Zambia’s Foreign Minister, Stanley Kakubo has resigned after he was reportedly caught on video receiving a pile of cash from a Chinese businessman.
The former Minister had not denied he was in the video, instead he is claiming that he is facing “vindictive allegations over a business transaction” therefore he resigned so that the government was not “sidetracked” by the controversy.
The video in question shows two men sitting by a table counting neatly stacked cash, both in the US dollars and Zambian Kwacha currency.
The faces of these men were not visible, but it led to a mania of speculation on social media, alleging that the men were Mr Kakubo and a Chinese businessman.
Several citizens have queried why a bank transfer had not been made and whether taxes had been paid following the transaction.
Yet-to-be-verified images of signed handwritten notes had also surfaced on social media. One note showed that $100,000 had been “exchanged” between a Zambian and a Chinese mining company. Another one dated 8 July 2022, had mentioned a total sum of $200,000.
Mr Kakubo, while tendering his resignation letter had not disputed the authenticity of the video nor the handwritten notes.
He had instead, said that he had resigned as a minister to ensure that the administration was not “distracted” from its efforts to improve the lives of Zambians. He also said he would remain an MP.
Mr Hichilema had meanwhile, accepted his resignation letter, stating that he appreciated Mr Kakubo’s commendable work and leadership.
