An AI-generated video circulating on Facebook falsely claims that Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Mrs Mwangala Zaloumis SC secretly met security chiefs to coordinate election rigging ahead of the 2026 general election. iVerify Zambia’s analysis found numerous signs of artificial generation, including spelling errors, fabricated map labels, unnatural speech, and other visual inconsistencies. There is no credible evidence that such a meeting took place, and the video appears designed to mislead the public and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
Claim:
A video posted on 20 August 2026 by the Facebook page Zambia Eye 247, captioned “Secret Meeting of Rigging Elections Exposed,” purports to show Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis instructing the alleged Zambia Army Commander, Lieutenant General Geoffrey Zyeele, and Zambia Police Inspector General Graphel C. Musamba to manipulate the August 2026 general election.
Note: To avoid amplifying misinformation, iVerify Zambia has deliberately not included a link to the false video.
Verdict: FALSE
Rating Justification
iVerify Zambia conducted a visual, linguistic and digital forensic assessment of the video and found that it was AI-generated and did not depict a genuine meeting.
The analysis identified multiple inconsistencies commonly associated with synthetic or AI-generated content, including:
- The video displays a map of Africa, even though the discussion is purportedly about Zambia.
- Several country names on the map are inaccurate or nonsensical.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo is incorrectly labelled “Copperbant,” an apparent misspelling of Copperbelt, one of Zambia’s provinces.
- Lusaka is misspelled as “Lusava.”
- The writing allegedly made by the Inspector General of Police on the map is incoherent and lacks any meaningful content.
- The person portrayed as ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis also mispronounces Copperbelt as “Copperbant,” a further indication of synthetic audio generation.
- The narration repeatedly urges viewers to “share this before it is deleted” and directs them to a link for the “full video.” Such emotionally charged and urgent language is frequently used in AI-generated misinformation and online scams to discourage verification and encourage rapid sharing.
In addition, digital analysis tools assessed the video and flagged it as 100% AI-generated, indicating that both the visuals and audio had been synthetically created or manipulated.
Conclusion
The claim is false.
iVerify Zambia found clear evidence that the video was artificially generated. There is no credible evidence that ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis convened such a meeting or instructed security chiefs to rig the 2026 general elections.
The video appears designed to imitate an official meeting in order to mislead the public and undermine confidence in Zambia’s electoral process. The instruction to “share this before it is deleted” is a common manipulation tactic intended to prompt people to circulate false content before checking whether it is authentic.
False allegations targeting electoral management bodies and public officials can erode public trust and inflame tensions, particularly during an election period. Members of the public are therefore encouraged to exercise caution and verify sensational claims before sharing them.
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly realistic, it is important to look for subtle signs of manipulation, such as visual inconsistencies, spelling mistakes, unnatural speech, distorted text, and implausible details. When in doubt, rely on official sources and trusted fact-checking organisations before accepting or sharing such content.
Help Stop the Spread of Misinformation
Before sharing election-related or public affairs information, verify that it comes from credible and official sources. If you encounter suspicious claims, images or videos, submit them to iVerify Zambia for verification.
Email: factcheck@panos.org.zm
WhatsApp: +260 762 974 750
Together, we can reduce the spread of misinformation and disinformation, promote access to accurate and verified information, and help protect the integrity of public discourse.