Former Mazabuka Central member of parliament Gary Nkombo was attacked this morning shortly after arriving at Mazabuka Civic Centre where he was expected to lodge his nomination papers as an independent candidate for the August 13 general election.

Witnesses at the scene said a group of masked men descended on Nkombo moments after his arrival, causing confusion and panic among supporters gathered at the civic centre. Some of the suspected attackers were reportedly clad in UPND regalia, although official confirmation from police and the ruling party had not yet been issued by press time.

Images and videos circulating from the scene showed Nkombo’s shirt torn during the commotion as supporters attempted to shield him from the attackers. The incident quickly drew attention from residents and political supporters gathered around the nomination centre.

The attack comes barely a day after Nkombo publicly disclosed that he had been pushed by supporters to contest as an independent candidate following his fallout with the UPND adoption process. Speaking during a gathering with supporters yesterday, Nkombo said he still loved UPND but felt politically abandoned after years of loyalty to the party.

“I feel like I have been thrown onto a political dump site,” Nkombo told supporters, while explaining why he was considering breaking away from the ruling party to contest independently.

He also said many ordinary supporters had encouraged him not to abandon the people of Mazabuka Central, insisting that the movement around his independent bid had grown beyond personal ambition.

Today’s violence is expected to heighten political tensions in Mazabuka, one of Southern Province’s key political battlegrounds ahead of nominations and campaigns.

Police officers were later seen attempting to restore order around the civic centre as confusion continued among rival supporters.

More details later as the story unfolds. Official comments from police, UPND officials and Gary Nkombo’s camp are still expected.

Nkombo Says He Feels “Dumped on a Political Dumpsite” as Supporters Push Independent Bid

Former minister tells Mazabuka gathering he feels discarded by political allies despite years of sacrifice for UPND

MAZABUKA — Former Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gary Nkombo says he feels like he has been “dumped on a political dumpsite” by people he once fought alongside in the UPND, in emotional remarks that have intensified speculation over his political future ahead of the August 13 general election.

Addressing a large gathering of supporters in Mazabuka, Nkombo bemoaned what he described as political abandonment after years of loyalty and sacrifice for the ruling party. The veteran politician said he now finds himself being questioned, investigated and accused of matters he does not fully understand despite his long-standing contribution to the UPND.

In one of the strongest emotional remarks of his political career, Nkombo said he felt as though he had been thrown onto “a political dumpsite”, a statement supporters interpreted as meaning he had been treated like political rubbish or no longer considered useful within sections of the ruling establishment.

The remarks drew emotional reactions from supporters, many of whom openly urged him to contest the Mazabuka Central parliamentary seat as an independent candidate.

Several supporters praised Nkombo’s role in defending the UPND during difficult years in opposition, including periods of political violence before the party formed government in 2021. Some recalled how he sustained injuries, including a broken arm, during clashes linked to earlier political campaigns.

Others pointed to his visible role during the tense 2021 election period, particularly at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre where party officials and agents closely monitored vote verification processes.

Supporters told the former minister they had not seen any wrongdoing on his part that justified what they described as his political isolation.

Some members of the gathering even pledged to mobilise money for his nomination fees should he decide to stand as an independent candidate in this year’s election.

The gathering, however, repeatedly stressed that their support for Nkombo did not amount to rejecting President Hakainde Hichilema.

One spokesperson from the crowd said many supporters wanted a split-ticket arrangement in which voters would back President Hichilema for the presidency while retaining Nkombo as Member of Parliament for Mazabuka Central.

“For presidency let them vote for President HH, and for MP let them vote for Gary Nkombo,” the spokesperson said.

Addressing the emotionally charged gathering, Nkombo urged calm and restraint from his supporters as pressure mounted on him to declare his next political move.

“Do you really mean what you are asking me to do?” he asked supporters. He then urged them to return home and reflect carefully before making what he described as a major political decision with long-term consequences.

The former minister asked supporters to reconvene today at 09:00 hours for further consultations and a possible decision on the way forward. Despite frustration from sections of his support base, Nkombo maintained that his loyalty to the UPND remained deeply rooted.

I am UPND inside and out. All my body organs are UPND,” he told the gathering.At the same time, he signalled that he could not simply ignore the people who had supported both him and the ruling party over the years. “One thing I will not do is deny what you people that put me and UPND in power want, he said.

The developments have renewed attention on earlier remarks by former Lumezi independent lawmaker Munir Zulu, who months ago warned that sidelining Nkombo could have serious political consequences because of his influence and grassroots support.

In remarks that circulated widely on social media earlier this year, Zulu described Nkombo as one of the ruling party’s biggest political figures whose decisions could significantly affect the electoral landscape.

“A few weeks ago I had mentioned that any decision that my elder brother makes will have a huge impact politically,” Zulu said at the time.

He further stated that Nkombo remained “a force to reckon with politically” and suggested that any move he makes, including backing opposition candidates or standing independently, would carry weight nationally.

The renewed pressure on Nkombo comes months after he was dropped from Cabinet during President Hichilema’s ministerial reshuffle, a development that triggered speculation about internal tensions within the ruling party.

