HARRIET BWALYA KATANEKWA CONDEMNS CALLS TO REMOVE JJ BANDA’S SISTER FROM PARLIAMENT

The political landscape in Zambia has witnessed a fresh wave of controversy following recent calls by some United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres advocating for the removal of Petauke Central Independent Member of Parliament Emmanuel Jay Banda's sister from the National Assembly. These politically charged demands have drawn sharp rebuke from various quarters, most notably from Socialist Party Member of the Central Committee, Harriet Bwalya Mulenga Katanekwa, who has termed the calls retrogressive, unfair, and a threat to democratic norms. Speaking on the unfolding political tensions, Mrs. Katanekwa emphasized that family association should never serve as a benchmark or a liability for an individual's professional or political career. She noted that both the embattled lawmaker and his sister are distinct, autonomous legal and political personalities who are each entitled to be evaluated based on their own performance, legislative contributions, and personal integrity. According to Katanekwa, nobody chooses the family into which they are born, making it fundamentally unjust to hold a serving parliamentarian accountable for the actions, controversies, or political differences of a relative. The controversy underscores the increasingly polarized nature of Zambian politics, where familial linkages to high-profile political figures frequently draw intense public scrutiny and factional pressure. Emmanuel Jay Banda has been at the center of several high-profile political storms, legal battles, and security controversies over recent years, drawing immense interest from both state actors and the opposition. Critics of the ruling party's cadres argue that targeting family members represents a dangerous descent into political victimization, shifting public discourse away from pressing socio-economic challenges toward petty vendettas. Political analysts have echoed Katanekwa's sentiments, warning that normalizing the persecution or sidelining of relatives of diss