By Kapya Kaoma

President Hakainde Hichilema’s much-touted anti-corruption crusade has collided with a scandal of staggering proportions — and this time, the spotlight is pointed directly at State House.

The leaked audio recording, allegedly featuring Leader of the Opposition Robert Chabinga, is now making the rounds. While some have been quick to dismiss it as AI-generated mischief or a political smear campaign, such dismissals no longer suffice. The content of the tape is nothing short of explosive — a brazen admission of cross-border judicial interference, attempts to bribe a foreign judge, and the implication that the President himself was not only aware but possibly complicit.

This is not politics as usual. It is not satire. It is not gossip. It is the shadow of a potential criminal conspiracy with international dimensions — one that strikes at the heart of Zambia’s rule of law.

In the recording, Chabinga speaks with disturbing ease. He claims he was dispatched to South Africa, not for diplomacy, but to meddle in a foreign court case concerning former President Edgar Lungu’s remains. He alleges that his trip was funded by the government, coordinated through the Zambian embassy, and conducted with full knowledge — and direct communication — with President Hichilema. He even boasts of attempting to bribe a foreign judge to sway the outcome.

Where in any functioning democracy is this legal?

Chabinga’s action is not just unethical, but a potential violation of international law and a textbook case of abuse of office. If carried out with presidential knowledge or direction, it amounts to an assault on Zambia’s legal sovereignty — and an indictment of the very integrity this administration claims to uphold.

This issue transcends partisan politics. It is not about UPND or PF. It is about principle. It is about power unchecked. About whether our republic still honors its own constitutional vows.

Chabinga must be investigated — urgently and impartially. This is not a witch hunt. It is a matter of law. Airline bookings, flight manifests, hotel invoices, embassy logs, and call records can corroborate or disprove his claims. These are not mysteries requiring divine insight. They require one thing only– political will.

Sadly, that will appears to be in short supply. Under President Hichilema, the Anti-Corruption Commission has become a toothless watchdog, reluctant to bite the hand that feeds it. How many leaked audios, how many brazen confessions, must surface before justice is served?

If a hungry youth steals a loaf of bread from Shoprite, they are swiftly arrested. But a senior party operative admits — on tape — to bribery and judicial subversion, and nothing happens. Why? Because the trail leads uncomfortably close to the presidency.

That is not justice. That is impunity.

The Zambian Constitution is unequivocal. No one — including the President — is above the law. Our Constitution enshrines the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability. It also guarantees equal protection under the law and allows for presidential immunity to be lifted in cases of gross misconduct. This case squarely fits that description.

Then there is the moral dimension — perhaps the most disturbing of all. At a time when the nation was mourning the death of former President Lungu, this administration, we are told, was strategizing how to weaponize his death for political gain. That is not just unethical — it is grotesque.

Whether or not the bribe succeeded is beside the point. In law, an attempt is still a crime.

President Hichilema cannot continue to deflect, delay, or deny. The allegations are serious, specific, and verifiable. Who arranged the trip? Who funded it? Who placed the calls? These are not speculative questions. They are matters of public accountability.

If the President is innocent, let him say so — openly, clearly, and with evidence. Until then, suspicion will only deepen, and public trust will continue to rot.

This is not just about a voice note. It is a mirror held up to a presidency that may have lost its moral compass. For a leader who campaigned on honesty and reform, the contrast is damning.

Enough.

If the Anti-Corruption Commission won’t act, and if Parliament stays mute, then civil society must not flinch. The press must not cower. The people must not forget. Because if this scandal is allowed to pass without consequence, we declare — in full view of the world — that the law is negotiable, justice optional, democracy disposable, and the presidency untouchable.

Today, it is the Lungus under attack. Tomorrow, it could be you and me. Corruption knows no party. It simply corrodes whatever system allows it.

This is a test of our national conscience. In moments like these, silence is not neutrality — it is complicity.

If the law still means anything, justice must be done. Because justice delayed is not just denied — it is democracy undone.

Ever since they recovered from their shock defeat in the 2021 general elections, the Patriotic Front, since metamorphosed into the so-called Tonse Alliance has been shamelessly flexing its muscles, bragging they will soon bounce back into power!

However, if we bother to interrogate the record of the PF in power…..one wonders where they are drawing their courage from as their tribalism and regionalism was record breaking…..out of this world!

Before embarking on the proverbial road to Damascus, one Fred Namakando M’membe was a Capitalist par excellence…. running a thriving business empire – from an influential newspaper, courier services, trucking business, and real estate to communication. Whenever it suited him, he would use his tabloid to greater effect to scandalise and humiliate UPND, the main opposition political party at the time, to such an extent of dismissing it as nothing but a Bantustan!

Hitler’s Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually believe it?” True to this, some people would eventually start buying into The Post Newspapers’ propaganda which the defunct tabloid continued ramming down the throats of the public with screaming sensational headlines such as, “UPND is tribal; a Bantustan!”

Fast forward, M’membe has now supposedly discarded his fancy business suits for the more casual slacks and baseball caps! We suppose M’membe has equally bid farewell to his Limousines and vacated his breathtaking mansion in Rhodes Park for a modesty bungalow in Chibolya. One thing remains constant though – his warped imagination UPND is a tribal party and that a manifestation of this can be attested by those being appointed to various government positions.

