Corruption, Ethnicity and Violence as a Triple Political Strategy. The Changing Face of Politics in Zambia Notes de l'Ifri, September 2018
Recently, Zambian politics have been changing in a pretty checkered manner. The threat of corruption, political violence and ethnic-politics has been growing since the ruling Patriotic Front Party (PF) assumed power in 2011.
Most of the political conflicts and tensions in Zambia are an offshoot of political control which has undermined institutional independence. Due to this type of political control that uses corruption, violence, and ethnicity, Zambia can no longer be adequately understood without reference to the government’s role in influencing the conduct of citizens. Whether force is used to gain political power, violence between rival political groups and state police, is usually undertaken toward a political-economic end.
Lee M. Habasonda is the Executive Director of the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), a Non-Governmental Organization working to promote peace and democracy in Zambia and Southern Africa. He also teaches at the University of Zambia in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies.