State House urges leaders to take Mpundu’s ‘ready to kill’ remarks seriously

State House has issued a stern call to political party leaders across Zambia, demanding that remarks attributed to Tonse Alliance Presidential Affairs Chairman Binwell Mpundu regarding being ready to "kill" or "die" over the polls be treated with the gravity they deserve. Speaking through State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka, the administration emphasized that utterances inciting bloodshed cannot simply be brushed aside as standard political rhetoric. As the country approaches a critical general election, the government has stressed that human life remains paramount and that no political contest is worth a single drop of Zambian blood. The controversy erupted over the weekend when a video began circulating across major social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok, showing Mpundu making the inflammatory statements. In the wake of immediate public backlash and police interest, the narrative surrounding the recording shifted dramatically. Initially, opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and media aides claimed that the video was a fabrication generated by artificial intelligence (AI). However, Mpundu subsequently reversed course, acknowledging the video's authenticity, rebuking his media team for the AI excuse, and later attempting to contextualize his words as a form of self-defense. This flip-flop in messaging has drawn sharp criticism from both the ruling establishment and civil society organizations. State House highlighted the troubling nature of leadership teams publicly contradicting themselves over language that directly threatens public safety and electoral peace. Stakeholders have noted that artificial intelligence did not script or publish the threats; rather, they originated from a senior political actor holding a position of high responsibility. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and various civic groups also joined the chorus of condemnation, demanding unreserved retractions and emphasizing t