Claim
On 18 November 2021, various online media houses published articles claiming that Kabwata Constituency Member of Parliament, Hon. Levy Mkandawire had after being hit by an over speeding car outside his residence in Lusaka. The news went viral, attracting thousands of comments and reactions on Facebook, and forwarded many times on WhatsApp. This news came exactly two weeks after a similar claim was made on 3rd November, 2021, that Hon. Mkandawire had died after a short illness, a claim which iVerify proved to be false.
Rating Justification
The Fact Checking process has determined as true the claim that Hon. Mkandawire had died on 18th November, 2021. Official statements from the UPND Kabwata Constituency Information and Publicity Secretary, and the Zambia Police Service confirmed that Hon. Levy Mkandawire died on 18th November 2021 after being hit by a speeding vehicle outside his residence in Lusaka’s Woodlands area.
To further verify the claim, the iVerify Team contacted Zambia Police Spokesperson, Rae Hamoonga who confirmed that on 18th November, 2021 at 12:45 pm, a fatal road accident occurred at Plot Number 34 along Chalata Road in Woodlands Extension. He explained that the accident occurred when a BMW X5 of registration number ALM5955 which was approaching from the East towards the West lost control due to excessive speed and hit Hon. Levy Mkandawire’s Toyota IST registration number ALX2038. The impact on the Toyota IST caused the car to move forward squeezing Hon Mkandawire against the wall fence and the wall pillar of the gate fell on him. Hon. Mkandawire sustained head injuries, fractured right leg and died on the way to the University Teaching Hospital.
On 18th November 2021, the Speaker of the National Assembly led Members of Parliament in observing a moment of silence with the Members of Parliament. President Hakainde Hichilema also confirmed the death in a post on his Official Facebook Page, where he expressed condolences to the family.
The police indicated that they are investigating the whereabouts of the driver who was driving the BMW X5 registration number ALM5955 that was involved in the accident.
