By Brian Matambo | Sandton, South Africa
Dear Readers,
The title above is rather sensational, but read to the end, because it is probably not what you think.
So, the news is splashed with the political mileage gained by Brian Mundubile after he was detained and prevented from travelling out of the country at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. He was later taken to Ibex Police Station (the same police station where former First Lady Esther Lungu was detained in 2023). The good part is, he was released this morning, 20th March 2026, on police bond, and I am reliably informed that Patriotic Front Acting President Given Lubinda was on hand to welcome him out of police detention. But as I followed this news, I could not help but recall what happened only a few months ago.
On 9th December 2025, I was part of the team that travelled with Honourable Makebi Zulu from Lusaka to Kasama District to attend the funeral of the late Kasama Mayor. We had travelled through the night. But as Makebi Zulu and part of the team were arriving in Kasama in the early hours of the morning, around 8 a.m., the vehicle he was travelling in was involved in an accident. It flipped, was caught by trees, and landed upside down.
Makebi Zulu was trapped in the VIP seat. He had to be pulled out of the vehicle alongside Former DMMU coordinator Mr Chanda Kabwe, who was in the front passenger seat, and Honourable Richard Musukwa, who was at the back with him. They were rushed to Kasama District Hospital. My team and I were about an hour behind them.
By the time we reached the scene, the vehicle had already been lifted and returned to its normal position, but it was badly damaged. When we got to the hospital, we managed to see Makebi Zulu and the team. He was in pain. He complained about his chest, where the seatbelt had squeezed him. He also complained about pain in the back and had swelling behind his left ear. Even then, he was trying to be positive and lighthearted.
I spoke to Honourable Richard Musukwa, who, to me, is like my elder brother. He was trying to be strong, but it was clear he was not okay. He looked frail and shaken, though he did not want attention on himself. He wanted people to focus on President Makebi Zulu. Mr Chanda Kabwe was equally in pain. He, too, looked deeply affected, not just physically, but emotionally. It was a near miss. They could have perished in that accident.
Within a short time, they had received primary treatment at Kasama District Hospital. A number of Patriotic Front officials from the district and constituency came through to check on President Makebi Zulu. Before we got there, PF Acting President Given Lubinda had already visited him at the hospital. He was in town for the funeral programme of the late Mayor of Kasama, but he still made time to go and make sure Makebi was fine before returning to the programme.
Brian Mundubile was also in town. But he did not bother to see his friend. He did not go to the hospital. Makebi Zulu was later evacuated from Kasama, and Brian Mundubile simply did not care enough to show concern.
Everyone knew what had happened. Makebi Zulu had been involved in a serious car accident. Brian Mundubile was in the same town, but he ignored it. No call. No appearance. No care.
That did not stop us from doing what needed to be done. We organised a flight for Makebi Zulu, Honourable Musukwa and Chanda Kabwe to return to Lusaka. By 12:30, we were already at the airport. Once the formalities were complete, they boarded the plane and flew back to Lusaka. The rest of us had to find our way back after a programme that had been completely shattered.
But before we left Kasama, we heard that Brian Mundubile was holding meetings with party structures in the area. Those from the province, district and constituencies were meeting him. But at one of those meetings, he was said to have behaved disrespectfully toward Acting President Given Lubinda and chased him away. That incident would be forgiven but not forgotten. Mundubile was only a candidate for the PF presidency. Honourable Given Lubinda was the Acting President of the party.
Fast forward to 19th March 2026, barely three months and ten days later. Brian Mundubile was detained at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport and stopped from leaving the country. He was then taken to Ibex Police Station. Up to now, there has been no clear public explanation about where he was going or the exact reason for the detention.
What followed was striking. Photos spread all over social media. Politicians and supporters flooded the Ibex Police Station to stand with Brian Mundubile. The station was full of people around him. It became a political scene and a photo opportunity.
That is what makes the comparison impossible to ignore.
This is the same police station where former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was blocked from entering when his wife, Esther Lungu, was detained inside on 6th September 2023. Yet in Mundubile’s case, his supporters were inside the precinct, taking photos and moving around freely. It looked like VIP treatment at the same place where even a former Head of State had once been made to stand outside.
But that is not even the most important part of this story.
Late in the night, well past 22 hours, Makebi Zulu drove to Ibex Police Station to see Brian Mundubile. He went there to show care for a colleague, a fellow lawyer, a former colleague in PF, and a man who is now his counterpart in the opposition. That is the part people must sit with.
Mundubile did not visit Makebi when Makebi was in the hospital after a serious accident in Kasama, even though he was in the same town and only minutes away. But when Mundubile found himself in police detention, Makebi still went to see him.
And what happened? Just like Edgar Lungu had once been prevented from entering the same police station, Makebi Zulu was also blocked from entering. He stood at the gate while there were many people inside, including Mundubile’s own supporters. He was not allowed in. While others were inside taking photos and smiling, Makebi remained outside until it started raining. Only then did his security pull him away and take him home.
That is the tale of two men.
The contrast does not end there. When Brian Mundubile’s wife lost her mother, Makebi Zulu was in Eastern Province. At the same time, Brenda Nyirenda, a close ally of Brian Mundubile, had people in her constituency issuing derogatory statements against Makebi Zulu. Makebi Zulu did not respond. Instead, he travelled back on the day of the burial, went straight to the cemetery, sat next to Brian Mundubile, and offered his condolences.
That is why the question matters: why did Makebi even bother to visit Mundubile?
The answer is in the pattern. When Mundubile had the chance to show concern, he did not. When Makebi had the chance to show concern, he did. When Mundubile could have visited Makebi in the hospital, he stayed away. When Mundubile had a funeral in the family, Makebi travelled back to stand with him. When Mundubile was detained at Ibex, Makebi went there to console him, even though he was denied entry.
So when some people say Makebi Zulu should not have gone because Mundubile is his political rival, I disagree. Makebi Zulu’s so-called mistake is a far better mistake than Mundubile’s.
Politics is not only revealed in speeches, rallies and television appearances. Sometimes it is revealed in these smaller moments. A hospital visit that never happened. A funeral where one man showed up. A police station gate where one man stood outside in the rain after coming to see someone who had not done the same for him.
That is where character shows.
When you are looking at politics, do not rush to condemn. It is in moments like these that a man reveals his heart.
