Chaos as angry miners chase away Zambian President by throwing stones at him
Chaos as angry miners chase away Zambian President by throwing stones at him
Zambia’s president, Hakainde Hichilema, had a day no leader ever wants to experience.
What began as a routine address in Chingola ended with stones flying through the air, gunshots from his security team, and a shocked crowd watching their Head of State race away for safety.
The drama unfolded at Chiwempala Market in the Copperbelt, where Hichilema spoke to around 500 residents. He outlined his government’s plans to support small-scale miners with low-interest loans, quicker licensing, and infrastructure improvements to ease the constant power and fuel shortages affecting the region.
It was meant to be a reassuring message for a community that has carried Zambia’s economy for decades.
Instead, anger that had been simmering beneath the surface finally boiled over.
Around 50 miners from the nearby Senseli Mine interrupted the speech with loud chants of “liars” and “deliver now.” Within seconds, stones were sailing toward the podium. Security rushed in with shields as one stone flew so close to the president’s head that it sparked panic among his guards.
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Videos that spread online show the tense seconds that followed. Warning shots cracked through the air as the crowd surged. Hichilema’s convoy accelerated through the tight market roads as protesters ran after it for several hundred metres. A police vehicle was hit and dented, but officials confirm that no one suffered serious injuries.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga condemned the violent disruption and said investigations have begun. He promised continued dialogue with miners. But those involved insist the frustration is real and deep.
Payments to cooperatives have been delayed. Export channels are slow. Global copper prices have dipped. Power cuts continue to choke production. And many in the Copperbelt feel the promises from Lusaka have not matched the reality on the ground.
The region accounts for more than seventy percent of Zambia’s export earnings, yet inflation stands at fifteen percent, and families are struggling.
A local news station interviewed trader Maria Kaluba, who witnessed the chaos and summed up the sentiments: “We came for solutions, not speeches.”
For Hichilema the message was unmistakable. The people who fuel the nation’s economy want action. And on this day in Chingola they expressed that demand with stones instead of applause.
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