XAVIER CHUNGU’S PODCAST INDISCRETION CROSSES THE LINE
By Chilufya Kasonde
Mr. Xavier Franklin Chungu, the former Director-General of the Zambia Security Intelligence Service (ZSIS), has every democratic right to aspire for the highest office in the land. His name is validly on the presidential ballot for the August 2026 General Election as the candidate for the Liberal Democrats Party (LDP). However, that democratic right does not, and cannot license a former intelligence chief to flagrantly violate the sacred oaths of secrecy he swore to uphold.
The announcement that Mr. Chungu will appear on “That ZED Podcast” to discuss, among other things, the ZamTrop account, the tunnels at State House, the inside story behind FTJ Chiluba’s third-term bid, and “what really went on behind the scenes” of the 1997 Captain Solo coup is deeply troubling.
Having served as Zambia’s intelligence chief from 1991 to 2001, Mr. Chungu is not an ordinary citizen when it comes to state secrets. He was the very officer upon whom the security of the Republic once depended. As such, he understood and must still understand that intelligence officers are bound by solemn obligations that survive their tenure in office.
The Zambia Security Intelligence Service Act (Chapter 109) establishes clear statutory provisions governing the conduct of intelligence personnel. Furthermore, officers of the Public Service are required to undertake in writing on Form CSB 10 to comply with all the provisions of the State Security Act (Chapter 111), acknowledging that they are aware of the serious consequences which may follow any breach. Critically, these provisions continue to apply even after leaving office. The penalties for breach are severe, ranging from 15 to 25 years imprisonment.
The State Security Act explicitly criminalises the unauthorised disclosure of classified matters, and it applies equally to former officials as it does to those still in service. Moreover, no officer, whether on duty or leave, is permitted to grant interviews or discuss matters affecting the defence or security of Zambia, and doing so constitutes serious misconduct.
The topics Mr. Chungu proposes to discuss are not innocuous historical anecdotes. The ZamTrop account has been the subject of high-profile corruption investigations involving the alleged misappropriation of approximately US$6 million. Then-President Levy Mwanawasa once described the looting of that account as the “plunder of national resources”. To speak publicly about such a matter without security clearance is not merely reckless; it is a potential criminal act.
Likewise, the 1997 coup attempt remains a matter of state security. The courts sentenced 44 soldiers to death for their roles in that failed rebellion. The details of what transpired behind the scenes are not for a former intelligence chief to broadcast on a podcast for entertainment and political point-scoring. Similarly, discussing the tunnels at State House, the nerve centre of Zambian governance, without authorisation constitutes a clear breach of the State Security Act’s provisions relating to protected places and classified information.
The coup attempt lasted no more than three hours on the morning of 28 October 1997, when Captain Steven Lungu, calling himself “Captain Solo”, announced via national radio that the government had been overthrown. But the full intelligence picture surrounding that event, who knew what, when, and what the state’s contingency plans entailed, is not material for public entertainment.
Mr. Chungu forgets that security clearance is not optional. He may believe that because he is no longer Director-General, the laws that once bound him have evaporated. They have not. Nor does his status as a presidential candidate confer immunity from prosecution for breaches of the State Security Act or the Intelligence Service Act. On the contrary, a presidential candidate who once swore to protect the Republic should be held to an even higher standard of responsibility, not a lower one.
There is also the matter of national trust. The Zambian intelligence community is built on the premise that its officers can be trusted with the nation’s most sensitive secrets, secrets whose exposure could endanger ongoing operations, or embolden hostile actors. When a former chief of that service chooses to monetise and politicise his access to those secrets, he does incalculable damage to the institution he once led.
If Mr. Chungu has genuinely forgotten the terms of his oath, he would do well to revisit the provisions of the Public Service Regulations, which state unequivocally that “the unauthorised disclosure by an officer of any information which has been obtained as a result of his or her position in the Public Service may be in breach of the State Security Act”.
The message from this newspaper to Mr Chungu is clear: desist before it is too late. The podcast may be promoted with slick advertising by BigTree Beverages LTD and TECNO Mobile, but the subject matter is not a marketing gimmick, it is the security of the Zambian state. There is no democratic right to endanger national security, and there is no electoral ambition that excuses a betrayal of trust.
If Mr. Chungu proceeds with this broadcast as advertised, he must be prepared to face the full weight of the law. The relevant authorities, including the Zambia Security Intelligence Service, the Police, and the Director of Public Prosecutions, should be on notice. Security clearance must be sought before any such discussion takes place, and if that clearance is not granted, Mr. Chungu must remain silent. Failure to do so invites criminal liability under the State Security Act, with penalties that could include long-term imprisonment.
The people of Zambia deserve a presidential candidate who respects the laws of the land, honours his former oaths, and places the security of the nation above personal publicity. On this trajectory, Mr. Xavier Franklin Chungu is failing on all three counts.