By 
Mutinta Mazoka, daughter of the late ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) founder Anderson Mazoka, has criticised the deepening monetisation of Zambian politics, warning that it is transforming public office into a form of private investment and eroding democratic legitimacy.
In a statement posted on her Facebook page on February 23, 2026, Mazoka said Zambia’s multiparty democracy had matured structurally over the past three decades but had grown increasingly distorted in practice, with money now shaping political behaviour, voter expectations and internal party processes.
“When voters expect cash or goods in exchange for support, and politicians budget for such expenditures, democracy becomes a marketplace,” she wrote.
Mazoka said monetisation produces long-term risks including policy distortion, corruption vulnerabilities and the marginalisation of capable leaders who lack financial means.
“Public office becomes a mechanism for cost recovery… citizens lose faith in institutions perceived as transactional, and over time democratic legitimacy erodes,” she stated.
She added that one manifestation of monetised politics had been cadreism, noting that during the height of the Patriotic Front era, party-aligned groups allegedly controlled markets, bus stations and public spaces, collecting informal levies outside state systems.
Mazoka said that despite reforms under the administration of Hakainde Hichilema aimed at curbing such practices, a deeper political culture remained in which economic opportunity was closely tied to political access.
She argued that within major parties, candidate adoption was often influenced by financial capacity, with internal mobilization and campaign logistics favouring aspirants able to contribute materially.
“Grassroots popularity may matter, but financial leverage often tips the scales,” she said.
Mazoka added that monetisation extended beyond elections, with procurement contracts, infrastructure deals and public appointments becoming potential avenues for patronage.
“The risk is state capture—where institutions serve networks rather than citizens,” she warned.
However, she said it would be simplistic to blame politicians alone, noting that high unemployment and poverty had normalised vote-buying and gift-based political mobilisation.
In many constituencies, candidates were expected to fund community needs such as funerals, school fees and church donations long before election periods.
Tracing the trend historically, Mazoka said monetisation had grown from the era of Frederick Chiluba and the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, through the dominance of the PF under Michael Sata and Edgar Lungu, to the current political landscape.
Mazoka said structural reforms were needed, including stronger enforcement of campaign-finance regulations, transparent political-party funding laws, public financing tied to accountability, civic education to shift voter expectations, and oversight institutions insulated from political pressure.
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