By Brian Matambo | Lusaka

Makebi Zulu has lectured Hakainde Hichilema on the subject of political violence stating clearly that ending political violence is not an act of presidential benevolence but a requirement of the law. Speaking on Showstar’s House Podcast, the Patriotic Front aspiring candidate also warned that if UPND attack PF, PF will not be a submissive victim.

Makebi Zulu said President Hichilema behaves as though restraining cadres is an optional moral gesture, when in fact the law already forbids violence without exception. He took direct aim at HH’s remarks after the stoning incident, where the President said, “You remember I used to tell you not to participate in violence?” According to Makebi, that statement exposes a fundamental misunderstanding at State House.

“Violence should be condemned because it is illegal, not because the President is doing Zambians a favour,” he said. “This is not about morality. It is about enforcing the law.”

He argued that Hichilema has failed to act decisively even as cadre violence resurges across the country, with the attack on Given Lubinda in Kabwe standing as the clearest warning that the promised new dawn has become a dark cloud of impunity. Makebi criticised the police for selective enforcement, saying no arrests have been made in incidents where UPND cadres were openly identified, yet critics of the President have been detained within hours for far lesser acts.

Asked whether he fears suffering the same fate as Lubinda, Makebi dismissed the suggestion without hesitation. “I am not threatened by illegality,” he said, adding that the law allows every citizen to defend themselves proportionately. PF, he warned, will not be reduced to helpless bystanders while UPND cadres roam with weapons and police officers look away.

“Our response will always be proportionate to the attack,” he said. When pressed on what this means in practical terms, the interviewer asked whether PF would respond even if UPND cadres attacked with pangas. Makebi did not blink. “If they come with pangas, then we do what is necessary. If it calls for us to show up with a panga, then we do so. But we respect the law at all times.”

Makebi’s comments strike at the heart of the 2026 political climate, painting a picture of a government that lectures the opposition while failing to enforce the law among its own supporters. He positioned himself as a candidate prepared to confront the violence, expose the double standards and stand firm where others have been silenced.

His message, delivered with characteristic precision and fearlessness, was unmistakable. Ending violence is not a favour from the President. It is the law. And any attack on PF will be met with legal, proportionate force.

Then came the line that closed the interview with the force of a political war drum. Responding to critics who mockingly call him “Malukula,” Makebi embraced the name and turned it into a warning. He said if Malukula means coming to end misrule, then he carries the biggest hammer required to finish the job.

“We have a big hammer,” he said. “And we are not afraid to use it.”

In a season marked by violence, intimidation and shrinking democratic space, Makebi Zulu’s message was clear. PF will not provoke a fight, but neither will they kneel before political brutality. The Malukula has spoken, and the hammer is ready.