Hon. Jack Mwiimbu: The Minister of Threats and Intimidation

By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma

For a man tasked with upholding law and order, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, Zambia’s Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, has seemingly embraced a different role that of a minister of threats and intimidation. Instead of ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights, his tenure has been marked by increasing fear tactics, unlawful detentions, and an open disregard for democratic principles.

Under Mwiimbu’s leadership, law enforcement has become a tool of oppression rather than protection. The Zambia Police, which should serve as an institution of justice, now functions as an enforcer of state-sponsored intimidation. Citizens, activists, and opposition members are subjected to unlawful arrests, harassment, and brutal crackdowns all while the minister dismisses public outcry with arrogance.

Instead of standing for justice, Mwiimbu has weaponized the police to silence dissent. Protesters are arrested for merely speaking against the government. Political opponents are detained without cause. Journalists are threatened for exposing the truth. If this is what the Minister calls “maintaining order,” then what we truly have is a dictatorship in disguise.

Whenever citizens demand accountability, Mwiimbu’s response is never dialogue it’s a threat. He repeatedly warns critics of severe consequences, as if Zambia were his personal empire. He has turned press briefings into platforms for intimidation, where he lectures the nation on what they should and should not say, while refusing to address legitimate concerns.

His words are not those of a leader striving to protect democracy but those of a man determined to instill fear. Whether it’s activists demanding justice or ordinary Zambians speaking out against rising corruption and abuses of power, his response remains the same: threaten, silence, and punish.

Zambia does not need a Minister of Threats and Intimidation we need a leader who values justice, respects human rights, and understands that public service means serving the people, not the government’s interests. Mwiimbu has failed in this regard.

If he cannot uphold the rule of law without resorting to fear tactics, then the honorable thing to do is resign. Zambia deserves leadership that protects, not threatens; leadership that serves, not oppresses. Until that happens, we will continue to call out his failures, his threats, and his abuse of power because silence is not an option.

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