Zambia Tensions At The Pit As Museveni Eyes Another Decade

By Ollus Ndomu

Zambia and East Africa begin the week with two stories that reflect the pulse of governance across our continent from the remote gold pits of Mufumbwe to the corridors of power in Kampala.

Mufumbwe Gold Mine Shootings

Zambia’s North-Western Province is once again under the national lens after deadly clashes between police and so-called “illegal miners” at the Kikonge Gold Mine in Mufumbwe left at least three people dead, including one police officer.

What began as an operation to curb rampant illegal mining spiralled into chaos last week when miners stormed security barriers, overwhelming officers armed with tear gas and rubber bullets. Police say they opened live fire only when overrun. Eyewitnesses describe scenes of panic and bloodshed, with two dying en route to hospital and a third body recovered later.

President Hakainde Hichilema has described the tragedy as “entirely avoidable”, urging citizens to uphold the rule of law not as punishment but as a safeguard for collective dignity and safety. Yet his words come as opposition figures accuse government of heavy-handed policing and failing to address economic desperation driving young men to risk their lives for gold dust in unlicensed pits.

Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu says the crackdown will continue, revealing a sweeping operation has seized military-grade weapons and dozens of vehicles. The region’s gold wealth, he added, cannot be left to “banditry”. But critics fear the pattern of violent flashpoints is far from over.

Lungu Death Certificate Leak Sparks PF Fury

Meanwhile, in Lusaka, the Patriotic Front camp is reeling after details from former President Edgar Lungu’s death certificate surfaced online, confirming septic shock, multi-organ failure and oesophageal cancer as the cause. The leak has infuriated party insiders, who accuse opponents of exploiting the late leader’s final days for political mileage.

The mystery is how a sensitive medical record, kept by the family’s legal team, found its way to the public domain at a time when burial battles and conspiracy theories continue to dominate headlines. One month on, Edgar Lungu’s remains are still not laid to rest, as Zambia watches a dead man’s legacy become a tug-of-war between family control and state entitlement.

Museveni Again? Uganda’s 80-Year-Old President Wants More

East Africa is buzzing too. Uganda’s long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, now 80, has accepted his ruling party’s nomination to stand for re-election next January, pushing to extend his near four-decade grip on power.

In a defiant acceptance speech, Museveni framed his bid as a final push to propel Uganda into upper middle-income status. But his critics say the real story is the stifling of democratic space, the jailing of rival Kizza Besigye, and the relentless repression that makes pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine’s opposition bid harder by the day.

Social media in Kampala is ablaze with both mockery and resignation. One comment sums up the fatigue: “Museveni is the only man who can hold an entire country hostage while promising prosperity.”

The Week Ahead

Zambia’s mining drama will not fade quietly, especially if more deaths emerge from the gold rush belt. The late President Lungu’s burial saga now pivots on a Pretoria court’s timeline while the nation struggles with the politics of the dead.

And across the region, Museveni’s new chapter promises to test whether Africa’s longest-serving leaders can still rewrite their final act or if the region’s restless youth will rewrite it for them.

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Ollus Ndhomu

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