 Julius Malema, the leader of South Africa's EFF party, accused Zambia's president Edgar Lungu of apartheid style repression for detaining Hichilema on treason charges and called president Lungu a “Coward”.Mmusi Maimane, the leader of South Africa's DA party, who was denied entry into Zambia to visit Hichilema in Jail (stopped from exiting the plane at Lusaka's Kenneth Kaunda International Airport) strongly denounced the trumped up charges against Hichilema.Hichilema said in an interview on HARDtalk that during his time in prison he was held in solitary confinement for 8 days without food, water, light or visitation, was tortured by having his private parts pepper sprayed and accused president Lungu of having tried to kill him

His wife Mutinta was turned away by prison officials when she took food for him.