Former Copperbelt Province Police Commanding Officer Mwala Yuyi has been formally charged with Theft by Public Servant alongside five co-accused, following investigations into 436 stolen copper cathodes valued at approximately US$448,596.
The Charges and the Alleged Scheme
Zambia Police Service Public Relations Officer Godfrey Chilabi confirmed that Mwala Yuyi, the former Commanding Officer for Copperbelt Province, has been charged with one count of Theft by Public Servant. He is among six suspects arrested following an investigation into a consignment of copper cathodes recovered in the Mokambo area of Mufulira District between March 6 and 9, 2026.
Police allege the copper was originally being transported from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa when the truck carrying it was diverted into Zambia. Investigators say that once the consignment was placed into police custody, it was fraudulently released to a private individual and later auctioned off, despite the rightful owner having already been identified.
Five others face charges alongside Yuyi: police officers Patrick Muti and Boniface Nchimunya, Mufulira Clerk of Court Obrian Chipunza, and Mufulira Magistrate Edward Banda have each been jointly charged with Theft by Public Servant and Giving False Information to a Public Officer. Businessman Daniel Makina has been charged with Receiving Property Suspected to Have Been Stolen and Giving False Information to a Public Officer.
From Transfer to Charges
The charges bring official clarity to a story that had circulated for days as unconfirmed speculation. Yuyi was quietly transferred from the Copperbelt to Lusaka earlier in the week, with former police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga named as his replacement, and no official reason given at the time. That silence fuelled unverified social media claims about a separate alleged theft involving six trucks, which police never confirmed and which appear distinct from the case now before the courts.
All six suspects remain in police custody and are expected to appear in court soon. Government has since issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to accountability, stating that no one is above the law regardless of position. Under Zambian law, all accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the allegations are yet to be tested in court.
Yuyi’s tenure on the Copperbelt was frequently marked by controversy, with his policing style repeatedly drawing criticism from opposition parties during this year’s election campaign — a backdrop likely to keep this case under close public and political scrutiny as it proceeds.
Sources: Lusaka Times | ZNBC | The Zambian Observer
