Zimbabwean journalist drawn into Zambia espionage trial

A Zimbabwean journalist has been drawn into a high-stakes espionage trial in Zambia, adding a new dimension to proceedings involving opposition leader Fred M'membe.

The case, currently before the High Court of Zambia, centres on a documentary produced by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). This week, testimony from senior Zambian officials introduced a critical issue - the journalist linked to the production allegedly operated without official accreditation.

Giving evidence, Rosaria Lubumbashi, editor-in-chief of the Zambia News and Information Services, told the court her institution had no record of any application from the Zimbabwean journalist to conduct media work in Zambia.

She explained that an internal inquiry was launched in December 2023 following a request from Zanis managing director Loyce Saili. The outcome confirmed that no accreditation request had been submitted, a position later formalised in an official letter.

The documentary at the centre of the documentary - The Grand Regional Scheme: How Foreign Powers and Local Elites are Destroying Africa Part 1 - was broadcast in September 2023, shortly after Zimbabwe's general elections.

It featured interviews with several Zambian opposition figures, including M'membe, and criticised the appointment of Nevers Mumba, whose observer report found that Zimbabwe's elections, won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, fell short of regional standards.

Zambian authorities allege the documentary's content crossed into national security territory.

On November 15, 2023, police arrested M'membe alongside Raphael Nakacinda, Chilufya Tayali, Emmanuel Mwamba and Given Lubinda - all of whom appeared in the production.

They were charged under the State Security Act, which criminalises the communication of information considered useful to a foreign power or harmful to Zambia's national interests.

Prosecutors contend that between August and September 2023, the accused used the documentary to disseminate information deemed prejudicial to the State.

Earlier in the proceedings, presiding judge Mwaka Ngoma approved amendments to the indictment, requiring the accused to enter fresh pleas. M'membe has consistently denied the charges.

If convicted, the offence carries a minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment with hard labour.

The involvement of ZBC, a State-controlled broadcaster, has introduced a sensitive regional dimension to the case. Analysts say the State's focus on accreditation may be key to its argument - potentially framing the production not as legitimate journalism, but as an unauthorised operation with broader political implications.