Claim
Following the election of Mr. Hakainde Hichilema as Zambia’s 7th Republican President, Facebook pages such as Patriotic Front claimed that unknown people belonging to the United Party for National Development (UPND) political party impounded fuel tankers that were purchased under the Youth Empowerment Initiative during the Patriotic Front (PF) regime. One such claim is contained in a video posted by the Patriotic Front page on 20th September 2021, where an unknown man was captured using a phone to record the “impounded” fuel tankers at an area with other unknown men. One of the men is seen wearing a red hoody with the letters HH behind the hoody. Another man is heard speaking in a Zambian local language stating that these are government vehicles and they (referring to him and the other men) went to pick them because they were hidden. The man also said that they were going to wait for the police. The fuel tankers were procured under the Youth Empowerment Fund project implemented by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts. The project’s objective is to empower registered youth organizations, cooperatives and entrepreneurs through various Youth Empowerment programs to enable them to contribute to sustainable national development. Over the years, there has been debates on social media platforms that the funds are only given to youths that are affiliated to the ruling political party.
Rating Justification
The Fact Checking process has established as misleading the claim that members from UNPD impounded Fuel Tankers that were purchased under the Youth Empowerment Initiative during the PF regime. In order to find out the location of the video taken, the iVerify Team contacted reliable focal points in various districts of Zambia. Of the districts contacted, the residents from Ndola District in Copperbelt Province confirmed that the Fuel Tankers were at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium during the election period till 25th September, 2021. The residents explained that after the announcement of the Presidential results, some unknown people tried to transport the Fuel Tankers to other districts. The Police were alerted by the residents and the Fuel Tankers where then parked at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium. The iVerify Team then contacted the Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts, Hon. Elvis Nkandu who affirmed that there has been a lot of speculation about the possession of fuel tankers. He explained that the Ministry was investigating the matter and was currently auditing the purchase and use of Fuel Tankers. He then issued a directive of having all the Fuel Tankers back in Lusaka. Following this directive, Hon. Nkandu conducted a physical inspection of 30 fuel tankers at Lusaka Industrial area in Lusaka Province on 30th September, 2021. The other 20 Fuel Tankers under Mount Meru were scheduled to be inspected on 1st October, 2021. The above findings indicate that the Fuel Tankers are still under the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Arts and no member from UPND has impounded the Fuel Tankers. Therefore, at this point in time, the trucks are with the Government.
