CAPTAIN SOLO: THE THREE-HOUR COUP THAT SHOOK ZAMBIA!
At dawn on October 28, 1997, just four days after Zambia celebrated its 33rd Independence anniversary, gunfire shattered the morning.
A group of soldiers led by Captain Steven “Solo” Lungu seized the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) studios and announced that the government had been overthrown.
Their mission? Remove President Frederick Chiluba and establish what Captain Solo called a
“Government of National Redemption.”
Going live on radio, Captain Solo accused the government of corruption and oppression before issuing a chilling ultimatum.
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“Chiluba must come out of State House using the front gate and waving the white flag, or we will parade him with his minions at Independence Stadium and shoot them one by one.”
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But there was one problem:
Announcing a coup is not the same as successfully executing one.
Another group, led by Captain Jack Chiti, had reportedly targeted the Army Commander’s residence.
However, the commander escaped by climbing over a perimeter wall and disappearing into the darkness.
Meanwhile, loyal security forces were mobilising.
By around 9:00 AM, Special Forces had reached ZNBC. According to accounts of the incident, they gained entry by pretending to be part of the coup operation.
When Captain Solo realised what was happening, he reportedly tried to escape towards a container stationed inside Znbc premises near Nangwenya Road.
The chase ended with him pinned to the ground and handcuffed.
The man who had threatened to execute the president was now a prisoner.
The attempted coup had collapsed within hours.
President Chiluba later addressed the nation and declared a state of emergency.
Reflecting on the terrifying morning, he reportedly said he had asked his wife, Vera, to help him pray, adding that he had been on his knees at State House.
FROM PRISON TO THE PULPIT
The failed coup carried serious consequences.
Fifty-eight soldiers were convicted of treason and sentenced to death by hanging, according to historical accounts.
Major Musonda Kangwa received a 21-year prison sentence.
Captain Jack Chiti later received a presidential pardon from Levy Mwanawasa but died in 2004 after battling cancer.
Captain Solo spent approximately 13 years in prison before President Rupiah Banda pardoned him on December 28, 2010.
In a remarkable twist, he later became a preacher of the Gospel.
He died on August 11, 2012, aged 50, at Kanyama Clinic in Lusaka after a long battle with tuberculosis.
THE LESSON OF 28 OCTOBER 1997
Captain Solo’s story remains one of Zambia’s most extraordinary political episodes: a soldier who announced a new government over the radio, threatened the president, lost control within hours, and eventually turned to preaching after prison.
He took over the microphone, but never took over the country.
TRUTH • STORIES • IMPACT
The Moth Media