Viral social media posts claiming that former ministers Paul Kabuswe and Elisha Matambo were arrested in connection with the alleged Yuyi copper theft case are false. iVerify Zambia established that the Zambia Police Service has officially denied the claims, confirming that the number of suspects remains six and that no additional arrests have been made. Paul Kabuswe has also publicly refuted the allegations, dismissing the reports as false.
Claim
On 31 July 2026, a Facebook page called True Friends of Hakainde Hichilema published a post alleging that former Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe and former Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo had been arrested and were being held in police cells in Mufulira in connection with the alleged Yuyi copper theft scandal.
Verdict: False
Rating Justification
iVerify Zambia reviewed the claim and found it to be false.
To verify the allegation, iVerify examined an official statement issued on 1 August 2026 by Zambia Police Service Public Relations Officer Godfrey Chilabi. In the statement, the Zambia Police Service categorically dismissed as false the social media reports claiming that former ministers Paul Kabuswe and Elisha Matambo had been arrested in connection with the alleged copper theft case. Police clarified that the total number of suspects arrested remains six (6), as previously announced, and that no additional arrests have been made. The Service further urged members of the public to disregard the misleading reports circulating on social media and to rely only on official information issued by the Zambia Police Service.
In addition, former Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe publicly refuted the allegations through a Facebook statement, dismissing the reports linking him to the alleged copper theft arrests and stating that he had not been arrested.
Conclusion
The claim that former ministers Paul Kabuswe and Elisha Matambo were arrested in connection with the alleged Yuyi copper theft case is false. iVerify Zambia established that the Zambia Police Service has officially denied the claim and confirmed that no additional arrests have been made beyond the six suspects previously announced. The claim is further contradicted by Paul Kabuswe’s public statement rejecting the allegations that he had been arrested. The viral social media posts are therefore misleading.
Evidence
- Paul Kabuswe post refuting the claim https://web.facebook.com/Paulkabuswemp/posts/pfbid02HEz2g859XytsFpzAaTzhhq69Tuz3khx2tnKQ7VruEhrXuvtzvhBoNYPT3Enk2MBbl?rdid=3CGYF952N7Qqx1BV
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