The Chabinga-Doreen-sound-alike audio

By Daily Revelation Editor

We are wondering why the state has not commenced investigations into the very serious allegations which border on criminality, linking President Hakainde Hichilema and Mafinga member of parliament Robert Chabinga to attempted bribery of a South African judge presiding over the Edgar Lungu repatriation case.

We believe the allegations against the President are serious such that security agencies should have moved in already to investigate perpetrators behind the allegations against the Head of State, Zambia Intelligence director Friday Nyambe, Community Development minister Doreen Mwamba and Chabinga, if the claims by Chabinga and those who are supporting him from the UPND are to be believed that the revelations from the Chabinga-sound-alike and Mwamba-shout-alike audio were to be believed.

Knowing the way law enforcement agencies operate in this country, there is simply no way they could have given a pass over the ‘AI’ leak, in which those conversing were speaking in Bemba, with the Chabinga-sound-alike even chewing as they spoke. Such serious allegations against the President and senior government officials don’t usually get a pass in this country.

Both ways one looks at this matter, this is something that needs to be investigated. Those allegations clearly fly in the face of whatever Hichilema proclaims about himself. If they are not investigated by the police, members of the public will believe and form a dangerous view that their President was involved in attempts to bribe a High Court judge of another sovereign country. This may further ruin relations between this country and South Africa. The sum effect is that those ruined relations will ultimately affect the very innocent Zambian people.

The allegations will further send shivers down the spines of majority Zambians as the allegations to bribe judges may further reinforce opinions that the government if it wants to have its way on any matter before the courts, can simply bribe its ways towards achieving that. That this is something they usually do here and want to export the same filth to South Africa.

It further reinforces the view that some of the protests and demands we see supporting government causes are actually not genuine as those in government simply pay their way to formulate national opinion by paying people, even if the same is against the wider public interest. It points to the destructive effect that money and power continues to play in our politics under this UPND administration, when they should actually be uprooting the bad vice that has taken root in this country from the MMD administration of late Frederick Chiluba.

We don’t think this is a matter that those in government will just wish away without taking action on the matter. 

But if the allegations contained in that audio are true, then police should summon Chabinga. There is no way he can implicate the President in such serious allegations without him being taken to account for that. And if Hichilema is aware about the allegations, then he must face accountability from the Zambian people, including his own supporters. He must also appear before a national address and apologise to Zambians and South Africa over the allegations contained in the audio.