Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Zambia Police vow to bring to book anonymous online authors and publishers committing ‘cybercrimes’

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Zambia police spokesperson Charity Chanda
Zambia police spokesperson Charity Chanda

Zambia Police has said that they are going to employ local, regional and international legal provisions to pursue the authors and publishers who publish criminal, libelous, defamatory, treasonous and seditious statements and bring them to book.

In a statement released to the media by Spokersperson Charity Munganga-Chanda, Zambia Police said that investigations into the identities of the perpetrators of such crimes are underway and they will all the people involved in what they described as malicious and borderline treacherous activities hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.

Below is the full statement.

PRESS RELEASE

FROM : POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS
TO : ALL MEDIA
SUBJECT : STATEMENT ON MISUSE OF CYBERSPACE
DATE : 16TH JANUARY, 2014.

The Zambia Police Service as a law enforcement agency, is mandated to enforce all the laws in the land that create offences or crimes.

Lately, the Service has seen a rise in the number of reported cases related to cybercrimes ranging from identity theft, hacking, cyber-trespass, pornography and misuse of internet services such as emails.

As you may be aware, cybercrimes take place in the cyberspace which is a global village of computer gadgets communicating with one and the other. Of late mobile phones have become immediate platforms of cyberspace activities.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous people have taken advantage of the cyberspace to commit crimes on the internet through defamatory comments and remarks posted on websites especially through the electronic media in the name of press freedom which end up infringing a number of state security provisions.

As such, the Police shall employ local, regional and international legal provisions to pursue the authors and publishers of such criminal, libelous, defamatory, treasonous and seditious statements and bring them to book.

Some bad elements in our society have gone ahead even to use other people’s email details to commit crimes. Therefore, the Police would like to advise members of the public to secure their personal email addresses and passwords.

We would like to advise parents and guardians to step up efforts at household level to educate children on the dangers of such vices and internet misuse.

The Police service would also like to encourage all well meaning Zambians to report cyber incidences of criminal nature to the Police.

So far, other investigations into the identities of the perpetrators of such crimes are underway and we shall expose all the people involved in these malicious and borderline treacherous activities hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.

CHARITY MUNGANGA-CHANDA
POLICE SPOKESPERSON

96 COMMENTS

    • @TheEngineer; Did you think it was another case of Caster Simenya? As you are an engineer, try subjecting the specimen to torsional forces.

    • I agree with the Police, the freedom of speech has been greatly abused and
      I would like to see some sites such as LT, ZWD closed

      Thanks

    • This is really chasing the wind- if far more advanced and developed countries are struggling with cyberspace technologies and social media- what more a poor and deplorable country like Zambia whose government live on kaloba and payday loans. It is time to realise that in this modern technologies, tyranical governments and print media like Times, Daily Mail and The Past papers who are always singing praises on government even when it is not due are now irrelevant. I currently read plenty websites owned by Zambians. Sata will struggle- this is not 1970s, 80s, 90- its is 2014.

    • @ TheEngineer mwantekunya!

      As an Engineer think of it in terms of a man rounded off to the nearest woman!

    • First, an offence is created by the legislature. Second, if an alleged act executed by someone has elements which are not dissimilar to elements contained in acts deemed as offences by the legislature, then the courts hold that those alleged acts are criminal acts. It follows that an accused can be convicted of an offence/s by the trial court. Any legal fraternity with learned legal practitioners alive at well-infromed marathone verdicts by using the above legal reasonning. Unfortunately, the Zambian Police has lamentably failed to legally define the offence of sedition and, it has also failed to understand the individual elements of the crime of sedition. For it to successfully charge and subsequently secure a conviction through the prosecutors, the ZP has to understand the required eleme

    • Uefa team of the year 2013: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), David Alaba (Bayern Munich); Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) Mesut Ozil (Arsenal); Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St-Germain)

    • Please, the ZP must study, examine and criticaly evaluate their empty threates before forcibly choking the media with unattainable attempts. For the purposes of brevity, the ZP must weigh its arguments, that is, will a normal professional police service pursue this sort of a policy which is against the public policy? An impartial presiding officer can or will have problems in trying most of the offences mentioned by them in the above publication. How many foreign gov’ts will entertain any Zambian official request of extraditing a suspect wanted in Zambia for defamation of character or for crimen iniuria or for sedition which does not meet the legal requirements of the mentioned crimes. I very relaxingly find it more than easy to be summoned by the ZP to answer trapped up charges.

