Patriotic Front member Emmanuel Mwamba has publicly contested President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent statements regarding former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji. Mwamba disputed claims surrounding government property purchases and the alleged misappropriation of funds.
Mwamba cited a 2019 government announcement of a $20 million mortgage financing program designed to purchase, rehabilitate, and construct properties for Zambian diplomatic missions abroad. Projects included new missions in Canberra, Australia, and Ankara, Turkey, as well as renovations in South Africa, Germany, and Washington.
Regarding Ankara, Mwamba stated the government bought a chancery building for the Zambian Mission. In December 2020, $6.8 million was sent as part-payment to the vendor’s lawyers, Burhan Asaf Safak. In July 2021, after Parliament was dissolved and Malanji was no longer Minister, a further $2 million was sent. The new government later canceled the purchase of residential properties but finalized the chancery building sale at $8 million, making total payments $8 million.
Mwamba accused Drug Enforcement Commission Director General Nason Banda of lying and committing perjury by claiming $11 million was sent to Ankara and allegedly collected by Malanji for repatriation via a presidential plane. He clarified that during this period, the Gulfstream G650 (AF 001) was the official Presidential plane. The Bombardier Challenger 9J-One was no longer a presidential plane, though ministers, including Davies Chama, Stephen Kampyongo, and Joseph Malanji, used it for official duties. Mwamba noted the plane had also been used by former President Rupiah Banda for medical trips to Dubai during COVID-19 airspace shutdowns and for missions to Tanzania, Israel, and Turkey.
Mwamba described President Hichilema’s announcement that he worked to send Malanji to jail by contacting the presidents of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Turkey as “sad reading.” He accused the President of repeating the “$11 million lie” and of abusing his authority by acting as “prosecutor, jury, and judge” against a political opponent.
President Hichilema made his remarks while engaging with UPND Lusaka Province party structures, reaffirming his administration’s stance against corruption. He stated that property linked to Malanji, including helicopters, would be forfeited to the Zambia Air Force for humanitarian and emergency operations.
“This is the job Zambians gave me, to fight corruption. Anyone stealing from hospitals or government projects is on their own,” President Hichilema said. He emphasized that all recovered assets would be repurposed for public benefit and that his administration remains focused on restoring integrity in public service, ensuring no individual is above the law.
Mwamba’s rebuttal underscores growing political tension over the handling of Malanji’s case and the management of government assets abroad. The dispute highlights conflicting narratives between ruling and opposition parties on accountability and procedural integrity in high-profile government transactions.