The Editor Zambia
A disturbing video circulating widely on social media has sent shockwaves across Zambia at a time when the country should be preparing for a peaceful and democratic election.
The footage shows three masked men, aligned with the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, brandishing machetes while issuing threats of violence against the Zambia Police Service. 
The political thugs have admitted that they were sent by former Patriotic Front (PF) Lusaka Province chairman Kennedy Kamba, who now serves as the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Voter Protection for the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance.
We are imploring authorities that such intimidation, political theatre, and declaration of violent intent are deeply unsettling and deserve immediate attention from law enforcement agencies and Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance leadership.
The masked individuals, their faces concealed and weapons raised, project a frightening image that has no place in a democratic society.
Such scenes evoke memories of the PF, which has havmorphed into the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, days when violence, intimidation, and fear threatened to overshadow the democratic process.
Many Zambians vividly remember the years when political cadres operated with apparent impunity, creating an atmosphere where citizens feared exercising their constitutional rights. It is a chapter that the nation worked hard to leave behind.
As the country approaches the August 13 general elections, every responsible citizen, institution, and political party has a duty to safeguard peace.
Threats involving machetes are not mere campaign rhetoric but criminal acts that, if ignored, risk encouraging others to emulate such dangerous conduct.
Violence rarely begins with widespread bloodshed but often starts with isolated acts of intimidation that go unchallenged until they spiral beyond control.
Therefore, the Zambia Police Service and all relevant security agencies should, with no hesitation, investigate the video without delay.
If the individuals depicted can be identified, they should face the full force of the law irrespective of their political affiliation. The rule of law demands consistency.
Justice cannot depend on which political colours an individual wears.
Equally important is that the responsibility rests on the shoulders of the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance leadership of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu.
Silence in moments such as these is not leadership because the individuals in the video are Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance political thugs, meaning Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, owe the nation an unequivocal condemnation of such conduct.
Political leaders cannot remain mute when violence is committed in their name or by those purporting to represent their cause.
Leadership is measured not only by the ability to mobilise supporters but also by the courage to restrain them when they cross the line.
Failure to publicly denounce such behaviour creates the perception that violent tactics are tolerated or even encouraged. Even where that may not be the intention, perception matters immensely during election periods.
The imagery in the circulating video is particularly disturbing because the masked men present themselves in a manner designed to inspire fear rather than confidence. Their appearance, concealed identities, and threatening gestures create an atmosphere more associated with criminal gangs than participants in a democratic contest.
Zambia has built its reputation over decades as one of Africa’s most peaceful democracies. That reputation should never be sacrificed on the altar of partisan politics.
Zambians know too well that the so-called Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance is the reincarnation of the PF and it has inherited not only much of the former ruling party’s political base but also the unfortunate culture of cadre militancy that characterised some of the PF’s most turbulent years.
The emergence of videos depicting individuals allegedly linked to the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance threatening violence only reinforces concerns that such tendencies have not entirely disappeared.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon the alliance to demonstrate, through words and actions, that it rejects violence in all its forms.
The coming weeks will test Zambia’s democratic maturity. Elections should be contests of ideas, policies, and visions for national development—not displays of machetes and masked intimidation.
Authorities must investigate swiftly, political leaders must speak clearly, and citizens must reject violence unequivocally.
The warning signs are there. Ignoring them would be a costly mistake. Zambia has come too far in its democratic journey to allow fear and political violence to dictate the nation’s future.
