Magoye East independent parliamentary candidate Confucious Mweene says his driver was killed at a campaign camp in Chivuna in what he believes was a botched assassination attempt meant for him. Police are investigating the murder, which occurred at the height of campaign activity in Southern Province.
Mweene, 52, reported the death of his driver, 31-year-old Stanley Sakala of Lusaka, to Chivuna Police Post under Mazabuka Central Police Station on Tuesday at 01:20 hours. He said the attack happened between 22:00 hours on Monday and 01:00 hours on Tuesday at the campaign camp. The candidate said he and Sakala had returned from a campaign programme and parked their vehicle for the night.
Around midnight, a struggle was heard coming from Sakala’s room. Mweene said he could not immediately explain what happened next, only that the silence that followed was worse than the noise. He has spent the hours since piecing together a timeline that still leaves him with more questions than answers. Chief among them is whether the attack was random or deliberate.
“One can only speculate: was that death meant for him or somebody else? Or were they looking for me?”
“Because I’m the owner of that residence. I am the one who lives there,” he said. “The person who went there probably could not identify which room I was in.”
Mweene described Sakala as a mechanic with no known local enemies who had travelled to Magoye East purely to help with campaign work. He said Sakala had no history of conflict in the constituency and had only arrived days earlier to assist with logistics. The candidate said this made the killing especially difficult to make sense of, since Sakala’s only connection to the area was through him. He has since spoken with Sakala’s family in Lusaka, who are awaiting further information from police before making funeral arrangements. Mweene said the family deserves clarity, not speculation.
Police officers who visited the scene found Sakala’s body on the floor with a deep cut to the neck. Zambia Police Service spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi confirmed the body was taken to Mazabuka General Hospital mortuary to await a post-mortem examination. He said the scene had been processed and that officers were working through available evidence.
“The matter was reported to Chivuna Police Post under Mazabuka Central Police Station on June 30, 2026, at 01:20 hours,” Chilabi said.
Preliminary findings show the two men had returned to the camp after a campaign event before the attack occurred. Chilabi said investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and to arrest those responsible. He said officers are treating the case with urgency given the political undertones already surrounding it. Chilabi added that anyone with information linked to the incident should come forward.
“The Zambia Police Service strongly condemns the violence and urges members of the public to remain calm and cooperate with investigations.”
He said the police service would provide further updates as the investigation progresses. The killing lands at a moment of heightened political temperature across the country, with campaign teams crisscrossing constituencies ahead of polling day. It follows a separate killing in Kaputa District, Northern Province, where a ruling party supporter was fatally stabbed after a clash between rival party backers. Both cases have now drawn direct attention from the highest levels of government.
President Hakainde Hichilema has already directed security agencies to investigate both incidents and ensure that everyone involved faces the courts. He said no grievance and no political ambition can ever justify violence, adding that those who carry weapons to a political gathering have lost the argument entirely.
The Head of State’s remarks were issued through State House shortly after police confirmed the two deaths. Inspector-General of Police Graphael Musamba has separately warned that no individual or political grouping will be permitted to undermine public peace during the campaign period.
For Mweene, the loss carries both a personal and a political weight. He remains unclear whether the attack was random, targeted at Sakala directly, or an attempt on his own life that went to the wrong room. That uncertainty has left him rattled, though he has not withdrawn from the race. He said stepping back now would only reward whoever was behind the attack.
Police reinforcements remain active in Mazabuka District as investigators work to piece together the sequence of events at the camp. No arrests have yet been announced in connection with Sakala’s death. The case now sits alongside the Kaputa killing as one of two active political violence investigations opened this week. Government has cited both as evidence of the risks facing campaign teams in the weeks ahead of the vote.
Mweene has appealed to authorities to move quickly, saying his team needs clarity on whether the threat that claimed Sakala’s life is still active. He said he intends to continue campaigning under tighter personal security while the investigation runs its course.
