A former Zambian minister, Mutotwe Kafwaya, has been killed during a security operation at a property reportedly linked to opposition politician Brian Mundubile, according to the police.
Kafwaya, 49, was fatally wounded in Lusaka on Friday, a day after Zambia’s presidential election, during what authorities described as an exchange of gunfire between security personnel and unidentified individuals.
The BBC reported on Thursday that the operation was conducted by a joint security task force, with 11 people arrested in the process.
Police alleged that Mundubile’s political alliance was connected to insurgency and militia activities, while weapons were said to have been recovered during the raid.
Mundubile, who has reportedly gone into hiding, dismissed the accusations as “total fabrications”.
He also said he had not been told where Kafwaya was taken after the former minister was shot during the operation.
Police, in a statement confirming Kafwaya’s death, said officers encountered “gunfire and resistance from unknown individuals, resulting in [them] returning fire”.
“In the process one unidentified male person was fatally wounded, and the firearm was recovered,” police said, adding that members of Kafwaya’s family subsequently identified the deceased.
Kafwaya entered Zambia’s Parliament in 2016 and later served in government as Minister of Works and Supply.
He was subsequently appointed Minister of Transport and Communications during the administration of former President Edgar Lungu.
Following Lungu’s defeat in the 2021 presidential election to Hakainde Hichilema, Kafwaya remained a member of Parliament on the opposition side.
Hichilema was declared the winner of the August 13 presidential election with approximately 60 per cent of the vote, while Mundubile secured about 38 per cent.
Mundubile has rejected the outcome and said he intends to challenge the result in court, citing alleged irregularities.
The election has been followed by heightened political tensions, with several opposition figures reportedly arrested during the security operation.
The United Nations human rights chief has expressed concern over the arrests and urged the Zambian authorities to ensure that detainees are afforded their due-process rights.
The European Union election observation mission also expressed concerns about aspects of the electoral process, including delays in vote counting, inadequate verification procedures and the presence of military personnel at some tallying centres.
Kafwaya’s death is expected to intensify calls for transparency regarding the security operation, particularly concerning the circumstances of his shooting and the treatment of opposition figures in the aftermath of the election.
