Exploiting the Poisoned Maize Crisis Is A Desperate Tactic to Target Political Rivals

According to Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba, in a tragic twist of fate, the maize crisis has become the latest political weapon in Zambia’s ever-turning wheel of intrigue. The Minister of Health, Dr. Elijah Muchima, has been forthright: ten mealie-meal brands on the market were found to contain dangerous levels of aflatoxins, enough to cause immediate liver and kidney failure, future cancers, and, inevitably, death.

Kudos to Diamond Television for shedding light on this grim reality, revealing that government officials knew of the crisis as early as June 2024, with 400 dogs having succumbed to the tainted maize. Yet, when it came time to name and shame, the Ministry of Information and Media, led by Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana, only pointed fingers at eight out of ten companies: PEMBE, AFRICA, SHABCO, CONTINENTAL, GIRAD, BUSU, STAR MILLING, and Farm Feed.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary, Norman Chipakupaku, turned to theatrics, reassuring the nation that the ZNS brand, Eagle, was safe by recording himself enjoying a meal supposedly made from ZNS mealie-meal. The spectacle might have been convincing had it not been for the murky history surrounding ZNS. For over a year, the Zambia National Service has been producing mealie-meal from maize of dubious origin, entangled in controversies involving genetically modified organisms (GMO) and questionable imports allegedly destined for the DRC.

When the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) prematurely opened the maize grain marketing season in April 2024, warnings about the risks of purchasing maize with unsafe moisture levels—ideal breeding grounds for moulds and aflatoxins—were disregarded. The government, in its haste to address food insecurity, claimed that the country was facing a maize shortage and rushed into early procurement, consequences be damned.

Now, in an ironic twist, the government is importing 650,000 metric tonnes of maize from Tanzania, a country whose storage conditions and bi-annual rainy seasons have made it notorious for mould-infested crops. Kenya, in its wisdom, recently rejected Tanzanian maize due to high aflatoxin levels, but Zambia’s government soldiers on, seemingly indifferent to the risks.

To add to the absurdity, it’s been revealed that open trucks, typically used to transport copper, will soon carry maize into Zambia. And ZNS, in a bid to meet demand, is outsourcing milling to private plants—safety, apparently, is an afterthought.

Given this backdrop, it’s no stretch to say that ZNS, with its cocktail of questionable practices, is more susceptible to contaminated mealie-meal than any other producer on the market.

Enter Koswe, the State House’s rogue media outlet, which has predictably seized the opportunity to craft a conspiracy theory, targeting millers allegedly aligned with the former ruling party. The narrative is clear: discredit your political enemies by any means necessary, even if it means burying the truth beneath a mountain of propaganda.

And now, the propaganda machine is in full swing, audaciously suggesting that maize or mealie-meal laced with aflatoxins is safe for consumption. Criminals!

The demand is simple and just: all mealie-meal brands, including the Zambia National Service’s Eagle, must undergo rigorous, transparent testing. The results should be laid bare for the public to see, free from manipulation.

And the burning questions remain: who will be held accountable for this catastrophe? Who will lose their job for endangering the lives of Zambians and their livestock? Who will answer for the lives already lost? Who will pay for this criminal negligence?

Publish the results. Let justice be done.