Attention has now shifted to today’s scheduled meeting in Mazabuka where supporters expect Nkombo to indicate whether he will remain fully within the UPND structure or take a different political path ahead of nominations.

Tonse Alliance candidate secures presidential nomination with Makebi Zulu at his side after dramatic opposition ticket switch

Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile has successfully filed his presidential nomination for Zambia’s August 13 general election under the National Revolution Party United Party (NRPUP) ticket after a dramatic fallout with the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) threatened to derail his participation in the race just days before nominations.

The successful filing marked one of the biggest late opposition developments ahead of the election and immediately shifted attention toward the fragile but increasingly strategic relationship between Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, who appeared alongside him during the nomination process in a powerful display of opposition regrouping.

The development followed days of confusion and tension inside opposition alliance structures after earlier plans for Mundubile to contest under the FDD banner collapsed amid disagreements involving party leadership, adoption control and alliance direction.

The abrupt separation exposed the volatility inside Zambia’s opposition camp, where coalition politics, legal positioning and access to recognised electoral platforms have become central survival issues ahead of the election.

Mundubile, the longtime Mporokoso lawmaker and former PF government chief whip under late former President Edgar Lungu, had initially been positioned to use the FDD platform as Tonse Alliance’s electoral vehicle. The arrangement was viewed as part of a broader opposition strategy to consolidate fragmented anti-UPND forces under a legally recognised structure capable of surviving nomination scrutiny.

However, the relationship deteriorated sharply in recent days, forcing Tonse Alliance to secure an alternative route onto the ballot through NRPUP.

The late switch created uncertainty across opposition circles, with some supporters fearing Mundubile could face a nomination crisis similar to previous disputes that have affected smaller coalition parties in Zambia’s political history.

Instead, the successful filing under NRPUP now gives Mundubile a clear legal platform heading into the official campaign period.

The presence of Makebi Zulu during the filing added even greater political significance to the event.

Only months ago, the two camps appeared headed toward direct confrontation after Tonse Alliance figures floated proposals suggesting Makebi Zulu could become Mundubile’s running mate under a broader opposition arrangement.

At the time, Makebi publicly distanced himself from aspects of those discussions, while divisions inside PF-aligned structures appeared to deepen following Edgar Lungu’s death and the subsequent struggle over opposition leadership succession.

The latest appearance together therefore signals a major political recalculation.

Rather than continuing parallel opposition battles, the Tonse Alliance and PF-Pamodzi structures now appear increasingly focused on strategic cooperation in an effort to prevent further fragmentation ahead of the August election.

For Mundubile, the alliance carries both political opportunity and risk.

The lawyer and accountant remains one of the most experienced PF-era politicians still active at national level. He served as Northern Province minister before later becoming PF government chief whip during Edgar Lungu’s administration, placing him among the most recognisable parliamentary figures from the former ruling party.

Supporters inside Tonse view him as a bridge figure capable of holding together different strands of the opposition while presenting a more measured image compared to some of the more confrontational voices within former PF structures.

Critics, however, continue questioning whether Tonse Alliance possesses sufficient nationwide organisational machinery to seriously challenge the UPND in a presidential contest dominated by financing, mobilisation structures and incumbency advantages.

Makebi Zulu brings a different form of influence into the arrangement.

The constitutional lawyer and former Malambo lawmaker built significant visibility through legal battles linked to Edgar Lungu, constitutional disputes and later the emotionally charged court processes surrounding the former president’s burial arrangements in South Africa.

Over the past year, Makebi transformed from legal adviser into a frontline political figure with growing influence among sections of PF supporters who viewed him as one of Lungu’s strongest defenders during the final stages of his political and legal battles.

That visibility now gives the Mundubile alliance additional energy among opposition supporters still emotionally tied to the late former president’s political legacy.

The latest alignment also reflects the increasingly urgent calculations taking place across opposition camps as the election approaches.

Several opposition formations continue competing for relevance, including:

• Tonse Alliance
• PF-Pamodzi Alliance
• Citizens First
• Socialist Party-backed alliances
• smaller regional coalition movements

At the same time, President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND enter the campaign from a position of incumbency, state visibility and improving macroeconomic indicators that government officials have increasingly highlighted in recent months.

That reality has intensified pressure on opposition figures to avoid splitting support bases unnecessarily.

The late ticket change from FDD to NRPUP therefore does more than resolve a nomination problem.

It exposes the unstable nature of coalition politics inside the opposition while simultaneously showing the determination among anti-UPND groupings to remain electorally relevant despite internal disputes.

Politically, the successful filing also allows Tonse Alliance to move away from days of damaging speculation surrounding whether Mundubile would even appear on the ballot.

Instead, the focus now shifts toward whether the opposition can transform symbolic unity appearances into a functioning nationwide campaign structure capable of matching UPND mobilisation ahead of August 13.

For now, Mundubile’s successful filing under the NRPUP banner has bought the opposition breathing space and temporarily stabilised one of the most uncertain nomination battles heading into Zambia’s election season.