Court Views Videos in WHY ME Hate Speech Case
By Memory Bbuku
The Lusaka Magistrate Court has viewed video footage in which FRANCIS KAPWEPWE, popularly known as WHY ME, is alleged to have uttered hate speech.
The footage was presented during the testimony of Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority –ZICTA- Director of Infrastructure and Resilience, NAWA SAMATEBELE.
Mr. SAMATEBELE told Principal Resident Magistrate IDAH PHIRI that the videos, which were extracted from social media platforms, could not have been generated using artificial intelligence.
He explained that the videos were subjected to forensic analysis to determine whether they had been AI-generated, following a request from the Zambia Police to support ongoing investigations.
Mr. SAMATEBELE further informed the court that two mobile phones, believed to belong to KAPWEPWE, were submitted to ZICTA for forensic examination.
According to his testimony, forensic software identified a TikTok account named WHY ME – THE LION OF THE WORLD on one of the devices.
In this matter, KAPWEPWE is facing three counts of hate speech and of expressing or displaying hatred, ridicule or contempt against persons on the basis of race, tribe, place of origin or colour.
The court heard that on March 31, April 3 and April 8, 2025, KAPWEPWE allegedly used his TikTok account, WHY ME, to publish content directed against the Tonga people.-ZNBC