Topline
Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo resigned from his post after a video of him allegedly counting stacks of cash with a purported Chinese businessman kicked off a firestorm of accusations on social media amid China’s growing influence in Africa.
Zambia’s Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General … [+]
Key Facts
The video depicts two individuals counting stacks of money on a table, and while no faces are shown, social media users widely believe Kakubo was one of the men depicted.
Unverified social media images of signed transaction notes suggest Kakubo had exchanged money with a Chinese mining firm, further stoking speculation about the exchange, according to Agence France-Presse
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema accepted Kakubo’s resignation Tuesday in a statement that didn’t acknowledge the scandal, but praised Kakubo for his “commendable work and leadership.”
In a statement Tuesday, Kakubo said he resigned in order to ensure that the government is “not distracted from continuing to look for solutions for bettering the lives of our people.”
While no longer foreign minister, Kakubo will continue to serve as a member of Zambia’s parliament.
Contra
Kakubo didn’t deny he was in the video, but portrayed the backlash as a misunderstanding, based on “malicious claims over a business transaction between my private family business and our business partner with whom we still have good relations.” He claimed that “in due course, we shall put the story into correct context.”
Key Background
It’s not the first time that Kakubo has been wrapped up in a scandal involving Chinese business interests—last year, he was similarly captured in a photo receiving a bag from an unidentified Chinese national at the Chinese-owned Sinoma Cement company, according to the Lusaka Times. Hichilema declined to fire Kakubo at the time, and Kakubo claimed he visited the site as a private citizen and only received cement and some small souvenirs.
Tangent
The accusations of an improper business relationship with a Chinese firm come as China continues to expand its influence in Zambia and Africa at large. Chinese businesses have invested billions of dollars into Zambia’s mining industry. China has also been working with Zambia to restructure its debt. And China is also Africa’s biggest trading partner, surpassing the United States in 2009, according to the Brookings Institute.
Crucial Quote
“I am not implying that Kakubo is guilty,” said former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, criticizing Hichilema’s refusal to fire Kakubo or publicly question Kakubo’s behavior. “All I am saying is that if there are no sacred cows in Mr. Hichilema’s fight against corruption, Kakubo should be investigated and, if need be, be prosecuted and declared innocent or guilty by the due process of the law, not by Mr. Hichilema.”
Further Reading
