Tech enthusiast, Mwanza, jailed five years by Zambian court for tweets reportedly inciting military coup

A young rabbit farmer and part-time cyber consultant has been sentenced to five years of hard labor after a Lusaka court found him guilty of inciting mutiny through social media posts.

Brighton Mwanza, 25, from Barlaston Park, was convicted under Section 48 of the Penal Code for encouraging Zambia’s military to rise against the government.

His legal troubles began on July 30, 2023, when he posted a tweet referencing military coups in Chad, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The post read:

“African countries are slowly liberating themselves… soon Zambians will realize that our democracy is being used to exploit the ordinary citizen. This is a wake-up call to our men and women in uniform to fight and defend Mother Zambia now.”

Days earlier, Mwanza had also tweeted about the soaring price of mealie meal, Zambia’s staple food:

“The price of mealie meal is now K300? Captain Solo would have done something. We are getting soft as a nation, and these politicians are taking us for granted.”

Authorities interpreted the reference to Captain Solo—real name Captain Stephen Lungu, who led a failed coup in 1997—as an indirect call for a similar uprising.

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Cybercrime investigator Senior Superintendent Prince Kalala testified that Mwanza was tracked through digital forensics, linking his Twitter account to a Gmail address, Facebook profiles, and a registered Airtel phone number.

In his defense, Mwanza argued that his tweets were unrelated—one addressing mealie meal prices and the other discussing neocolonialism.

However, the court ruled that his words constituted an incitement to mutiny.

Senior Resident Magistrate, Trevor Kasanda, delivering judgment, stressed the boundaries of free speech:

“Calling upon military personnel to rise against a democratically elected government cannot be taken lightly. The accused’s words had serious implications for national security.”

With the prosecution proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, Mwanza was convicted and sentenced to five years of imprisonment with hard labor.

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