EFF president raises alarm over alleged secretly contracted IMF programme

LUSAKA, January 8, 2026 — Economic Freedom Fighters (C-EFF) president Kasonde Mwenda has accused the Hakainde Hichilema–led government of secretly returning Zambia to the International Monetary Fund for a new loan programme, warning that the move risks plunging the country into deeper debt, harsher austerity, and a loss of economic sovereignty.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, Mwenda said the government had resolved to replace the current IMF Extended Credit Facility with what he described as a new full IMF programme, without first informing the public. He argued that Zambians would be directly affected by the conditions attached to such an arrangement and should have been consulted before any decision was made.

Mwenda said Zambia’s previous engagements with the IMF had resulted in policies that disproportionately burdened ordinary citizens, including electricity shortages, load-shedding, austerity measures, shrinking public services, and a rising cost of living. He accused the government of prioritising the interests of foreign creditors and multinational corporations over domestic economic development.

The EFF leader pointed to the enactment of Statutory Instrument No. 47, which removed export tax on copper concentrate, arguing that the policy had weakened Zambia’s control over its mineral wealth at a time when global copper prices were rising. He claimed the measure had failed to deliver tangible benefits to citizens in the form of lower prices, job creation, or broader empowerment.

Mwenda warned that entering another multi-year IMF programme would, in his view, mean additional borrowing starting this year, deeper austerity, reduced national policy autonomy, and long-term dependence on external financiers. He cautioned that the social impact of such policies would intensify over time if the current direction was not reversed.

He accused the government of lacking an independent development vision, saying reliance on IMF programmes had become its default response to economic challenges. Mwenda said Zambia should instead pursue a development path anchored in national ownership of resources and domestic industrial growth.

Outlining his party’s position, Mwenda said a C-EFF government would prioritise using Zambia’s minerals and natural resources for the benefit of citizens, restructure the economy around national development objectives, and avoid borrowing arrangements that mortgage the country’s future.

He called on Zambians to reject what he described as a cycle of austerity and dependency and urged voters not to support the ruling party in the 2026 general elections.

The government had not issued a response to the claims by the time of publication.

LUSAKA — Patriotic Front Vice President and Acting President Given Lubinda has issued a firm rejection of the Tonse Alliance’s January 2026 decision to demote the Patriotic Front from its position as the coalition’s primary political vehicle, describing the move as illegitimate, unconstitutional, and a betrayal of former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s democratic legacy.

In a detailed statement reported across multiple media platforms, Lubinda said the Patriotic Front remains the only legally registered and nationally structured political organisation capable of representing Lungu’s political vision and the millions of Zambians who supported it.

Lubinda dismissed assertions by Tonse Alliance acting chairperson Professor Dan Pule that an unregistered entity referred to as the “ECL PF Political Movement” constitutes an alternative or contingency platform for the coalition. He said no such arrangement exists in any Patriotic Front central committee resolution, party constitution, or formal public communication issued by Lungu before his death.

“The Patriotic Front is not a personal project that can be replaced at will,” Lubinda said, arguing that the party’s registration with the Electoral Commission of Zambia, nationwide constituency structures, and established membership distinguish it from informal political movements.

He recalled that in 2023, the PF central committee passed a binding resolution endorsing Edgar Lungu as the Tonse Alliance’s presidential candidate, a decision ratified by party delegates across the country. According to Lubinda, that resolution established PF as the anchor party of the alliance rather than a temporary participant.

Lubinda argued that dissolving PF’s role without a comparable democratic process undermines the principles the coalition claims to uphold. He said unity imposed through exclusion amounts to erasure rather than reform.

Reports in the Times of Zambia indicate that Tonse Alliance insiders have justified the decision by pointing to persistent internal divisions within PF following Lungu’s death. These include parallel leadership claims, court disputes over party symbols, and disagreements over candidate selection, which they say have weakened the party’s operational effectiveness.

Supporters of the shift argue that the ECL PF Political Movement, composed of former PF ministers, Members of Parliament, and senior officials loyal to Lungu, offers a more cohesive platform for the 2026 elections.

Lubinda rejected that view, warning that replacing a registered political party with an unregistered structure risks disenfranchising PF’s extensive grassroots base. He said the ECL PF Political Movement has no ECZ registration, no internal elections, and no official candidate lists, raising serious questions about its capacity to contest elections nationally.