    • Ba Charity Katanga, that is too over ambitious on your part. How can you start policing the internet when giants like UK USA RUSSIA and CHINA are always 1000 miles behind cybernetics? Try to set yourselves SMART targets

      For you to manage to do that first start by arresting those PF cadres who confessed to committing atrocities in Matero on Muvi TV just yesterday. If you do that then the people will start taking you serious. For now you just a joke that even a group 50 armed men can terrorise the whole Lusaka while you scamper in all directions having discarded your uniforms.

    • Yes PF need to create more jobs. Those people like Ba Chanda will be busy watching por-no repeatedly for them to understand if its a crime or not.

    • @Mushota, where will you be flirting if LT is closed? It’s the only platform where you get the kind of attention you’d never enjoy in real life from a man of good taste

    • This is what we call “Gross Misconduct” iyi Violation of other law crime under section 106 sub section a and c under the Zambia constitution(In acted).

      Remedies require at least 1/3 MPs to move a motion of impeatchment

      Actually, all what we are saying is the truth. Quickly arrest them.

      Sighs of finishing?

  1. Internet is not completely bad, it has a lot of advantages as well. Zambia under the current dictator is benefiting a lot. All those secrets issues being done by PF are being brought into the open. As I write, I have a copy of the draft constitution, …..and how did we know about the salary increment sata gave himself???? thanks to cyberworld…particularly watchdog.

    • even in zambia watchdog is accessible on their facebook page. just go there my brother and stop being restricted to myopic news from post(toilet) paper.

  2. “The Zambia Police Service as a law enforcement agency, is mandated to enforce all the laws in the land that create offences or crimes.”

    Why make a law that creates an offence? When you obey it, you offend. Otherwise the police will make sure (enforce) the law so that an offence can be created.

    • Kabwe Mutale Kapokola @ 4, I also noticed this strange opening sentence in the ZP statement: “The Zambia Police Service as a law enforcement agency, is mandated to enforce all the laws in the land that create offences or crimes.”!!! Let us try and break it down in simpler English and see if what mama Chanda is saying: Zambian Police will implement all laws that create crime. How do laws create offenders or crimes? The entire statement is so poorly written my fifth grade daughter can write better English. But then again, you just have to look at the quality of statements coming out of State House itself as well as those of the so-called chief government spokesman to understand the overall quality of leadership we have.

  3. You wasting tax dollars Instead of catching real criminals on the streets. Another reason why people should not register their SIM cards going to misused to fight political rivals.

  4. look at the lady in the picture, is she the one released the statement? arrest me kanshi, because i am about to insult her.

    Sata said he is able to see us in our bedrooms, is that not an insult? start by sorting the head.

  5. Excuses are often reasons stuffed together with a lies and deceptions. This mostly happens when one fails to own up.

    On the other hand, Sata is like a High Court Judge, who sentences someone to serve 5 years in jail for smoking marijuana, while he the (Judge ) goes home, rolls up a pipe of marijuana and smokes his head off. The next day goes back to court and does it again to another person in line.

  6. of late Charity’s ugliness has become a hot topical issue and am sure she is trying to sound a warning to her haters that she will pounce. anyway truth be told, when you are UGLY you are UGLY. am sure Namakau’s saloon can have some Jaribu or carol light for her to use. otherwise Zambia Police please bring that beauty Eliza Kanjela to be your face not this Blacky

  7. use it to show that UPND is not the better party because they are harbouring morally bankrupt people as vice president. we are not talking about Canisius Banda.

    If Mr. HH is the leader he claims to be, let’s see some action, otherwise you are complicit – it will all come to light that HH knew about everything and did nothing.

