The Criminal Elements in the Opposition, History Is Repeating Itself
When fires start to mysteriously ravage markets just months before elections, it’s not coincidence, it is a well coordinated political strategy, mostly intended to agitate citizens to rise against the governors.
There’s a troubling pattern in the manner these fires occur, and every Zambian who values peace should pay attention. 
Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa’s latest public claims that he “knows who is burning markets” should alarm every law-abiding citizen.
How can one man know so much before investigative wings have even concluded their preliminary findings on the Chingola’s Chiwempala market fire?
What kind of access or connections does he have to be able to pre-empt law enforcement agencies?
This isn’t the work of speculation. It sounds like an insider’s knowledge, and that makes Sishuwa’s statements deeply suspicious.
Let us be clear, these fires are not new. We have seen them before, conveniently erupting as the nation edges toward election periods.
Each time, the goal is the same: stir fear, sow anger, and turn citizens against their government.
It’s the oldest script in dirty politics, the Hitler-style politics of chaos, where destruction becomes a campaign tool.
When the public panics, opportunists step in to present themselves as saviours.
Whispers from within security circles point to late-night meetings involving some Tonse Alliance leaders, the IPhone hungry presidential aspirant, and known criminals from Chibolya, have been holding meetings in the night at a certain lodge in Kanyama.
The question is, what business do politicians have meeting in secret with individuals already on the radar for criminal activities? That’s not strategy. That’s conspiracy.
These fires aren’t random acts of desperation by petty criminals; they bear the hallmarks of deliberate, coordinated sabotage.
They are intended to paint the government as incapable, to frustrate traders, and to provoke unrest.
The same tactics were used in the City Market fires years ago right before the 2016 elections.
Some of the faces and voices behind that chaos are the same ones making noise now.
The investigative wings must stay alert and move fast.
There’s a sophisticated network of political operatives, hired arsonists, and media propagandists working in tandem. Their aim is to create an illusion of national breakdown hoping that when smoke fills the sky, sympathy will fill the opposition’s ballot box.
But Zambians are wiser now. We’ve learned that every spark has a sponsor, and every “concerned voice” screaming about injustice might just be trying to hide its own hand in the fire.
The State must treat these incidents not merely as cases of arson but as acts of political terrorism meant to undermine public confidence and destabilise the economy.
Market fires destroy livelihoods, but they also burn trust. Trust is what the opposition wants to reduce to ashes before the campaign trail heats up.
The call is simple. Watch them closely. Watch their meetings, their movements, and their sudden media theatrics.
Watch those who rush to “know too much” before the facts are out. Because sometimes, those who cry the loudest about injustice are the ones lighting the match stick in the dark.
These market fires are nothing but a political weapon in the hands of the opposition, and Sishuwa must be held accountable.
Who else can benefit when markets burn? Certainly not the government that faces public outrage.
Let’s strip this down.
Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa’s latest outburst allegations that the UPND government is deliberately setting markets on fire to win sympathy reads more like a thriller novel than a fact exposé.
Let’s think: If the government wanted votes through “market sympathy,” would it choose to destroy the same markets that feed the urban poor, the very people whose livelihoods anchor the economy?
Would any rational administration risk backlash from traders who are already battling inflation, just to hand out a few donations?
It’s an absurd logic. Yet, this storyline “fires in opposition strongholds” conveniently reinforces a single narrative: that President Hakainde Hichilema’s government is wicked, manipulative, and desperate.
The opposite is true. These fires are part of a wider opposition sabotage designed to make the government look bad.
Let’s revisit history. During the 2020 gassing scare, similar conspiracies flew left, right, and centre. Who was blamed? Who benefitted? And when the dust settled, did any evidence ever prove that a political hand was behind it? None. Yet the damage to national trust lingered.
That’s the real danger here, not the flames that burn markets, but the lies that burn institutions.
Sishuwa claims to “know” confidential meetings, asset declarations, and presidential strategies. If he truly does, why not publish the evidence now? Why threaten timed leaks if the truth can save Zambia today?
Could it be that what’s being “revealed” is less about truth and more about timing a calculated provocation to shake public faith ahead of 2026?
In politics, those who shout “fire” the loudest are often the ones holding the match stick.
Sishuwa must be made to account for what he knows about these fires.
He and his allies could be the ones torching the markets and, in return, blame it on the government. Arrest him, take him to court. Let him tell the court what he knows!
