A Facebook post falsely claimed that UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe threatened to “beat mercilessly” Catholics planning a prayer gathering on 12 August 2026. iVerify Zambia found that the accompanying video is old footage from January 2026 relating to events at the Drug Enforcement Commission involving Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda and has no connection to the alleged threat.
Claim
A Facebook page called Flying Eagles published a post on 10 August 2026 claiming that UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe warned that members of the Catholic Church would be “beaten mercilessly” if they proceeded with their planned prayer gathering on 12 August 2026. The post included a video presented as evidence of the alleged threat. The claim surfaced ahead of Zambia’s General Election and alleged that a senior ruling party official had threatened violence against a religious gathering. Given its potential to inflame political and religious tensions, iVerify Zambia investigated the authenticity of the accompanying video and the allegation.
Verdict: False
Rating Justification
iVerify Zambia conducted a reverse video search and established that the footage used in the post is not recent and is unrelated to the alleged warning by Mark Simuuwe. The video was traced to footage originally published on 5 January 2026, several months before the Catholic Church’s planned prayer gathering of 12 August 2026.
Further verification found the same footage in a Given Mutinta Facebook post published on 8 January 2026, which described the incident as a “religious confrontational stance.” The post related to a Catholic nun who had gone to the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) offices in solidarity with Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda, who had been summoned for questioning by the DEC.
The same incident was also reported by Phoenix FM Zambia, which covered the police presence and events surrounding Archbishop Banda’s appearance at the DEC.
Importantly, Mark Simuuwe does not appear anywhere in the video, and there is no evidence that he made the alleged statement threatening Catholics who intended to participate in the prayer gathering.
Conclusion
There is no evidence that UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe threatened violence against Catholics planning to attend the prayer gathering on 12 August 2026. The video accompanying the claim is old footage that has been taken out of context and falsely linked to a separate event. Recycling unrelated videos to support false claims can mislead the public, heighten political and religious tensions, and undermine informed public discourse during an election period.
Evidence
- Original Facebook claim: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1K4VfDBKfH/
- Earlier Facebook post using the same footage: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BoBngwQdG/
- Related report: https://zambianobserver.com/religious-confrontational-stance/
Help Stop the Spread of Misinformation
Before sharing election-related content, verify whether 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
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