UPND Secretary General Batuke Imenda has condemned a viral video in which Tonse Alliance Presidential Affairs Chairman Binwell Mpundu spoke of being willing to “die and kill” over this week’s elections, urging NRPUP to retract the remarks.
A Firm Condemnation Days Before the Vote
In a statement issued Monday, August 10, Imenda said it was absurd that a senior NRPUP and Tonse Alliance figure would make comments advocating violence just days before Zambians go to the polls on Thursday. He noted the remarks came shortly after Mpundu had separately claimed that Mundubile had sent individuals for military-style training abroad, a claim that has added to concerns about rhetoric on the campaign trail.
Imenda said the UPND, under President Hichilema, remains committed to a free, fair and peaceful election, and stated the party would respect the will of the people regardless of outcome. He challenged Mundubile to make the same commitment, framing the election as a choice between national unity and division rather than a contest that should carry any threat to life.
Part of a Broader Pattern on Political Violence
The statement follows a similar disciplinary stance UPND took in May, when the party expelled 15 members over violent scenes at the Mazabuka civic centre during Gary Nkombo’s nomination filing, with Imenda stressing at the time that those responsible had acted outside party principles and discipline. That earlier episode set a precedent for the party publicly distancing itself from violent conduct associated with its own members, a posture it has now extended to its rival’s conduct as polling day approaches.
