Photographs of President Hakainde Hichilema circulating online are not old images from 2025 or AI-generated photographs, as claimed. The images are consistent with his September 2026 working visit to Abu Dhabi, where he held official engagements, including a meeting with International Resources Holding CEO Ali Rashed Alrashdi and participation in the Zambia–UAE Business Forum
Claim
On 28 September 2026, the Grindstone Television Zambia Facebook page published photographs of President Hakainde Hichilema and claimed that the images were old and had previously been published in 2025. A similar claim was published by Lily Mutamz TV on 29 September 2026, suggesting that the photographs were AI-generated and that President Hichilema was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for medical treatment.
Verdict: False
Rating Justification
iVerify Zambia examined the photographs and the claims accompanying them and found that the images circulating on social media were misrepresented as old photographs from 2025. The photographs show President Hakainde Hichilema during his September 2026 working visit to Abu Dhabi. They were published on the President’s official Facebook page in connection with his meeting with Ali Rashed Alrashdi, Chief Executive Officer of International Resources Holding (IRH), on the sidelines of the visit.
Independent reporting also confirms that President Hichilema was in Abu Dhabi on 28 September 2026 for a working visit and met Alrashdi to discuss Mopani Copper Mines, copper production and the participation of Zambians in the mining sector. The UAE’s official news agency, WAM, subsequently reported that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received President Hichilema in Abu Dhabi on 29 September 2026 during his working visit.
The photographs circulating online were also compared with photographs contained in 2025 posts by Emmanuel Mwamba concerning Mopani Copper Mines and a meeting involving an International Resources Holding delegation and Kitwe City Council. While the 2025 posts contain related Mopani Copper Mines material, the photographs currently circulating of President Hichilema in Abu Dhabi are not the same images.
Further independent evidence places President Hichilema in Abu Dhabi in September 2026. On 29 September, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation reported on his address to the UAE–Zambia Business Forum in Abu Dhabi. Other contemporary reports likewise carried photographs and accounts of his activities in Abu Dhabi during the visit.
These findings contradict the claim that the photographs are old images from 2025.
There is also no evidence in the material reviewed to support the assertion that the photographs are AI-generated. The photographs correspond with President Hichilema’s documented engagements in Abu Dhabi during the September 2026 working visit.
iVerify Zambia’s separate verification has also established that claims that President Hichilema travelled to the UAE for emergency medical treatment are unsupported. Official communication identified the trip as a working visit involving bilateral, investment and business engagements.
Conclusion
The claim that the photographs of President Hakainde Hichilema in Abu Dhabi are old photographs from 2025 or AI-generated is false. The evidence reviewed establishes that the photographs were published in connection with President Hichilema’s September 2026 working visit to Abu Dhabi and are consistent with independent reporting of his engagements in the UAE, including his meeting with IRH CEO Ali Rashed Alrashdi and his participation in the UAE–Zambia Business Forum.
The social media posts appear to have combined or juxtaposed current photographs with older material in a way that creates a misleading impression about when and where the photographs were taken.
The evidence reviewed does not support the claims that the photographs are from 2025, are AI-generated, or demonstrate that President Hichilema was in the UAE for medical treatment.
Evidence
- Official update by State House https://www.sh.gov.zm/zambia-uae-seal-2-1bn-deals/
- Contemporary reports of President Hichilema’s 28–30 September 2026 working visit to Abu Dhabi https://www.wam.ae/en/article/c2hom54-uae-president-and-president-zambia-discuss-growth
- ZNBC report on President Hichilema’s arrival in UAE https://znbc.co.zm/?p=15879
- ZNBC report on President Hichilema’s address at the UAE–Zambia Business Forum https://znbc.co.zm/?p=15902/
- Contemporary reporting of his meeting with IRH CEO Ali Rashed Alrashdi.
- iVerify Zambia’s earlier verification of the claim that the UAE trip was for medical treatment https://iverifyzambia.org/no-president-hichilemas-uae-trip-is-an-official-working-visit-not-a-medical-trip/
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Before sharing election-related or public affairs information, verify whether it comes from credible and official sources. If you encounter suspicious claims, images or videos, submit them to iVerify Zambia for verification.
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