- Ex-lawmaker is challenging Anita Kamanga’s election victory
GRACE CHAILE,
GIDEON NYENDWA
Ndola,
Lusaka
THE Lusaka High Court has heard testimony claiming that independent Chongwe East Member of Parliament (MP) Anita Kamanga supplied pepper spray to a group of men and instructed them to attack members of Sylvia Masebo’s campaign team.
Accusations surfaced during the hearing of a petition filed by Masebo, the former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, challenging Ms Kamanga’s election victory.
Results from the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) show that Ms Kamanga won with 16,058 votes against Ms Masebo’s 6,798.
Ms Masebo’s lead counsel, Robert Simeza, indicated that they plan to call approximately 20 witnesses before High Court Judge Evaristo Pengele.
The first witness, 29-year-old Aaron Mwambi, testified that on July 23, 2026, he and other United Party for National Development (UPND) supporters were travelling on a Hino truck to a funeral when their vehicle was blocked by a Toyota Harrier and a Toyota Prado linked to Ms Kamanga’s campaign.
Mwambi claims that Ms Kamanga emerged from the Harrier with pepper spray, handed it to an associate, and instructed him to spray the group so they could be beaten.
The witness testified that he was allegedly sprayed and beaten with a wooden handle, leaving him with ongoing back pain and temporary vision loss.
Under cross-examination, Mwambi denied that his group intended to disrupt Ms Kamanga’s campaign.
However, he admitted that he cannot recall whether the person whose funeral they were to attend was male or female.
Three additional witnesses supported the allegations.
Sunday Mwanza testified that he was severely beaten during the same encounter and continues to suffer health complications.
Leonard Banda corroborated that Ms Kamanga handed pepper spray to the men and ordered the assault.
Driver of the Hino truck Njekwa Milimo admitted during cross-examination that he did not see Ms Kamanga with the pepper spray directly but observed the confrontation through his side mirrors. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
