Presidential advisor for politics Levy Ngoma and his counterpart – Josephs Akafumba who is currently internal security permanent secretary may soon end up getting sacked.
This follows an exclusive by the Mast newspaper were information minister Chushi Kasanda has distanced President Hakainde Hichilema and veep W.K Mutale Nalumango from insinuations from a leaked audio that went viral.
The audio portrays that the presidential advisor was instructed by the presidency to corroborate with his internal security counterpart to interfere with nominations for the Democratic Party – DP candidate not to be allowed to stand in the Kabwata parliamentary bye elections.
DP leader Harry Kalaba who came out third is viewed as the nearest rival to President Hichilema following the indications of retirement from active politics by former Presisent Edgar Lungu who lost power and came out second in the August 2021 elections.
Kasanda further told the Mast that “contrary to her Sabordinate – ministry of information permanent secretary Thabo Kawana statement that the audio was fake, the government is still in the process of getting the audio authenticated.
As options narrow for handling what the DP leader Harry Kalaba has described as a “State House Scandal”, President Hichilema may be left with no other option but to fire Ngoma and Akafumba for actions that risk denting his administration’s democratic and press freedom credentials.
Both Akafumba and Ngoma have not personally denied having had the conversation that was leaked, perhaps indicating that the audio is authentic.
Kasanda has since indicated that government has requested Zambia Information Communications Technology Authority – ZICTA to establish the authenticy of the audio before she can further brief the country on the way forward.