Dismissal of ConCourt Judges is HH’s plot for 2026 – Makebi

By NATION REPORTER
THE speedy dismissal of three Constitutional Court judges by President Hakainde Hichilema is not only the beginning of the end of the independence of the Judiciary but also a plot for the preparation to avoid the impending electoral defeat in 2026, one of the country’s top lawyers, Makebi Zulu, has charged.
And Mr Zulu has projected that President Hichilema will continue with the crusade of firing judges, whom he believes are not fitting in his agenda and schemes of converting Zambia into a dictatorship.
Mr Zulu says most of the judges in the Judiciary should know and realise that they shall not last in their positions and begin to prepare for their dismissals because their constitutional tenure of office is no longer being respected by the UPND regime.
He said in an interview that in just three years, President Hichilema has fired more judges than all his six predecessors, in a bid to colonise the Judiciary, after having turned the Legislature into an appendage of the executive.
“President Hichilema is going to fire all the judges he sees as obstacles to his desire to convert Zambia into a dictatorship. President Hichilema does not want to have an independent judicial system and the dismissal of Constitutional Court Judges, Palan Mulonda, Anne Sitali and Mungeni Mulenga is the beginning of the end of the independence of the Judiciary,” Mr Zulu said.
“Our judges should know they are longer safe because even their constitutional tenure of office is no longer respected by this President. He wants his own judges and this is a plot for 2026 because he (President Hichilema) knows he is most unlikely going to win any free and fair election,” he said.
Mr Zulu said it was extremely unfortunate that the Judiciary had allowed itself to be colonised by President Hichilema by failing to resist the assault it had been subjected to under the executive arm of government.
Mr Zulu believes that the Judiciary had easily allowed itself to be harassed, manipulated and compromised to the extent that the security of the country had come under threat.
He explained that Zambia was treading on very dangerous political grounds and that unless the people rose to stop the UPND from perpetuating anarchy in the governance system, there was a real danger that the country could easily be balkanised.
“When people stop having confidence in the judicial system, they will stop going to courts. And when they stop going to courts, they will resort to self-help in resolving their challenges with the government.
When you tamper with the Judiciary, you tamper with the rule of law and democracy. So, we are in trouble and the only solution to avoid Armageddon is to have the UPND get out as soon as yesterday,” Mr Zulu said.