“Those who are refuting that this is the most tribally inclined government in our post-independent history can prove us wrong with facts – graphs, charts, figures, and so on. Let them publish the ethnic composition of the leadership, management and boards of each ministry, department, parastatal, agency, commission and so on and so forth,” M’membe has dared.

Our yet to be published explosive book, Dilemma of One Zambia One Nation; Presidency, Governance & Regionalism delves into the murky world of Zambian politics and provides answers that may put an Ostrich egg on M’membe’s face, and of course, other detractors and naysayers.

Although this book actually indemnifies President Hichilema of all accusations of tribalism and regionalism, UPND leaders are seemingly reluctant to sponsor its publication when their colleagues in PF and Tonse would have jumped at the golden opportunity without warning!

Anyway, since it’s said figures don’t lie, kindly refer to the data hereunder……by the way, this is just a kadyonko (tip of an iceberg):

UNIP – KENNETH KAUNDA
Eastern – 2; Western – 4 ; Northern – 3 ; Central – 2; Luapula – 2 ; Southern – 6; N/western – 3; Copperbelt – 1 ; Lusaka – ; Minority – 1

MMD – FREDERICK CHILUBA

Eastern – 2 ; Western – 3 ; Northern -8 ; Central – Nil ; Luapula – 3 ; Southern – 6; N/western – 2; Copperbelt – 0 ; Lusaka – 0; Minority – 1

MMD – LEVY MWANAWASA

Eastern – 4; Western – 3 ; Northern – 3 ; Central – 4 ; Luapula – 3; Southern – 2; N/western – 3; Copperbelt – 1 ; Lusaka – 1; Minority – 1

MMD – RUPIAH BANDA

Eastern – 3; Western – 4; Northern – 2; Central – 4; Luapula – 2; Southern – 9; N/western – 6; Copperbelt – 2; Lusaka – 1

PF – MICHEAL SATA

Eastern – 1 ; Western – 1; Northern – 10; Central – 2; Luapula – 2; Southern – 12; N/western – 1 ; Copperbelt – 1; Lusaka – ; Minority – 1

PF – EDGAR LUNGU

Eastern – 7 ; Western – 1; Northern – 13; Central – 1 ; Luapula – 2; Southern – 1 ; N/western – 2 ; Copperbelt – 2 ; Lusaka – ; Minority – 0

UPND – HAKAINDE HICHILEMA

Eastern – 3 ; Western – 3 ; Northern – 7; Central – 3 ; Luapula – 1 ; Southern – 4; N/western – 2; Copperbelt – 1 ; Lusaka – 1

If you took the trouble to compare and contrast the above analysis, you’d find that certain Presidents took the trouble to try and reunite our country by ensuring every region is represented in government. Would you surely want to bring back in power those that consider themselves superior to others…..those that can bring war to this country, unmatched only to Rwanda?

Aikona man!

Prince Bill M Kaping’a
Political/Social Analys0

By Kapya Kaoma

They say power reveals a man—and death unmasks him. Right now, President Hakainde Hichilema’s fixation on Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s corpse is unmasking him as petty, desperate, and dangerously small for the office he holds.

Why, Mr. President, do you seem so frantic to lay claim to your late rival’s body? The more you wrangle over Lungu’s remains, the smaller you look in the eyes of a weary and disillusioned nation.

We are Africans, and our beliefs about death run deep. One cannot help but wonder: are you haunted by Lungu’s ghost? Do you seek “ukumulalika” by laying eyes on his cold body?

You ought to be above this. But where were you when your own Vice President warned the opposition in Parliament: “Do not let someone defeated in life be defeated in death”? Is this the wisdom guiding your administration on such a sacred matter?

Threats have failed. So did the Insults. Then you declared the mourning period closed—only to rush to a foreign court at the eleventh hour. What does that say about your judgment? You may hold power over the living, Mr. President, but not over the dead. Our families do. And it is too late now–pleading for the corpse will win you no political sympathy.

Your government’s reckless handling of Lungu’s death has been telling. You hurled insults without restraint, yet expect his grieving family to trust your demands? Why should they? Your long record of contempt for Lungu speaks louder than any last-minute appeals to “tradition” or “protocol.”

Every time you speak of Lungu’s remains, you shrink further in stature. Zambia is not Nigeria; Lungu is not Buhari. He died a diminished figure. To claim you now revere “our national tradition” in death while spurning it in life reeks of hypocrisy.

If you were serious about reconciliation, you would have boarded a plane to South Africa and faced the Lungu family directly. But perhaps you know, deep down, that this crisis is of your own making. This isn’t pride—it’s shame at work, Mr. President.

Enough. Stop weeping over Lungu’s body. Start leading the living. Zambians have moved on. So must you.

Politics aside, how can you negotiate with a grieving family while dragging them through the mud—nullifying Tasila Lungu’s parliamentary seat, prosecuting their allies, and fanning public anger? You can’t seek compromise while holding a hammer over their heads. Even in politics, there is a line where strategy ends and basic decency begins.

Yes, you crave victory. But at what cost? The more you claw at this fight, the more haunted and desperate you appear. You are not the last President to rule Zambia. If Zambians wish for Lungu’s body to return someday, they will do so under another President. This is not your fight to win.

Please let it go. History will never remember the man who won control of a corpse. It will remember the one who demeaned himself chasing it.