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Veteran Zambian politician, Nevers Mumba, has stepped down from active partisan politics after 29 years and resigned as president of the New Nation Party, saying he would now focus on national unity, reconciliation and mediation.
Mumba, who served as vice president under former President Levy Mwanawasa, said his decision did not amount to retirement from public service but represented a redefinition of his role at a time when Zambia needed to consolidate its democracy, economy and national unity.
The former leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy and later the New Nation Party, as well as Zambia’s former High Commissioner to Canada, announced his decision at a media briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday.
Reflecting on his political career, Mumba said his journey had included electoral victories and defeats, service in government and opposition, arrests, court battles and political persecution, as well as what he described as betrayal by people he had mentored.
He said his decision marked the end of nearly three decades of active political leadership that began in Chinsali and included presidential contests, leadership of political parties and diplomatic service.
“What has this twenty-nine year journey taught me? It has taught me that politics is necessary. A nation cannot govern itself without it. But it has also taught me that politics is not sufficient. Slogans do not build nations. Manifestos alone do not feed the people,” Mumba said.
Mumba also announced his withdrawal from the Council of Presidents in the UPND Alliance and thanked Alliance Chairperson Charles Milupi and other political leaders for their cooperation.
He called for an end to political divisions that follow elections and urged Zambians to view politics as a contest of ideas rather than personalities.
“The division that we have seen in our country where the ruling party and the opposition are set against each other after every election must come to an end now. Politics is about ideas not enemies. Politics is about policy and not personalities,” Mumba said.
He said he would now assume the role of former vice president and a non-partisan statesman, focusing on national unity, reconciliation and mediation.
Mumba also urged young Zambians to take up leadership and contribute to the country beyond the pursuit of political positions.
“For many years the question has been what position can I hold? How can I rise? How can I win? But there comes a time when the question must change. The question must now become what contribution can I still make? What does this nation require for now?” he said.
Under the NNP constitution, Mumba said Vice President Rueben Sambo would serve as acting president until the party’s next national convention.
He thanked party structures across the country for their work and urged them to continue managing the affairs of the party.
“To that young person listening to me right now I want to say this Zambia shall call you. Zambia shall need you. Zambia shall trust you. Zambia shall be led by you because the ground has been broken. I have crawled. I have walked. I have stumbled so that you can run so that you can fly,” Mumba said.
Mumba also said the NNP’s decision to support President Hakainde Hichilema in the recently concluded election had been vindicated, arguing that the government had improved economic conditions, restructured the country’s debt and attracted investment.
He reaffirmed his support for Zambia’s status as a Christian Nation and said he would continue serving the country outside partisan politics, reiterating his long-held message that Zambia shall be saved.
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