    • There you go again Zambians……ignoring information just like you ignored Chanda Chimba. i also don’t like PF but I won’t repeatthe same mistake when I hear something

  8. Welcome to the global village. It appears what will drag you to the digital age is fear. Not even the US government is immune from exposure by whistleblower, leaks, shadowy sources – in fact what used to be the backbone of spy movies, intelligence agencies and the world of journalism is overtaken by what can be revealed on blogospheres by any Jim, Jack or Jill. Uncomfortable as it is for those new to intrusive exposure, it is worth investing time and resource to improving your PR as it doesn’t look like the culture of ethics and transparency is going to sink in just yet… That feeling of egg on the face being experienced is a new sensation. Combatting it by scrambling the DELTA force makes a good movie but will result in more of the kinds of leaks a plumber can’t fix…

  9. Inga fyshupa sana, BJ kuti yabomba. But still ameno kuti yandepaula. Ugly woman. The whole police force acts like German shephards for Sata and his minions. Bakabwalala baleibila abantu in broad daylight and you want to arrest people who are simply showing their displeasure for the PF misrule. Phew!!!!

  10. I want to warn this girl Charity to stop being overzealous because when the tables are turned upside down, she may find herself on the wrong side of things. People are not happy with the way you as the police are handling matters and for you to begin issuing statements bordering on people’s freedoms of expression and assembly is tantamount to endorsing the unjust things that the PF government is committing against the people of Zambia. The best you can do is shut up. We know that it is Stella Libongani who asked you to issue such a statement. Libongani is a shameless and failed project of policing in Zambia. She can never stand on any platform and claim that she is professional because she is not. She has contributed to this government’s victimisation of innocent citizens. Think about…

  11. Is that how bemba women look, like Chanda? Anyway, Isuppose they are still marketable because village chicken tastes better

  12. Is there any provision/line in the 2014 National Budget for combating cybercrime coz Govt will have to spend a fortune in tracking down the perpetrators?

  13. ZP, first help USA to get Edward S cos these statements sounds and look like they coming from someone having wet dreams. New age it is, do right and no one will talk things that will make you want to come after people that are out their expressing their freedom.

    • You miss the point,, critisize objectively,we dont want alarmists, you will be called in to reveal the source of story and prosecution follows if you fail…fasten your seat belts..

  14. 70 years behind as usual, law enforcement for suppressing opposing views as usual, speaking generally but targeted at specific individuals as usual, “if you’re not with us you are against us” as usual… Or maybe just doing my job? As usual…

  15. ZWD you are the target here so make sure that you get acquainted with Edward Snowden in order to learn a few more technological advanced tricks from that internet spy wizard.

    • @Chinyama

      As usual when caught with pants down you cream tribalism. To be honest with you 2 presidents who have messed up Zambia are from one tribe ,the Bembas. Chiluba and Sata are the 2 I am referring to. People are slowly realising that Bembas are dishonest people to be trusted with instruments of power.

      If you continue debating on tribal lines you will just worsen the chances of many well meaning Bembas who are trust worthy. So stop these tribal attacks and debate objectively.

      Have you noticed only PF zealots are fond of demonising people on tribal lines. You won’t see that with most ant – PF bloggers? Grow up and start thinking that what is happening in Zambia is beyond any tribe. In PF you also have useless people from other tribes like Munkombwe , Mmembe, and Mangani

    • @WNzelu or whatever your name is. You have confused yourself. One moment you say 2 Bemba presidents have messed up Zambia, Bembas are dishonest people not to be trusted with instruments of power, then stop these tribal attacks and debate objectively, then in PF you also have useless people from other tribes. If I may help you, there are good and bad people in every tribe – unless you are too stereotypical to think. So remove the log in your eye before you remove a speck from another person’s eye.

    • @Mutale Chikwanda

      Thanx for the advice. But what I wanted to stress is that IF we demonise people by tribe and generalise to include the whole tribe,then Bembas have a worst record regarding governance as shown by Chiluba and Sata so far.

      I do agree that generalising is not what most Zambians believe in. But the problem is most PF bloggers hate one tribe (Tonga) as if Zambia has ever been ruled by a Tonga who messed up the country big time.

      Zambia had Mwanawasa a Tonga(bantu botatwe) and Banda (Ngoni). These two leaders brought sanity to our country compared to what Sata and Chiluba have done so far. So why hate the Tongas.

      I don’t care who leads Zambia as long as he is not a thief and dictator period.

