LUSAKA-(MaraviPost)-Zambia’s State House has ignited a diplomatic and public relations storm after its Communications Specialist, Clayson Hamasaka, launched a deeply personal, insult-laden attack on former Botswana President Ian Khama, in response to criticism of President Hakainde Hichilema.
In a statement that has stunned observers for its tone, Hamasaka abandoned policy rebuttal for personal insinuation, questioning Khama’s marital status, his family, and levelling grave but unsubstantiated allegations of sponsoring a militia group in Zambia.
Hamasaka said he found it difficult to understand how Khama could allegedly describe President Hichilema as a dictator after he had previously visited State House in Lusaka to pursue what he termed “personal interests.”
He then veered into personal territory.
Hamasaka said he would only respond more fully to Khama when he heard that he had “finally married,” adding that he wanted to “engage some of his children in the discussion” – remarks widely condemned as undignified for a State House spokesperson.
“We have lots of intermarriage between Zambia and Botswana, so we can’t believe those statements are attributed to a former President,” Hamasaka stated.
The statement descended further as Hamasaka accused the former Botswana Head of State, without providing any evidence, of being among individuals who had sponsored a militia group in Zambia, claiming the matter had been “known for years.”
He also alleged that some individuals under police investigation were Khama’s personal relatives, questioning whether he had declared those relationships – another claim presented without proof.
For a presidency that came to power promising a break from the politics of insult and a restoration of the rule of law and press freedom, the statement marks a sharp departure. Instead of addressing the substantive governance concerns raised, State House chose to attack the messenger.
The exchange has triggered alarm among diplomats, given the historic, deep-rooted ties between Zambia and Botswana, bound by trade, culture and extensive intermarriage.
Critics say the response exposes a thin-skinned administration increasingly intolerant of criticism, resorting to personal ridicule and dangerous, unverified security allegations against a former Head of State of a neighbouring country.
The allegations concerning militia sponsorship and family connections remain solely claims made by Hamasaka and have not been independently verified by any investigative body.
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