A 43-year-old man of Riverside Compound in Lundazi District has died under unclear circumstances after winning K260,000 from a gaming machine popularly known as Bonanza.
The deceased, identified as Undani Phiri, was last seen alive on October 11, 2025, when he left home to drink locally brewed beer at an unknown place.
According to Eastern Province Police Commanding Officer Robertson Mweemba, Phiri returned home around 15:00 hours and informed his 60-year-old mother, Witness Chabinga, that he had won Bonanza money before leaving again to continue drinking.
Mweemba said the deceased returned home around 23:30 hours in a drunken state and went to his bedroom to sleep.
On October 12, 2025, his mother went to wake him around 06:00 hours but found him unconscious. He was rushed to Mwase Zonal Health Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police suspect no foul play as no physical injuries were found on the body. The body has since been deposited in the Mwase Health Facility mortuary awaiting postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, Lundazi District Registration Officer, Mwansa Mfula, has cautioned Voter Education Facilitators (VEFs) to conduct themselves appropriately during the ongoing voter registration exercise, which runs from October 13 to November 17, 2025.
Dr. Mfula, who is also Lundazi Town Council Secretary, advised the facilitators to avoid engaging in partisan politics while performing their duties.
He said the success of the 2026 general elections would depend on how well the voter registration exercise is conducted.
Dr. Mfula urged the facilitators to ensure that new eligible voters are captured and that those with missing or defaced voter cards get replacements.
He also warned the facilitators against misconduct, including engaging in immoral behavior or beer drinking during the exercise.
Dr. Mfula said any facilitator found misbehaving would be removed and replaced.
