Hakainde Hichilema has now closed all High Courts across Zambia. This is the Solwezi High Court in Solwezi, the capital of Zambia’s North-Western Province. It, too, has been shut down.
Judges and court staff have reportedly been instructed not to report for work, ensuring that the opposition cannot lodge its presidential election petition within the constitutionally prescribed period, which expires in 24 hours.
This is not merely the closure of court buildings; it is the deliberate obstruction of access to justice at the most critical moment in Zambia’s post-election process.