Claim
On 14 April 2026, a Facebook page called Jobs for Professional Drivers in Zambia shared an image of a road with multiple potholes and a 110Km/h speed limit sign on the left side of the road.
The post alleged that the road was located in Chinsali, and had an accompanying caption containing a message urging the Road Development Agency (RDA) to urgently address the damage, claiming it was causing serious challenges for motorists.
Verification
The claim that the widely circulated image is from Chinsali, Zambia, is misleading. iVerify Zambia conducted a verification of the image using various reverse image search techniques and tools. The results showed that the same image has circulated widely across multiple platforms, including:
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Facebook
• Threads
In these different instances, the image has been attributed to various locations, including:
• Harare (Zimbabwe)
• Malawi
• Mozambique
• Lundazi (Zambia)
• Mpulungu (Zambia)
The inconsistent geographic attribution across posts raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the claim that the image depicts a road in Chinsali. This was further corroborated by iVerify partners in Muchinga province who indicated the road in the images is not from Chinsali.
Conclusion
While iVerify Zambia could not establish the original source of the image, there is no verifiable evidence linking the road shown in the image to Chinsali, Zambia. This and the repeated use of the same image in different contexts and locations across multiple platforms indicates that the claim is misleading.
Rating Justification
The image shows characteristics consistent with manipulated or artificially generated content, suggesting it may have been altered or created to exaggerate road damage.
Such content has the potential to mislead the public, undermine trust in public institutions such as the Road Development Agency, and amplify misinformation in politically sensitive contexts as the country prepares for the 2026 General Elections. Given that infrastructure issues are often highly politicised, especially in an election period, circulation of unverified or misleading visuals can inflame public sentiment and distort informed debate.
Evidence
https://x.com/Savheya_Happie/status/2044409491114860654
https://www.facebook.com/groups/180521137581641/permalink/1293602652940145/?mibextid=Nif5oz
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02DtJyJ1obvDTWkFSnnyeydEbn7uyJbkHPVDsNge7wAQ5BESDKCMDYrxaoHQKQLmKul&id=100004328943223&mibextid=Nif5oz
