UPND PLANNED VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE TO CANCEL ELECTIONS SAYS MAKEBI ZULU

As the political temperature rises across the country ahead of the crucial general elections, the Toonse Pamodzi Alliance has ratcheted up its rhetoric against the governing United Party for National Development (UPND). Speaking during a virtual engagement, alliance running mate Makebi Zulu alleged that the ruling party engineered a sophisticated strategy to orchestrate violence in its stronghold of Southern Province. According to Zulu, the ultimate objective of this alleged plot was to provoke chaos, declare a national disaster, and ultimately derail or cancel the electoral process. These explosive remarks come in the wake of heightened security anxiety surrounding opposition campaign trails in various regions. Earlier, alliance officials had expressed deep reservations about physical visibility in perceived hostile zones, citing heavy police deployment and security risks. Alliance leadership pointed to previous run-ins and tense security dynamics in other parts of the country, arguing that certain regions were being weaponized to stifle democratic competition and restrict free movement for opposition contenders. The allegations highlight the deep-seated mutual distrust characterizing the current electoral cycle. While opposition coalitions argue that state machinery and ruling party structures are being leveraged to suppress alternative voices, government and ruling party sympathizers have consistently maintained that opposition parties are prone to playing the victim card. Analysts note that tactical withdrawals and dramatic shifts in campaign strategies—such as alternating between physical tours and virtual rallies—demonstrate how precarious the security and political landscape has become as parties jostle for influence. Civil society organizations and electoral watchdogs have repeatedly called on all political actors to tone down inflammatory rhetoric that threatens public peace. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) alongside deployed international obse