ALN MEMBER PARTY HOSTS ZAMBIAN OPPOSITION LEADER IN CAPE TOWN

DA HOSTS ZAMBIAN OPPOSITION LEADER FOLLOWING HIS RELEASE

 
The Democratic Alliance (DA), full member of the Africa Liberal Network, hosted Zambian opposition leader, Hakainde Hichilema, in Cape Town for a press briefing today. This comes soon after the leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), also a full member of the ALN, was released from prison after false charges of treason were brought against him and four others. Hichilema was hosted by Mmusi Maimane, leader of the DA, South Africa’s official opposition party, and Stevens Mokgalapa, president of the ALN.

Maimane claimed that the “struggle for democracy in Africa has only just begun” and that a new generation has the duty to break the legacies of liberation movements and the dictators they consequently created. He reasserted their shared interest in “the values of democracy, constitutionalism, the rule of law, the advancement of human rights across Africa, intolerance of corruption and a commitment to the defence of an independent judiciary and a free press.”
Hichilema highlighted the facts of his arrest and trial, as well as the current state of affairs in Zambia, stating that President Lungu’s control over the country is akin to that of a dictator. He thanked all involved in his release and reconfirmed his commitment to democracy in Zambia as well as the African continent: “I want the best for Zambia and I want the best for Africa… so let us all work towards that.”
The ALN will continue to work tirelessly with its member parties for the promotion of liberal values in Zambia and the rest of the continent in order to achieve a better future for all. A future that is based on the rule of law, freedom of expression and the entrenchment of human rights.
 
Read the full statement by Mmusi Maimane here
Read the full statement by Hakainde Hichilema here