Bribes, Lies, and Silence

From K10 Handouts to Tax-Evading Corporations—Zambia’s Justice System Under Scrutiny. Mwanajiti Calls for Institutional Reforms and a Cultural reset

By Francis Maingaila

Lusaka, Zambia – September 12, 2025 – Prominent human rights defender and legal advocate Ngande Mwanajiti has delivered a scathing critique of Zambia’s persistent corruption, warning that both petty and grand forms of graft have reached crisis levels and threaten the nation's very foundation.

In a detailed opinion titled “Petty and Grand Corruption – A National Cancer”, Mwanajiti equates corruption to a disease eroding public trust, service delivery, and national prosperity. 

He argues that while petty acts such as a K10 bribe at a public office may seem trivial, they accumulate into vast losses over time, while high-level tax avoidance and ghost supply contracts result in the plunder of public resources.

“We Are Normalizing Criminality”

“Corruption, whether by a clerk stealing K10 per file or a conglomerate evading millions in taxes, is destructive,” Mwanajiti states.

“Suppliers delivering air—no goods, no services—profit 100%. And we act as if this is normal.”

He emphasized that tax evasion by multinationals using legal loopholes, though often undetected, deprives the country of essential revenue for education, health, and development. 

He called for Zambia to adopt robust enforcement models like those used in the United States, where “it doesn’t matter who you are—the law applies.”

Failure of Political Will

While praising President Hakainde Hichilema’s stance that offenders are “on their own,” Mwanajiti questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies. 

“The President has spoken, but who is actually stopping the offenders? Who is acting decisively? Delegated authority demands justice, fairness, and firmness. Yet impunity persists.”

He stressed that Zambia belongs to all its citizens—not political parties or narrow interest groups—and that rooting out corruption must be a national priority, not a partisan slogan.

Call for Structural Reform

Mwanajiti singled out the Secretary to the Cabinet as a critical figure in institutional reform, arguing that he must be empowered to confront incompetence without political interference. 

“He deserves full support to act decisively. Removing rotten eggs won’t break the system; it will rebuild trust in it.”

He argued that corruption is too entrenched to be solved in a single political term, and requires long-term commitment. 

“We must stop expecting miracles in less than five years. We need a sustained, courageous effort.”

Cultural Decay and Moral Collapse

Beyond institutions, Mwanajiti warned of a broader societal collapse of values. “Motorists who flash headlights to warn others of police are aiding lawbreakers.

Drivers operating defective vehicles with expired licenses show no remorse. This isn’t clever—it’s corruption.”

He linked today’s moral confusion to past political eras, particularly the MMD’s failure to prosecute known criminals and the late President Michael Sata’s populist tactics.

“Busing schoolchildren to sing about suffering or insulting foreign investors may have won cheers—but they glorified victimhood and intolerance.”

“Don’t Glorify Deceit”

Mwanajiti condemned the continued cultural embrace of dishonest political slogans like “donchi kubeba”—a euphemism for deceit used during election campaigns. 

“You cannot build a disciplined, effective civil service while praising dishonesty. Emotional politics must never replace serious governance.”

Time to Bite the Bullet

He concluded with a powerful appeal for national introspection and firm leadership. “Corruption is not just a political problem—it’s a cultural and structural cancer. We don’t lack solutions—we lack courage. The fight starts with leadership, but it ends with each of us.”

Mwanajiti urged Zambians to stop romanticizing corruption and demand better from their institutions, warning that the alternative is national decay.