Zambia tense post-election atmosphere has darkened further after police confirmed that former Transport and Communication Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally wounded during a security operation at opposition leader Brian Mundubile’s residence, sharpening demands for answers over a raid already engulfed in conflicting accounts.
The confirmation significantly advances a story Africa Briefing reported earlier this week. Mundubile had alleged that security personnel opened fire inside his home and shot Kafwaya, while the government rejected claims at the time that the former minister had been shot. Opposition representatives also demanded information about people whose whereabouts were unclear after the operation.
Former minister confirmed dead
Zambia Police said a Joint Task Force carried out the operation on August 14 and returned fire after officers were allegedly shot at.
Kafwaya, a Patriotic Front politician who represented Lunte and served as Transport and Communication Minister under former President Edgar Lungu, was fatally wounded during the operation, according to the police account.
Zambia’s National Assembly records show that Kafwaya was elected to parliament in 2016 and again in 2021 and served in cabinet during Lungu’s administration.
Police also said restricted military-version automatic Uzi weapons and five AK-47 rifles were recovered during the operation.
Authorities said the weapons were undergoing forensic examination to establish their ownership, source, intended use and any possible connection to offences under investigation, including treason.
The continuing investigation means claims about who owned the weapons, how they reached the property or what they were intended for remain unproven.
Raid timeline raises fresh questions
The latest police statement has also created fresh uncertainty about precisely when the operation took place.
Police now say the Joint Task Force raid occurred on August 14, the day after Zambia’s presidential election.
However, an earlier government account placed the arrests and security operation on the night of August 13, election day.
The latest account therefore appears to differ from the government’s earlier chronology, adding another layer of uncertainty to an operation in which the opposition candidate was present, 11 people were arrested and a former cabinet minister was killed.
earlier reporting recorded Mundubile’s allegation that dozens of armed personnel entered his residence and opened fire. His account has not been independently verified, while the government has maintained that security personnel encountered armed resistance.
The confirmation of Kafwaya’s death does not establish which account of the shooting is correct. It does, however, increase pressure for a full and transparent explanation of what happened inside the residence.
The controversy is unfolding as Mundubile prepares to challenge President Hakainde Hichilema’s re-election in court.
Hichilema was declared the winner after securing about 60 percent of the vote against Mundubile’s 38 percent. The result followed an election in which Zambians were asked to judge Hichilema’s economic record against persistent concerns over living costs and household pressures.
Mundubile says his campaign documented ‘serious irregularities’ involving the conduct, counting, transmission and declaration of results.
Reuters reported that the European Union observer mission also raised transparency concerns over parts of the tabulation process and noted a heavy military presence at some locations.
The EU’s concerns do not amount to a finding that the election was stolen, but they add to pressure on Zambia’s institutions to address opposition complaints transparently and demonstrate confidence in the integrity of the process.
Pressure grows for answers
Kafwaya’s death now pushes the disputed raid beyond competing political narratives into a broader question of state accountability.
Among the unanswered questions are who opened fire first, whose weapon caused Kafwaya’s fatal injuries, why officials initially rejected claims that he had been shot and why authorities have given differing dates for the operation.
There are also questions over when Kafwaya’s identity and condition were confirmed, when his family was informed and whether an independent investigation or formal inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The controversy comes after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern about opposition arrests and urged the authorities to protect due-process rights.
For a country with a strong record of peaceful transfers of presidential power, the challenge now extends beyond whether Hichilema’s economic recovery programme secured sufficient electoral backing.
It is whether Zambia’s institutions can convincingly explain what happened inside the home of the country’s principal opposition challenger in the volatile aftermath of the vote — and how a former cabinet minister died during the operation.
