Mr Mulambo Haimbe, the Minister of Justice and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs is accused of being at the centre or triggered the gruesome murder of Ms Valerie Franco and the subsequent suicide of her husband Mr Mike Ilishebo.
A very tragic occurrence that shook the city of Lusaka and the entire nation of Zambia at large.
Mike Ilishebo, 44, a former bank employee,allegedly killed his 35-year-old wife, Valerie Franco, before taking his own life.
The incident happened at Meanwood Ndeke Phase One area in Lusaka on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Police Public Relations officer, Rae Hamoonga, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday, April 4, said that Mr. Ilishebo strangled Valerie with an electric power adapter cable and stabbed her in the stomach with a knife.
“Yesterday, Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at approximately 16:05 hours, Chelston Police Station, through Ndeke-vorna Police Post, received a distressing report from Alice Mapulanga, 38, that Mr. Ilishebo has perpetrated a heinous act against his wife, Valerie, aged 35,” he said.
“Upon the arrival of Police Scenes of Crime officers at the scene, Ms. Franco’s lifeless body was discovered lying in the bedroom adjacent to the bed, with a knife embedded in her abdomen
“Meanwhile, Mr Ilishebo was found deceased in the sitting room, with a black substance coming from his mouth
“It’s alleged that Mr Ilishebo strangled Ms Franco using an electric power adapter cable and subsequently stabbed her in the stomach with a knife, before taking a poisonous substance, resulting in his own demise.”
Mr. Hamoonga stated that the incident is said to have occurred between 15:00 and 16:00 hours.
“The bodies were transported to the University Teaching Hospital mortuary for further examination.”
Hamoonga said the motive behind the incident appears to stem from long marital dispute between the couple who shared an eight-month-old child.
On his facebook post Dr.Fred Mmembe said:
“Shockingly, immediately after the report of this grisly murder and suicide incident, audios in which Mr Ilishebo confronted Mr Haimbe over his alleged inappropriate love affair with his wife, Ms Franco emerged and went viral on various social media platforms.
In the audios, the discernably disheartened and helpless Mr Ilishebo is heard inviting Mr Haimbe for a “man- to- man talk” to discuss his alleged mischief with his wife. An invitation which Mr Haimbe calmly welcomed with a noticeable tone and temperament signaling that he was familiar with the matter at hand.
Dr.Mmembe said we may not be preview to the inner happenings in the home of this now deceased young couple. But certainly, their death and the manner in which they both died coupled with Mr Haimbe’s alleged involvement in this horrific end of their lives is extremely painful and disturbing especially to the families of the deceased persons.
Indeed, the law enforcement agencies are probing this horror-like occurrence. But whilst the investigation is taking place, it is evidently important that Mr Haimbe resigns. We are not imputing that Mr Haimbe is guilty of the murder or any of that sort of crimes, no! But at this stage, this matter is not all about legality but morality too. And one ought to satisfy both the legal and moral dimensions of the matter in order for them to remain without stain. And going by what happened so far, Mr Haimbe’s suitability to continue holding office in the wake of this alleged scandal and the inappropriateness of his conduct is not attainable.
This is not to say Mr Haimbe should be an angel or a saint, no! We are merely illustrating the gravity of the situation before him, how hugely problematic his continued stay in office will be, and how unbearable it will be to have a person with such allegations and perceptions about their character and morality at the helm of our justice system and our international relations and cooperation. And trying to conceal or disguise this incident by handling or representing it misleadingly or keeping quiet on it won’t work.
Clearly, Mr Haimbe is no longer an asset to this government. He is actually a liability and the earlier, Mr Hakainde Hichilema accepted this fact, the better for our country and its image. This is not a matter Mr Hichilema can simply be glossed over like he has done before because it is humiliating the country and also it will haunt him permanently if he has any conscience.
Mr Haimbe must go. He is unfit to hold office. He must resign!”
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
Even if adultery is proven, it is a civil offence which the surviving family members can either choose to pursue or let it die. Freddie should stop sensationalizing the matter as if he is a member of the family involved.
Look what women are responding. Why so much adultery kanshi, it’s disgusting…
Your comments expose your moral depravity. Haimbe’s governmental role has become unsustainable, causing Zambia to become a laughingstock among accredited diplomats who are questioning why he still holds office. This murder was instigated by a Minister of Justice, constituting a scandal of monumental proportions.
How can it be a civil case with a double murder and suicide. Three people are dead and it is “civil’?
Civil yakuti? Cant you see this has gone further than adultery into homicide??? Whats wrong with you party cadres? Too blind to reason?
Why do some people pretend to know what they dont? Civil offence? Civil Offence?
Zambian leaders will never resign irrespective of the level of accusation. These guys will resign on their own before 2026
The minister of JUSTICE……kikikiki……kikikiki….
He was deliverying JUSTICE……kikikiki
What dismays me is the call to resign by opposition in any matters. Is that their only manifesto? The other end, that Silavwe chap is also calling for HH to call for early elections.
It will be a second miracle if he resigns like his counterpart whose position he is acting in. Zambians and Africans generally have no moral compunction when it comes to shame or indiscretion. Muyake ku UK resigned when he was outed groping his staff in a lift … I think he even divorced. Mu Zambia forget about it.
Zambia has become a banana republic so don’t expect this pompwe to resign….even Kakubo it was a fake resignation and he is still on Government payroll and soon he will be reinstated
He’s an MP iwe and rightly on government payroll.
