LUPELE BRIBED A VOTER WITH A PEN AND ACCUSED ME OF STEALING COPPER, KABUSWE TELLS COURT.
By Festus Ivwananji Sinkala
Former Minister of Mines and Minerals Development and UPND losing candidate for Chililabombwe, Paul Chanda Kabuswe, has told the court that he was accused of stealing copper by his political opponent, Nsofwa Kabwe Lupele
The Former Law Maker, took to the stand as the 10th witness in his own petition, testified before Kitwe High Court Judge-in-Charge, Justice Lastone Mwanabo, sitting at the Chingola Magistrate Court.
Kabuswe, is challenging RP’s winning candidate victory after losing with 8,986 votes against Lupele who garnered 10,920 votes.
In his testimony, Kabuswe claimed that Lupele accused him of stealing copper during the campaign period.
Under cross-examination, Kabuswe admitted that he was not mentioned by name by Lupele in the video evidence presented by the first respondent, but claimed that Lupele was inciting voters through innuendos, “like a choir master conducting his choir.”
Counsel from Ngoma Legal Practitioners, representing Lupele, questioned how Kabuswe concluded that Lupele was referring to him as a copper thief when there were three other candidates who contested the same seat.
He further alleged that Lupele gave money to voters. However, when the video evidence was played in court, Lupele was only seen giving a pen to a voter after being asked for it while he continued greeting those in a queue, an act which Kabuswe had condemned.
When asked by counsel for the first respondent whether the pen seen in the video was money, Kabuswe said yes, arguing that a pen is equivalent to money and can cost K50 or more.
Two video clips of Kabuswe were also played in court. In one clip, he was also seen greeting electorates who were in a queue as he left Kakoso Polling Station – the same act he had condemned his opponent for at Ishuko Polling Station.
When asked why it was wrong for Lupele to greet voters at Ishuko while it was acceptable for him to do the same, Kabuswe said he was still their leader and was merely responding to their greetings.
This prompted counsel for Lupele to invoke the old adage that “what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” arguing that if it is wrong for Lupele to greet voters at Ishuko, then it is equally wrong for Kabuswe to greet voters at Kakoso.
Kabuswe was also shown a video clip in which he was seen dancing with his supporters to a song called “BAPOMPWE” during the campaigns. When asked by counsel for Lupele to interpret its meaning, he said “BAPOMPWE” means “a dishonest person or a crook”, but denied that he was referring to Lupele.
Counsel for the first respondent further referred Kabuswe to a witness statement by one of his own witnesses who had earlier testified that the “BAPOMPWE” song was directed at the opposition, but Kabuswe denied having knowledge of that.
The matter was briefly adjourned to 14:00 hours for lunch. After the break, the petitioner came under intense cross-examination during the afternoon session.
Defence counsel pressed him to concede that he made no formal report to the ECZ Conflict Management Committee or to any ECZ officer, and that he had exhibited no documentary evidence showing that any ECZ officer failed to discharge their duties.
Counsel from George Kunda and Company, representing the second respondent, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), further made Kabuswe concede that his witness statement did not explain how the figures in his bundle of documents listed as Annexures related to the figures officially recorded on the ECZ Form 19s.
Kabuswe was also questioned on the evidence of the first witness, Charity, who said she had a party register at the polling station. He confirmed that the party supplied its own register to all its polling agents across all 57 polling stations in Chililabombwe, and that agents used it to cross-reference and verify results announced by ECZ officers.
Counsel questioned why the party register was not included as part of the evidence before the court for examination.
The petitioner has since closed his case and the matter comes up tomorrow, Wednesday, 21st October 2026, before Justice Lastone Mwanabo, for the first respondent to open his defence and call witnesses, if any.
In this matter, Kabuswe is represented by Keith Mweemba and Associates, Lupele by Ngoma Legal Practitioners, and the ECZ, cited as the second respondent, by George Kunda and Company.
TRUSTED NEWS REPORTER (TNR) ✍️