By EditorZambia
A thunderous moral warning has gone out from Mongu where Evans Chinyama Chinyemba, the Catholic Bishop of the Mongu Diocese, called on the people of Western Province to refuse, without hesitation, any association with individuals linked to violence, plunder of national resources and the erosion of peace. His message made in the presence of two microwaved Patriotic Front (PF) leaders Given Lubinda and Makebi Zulu was not coded and direct insisting that those with a record of violence and economic vandalism must not be tolerated, entertained or rebranded.
The Bishop’s appeal followed an appeal to the people of western province whom he advised to consider those who once held power through their submissions in series of consultative meetings held across the province in Mitete, Senanga, Nalolo, Sikongo, Kaoma and Limulunga. He advised them that when making written submissions to be presented in each constituency, they should address issues centred on decisions that affect ordinary citizens through local governance. He emphasised that the consistent theme was that Western Province must remain a sanctuary of peace where political discourse was civil, issue-based and free from personal attacks. 
Bishop Chinyemba reminded the citizens that Western Province has long prided itself on relative calm even during seasons of heightened national tension. He drew inspiration from the spirit of Saint Francis, who preached peace more than eight centuries ago, the gatherings should reaffirm a collective commitment to be a channel of peace in a nation too often scarred by political hostility. He reminded the people how important it was to uphold the prayer of Saint Francis not as a ritual but as a moral compass since politics must be life giving and any action or ideology that impoverished the nation must be rejected.
Significantly, these reflections were made in the presence of figures such as Makebi Zulu and Given Lubinda, both associated with efforts to reposition the PF. The symbolism could not be missed. The call to reject those connected to violence and plunder was delivered within earshot of individuals seeking to keep alive the legacy of a party whose tenure in power remains deeply contested.
The context of the Bishop’s warning is unavoidable. The years under former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu were marked by persistent allegations of cadre violence, disregard for institutional checks, and a troubling pattern of unexplained wealth linked to members of the former first family. Court proceedings in recent years have resulted in forfeiture orders involving properties, vehicles, and other high value assets after findings that lawful income could not reasonably explain their acquisition. Against that backdrop, the attempt to cosmetically refresh the PF by projecting new or recycled faces such as Brian Mundubile, Given Lubinda, or Makebi Zulu raises profound moral questions. Can a political brand associated in the public mind with violence and plunder be cleansed merely by changing its spokespersons. Can memory be erased by public relations.
Economic Front leader Wynter Kabimba has added fuel to the debate with his blunt assertion that anyone defending the Lungu family is a criminal. His language is sharp. Yet his argument rests on a simple premise. When courts of law detail unexplained wealth and order forfeiture, defending that record without demanding accountability risks normalising the very conduct that impoverished the country.
Bishop Chinyemba’s message in Mongu aligns with that moral reasoning even though not mentioning the party by name. However, Zambians who were old enough during the PF era have fresh memories of the violence, plunder that the Bishop is talking about.
The clergyman did not endorse a candidate, but he articulated a principle imploring the citizens to ignore individuals with a history of violence. Zambia’s collective memory is still fresh. Citizens remember markets disrupted by cadres. They recall public resources diverted while hospitals struggled and youth unemployment soared. They remember a climate in which critics of the PF regime from the media, the church, civil societies, and individuals were intimidated, and institutions appeared captured. To ask them now to embrace a rebranded version of that era without acknowledgment of wrongdoing is to demand historical amnesia.
Bishop Chinyemba’s intervention is therefore more than a pastoral reflection and differs sharply with that of some Bishops who are doing the opposite by explicitly or implicitly endorsing some PF leaders to come back in power and torture Zambians for the umpteenth time. The bishop’s message is a civic alarm not only addressed to the people of Western Province but Zambia at large.
The Bishop has made his position clear. Peace must be protected. Plunder must be rejected. And those whose history contradicts these values must not be entertained, no matter how attractively they are repackaged.
