Monday 2 November was the date on which the Lusaka Magistrates' Court had told the two sureties of former Nkana MP Binwell Mpundu to appear and either produce him or say where he is. According to the Zambian Observer, the hearing before Magistrate Webster Milumbe instead ended with an order that the State produce one of those sureties, former Chilubi MP Mulenga Fube, in court on Tuesday 3 November. The Observer reported that Fube was being held at Kabwata Police Station following what it described as an alleged felony arrest; it did not say what he is suspected of, and no charge against him has been reported.
The second surety, former Kamfinsa MP Christopher Kang'ombe, was reported to the court to be unwell, and the magistrate set a separate date for him to attend. Mpundu himself did not appear, and the bench warrant against him remains in force. This account of Monday's proceedings rests on the Observer's report; the other outlets that have followed the case had not reported the hearing by the time of publication.
How the case reached this point
The warrant was issued on Tuesday 13 October, after Mpundu failed to attend a hearing at which the court was to rule on whether the prosecution had made out a case for him to answer. Zambia Monitor and the Zambia Daily Mail both reported the warrant and the magistrate's order that the sureties appear on 2 November; the Daily Mail added that senior public prosecutor Abraham Ngozo told the court no explanation had been offered for the absence. Fube was in court that day; Kang'ombe was not. The Daily Mail noted that Mpundu is also presidential affairs chairman of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity.
It was not his first missed date. On Thursday 20 August, Zambia Monitor reported, Mpundu was absent from a hearing at which the same ruling had been expected; his lawyer, Norman Siwila, said none of his client's telephone numbers was reachable, Kang'ombe was on the Copperbelt and Fube could not be contacted, and the sureties were ordered to attend on 17 September.
The charge
Mpundu faces one count of seditious practices under section 57(1)(b), read with section 60(1)(i), of the Penal Code. The prosecution alleges that on Friday 20 December 2024 he published material encouraging politicians to arm themselves, after allegedly altering the words of a phrase about defending oneself with equal measure. The court has heard the prosecution's case; the pending ruling is on whether he must enter a defence. The allegation is untested, and no account of Mpundu's reasons for his absence has been reported.
Confirmed vs. alleged
Confirmed: The bench warrant of 13 October, the order that the sureties appear on 2 November, the charge and the earlier missed hearing of 20 August are reported by Zambia Monitor and the Zambia Daily Mail. The Observer reports Monday's order that Fube be produced on Tuesday, his detention at Kabwata Police Station and Kang'ombe's reported illness.
Alleged or unverified: Why Fube was arrested, and on what suspicion, has not been reported; the Observer's description of an alleged felony arrest is its own. Mpundu's whereabouts and his reasons for not attending are unknown. Only one outlet had reported Monday's hearing at the time of writing.
Sources: Zambian Observer, “Magistrate Court Orders Ex-MPs Mulenga Fube and Christopher Kang'ombe to Appear Before Court” (2 Nov 2026); Zambia Monitor, “Court issues bench warrant for former Nkana MP, Binwell Mpundu” (13 Oct 2026); Zambia Daily Mail, “Court issues bench warrant against Binwell” (14 Oct 2026); Zambia Monitor, “Former Nkana MP, Mpundu fails to appear in court as six election-day detainees seek judicial intervention” (21 Aug 2026).