Stone-throwing outrage unsettles Zambia’s ‘problem-solving’ president

After a bruising month in which he was attacked by stone-throwers while trying to deliver a speech, Zambian President Hakande Hichilema is now out fighting.

Video footage of him squatting and then being led away during a rally in Copperbelt province shocked Zambians, with many, regardless of their political affiliation, condemning what happened.

But with nine months until the election and re-election bid, the president is under pressure.

On Tuesday, in his first press conference in 18 months, Hichilema began to defend his record and lay out his achievements on key issues such as the economy and power generation.

“This level of hatred is shocking, you can see and even touch the venom,” he said, while calling on Zambians to love one another.

But for those who are still struggling day in and day out, this message may not hit home.

Simon Mwila, an opposition candidate for mayor of the capital, Lusaka, said the president had lost “the real pulse of the people.” He tried to explain why people were throwing “stones instead of flowers.”

Sishuwa Sishuwa, a Zambian historian and senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, believes that the president has turned his back on what he once stood for.

The academic told the BBC: “Over the past four years while in power, Hichilema has demonstrated almost everything he hated about his predecessor, Edgar Lungu, and in some cases, even worse.”

The president has denied the accusation, pointing to his record on resolving the inherited debt crisis and stabilizing government finances.

Hichilema may have hoped for a friendlier reception in the town of Chingola on 8 November, especially since he arrived with $450,000 (£340,000) to rebuild the local market that was destroyed in the fire.

Instead, angry crowds forced him to abandon his speech.

Police blamed the trouble on “unruly members of the public” who allegedly looted local shops. At least 27 people were arrested on charges of violence and arson.

At a news conference this week, Hichilema blamed illegal artisanal miners for being behind the violence as his government seeks to crack down on this unregistered work.

“We will not allow any atrocities to happen again,” he said.

In the 2021 election, Hichilema, who has failed to run for president five times, relied on a wave of public support to overwhelmingly defeat Lungu and came to power.

By voting day, the country was in debt default, with annual price inflation reaching 25% and frequent power outages.

Under the slogan “Bali will fix it” (“Bali” is Zambian slang for father), he has positioned himself as the solution to almost every problem facing the country.

Debt repayments have since been renegotiated and inflation has fallen.

This week, Hichilema said that four years ago Zambia had “mountains of debt” and “we could not make ends meet” but now Zambia’s credit rating has improved and it is attracting investment from around the world.

He also believes the country’s important mining industry is rebounding.

But as the August 2026 elections approached, Hichilema found that he would not necessarily be thanked for what he had achieved, but criticized for the things he had not changed.

Economist Trevor Hambayi described progress on the state’s finances as an “overwhelming success story”.

Better budgetary controls can help increase investment in infrastructure, education, social programs, health and the recruitment of essential government workers.

Annual inflation has fallen to just under 12%, and the currency, the kwacha, has recently begun to strengthen after depreciating sharply early in Hichilema’s presidential term.

But Mr Hambayi told the BBC that the failure to tackle the power crisis had a huge impact on people, along with the “high cost of living and lack of employment opportunities”.

“These indicators are appropriate for the average Zambian.”

The Lusaka-based Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection, which monitors the cost of living, said in its October report that people are being squeezed by high prices for basic food and non-food items, which “continue to take up an increasing share of household income”.

Although inflation has eased, “many households are still unable to meet basic needs without reducing food quality or skipping meals,” the report added.

The president did acknowledge the energy issues in September, saying the government was feeling “the pain and frustration of the power outages our citizens are facing.”

This week he said Zambia’s power generation capacity had been “crippled” by the recent drought due to its reliance on hydropower.

“This challenge is a wake-up call. Now we are awake,” he added, pledging more solar and thermal projects.

During his 15 years in opposition, Hichilema portrayed himself as a defender of democratic values.

But once in state parliament, he was accused of passing repressive measures he had previously opposed, such as the Cyber ​​Security Act.

The legislation, while seen as necessary to tackle issues such as online fraud and child pornography, has also been criticized for allowing surveillance of anyone the state deems undesirable.

Academic Dr Sishuwa also accused Hichilema of using the law against his opponents – something he criticized during the previous government.

“After he laudably repealed laws that defamed the president, he quickly turned to other repressive statutes to arrest critics and political opponents on charges ranging from sedition to criminal libel, hate speech, espionage and unlawful assembly,” he said.

The president insists his administration respects the rule of law and is not targeting anyone for political reasons.

Hichilema also backed a controversial constitutional review process, including plans to increase the number of constituencies so there are more MPs in parliament.

While in opposition, he successfully opposed a review containing similar ideas, saying it would keep then-President Lungu in power and too close to an election to make such dramatic changes.

He now argues that Zambia is constitutionally required to create new constituencies every ten years.

The president said delimitation exercises or increasing the number of constituencies were important to ensure equal distribution of resources.

He also lashed out at critics of plans to hold national prayers on Friday to protest against the process, saying there were already consultation processes and discussions in state parliaments, as well as legal avenues for objection.

As next year’s election approaches, the president appears concerned about how people will react to him.

Hichilema called for calm but also urged patience, saying long-term development and investment plans would take time to have an impact.

But as the stones thrown at him attest, patience may be wearing thin for some.