Court orders UPND mayoral candidate, Mwewa, to pay K20,000 for defamation

UPND Lusaka mayoral candidate, Chitambala Mwewa, has been found guilty of defamation and ordered by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court to pay K20,000 in damages to party member, James Mwalimu, within seven days or risk being cited for contempt of court.

The court also directed Mwewa — fondly known as Simon Mwewa Lane — to issue a public apology within three days on the same Facebook platform where the statements were published, pull down the offending posts, and refrain from making further derogatory remarks against the plaintiff.

Magistrate Mutinta Mwenya cautioned that while freedom of expression was protected, it must not be abused to destroy another person’s reputation on social media, stressing the need for responsibility in online communication.

Mwewa was sued after Mwalimu alleged he was defamed through Facebook posts accusing him of illegally selling land in the Lusaka City Market area and referring to him as a “UPND Chibolya thug” and “black elephant.”

The court heard that on December 9, 2025, Mwalimu was alerted by his sister about the posts. When he checked the page, he allegedly found videos and statements linking him to land dealings and criminal activity in the market area.

Mwalimu testified that the allegations damaged his reputation and affected his business, including a contract with the Lusaka City Council, and that the matter was later raised at the UPND Secretariat, where he was required to respond to the claims.

In its ruling, the court held that Mwalimu proved his case on a balance of probabilities through Facebook extracts and video evidence, noting that the posts reached a wide audience due to Mwewa’s substantial social media following.

The court further ordered Mwewa to bear the costs of the proceedings and granted him leave to appeal within 30 days, with security for costs set at K5,000.

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