By Farai Ruvanyati
High-placed sources within the Socialist Party have confirmed that Fred M’membe’s decision to join the Tonse Alliance was never intended to strengthen it, but rather to infiltrate, manipulate, and ultimately poach from it. According to these sources, M’membe’s move was a cynical and sinister scheme aimed at advancing his own political ambitions.
With former President Edgar Lungu, the de facto leader of the Alliance, reportedly bedridden in a South African hospital, M’membe saw an opportunity to exploit the leadership vacuum. He is said to have orchestrated cash offers to key Tonse officials in a calculated bid to win their loyalty, only to later abandon the Alliance — largely composed of former Patriotic Front (PF) members, and ferry the defectors into a rejuvenated Socialist platform under his control.
Sources further reveal that M’membe has already initiated efforts to harmonize the manifestos of various opposition parties. While outwardly presented as a collaborative move, insiders state that the real intention is to craft a common blueprint to challenge the UPND in forthcoming by-elections, with Lumezi earmarked as a pilot project.
This devious strategy is reportedly designed to position M’membe as the central figure and supposed “savior” of the opposition in the absence of Edgar Lungu. He is said to be relying heavily on the likes of Sakwiba Sikota, Chishala Kateka, Muhabi Lungu, and Bob Sichinga to spearhead this initiative, all while maneuvering to weaken internal Tonse rules that currently require the Alliance’s presidential candidate to be drawn exclusively from within its core membership.