
Zambians will say no to return to that none-sense
FWD2041
There is nothing that he found rotten. The man is just incompetent. He found the same conditions that Traore found, and Traore has turned it around without any lame excuses in his country.
Why does this chap try to lie as usual. Dont you know that PF had a serious drought as well. Selective amnesia is bad. PF had both drought and covid. We even went to pray for rains in the PF era. Just sort out the mess you have created, your friends left you a comparatively healthier situation
Madoda
Under PF Zambia was on the verge of failed state status……….
PF leaders , the same ones in that photo above, oversaw the worst tribal violence, looting , borrowing and moral decay of society, to a point where Zambians where being lynched and burned alive on our streets for the first time in our history.
We can never return to that…….
Magenge
PF faced drought and Covid but had billions to play with and steal……….no party in power has had access to so much borrowed money, ever, yet……..
Still managed negative growth……and left Zambians even able to build a car park without Chinese
And you think Zambians have forgotten that ????
FWD2041
RB had image builders (Bazungu) and he tarred a lot of roads but Zambians decided (Don’t Kubeba). ECL had a lot of following and brought massive development around the country (Mwankole). Endorsements from individuals and groups can be there but when Zambians decide then chapwa! Let’s hope and pray that the best candidate (Team) wins.
The best dont always win the ones that tell the biggest lies do
Pity pinocchio is only a fairy tale orthwise some will have noses like elephant trunks
Let him go please, vima promises va fake
Please be aware: I was misled into investing on a fake site, and they froze my withdrawal request. If something like this happens to you, REsqProfirm took up my case and handled it well.
°ResqProFirm°à t°aoll•¢0m° °7EL£gram° ResQPr0firm °wha°Zap° +1;985;2;96;91;46
From the comments those promises were made under duress no wonder they cannot be used to cross check with what is obtaining on the ground.
Endorsements from political light weights and feather weights like Nevers, Felix, Miles, Chanda or Judith carry no weight. Zero. And why is it that in this country we have people called Presidents of political parties when they have no members. These same so called presidents just go and eat our food at state house on independence day and other days which food is bought using our taxes.
But the ngulu of UPND caderism manifested itself fully when independent candidates started filing in after loosing confidence in their party. Ask Gary. The independents also felt the biting economy since 2021
Gary is not the whole independent candidates , plezzzz………..,
Even him can not influence the outcome of HH handing over power to himself
FWD2041
One man, One vote. Someone can endorse you but that man only has one vote. It doesn’t give them more votes. Endorsements are verbal and loud, voting is quiet and secret. HH, beware of these loud mouthed hypocrites. They will not vote for you. They only want jobs or more money in their pockets. Kavindele just talks!!
Even if no one votes for him he wont notice as he is so engrrossed with himself
Please be aware: I was misled into investing on a fake site, and they froze my withdrawal request. If something like this happens to you, REsqProfirm took up my case and handled it well.
°ResqProFirm°à t°aol•¢0m° °7EL£gram° ResQPr0firm °wha°Zap° +1;985;2;96;91;46
Junkmail
Endorsements or not………..
The majority Zambian people know where we came from , the dark dangerous days of PF , those same people standing under different names today…………
The public are not duped that easy
These same tonse pamodzi leaders or what ever they are called oversaw bloodshed and industrial looting before 2021………….
We are here
FWD2041
Liar. And leave our embassy
Zizili
Do you remember, when for the first time in the history of Zambia..,……
Citizens were being lynched and burned alive in our towns ???
And those 2 in that photo above were part of that dark patch in our history
FWD2041
You are going. The propaganda of painting the past dark won’t work. My mealie meal was cheaper then and I am missing it
Unfortunately for you Zambians also remember K50 meal meal in MMD days…….
FWD2041
Endorsements are there because people are looking for favors from the ruling party not because they are happy with them. The same people endorsing now will make a sudden u turn the moment this party loses.
Makebi Zulu is right, at the end of the day its the voter who has a final say.
Yeah I’ve seen villages voting against a chief’s endorsement
It is hard to believe that it was only in 2020 that Zambians were being hunted , lynched and burned alive on our streets in our towns…,…..in images reminiscent of Soweto
More than 50 innocent civilians lost their lives to that madness………never ever witnessed in our history
Yet the people who orchestrated and oversaw that orgy of violence want to come back for more under different names ???
Zambians will not accept that
FWD2041
You are going
Zizili
In 2041………not even 2031……….
You can regroup in 2031 , but you wait until 2041
Hehehe
FWD2041
From where I stand, I’m more concerned about the history of this Nation. If successive governments are always going to be rubbishing everything the previous Governments did, then we are headed to a historic disaster. Our children’s children will be all lost becausewe are busy erasing our foundations. Let’s preserve our history. We need to open a National museum where each president is acknowledged for the good they did. Each National Leader has/had their own weaknesses and strengths. Let’s be realistic and not just support blindly.
3 senior UPND officials have resigned from the party in northwestern province – Prime TV evening main news today at 19:15
GOODyyyyyyyy Going Going Gone !!!
I hope someone on here can read the writing on the wall now
Making statements in advance to excuse their future loss of elections. It’s going to be “the voters” to blame. Time wasters honestly. The only campaign strategy seems “he said fuel at K xyz!”. And a dead body iliko
The chaps just decampaigned themselves by failing to work. We gave them the mandate but peoples lives have worsened since 2021. Can’t you see the clutching to the straw of UNIPs free education and MMDs CDF, the economy is worsening by the day and they are still promising,regretably the gullible ones and those eating are buying into the hot air propaganda
The agony is………
Using multiple log in accounts and counting them as separate people and thinking you have support…………
FWD2041