      So going by tribe, Bembas have badly been represented by Chiluba and…

    • Wnzelu is anti bemba, period. Let me tell you that Mwanawasa inherited the chairmanship of this nation when the debt had just been cancelled championed by Chiluba under the HPIC. Yes Chiluba may have done wrong in certain sections but don’t generalize that all was wrong. Mwanawasa for 8 years never gave us a constitution. Poverty was still there in his reign. He had a family tree. People were complaining day and night. At one time he even called bembas rebels. RB ruled for a short time. It is difficult to assess him because his presidency was too short. Two birds of the same feathers flock together: Chiluba and RB were buddies. I WOULD URGE THE POLICE TO FIGHT THIS CRIME. SOME OF US ARE FORCED TO RESPOND ONCE WE SEE HOW UNJUST THE COMMENTS COME FROM INSULTING BLOGGERS. CHANDA DO…

    • @Wnzeli …Please specify
      , there is a new chinyama Albert on the stage now.please call him Albert for distinction….I don’t know what he’s up to.

    • @BBC

      Be honest with yourself. Debt cancellation was done under Mwanawasa and Ngandu Magande as minister of finance.
      Under Mwanawasa the exchange rate with major currencies improved by 50%. Mwanawasa came to power when £1 was K10,000 and within three years £1 became K5000. Mwanawasa upheld rule of law, never tempered with people’s freedoms, corruption was reduced, the people’s happiness index was high, bumper harvests were the order of every year, prices were stabilised, rural health care became free.
      Banda also carried on with Mwanawasa’s reformes though not perfect but by far better than what Chiluba and Sata have done combined.

      So why hate other tribes when one of the non Bemba leader was the best leader Zambia will…

    • Stop PF bufi. Debt cancellation was done during Mwanawasa and Ngandu Magande as minister of finance. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4571652.stm.)

      Mwanawasa never tempered with people’s freedoms. Under him , corruption was reduced, the people’s happiness index was high, bumper harvests were the order of every year, prices were stabilised, rural health care became free.
      Banda also carried on with Mwanawasa’s reformes though not perfect but by far better than what Chiluba and Sata have done combined.

      Why hate other tribes when one of the non Bemba leader was the best leader Zambia will ever have .

    • At Wnzelu who started the debt cancellation campaign? Was it Mwanawasa or Chiluba? I remember there was even wage freeze for two years under Chiluba as part of the conditions to cancel the debt. It is like cooking nshima: Chiluba bought the cooking stick and a pot, warmed the water, made the porridge while the masses were starving and waiting for nshima. Then later Mwanawasa came and finished by converting porridge to Nshima. So who did the greater work? During Mwanawasa, there was no credit crunch. The poverty levels were around 70%. So the money for debt servicing was used to develop Zambia and strengthen the kwacha. Only those from where he comes from where happy. I don’t mean that Mwanawasa was bad, NO. He was a good leader but he targeted certain groupings for prosecution.

  16. Go get ’em boys (and girls)! I have great admiration and respect for the ZNDF and the Police. These guys are professionals. I love you guys and I miss you greatly. You often work under trying circumstances. God bless you all and your families.

  17. ha ha abalelanda tabaishiba no kwikata mouse.Ala bakapokola babwafya,
    I don’t think the same woman knows how to click the mouse.

  18. Democracy and freedom of expression may be abused by disgrantled citizens thru abusive media violators like doggy doggy.The government should just go ahead and invest in discipline..If Matipa blogs nonsense he will be contacted to justify his statement and language..Africans ya we need guiding all the time.

    • @chinama my brother, advise your chimbwi no plans to just do the right things and the people on these bloggs will have nothing to complain/criticise about. this is like pledging to catch the ghosts in the air. ZP has no jurisdiction in other countries where these servers are hosted. this just noise meant to please someone in statehouse. right now ZWD is blocked from within the country but I can still access it. they are just wasting tax payer’s money on such useless ventures instead of buying medicine

    • If the most advanced countries in the world’s have failed to stop the cyber crimes where does that leave you and your poorly equipped and trained police force(pf)?God gave us a freedom to chose right or wrong,and who are you to impose that on people.
      Madam If your expectations are that you will achieve a crime free state,then think again.The bible talks about perilous times such as we are living and it will get worse.Neither you nor the team of experts local,regional you will be able to stop it. So concentrate on the real issues this country is facing like corruption.

    • Ya it’s an up hill battle,but we bloggers should also be factual not like alarmists.will advise Govt on the complexities of the blogger monitoring projects when back..they are human and trying very well of course with some short comings.Give them chance and judge the in 2016.