How many ghosts is HH going to keep protecting. The country is in the hands of immoral people. He is keeping, Imenda for the same reasons Kabwili is being tormented, haimbe for being a tonga bull, Kawana for the same crucru he has confiscated from yo maps. Why is HH still keeping the Minister of foreign affairs position vacant? With all the hunger, high fuel prices and shortage of power in the country, HH should at the minimum keep his moral fiber in check. Not shielding the likes of Kakubo and Haimbe. We still have case of the ZNS commander being swept under the carpet.
If Justice Minister was a Musonda or a Phiri by now he should have been fired……you can’t be fired in UPND if you’re a Tonga..fact
It looks like adultery is a culture in a certain society in this country, what a shame! These chaps, even when they’re educated they even become worse in terms of adultery and fornication, I’m told they also enjoy carnal knowledge of their cows.
Looks like being a Tonga is a crime to you. This is hate speech and is actionable. You can criticize without going tribal.
Ba suntwe myebo mwatusabila pe! Is there anything else you think of besides adultery and fornication!1
“Dr.Mmembe said we may not be preview to the inner happenings in the home of this now deceased young couple”. Thought it was “privy”. Just saying!
The deceased should have done justice to the justice minister!
Ilishebo’s dilemma was how was he supposed to sue the chap responsible for the Justice System?
Ba Fred, akulyenl fye ubwali. Eebu dictator ubu, lyonse fye pa Social Media from Sunday to Sunday.
HH had so much confidence in Haimbe such that he sidelined experienced legal minds in UPND like Jack Mwimbu and Cornelius Mweetwa to make young Haimbe the Justice Minister.
Sadly Haimbe has repaid HH with illicit behaviour and infidelity(Haime is a married man) which contributed to a murder/suicide or a crime of passion.
How will HH speak to national values and principles with people like Haimbe still holding a key cabinet position?
Mulambo Haimbe is a huge embarrassment.
If it’s true, Mulambo Haimbe is an embarrassment. It would be honourable for him to step down as the police investigate this murder and suicide. It’s time he walked.
@independent
Am glad you’re being objective and I think HH’s selection of his Cabinet was very bad….in the West if you’re involved in any scandal then you’re asked to resign for as long as you hold public office and you’re on tax payers payroll….HH is surrounded by crooks
So now Fred Mmembe,the bank thief who got a loan from Invest Trust bank that he REFUSED to pay back ,part of the loan that led to the closure of the bank & Zambian depositors losing their access to their money, is calling for the resignation of the Justice Minister on mere speculation?
Fred Mmembe is a criminal & he should be arrested!
When the wicked ascends the throne…. wickedness increases.. period!!! See the level of abominations taking place nowadays.
Mmembe gives an example of a UK minister who resigned after clear evidence of this Minister kissing a married woman. What evidence does Mmembe have to demonstrate that Haimbe kissed this now dead woman?? The trouble with Mmembe is that he rushes to kill a bee using a heavy sledge hammer risking that the sledge hammer hurts him instead. Mmembe should not go fishing in a pond without fish and expect to have a good catch of fish!!!
All you need to know is that this homosexual, Mbeembe, hates Tonga men. If you know this about him, you do not need to know anything else. If you do not know this, everything about him will confuse you.
As much as he hates us, he went and married a Tonga woman…
Very sad occurance, the one at fault is not Haimbe but the devil who committed an act of murder by taking the life of his wife for no other reason but his dissapointment
Haimbe’s dedication to tackling serious issues like knife crime and gender-based violence is commendable. However, he can no longer drive this agenda at any ministerial level – after the death of Valerie, he now has blood on his hands.
For as long as we are divided on Party lines and tribal lines we will never develop as a country….one thing i love about my adopted Country USA is that when it comes to development its THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA….politics is only done on voting day and after that its back to business…but in Zambia everything is Politics 24/7…365 days a year
Sad development!
Very shamefull. This is how Tongas can rule the country. The President himself has no discipline. Even fails to sack his thieving and prostituting Tonga ministers. Actually the terminology of calling Zambia as a Christian nation must be abolished. How can prostitutes and scammers call themselves Christians.
This is what happens when you surrender to foreign value-systems, moral decrepity!! A Devil’s Advocate penning this and all jump on!! In afrikan value-systems this is soooo simple: If a member of the Chief’s Council commits adultery, it is just that – adultery, a civil matter; if the husband or wife kills his partner in the end, that is matricide, a lack of fortitude, nothing to do with governance. BTW since the writer likes western examples despite “being socialist” -let him explain why POTUS Clinton did not resign after Lewinsky and lots more and why the Clintons did NOT divorce, eish!!
This is the Devil’s philosophy you are trying to spread out here, and this can only be from a certain sector of our society where adultery, fornication, incest, paedophilia and zoophilia have been perfected to an art!
The Clinton-lewinsky issue or cigar-gate scandal did not involved a double murder and suicide. I will not talk about a different standard for leaders since that concept is foreign to you.
Lewinsky wasn’t married !
I dont know what this has to do with Fred M’Membe’s sexuality because for all I know the man is straight. Now, about Mulambo Enos Haimbe’s stinking and cantankerous donkey adulterous escapades, he must be castrated, simple! I also urge people who have wives working for him to consult Sangoma Mweemba in Gwembe Valley, he has a very tough medicine called “Runyoka” that can tame that raging snake in Haimbe’s pants.
Iwe!!! Kikikikikikikiki!
Ilishebo was actually a coward, he should have aimed and blasted that gun at Haimba’s bollocks!