By Blessing Vava
The election is more than a contest for political office. It is a test of whether Southern Africa can consolidate democratic governance, sustain economic reform, and build resilience in the face of mounting debt, climate change, and geopolitical competition. For us in Zimbabwe, Zambia is far more than a neighbouring state; it is our mirror, reflecting both our shared struggles and our possible futures.
Our connection runs deep into history. We share a common colonial past bound together during the days of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland—when Zambia was Northern Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe was Southern Rhodesia. Beyond shared administrative borders, Zambia served as the bedrock of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. During our darkest days under minority rule, Zambia opened its arms and sheltered Zimbabwean freedom fighters. Historical staging grounds and training camps like Mkushi, Freedom Camp, and Solwezi stand as permanent reminders of Zambian sacrifice for Zimbabwean freedom. Because of that shared blood, history, and destiny, what happens in Zambia will always matter deeply to Zimbabwe.
That historical mirror has become strikingly clear following Zimbabwe’s enactment of the Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Act. By extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term with two more years and replacing direct popular elections for the presidency with selection by Parliament, Zimbabwe deepened a regional trend toward executive consolidation and the erosion of civic power. The contrast across the Zambezi River could not be sharper. As ordinary Zimbabweans watch their right to directly elect a head of state legislated away, Zambia’s election stands out as one of the few remaining direct presidential ballots in our immediate neighbourhood where voters still hold the ultimate power to keep or change their leadership through the ballot box.
That shared reality is visible in the daily lives of ordinary citizens. When water levels at Kariba Dam fall, households and businesses on both sides of the Zambezi feel the impact. The lights go out in a barber shop in Kalingalinga, Lusaka, just as they do in a salon in Glen View, Harare. A welder in Ndola confronts many of the same challenges as a manufacturer in Southerton: unreliable electricity, climate-induced droughts, rising food prices, and youth unemployment.
In 2021, Zambia chose a difficult but disciplined path of debt restructuring, fiscal transparency, and engagement with international creditors. Rather than remaining an abstract macroeconomic exercise, these reforms freed up resources for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), supporting the construction of maternity wards in rural clinics, the purchase of school desks in communities such as Choma and Chipata, and helping to restore investor confidence.
For Zimbabweans, the contrast is instructive. Communities from Binga to Chipinge continue to struggle with deteriorating roads, under-equipped clinics, and unreliable electricity. While the contexts differ, both countries face the same question: how can limited public resources be managed to deliver visible improvements in citizens' lives?
Today, the opposition under Brian Mundubile and the NRPUP sadly promises a return to the policies of the late President Edgar Lungu. But returning to the past means returning to non-transparent borrowing, unpaid local contractors, default, and a crushing $17 billion debt crisis. If Zambia abandons fiscal reform now, international lenders may question the durability of economic reform in the region, increasing borrowing costs for neighbouring governments and businesses seeking investment.
Beyond economics, this election tests the strength of democratic transfer in a region where political space is rapidly shrinking. In 2021, Zambia reminded SADC that a peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party was entirely possible without plunging a nation into violence. August 13th is the re-election test of that model. If Zambians vote based on policy and track records rather than anger or political rhetoric, it solidifies democratic norms across the entire region. For Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, Zambia's election offers an important regional benchmark. As countries across Southern Africa continue to debate electoral reforms, institutional independence, media freedom, and democratic accountability, a credible election in Zambia strengthens regional expectations that political competition should be peaceful, transparent, and constitutional. Conversely, instability or disputed outcomes would weaken democratic norms across SADC.
Kariba Dam is more than a shared source of electricity; it is a shared reminder of our interdependence. When falling water levels reduce power generation, households in Lusaka and Harare experience the same load-shedding, manufacturers face rising production costs, and small businesses lose valuable trading hours. Climate change has made energy security a regional challenge rather than a national one.
Cross-border traders travelling through Chirundu, Victoria Falls, Livingstone and Beitbridge understand this interdependence better than anyone. Exchange-rate volatility, customs delays, rising fuel costs, or policy uncertainty in one country quickly affect prices, profits, and livelihoods across the border. For many informal traders and transport operators, regional integration is not an abstract policy objective—it is the difference between making a living and going home empty-handed. Campaigning on sentiment rather than credible policy proposals creates uncertainty that ultimately hurts businesses and households on both sides of the border.
Beyond economics and elections lies a broader question of political culture. The debate surrounding the late President Edgar Lungu's passing illustrates how easily grief can become politicised in Southern African politics.
Weaponising personal loss on campaign podiums sets a troubling precedent. Zimbabwe offers its own lesson. The disputes surrounding former President Robert Mugabe's burial in 2019 illustrated how the legacy of national leaders can become entangled in contemporary politics. Such episodes remind us that democratic maturity is measured not only by how societies elect leaders, but also by how they honour them after they leave office. Dragging grief into electoral politics degrades political culture across SADC. How a society honours its past leaders reflects directly on how it values its living citizens.
Ultimately, this election poses three fundamental questions for voters in Zambia and citizens across SADC: Will we choose a concrete plan over temporary anger, recognising that while anger fills rallies, only clear strategy builds a country? Will we choose credible solutions over nostalgia, recognising that yesterday's politics cannot solve today's challenges? And will we protect hard-won progress, understanding that while economic reform is demanding, reversing course is far more painful?
Ultimately, Zambia's election reminds us that in an interconnected Southern Africa, no democracy exists in isolation. The choices citizens make in one country inevitably influence the opportunities and challenges facing its neighbours.
On 13 August, Zambians will choose their next government. They will also send a message about the future of governance, economic reform, and democracy in Southern Africa. For Zimbabwe, the election is a reminder that our destinies are intertwined. Our rivers, power stations, trade corridors and histories bind our futures more closely than national borders sometimes suggest. Political choices made in Lusaka inevitably shape realities in Harare. Zambia's vote is therefore not merely a national event but a regional moment. When Zambia succeeds, Southern Africa is stronger. When Zambia falters, the consequences seldom stop at its borders.
About the Author
Dr. Blessing Vava is Executive Director of the Southern Africa Coalition for Democracy and Accountability (SACDA) and a public policy researcher specialising in African democracy, digital governance, and political economy. He writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted at blessingvava@gmail.com
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