He urged PF members to reject what he described as elite-driven political realignment and instead remain committed to the party’s constitutional processes, including planned internal elections.

Lubinda also criticised the Tonse council’s decision to remove a clause that had designated Lungu as the coalition’s 2026 flagbearer, describing the move as a posthumous slight. He maintained that leadership decisions must emerge from PF structures, not from an alliance that now excludes the party.

“If the Patriotic Front has challenges, they must be resolved internally,” Lubinda said. “Abandoning the party and calling it progress is neither democratic nor principled.”

He concluded by asserting that PF’s historical role in national development and opposition politics cannot be transferred to informal movements, insisting that only the registered Patriotic Front can legitimately carry forward Lungu’s political legacy.

PF condemns Mung’andu for “desperate lies” as former MP stands by claims

LUSAKA — The Patriotic Front (PF) has launched a fierce rebuttal against its former Chama South member of Parliament, Davison Mung’andu, accusing him of spreading what it termed “wild and unbelievable falsehoods” in an attempt to ingratiate himself with President Hakainde Hichilema.

The dispute follows remarks made by Mung’andu during a rally addressed by President Hichilema at Choma Sports Club on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, where the former lawmaker alleged that the PF deliberately sabotaged Zambia’s economy ahead of the 2021 general elections to frustrate the incoming United Party for National Development (UPND) administration.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, PF Central Committee member Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba dismissed the claims as reckless and malicious. He accused Mung’andu of fabricating allegations to rewrite history and deflect responsibility for what the party described as the current government’s economic failures.

Among the most serious accusations raised by Mung’andu was a claim that a senior PF official transported $9 million in cash out of the country just one week before President Hichilema’s swearing-in on August 24, 2021. The PF described the allegation as baseless and politically motivated.

“It is ridiculous to blame President Hichilema’s monumental failures on the Patriotic Front,” Mwamba stated, attributing Zambia’s economic challenges to what he characterised as incompetence, inexperience, and policy decisions that favour foreign multinationals and a small group of beneficiaries.

The PF challenged Mung’andu to submit any evidence supporting his claims to law enforcement agencies, questioning why he had not reported the matter to the Drug Enforcement Commission or the Anti-Corruption Commission if the allegations were credible. The party said the absence of formal complaints undermined the authenticity of the accusations.

Mung’andu, however, has stood by his assertions. Addressing supporters in Choma, he maintained that PF’s final months in office were marked by economic mismanagement, including artificial shortages, manipulation of inflation data, and concealment of unsustainable debt levels. He accused the former administration of leaving the treasury depleted and the economy on the brink of collapse.

He further claimed that the alleged $9 million transfer was part of a broader pattern of last-minute asset stripping by outgoing officials, arguing that the economic difficulties inherited by the UPND were not accidental but deliberate.

In its response, the PF defended its development record, citing what it described as measurable achievements during its time in power. The party said national electricity generation capacity increased from about 1,600 megawatts in 2011 to 3,500 megawatts by 2021. It also pointed to the construction of more than 3,200 schools, 830 health facilities, 121 bridges, and approximately 14,000 kilometres of roads.

The PF further highlighted major infrastructure projects including the Solwezi–Chingola Dual Carriageway, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport, and the Itezhi-Tezhi Hydropower Station, arguing that these developments contradict claims of deliberate economic sabotage.

Mung’andu countered that many of the projects were overbudget, underutilised, or financed through undisclosed borrowing. He referenced the 2021 debt disclosures that showed Zambia’s obligations had risen to more than $17 billion, much of it not previously presented to Parliament, a situation he said supported his claims of fiscal mismanagement.

The PF reminded the public that Mung’andu himself was elected to Parliament in 2021 on the PF ticket and benefited directly from the party’s political machinery and development record. The party accused him of abandoning his mandate for personal advancement, alleging that he had commercialised his political position.

Mung’andu rejected that characterisation, describing his political shift as a matter of conscience. He told supporters that had PF retained power after 2021, load-shedding would have worsened and inflation would have reached 50 percent, claims he said had been disproved by subsequent events.

The PF dismissed the remarks as theatrical and opportunistic, warning that such political defections undermine national unity as the country moves toward the 2026 general elections.