A HEAD teacher in Mongu has been found guilty of theft after he squandered government funds meant for Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries on online sports betting.
Ernest Chilonga aged 42, who served as head teacher at Mulwa Primary School, was charged with one count of Theft by Public Servant contrary to Sections 272 and 277 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
According to court proceedings, Chilonga was appointed Pay Point manager for the Social Cash Transfer programme in September 2024.
On September 26, he withdrew K68,320 from Zambia National Commercial Bank of which K64,000 was for distribution to vulnerable households under the SCT programme, while K4,320 was his official allowance.
Instead of returning to school to carry out the disbursement, Chilonga booked into a lodge and began betting the government money through an online sports betting platform.
Within days, all the K64,000 had been lost.
He resurfaced on October 7, summoned the beneficiaries to the school, and claimed that he had forgotten the bag containing the money at home.
Moments later, he returned and told the gathering that his house had been broken into and the bag containing the funds had been stolen.
Following a full trial, which involved testimonies from five witnesses, Mongu Magistrate Maloti Phiri found Chilonga guilty on July 29, 2025.
The case was prosecuted by senior public prosecutor Grace Mulafulafu and sentencing has been reserved for August 8, 2025.
By George Musonda
Kalemba August 2, 2025
