The Editor Zambia
There was something profoundly important in Paramount Chief Chitimukulu Kanyanta-Manga II’s message to social media users on September 16, 2026.
Speaking during the official handover of the Ng’wena statue in Kasama, the Mwinelubemba addressed those abusing him and demanding that he “act” over what they perceive to be political injustice following the 2026 presidential election. 
His response deserves to be understood not as silence, indifference, or weakness but as a declaration of what traditional leadership means in a politically charged Zambia.
The temptation among some Bemba social media activists has been to reduce the Chitimukulu to a political instrument.
Because Brian Mundubile is Bemba and is currently detained in connection with treason allegations, some people have apparently concluded that the Mwinelubemba should mobilise his subjects against the government or somehow intervene politically on their behalf.
That is a dangerous proposition because a Paramount Chief is not a political party president. He is not a campaign commander. He is not a spokesman for a particular presidential candidate. Further, the Bemba people are not a private political army to be summoned whenever some people feel aggrieved.
The distinction matters enormously.
The 2026 election has produced political disagreements, legal disputes, and deeply held emotions. Those issues belong within Zambia’s constitutional, judicial, and political institutions. They cannot responsibly be transformed into a Bemba-versus-somebody-else confrontation simply because a presidential candidate happens to be Bemba.
That is precisely where some social media commentators appear to be missing the significance of Chitimukulu’s intervention.
It is this leadership stance that has made international bodies honour the Bemba chief with accolades that include ‘Dr’ and ‘professorship.’
His position must also be viewed against his own record of reaching beyond ethnic boundaries. In 2023, the Mwinelubemba welcomed the Litunga, Lubosi Imwiko II, as guest of honour at the Ukusefya pa Ng’wena traditional ceremony.
The occasion was significant because it challenged the long-standing narrative of an inherent Bemba-Lozi rivalry.
The Litunga himself described the cultural exchange as a basis for promoting unity and combating tribalism, while the Bemba Royal Establishment stressed the importance of cultural interaction in achieving the ideal of One Zambia, One Nation.
The gesture did not stop there. The following year, the Chitimukulu reciprocated by attending Kuomboka as a guest of honour.
The Barotse Royal Establishment explicitly described the invitation as reciprocal, following the Litunga’s visit to Ukusefya pa Ng’wena. That is the language of traditional diplomacy.
It is, therefore, difficult to reconcile that history with demands that the Chitimukulu should descend into partisan politics or encourage Bembas to fight another section of Zambia because of an election dispute.
Indeed, the Mwinelubemba’s three guiding principles, as expressed in his message, provide the answer: respect, prayer, and diplomacy.
Those are not empty words.
Respect means recognising that political disagreement does not give anyone a licence to insult the traditional institution. Prayer means recognising that some national problems require restraint rather than angry mobilisation.
Diplomacy means pursuing engagement, dialogue, and peaceful solutions rather than allowing social media outrage to become a substitute for leadership.
The abuse directed at the Chitimukulu should therefore concern every Zambian, regardless of political affiliation or tribe.
Traditional rulers occupy a unique space in national life. They can speak to their communities with an authority that political actors often cannot command.
Precisely, for that reason, they should not be dragged into political trenches.
Those demanding that the Chitimukulu “do something” should perhaps ask a more fundamental question: what exactly do they want him to do?
Do they want him to call Bembas into the streets? Do they want him to declare that the election was a Bemba grievance? Do they want him to turn a political dispute involving an individual, into a tribal confrontation?
If that is the expectation, then the demand is not for traditional leadership. It is for political mobilisation wearing traditional regalia.
Zambia has seen enough of the destructive consequences of turning political disagreements into ethnic contests. The country does not need Bemba youths confronting Lozi youths or Northerners confronting Southerners over politicians.
The Chitimukulu’s message should instead be understood as a warning against precisely that dangerous journey.
The Bemba throne is bigger than any election, bigger than any political party and bigger than any individual politician.
Perhaps that is the point his critics on social media need to hear most clearly: the Chitimukulu does not have to shout to prove that he is leading.
Sometimes, leadership is demonstrated by refusing to light the fire others are desperately trying to start.
