Police in Zambia have cautioned the country’s former President, Edgar Lungu, against continuing in his weekly public jogging, an exercise they have described as “political activism”.
His Saturday workout with ordinary members of the public and supporters of his Patriotic Front (PF) party have been attracting a lot of attention from authorities.
The police have told him to seek approval before embarking on future joggings.
The police order comes amid speculation that he will make a bid for the presidency in 2026.
Police in a statement said the party’s failure to alert them of “public gatherings or demonstrations… amounts to a breach of the law. This is to ensure public safety.”
“Procession of a former head of state should be done with his security detail and devoid of political activism”, the police statement read further.
But the former president’s lawyer Makebu Zulu told the BBC that he would continue with his jogging without notifying the police.
Mr Zulu threatened to take legal action against the government if the former president, 66, was blocked from working out on Saturdays.
“Mr Lungu has been jogging since time immemorial and his motivation has never been to contravene the law,” Mr Zulu said.
This is the latest apparent restriction on the former leader’s activities, who served as president from 2015 to 2021.
Some commentators have said the government of President Hakainde Hichilema is using the heavy-handed tactics that he criticised during his many years in opposition.
Mr Lungu recently took the government to court after he was allegedly blocked from travelling to South Korea for a conference. He later withdrew the case.