  19. I don’t agree with the statement issued by the Zambia Police. However, I don’t think it is right for people to start abusing Charity to the extent of calling her as being ugly and a bat. She’s only a messenger of the system. Truth be known, some of you have worse facial appearances. Just condemn the statement.

    • I agree with you baba but know also that always a messenger is the one who is in problem. In a war, a messenger dies before the soldier. I am not as well happy that she has become a victim in this case. Maybe we can help each other by not directing our personal views to her but to the statement made which i believe and know that it has been made by bigger people than her.

  20. Govt should be very careful with internet.Let it do the right thing.People now have access to information thru internet and u can’t stop them.I also access watchdog on blackberry.Why blocking the site?We loved the president but he has brought himself down due to lack of understanding certain issues and where the world is going.He still thinks it’s UNIP or MMD time.People have changed and young people know everything in the world.U can’t stop democracy unless u stop people from using internet which is a non starter in zambia.

  21. @23.1 WNzelu or whatever your name is. You have confused yourself. One moment you say 2 Bemba presidents have messed up Zambia, Bembas are dishonest people not to be trusted with instruments of power, then stop these tribal attacks and debate objectively, then in PF you also have useless people from other tribes. If I may help you, there are good and bad people in every tribe – unless you are too stereotypical to think. So remove the log in your eye before you remove a speck from another person’s eye.

  22. Ka Charity thinks we give PF govt hell? We just tell the truth and they think its hell and thanks to the internet the little man has levelled the playing field against big bad govt.

  23. The best thing is that despite all the negative comments that you have posted over this issue, the message has been received and has sank in your heads. Whether ugly, grade 12, bemba or whatever you may call her, at least you have read her statement and the fact that you are responding to it means that you are affected.

  24. Can’t believe the level of reasoning by most bloggers on this important topic. I don’t even know if some understand what cyber crime is and its implications on the victim. Cyber crime is mostly about identity theft and when one has your identity then he has full control over your life. He can get Loans in your name, Steal money from your account, commit any crime he wants using your identity. Most of you will only understand what the police is doing when you become victims of cyber crime. In western countries this is a serious crime which borders on Data protection Act and here you are posting comments which are out of context. Have you heard of 419 by Nigerians? That is just one example of cyber crime

  25. In a democracy freedom of expression is critical. Really we are seeing tendencies of dictatorship at work in Zambia. The PF has just failed and they should not expect ‘praise’ when signs are there to show dealing economy, poor governance to mention but a few!

  26. Big brother in Zambia is now gonna be watching me and prosecute me for my freedom of expression? Bring it on crazy GRZ cumbus you’re gonna be like dogs chasing their own tails.

  27. Trying to be smart… first the statement is all over, litany with big words they don’t even understand: cyberspace; internet; electronic; etc. all bundled together in the same sentences. I don’t even know what he is yammering about. Long statement but they fail to name a single law such suspected treason suspects are breaking.

    First, Zambia doesn’t even have laws that extend to the World Wide Web (aka the Internet). We just don’t have smart lawyers here who know their technology to challenge these numskulls. All we have are archaic laws from the stone-age colonial days that are being misappropriated and misapplied to extended to the Internet. These laws were created when no Internet existed and to use to prosecute so called ‘cybercrimes’ is ridiculous. Even… contnd

    • Even Americans who discovered the Internet have just drafted cyber crimes recently and none of it have anything to do with people expressing their opinions.

      2nd since the govt have blocked the ZWD inside Zambia, so technically the website doesn’t exist. So prosecuting someone for committing crimes on a website that doesn’t exist is ridiculous; double standard and the worst hypocrisy by these guys who keep criticizing themselves and fighting their own shadows.

      3rd even the Americans who created the Internet can’t control it… it’s almost like trying to chase wind and expect to catch it. People will always be a step ahead of tyrants. With all the propaganda material at their disposal they are chicken scared of a blog which has almost no resources… contd

  28. And they are forgetting that the leaks and the scandal exposure come from the sources among themselves. I doubt the ZWD publishers break into State House or have cameras and mics to eavesdrop the conversations within those tall walls and those underground tunnels. Their advisors are dumb and must be fired.

  29. Don’t call it global village its a digital medium. Our law is not susufficient. It talks much about protection of computers and its resources, however defamation is defamation. Online journalists should abide by their ethics whetger online or in print media. Law enforcers must get more training on cyber crimes and offences.

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