By Amb Emmanuel Mwamba
.
So it appears they have effectively banned and cancelled Liberal Party president and 2026 presidential candidate Xavier Franklin Chungu, with both Millennium TV and ZedPodcast reportedly forced to cancel scheduled interviews with him. I also understand there were threats involving possible charges of espionage, sedition and treason should the interviews be aired or distributed. That is totally unacceptable and difficult to justify in a democratic society.
What makes the situation even stranger is that Xavier Chungu left office as Director General in 2001, which was 25 years ago. One begins to wonder what exactly people are afraid of. Many discussing this issue today seem to have forgotten that Chungu already publicly testified on highly sensitive national matters more than two decades ago during one of Zambia’s most politically charged court cases.
In January 2003, during the landmark presidential election petition of Anderson Mazoka versus Levy Mwanawasa, Chungu appeared as a witness after being subpoenaed by the opposition petitioners. Serving as former Director General of the Zambia State Intelligence Service under former president Frederick Chiluba, his testimony touched on allegations surrounding electoral corruption, misuse of state resources and the conduct of state institutions during the disputed 2001 elections.
That testimony was heard publicly and became part of one of the most important political court proceedings in Zambia’s democratic history. Any fears, suspicions or concerns people may claim to have about Chungu speaking publicly were already tested in open court many years ago. In fact, during that same testimony, Chungu even hinted at ambitions of joining politics and expressed hope that one day he could lead the country himself.
So what exactly is all this fuss about now?
Besides, Chungu is no longer serving as intelligence chief. He is now an active politician discussing the state of the country, governance issues and what he believes are possible solutions. His background in intelligence merely gives him a different perspective and understanding of how state institutions operate. That alone should not be treated as something criminal or dangerous.
History also shows that movement from intelligence leadership into politics is neither new nor unusual.
Some notable examples include:
📸 Vladimir Putin (Russia)
Served as Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the KGB, before becoming President of Russia.
📸 George H.W. Bush (United States)
Served as Director of Central Intelligence, heading the CIA, before later becoming President of the United States.
📸 Yury Andropov (Soviet Union)
Led the KGB before becoming General Secretary of the Communist Party and de facto leader of the Soviet Union.
📸 Michel Aoun (Lebanon)
Held senior military and security responsibilities before later serving as President of Lebanon.
📸 Park Chung-hee (South Korea)
Rose through military and intelligence structures before becoming President of South Korea.
The point is simple. Intelligence or security experience has never automatically disqualified individuals from political participation or leadership ambitions. If anything, the reported blocking of these interviews only creates more public curiosity around Chungu and raises larger concerns about media freedom, democratic space and political tolerance ahead of the 2026 elections.
Below is the notice issued by ZedPodcast:
“That Podcast Can’t Podcast Former Spy Chief.”
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, the podcast episode with the former Director General of the Zambia Security Intelligence Service, Mr Xavier Chungu, will not be broadcast at all as earlier advertised. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you all for making us Zambia’s premier podcast. We will post a replacement episode later this week. Thanks for your support always.”
Can you tell us where he was during Mwanawasha era. ????
The comment here is irrelevant. They are fearing to be exposed where they did wrong things IBA is arm twisted
Bambo How old are you?This individual fled after embezzling funds intended for Zambia into an offshore account. He has participated in supplying arms to Savimbi in Angola. He is listed by the United Nations as an anarchist. He is a significant criminal. He has frequently been incarcerated and released multiple times. We are aware of his background, but due to the money he misappropriated, he has managed to buy his freedom.
No one is afraid of this thief called chungu who is supposed to be in prison except for some crooked leaders who decided to withdraw his cases after getting a share of the loot.
Ba Mwamba
Sometimes I say “Cry the beloved country” we fought for. In a democracy, anybody with a clean record can ran for the president. It’s not about where they worked. President Michael Santa was a porter in England and became a President. Learn to be a leader and uncorruptible…. But, if you are all smeared up in the mud, you give would be competitors an opportunity to stop you.
IBA or the Zambian Censorship Board should be exported to Saudi Arabia or North Korea where this thing will fit in hand to glove.
I wonder how and why Zambian journalists allowed such interference with their freedom of speech. Free media is never dictated to by state institutions hiding in Professional regulatory bodies. Zambians need to wake up and discard these Mussollinian propagandists
IBA or the Zambian Censorship Board should be exported to Saudi Arabia or North Korea where this thing will fit in hand to glove.
IBA is the real enemy of press freedom in Zambia. Historically, it is there only to penalize independent media that broadcast criticism of the ruling party. It is known for suspending or cancelling operating licenses of broadcasters not in government’s good books. They must be involved in this Chungu saga because their threats are usually carried out. Can any of these hand to mouth independent broadcasters survive months of suspension? No so they cancel their broadcasts
We have handed our freedom of speech to politicians. And that’s how we have lost it. Mature democracies know that a politician can’t protect free speech.
He will only value freedom of speech when in opposition.
This individual is a significant criminal.
Starting with the civil war in Angola and extending to the embezzlement of government funds.
We are familiar with his narrative.He was previously placed on red alert by the United Nations.Not this one….he is a serious crook only those who were born recently wont know this thief