By Charkes Mafa
President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent major government reshuffle impacted 23 officials, including the dismissal of nine—among them a minister, the government deputy chief whip, and several permanent secretaries. Notably, Ringo Zulu, Controller of Internal Audit at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, was also removed.
The sackings were announced on February 21, 2025, in a statement by Hichilema’s Principal Private Secretary, Bradford Machila. The President also made new appointments at the ministerial and permanent secretary levels.
A highly placed source at the Ministry of Finance has revealed that Zulu’s dismissal is linked to Granty Ntumbo, a Principal Internal Auditor who exposed large-scale money laundering and corruption involving over a billion kwacha in public funds within the Ministries of Education and Finance in 2021.
According to this source, Zulu’s sacking comes nearly a month after three church mother bodies—the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Council of Churches in Zambia, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia—met with the Minister of Finance to discuss Ntumbo’s situation on January 10, 2025. Ntumbo remains sidelined from the system.
It is alleged that during the meeting, attended by Finance Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Zulu, and other senior ministry officials, Zulu gave unsatisfactory responses, which may have angered the minister.
These allegations have not been confirmed by either Zulu or the Ministry.
The three church mother bodies have equally not publicly acknowledged or issued a statement about their meeting with the ministry.
What is clear, however, is that Zulu succeeded Chibwe Mulonda, who had served as Controller since 2020 until his contract was terminated by the President in March last year. This came just a year after Mulonda and 17 other officials were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in March 2023 over the alleged theft of public funds exposed by Ntumbo.
At the time of Mulonda’s dismissal, Hichilema also terminated the contract of Kennedy Musonda, who served as Accountant General in the Ministry of Finance during the period of the theft. Despite their arrests, both Musonda and Mulonda continued receiving government salaries until their contracts were officially terminated on March 18, 2024.
Among the 18 officials arrested by the ACC were three officers from the Accountant General’s division and three from the internal audit division. However, it remains unclear how Barabina Mumba Mporokoso, Director of Risk, along with three others who were also arrested, have mysteriously returned to the Ministry.
The others include, Esther Kaonga, Director of Audit under the Budget, and Economic Affairs department, Kalyangile Namaambo, Director of Specialised Audit and Jimmy Mukuwa, Director of Audit Operations.
The ACC has yet to respond to MakanDay’s query on the progress of the investigations. During its third-quarter media briefing on October 25, 2023, the Commission stated that investigations into corruption allegations against Ministry of Finance officials were nearly complete and that it would soon advise on the next course of action.
“Investigations into allegations of corruption against Ministry of Finance officials are almost concluded and the Commission will advise on the next course of action,” the Commission said.
A source familiar with the case revealed that the ACC is also aware of a K5,000 bribe deposited into Ntumbo’s account—an attempt to silence him after he rejected an initial offer of K8,000. The money has remained in his account for over four years.
Surprisingly, the officer who offered the bribe remains free and was even promoted—from Assistant Accountant at the Kabwe Provincial Education Office to Senior Internal Auditor in the Ministry of Health—before later being transferred to the Ministry of Finance.
The sacking of Zulu, who was allegedly handpicked by Secretary to the Treasury Felix Nkulukusa, raises further uncertainty about the leadership of internal audit, which is responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the government’s internal control system.
Ntumbo’s investigation, which led to the arrest of 18 officials, began in 2021. As Principal Internal Auditor at the Ministry of Finance, he was tasked with investigating financial irregularities within the Ministry of General Education.
His probe uncovered widespread money laundering and corruption schemes involving public funds, including fraudulent payrolls, implicating officials even within the Ministry of Finance.
Following his revelations, Ntumbo faced retaliation from senior government officials who had evaded arrest by the ACC. This included unwarranted disciplinary actions initiated by high-ranking figures in the Ministry of Finance.
In a sudden and unexplained decision, he was transferred to Mongu in Western Province. Since January 2023, his salary has been deliberately withheld, and he has now been entirely removed from the payroll, exacerbating his hardship.
In response, Ntumbo sued the Ministry of Finance for his transfer and salary suspension, despite being housed in a safe house provided by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) for security reasons. His lawsuit also accused the ACC and DEC of failing to protect him from persecution.
On December 13, 2023, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling, overturning his transfer and dismissing the disciplinary proceedings against him. Presiding Judge Catherine Kunda Makungu ordered the payment of his outstanding salary and directed the ACC to provide him with immediate safe housing.
This ruling came after the Lusaka High Court, under Judge Elita Phiri Mukwisa, had denied Ntumbo leave for judicial review, arguing that the matter could be resolved through other channels. However, the Supreme Court’s decisive intervention marks a turning point in his fight for justice.
Despite this legal triumph, the government has ignored a Court of Appeal order that invalidated his transfer and annulled the disciplinary hearing. It appears Zulu, as Ntumbo’s supervisor, failed to communicate the court’s decision to the minister.
Main Image | President Hakainde Hichilema's Facebook Page
By Charkes Mafa President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent major government reshuffle impacted 23 officials, including the dismissal of nine—among them a minister, the government deputy chief whip, and several permanent secretaries. Notably, Ringo Zulu, Controller of Internal Audit at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, was also removed. The sackings were announced on February 21, Latest News – MAKANDAY