‘We do not break. We come together’: Hichilema’s message for Zambia at 62 — and the opposition’s answer that there is nothing yet to celebrate

Sixty-two years after the flag went up on 24 October 1964, Zambia's Independence Day produced two readings of what freedom now means. The first came from State House on Friday 23 October, in a message from President Hakainde Hichilema reported by Lusaka Times and News Diggers. The second came the same day from Sakwiba Sikota, chairman of the opposition Tonse Alliance, in an interview with News Diggers.

The President's message, under the official theme "Zambia at 62: Our journey, our growth, our future", opened with the founding generation. Lusaka Times reports that he named Kenneth Kaunda, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, Alexander Grey Zulu, Humphrey Mulemba, Nalumino Mundia, Julia Chikamoneka and Betty Chilombo Chilunga among those whose sacrifice the day honours. "Tomorrow marks 62 years since our forefathers and mothers lifted our national flag, with pride and determination," he said, in words carried by both outlets. News Diggers adds that he asked Zambians to mark the day with joy but also with responsibility.

From stabilisation to growth

The forward-looking part of the message was economic. According to Lusaka Times, the President said the Grow Zambia Agenda is meant to move the country from stabilisation to accelerated growth, and he listed the targets in plain terms: more maize, more wheat and more copper, more electricity, more tourists and more exports. "We want to produce more maize, more wheat and more copper," he said. He cited progress in schools, hospitals, roads, airports and power stations, praised farmers, miners, young people, women, entrepreneurs and the armed forces, and asked citizens to use the country's natural resources sustainably. The line most likely to be remembered was about resilience: "When we face challenges, we do not break. We come together."

Lusaka Times also used the anniversary to recall Zambia's place in the regional liberation struggle: its hosting of the African National Congress in exile, of ZAPU and ZANU and of SWAPO, and the Rhodesian raids of October 1978 on camps at Chikumbi and Mkushi and of April 1979 on Joshua Nkomo's Lusaka home.

‘Commemorate, not celebrate’

Sikota's reading was different. News Diggers reports that the Tonse Alliance chairman said he would "sadly" commemorate rather than celebrate the anniversary, that in his view freedom no longer exists in Zambia, and that the opposition's focus is now on what he called a "second independence" to reclaim it. He pointed in particular to freedom of expression, saying that the only comment many bloggers now feel able to make on governance is "I don't have a lawyer". The portion of the interview available to non-subscribers ends there, and the Government's response to his remarks, if any, had not been reported by the outlets read for this edition.

The two statements frame the political season ahead. The President's message speaks to a Government asking to be judged on growth; the opposition's speaks to a case that the rule of law and civic space have narrowed, an argument Lusaka Brief reported on Friday in its coverage of the World Justice Project's 2026 Rule of Law Index. Readers can weigh both: the targets in the Grow Zambia Agenda are measurable, and so is the state of the law on speech.

Sources: Lusaka Times, “Zambia At 62: Hichilema Honours Founding Heroes, Charts Path To Accelerated Growth” (24 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “Celebrate Independence Day with joy and responsibility – HH” (24 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “We'll have a 'second independence' to reclaim Zambia's freedom – Sikota” (24 Oct 2026).