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Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu has been warned against jogging in public, as police describe his weekly workouts as “political activism”.<\/p>\n
His Saturday runs with ordinary members of the public and supporters of his Patriotic Front (PF) party have been attracting a lot of attention.<\/p>\n
Mr Lungu has been told to seek police approval for future jogging events.<\/p>\n
The police order comes amid speculation that he will make a bid for the presidency in 2026.<\/p>\n
A police statement said that the PF’s failure to alert them of “public gatherings or demonstrations… amounts to a breach of the law. This is to ensure public safety.”<\/p>\n
It added that a “procession of a former head of state should be done with his security detail and devoid of political activism”.<\/p>\n
But the former president’s lawyer Makebu Zulu told the BBC that he would continue with his jogging without notifying the police.<\/p>\n
Mr Zulu threatened to take legal action against the government if the former president, 66, was blocked from working out on Saturdays.<\/p>\n
“Mr Lungu has been jogging since time immemorial and his motivation has never been to contravene the law,” Mr Zulu said.<\/p>\n
This is the latest apparent restriction on the former leader’s activities, who served as president from 2015 to 2021.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n