By the Independent Political Correspondent
Satursday, 14th February, 2026
There is a Bemba saying that carries deep wisdom: “Imputi Isula Taileka” — a bat that farts never stops. It is a proverb about habit, about character, about the impossibility of reform where there is no conscience. And today, as the nation digests the latest political drama surrounding the recently elected Chawama Member of Parliament, that proverb rings louder than ever.
The reports that the newly elected Chawama MP, adopted under the PF/FDD Tonse Alliance banner, has crossed the floor and is now openly angling for a UPND appointment should shock no one who has been paying attention. What is shocking, however, is that the Patriotic Front (PF) continues to walk into the same trap over and over again.
This is not new.
A Pattern of Political Self-Sabotage
If we cast our minds back to the days when Edgar Lungu was still alive, the PF found itself in a delicate political position. In good faith, they reached out to Harry Kalaba and the Citizens First (CF), proposing a strategic arrangement.
The understanding was simple and built on trust: CF would forego fielding candidates in constituencies where PF MPs Ronald Chitotela and Nixon Chilangwa had lost their seats owing to perceived unfairness resulting in their incarceration. In exchange, the broader Tonse Alliance would support a CF candidature in Petauke.
Kalaba, trusting the spirit of alliance politics, and accepted.
But when the moment of truth arrived, the PF reneged. Instead of honouring the agreement, they went ahead and adopted a candidate in Petauke under the National Congress Party (NCP). The seat was won — but what followed proved the very point CF had quietly understood all along. The newly elected MP wasted no time crossing the floor and began openly supporting the UPND, even backing controversial legislative initiatives such as Bill 7.
What was gained? A seat on paper — and a betrayal in practice.
Fast forward to today
Once again, under the PF/FDD Tonse Alliance, Chawama elects Nundwe as MP. And almost immediately, the script repeats itself. He distances himself from the formation that sponsored him and begins aligning himself with the UPND. To add insult to injury, he is quoted as saying that it was not the party that was voted for — but him as an individual candidate.
If this is not insolence and treachery, then what is it?
Worse still, he is reported to have declared: “They used me and I also used them.” Is this now the philosophy of Zambian politics? A marketplace of mutual exploitation? A theatre of opportunists with no aorta of integrity?
The tragedy here is that this outcome was avoidable. On 19th March, 2025, Nundwe defected from PF to join the CF with a view of being adopted as CF candidate in the August 13, 2026 elections. Fast forward the Chawama seat was stolen from Hon Tasila Lungu Mwansa and declared vacant and when nominations were called, Citizens First, under Kalaba’s leadership, had seen through Nundwe’s machinations and instead, they chose to adopt a candidate whose character and conduct aligned with the values the CF stands for. CF saw what others chose to ignore.
But in typical fashion, the PF welcomed back their man who had previously defected from them and was facing rejection based on conduct and character. They prioritized expediency over principle, short-term political arithmetic over long-term honour.
Growing up, young suitors were warned not to marry into certain families because they were known for treachery. Reputation matters. Patterns matter. Character matters. Political parties, like families, develop reputations. And when a party repeatedly demonstrates poor judgment in selecting candidates, it cannot later cry foul when betrayal follows.
Paying for Sins of the Past
The PF’s current predicament is not accidental; it is consequential. It is the harvest of seeds sown over years — corruption, thuggery, transactional politics, and treachery disguised as strategy.
In 2021, Zambians rejected that culture at the ballot box. The rejection was not cosmetic; it was moral. It was a repudiation of arrogance and impunity.
And yet, instead of introspection, we see repetition.
The Tonse formation, whether flying under PF, FDD, or any other banner, continues to exhibit the same habits. The same shortcuts. The same disregard for honourable partnerships. The same belief that power can be cobbled together through convenience rather than conviction.
But as the Bemba remind us: Imputi Isula Taileka.
A Call for a Clean Break
Zambia cannot afford recycled politics. It cannot afford opportunists who treat voters as stepping stones. It cannot afford alliances built on deception. Nor can it afford blind loyalty to formations that have repeatedly demonstrated a lack of internal discipline and moral compass.
The recent crossing of the floor in Chawama is not an isolated incident; it is symptomatic of a deeper rot in certain political traditions.
With time, the people must come to accept a hard truth: PF, as it was known and experienced, is gone. It shall not return — not as Tonse, not as FDD, not under any rebranded permutation. A name change does not alter character.
Zambia needs a clean break from yesterday’s politics.
It needs leaders who understand that honour is not negotiable. That alliances are not tools of convenience. That the electorate is not a commodity to be traded.
Because when patterns repeat this consistently, when betrayal becomes predictable, when opportunism becomes normalized — the proverb becomes prophecy.
Imputi Isula Taileka. Let the voters remember
