Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship registrar Agness Musonda has testified in the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that Edgar Lungu was born in Ndola in 1956 and he applied to add the name “Chagwa” in 1986.

Meanwhile, Musonda admitted that Zambians were free to discuss the identity and origin of their President but added that she had never heard of anyone having more than two NRCs.

In this matter, New Labour Party leader Fresher Siwale is charged with Defamation of the President.

Siwale is alleged to have on April 22, 2018, with intent to bring the name of President Edgar Lungu into ridicule, did publish defamatory matter by word of mouth to which he said ‘the President of the Republic of Zambia is not the actual Edgar Chagwa Lungu but Jonathan Mutawale, he must be arrested for having three National Registration Cards, he is an identity thief’.

When the matter came up for continued trial before Principle resident magistrate Alice Walusiku, Wednesday, Musonda, 53, told the court that her duties included, record keeping and registration, verifying records with other institutions and supervising registry staff at the Headquarters.

She told that court that she received a letter from the Inspector General of Police requesting verification of two NRC numbers.

“The first one was 216992/67/1 and the second one was NRC number 652489/11/1,” Musonda said.

She said after checking the records, she informed the police that NRC number 216992/67/1 was issued to Lungu Edgar who was born on November 11, 1956 in Ndola and that at the time he was getting the NRC in 1973, he was residing in Kitwe’s Chimwemwe area.

Musonda testified that on the same NRC in 1986, Lungu Edgar applied for addition of a name, “Chagwa”, which was added on November 18, 1986.

“As at now, the names are reading ‘Lungu Edgar Chagwa’,” the witness added.

Musonda further testified that according to records at the department, the other NRC number 652489/11/1, belonged to Lungu Edgar who was born on February 7, 1974 in Lusaka, adding that at the time of getting the NRC on June 27, 1995 he was residing in Lusaka’s Rhodes Park area.

“I provided the information to the IG, Police,” she said.

The witness testified that the two NRC numbers belonged to two different people, adding that from the records, she was able to tell that the two were alive as the records were still valid.

In cross examination by defence counsel Gilbert Phiri, the witness informed the court that she was unable to tell how many people go by the name “Edgar Lungu” unless she was given a chance to check the database.

She, however, admitted that Edgar Chagwa Lungu was the same person who became President of Zambia.

Musonda also admitted that Zambians were free to discuss the identity and origin of their President.

She added that she didn’t know whether “Jonathan Mutaware” appeared in their database.

Musonda further said she had never heard of anyone having more than two NRCs.