Women's Rights Leader Calls for Naming of Politicians Who Demand Sexual Favours from Female Candidates

Beauty Katebe, a leading voice in Zambia's civil society, has called for the public exposure of male politicians who solicit sexual favours from women seeking political office, warning that the practice is systematically driving women out of public life.

Katebe, Board Chairperson of the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC), made the remarks in response to a disclosure by Gender Division Permanent Secretary Mainga Kabika, who revealed on Monday that her office had received credible reports of female aspiring candidates being asked to provide sexual favours in exchange for adoption by political parties.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Katebe described the behaviour as "disgusting" and long-standing, saying women in political spaces were routinely reduced to sexual objects rather than recognised as capable leaders.

"Women have the capacity to lead," Katebe said. "And if they are going to be put in those places after a sexual favour, that is unfortunate."

She emphasised that harassment and a lack of respect were among the primary reasons women withdrew from political participation. "When you feel harassed, you don't feel respected, the next thing you do is go home and sit," she warned, adding that Zambia could not develop on "one leg."

Katebe's most direct appeal was for transparency and accountability: those demanding sexual favours, she said, must be named publicly. "Exposing them would be the best; it would actually be the request from the women."

The remarks carry added weight ahead of Zambia's August 2026 general elections, in which women's political participation is expected to be a defining issue. President Hakainde Hichilema has repeatedly championed gender equality and women's empowerment as pillars of his administration's governance agenda, making the elimination of barriers to female political participation not only a social imperative but a test of the New Dawn government's commitment to the inclusive Zambia it has promised to build.