Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Mike Mulongoti has urged contributors to foreign publications to refrain from writing falsehoods about Zambia just to make money.
Mr Mulongoti was reacting to two articles in the Germany media, one by a named Zambian doctor saying operating theatres had leaking roofs and that flies flew around during surgery, and another by a Germany celebrity who alleged that Zambians were so overwhelmed by the AIDS pandemic that people were unable to think about the next day.
“It is not right for anyone to print falsehoods about Zambia.
They are damaging our reputation all because they want to be given money.
Such people are unpatriotic and their behaviour is bad,†he said.
Muvi TV managing director Steve Nyirenda made the articles available to the parliamentary committee on information and broadcasting last Friday.
Mr Nyirenda told the committee that such negative reports were damaging the country’s bid to attract foreign investors and tourists.
The German celebrity said there was “too much HIV/AIDS in Zambia for people to even think about the next day.â€
Mr Mulongoti, who is also chief government spokesperson, said false reports about any country were unpatriotic and bordered on the morality and integrity of the authors.
He said Zambia had achieved a lot in the health sector for anyone to begin making such falsehoods, which were “selfish†and aimed at painting a bad picture of the country.
People were free to contribute to foreign publications but that they must ensure they gathered their facts instead of writing damaging reports based on falsehoods.
He said there was no country in the world that had been spared by HIV/AIDS but the context in which the Germany report was put was aimed at lowering the integrity of the Zambian people.
He said the fact that there were no restrictions as to what foreign correspondents could publish did not mean they should base their reports on falsehoods.
He said even if a story were negative it would still be respected if it represented the real picture on the ground.
So what next. The two authors need to be brought to book. Don’t just complain at that level and think these people who write like that will stop. We have an embassy in Belgium, let us use it as a stepping stone to bring to book the originators of those fabrications.
People lets have some sanity here, Who says such things as leaking roofs & occcasional flies in theatre occur in africa only? From my recollection, I have recently observed 1 or 2 flies in a theatre in the west, you simply shoo it out or kill it with some spray;I have also observed a leaking roof – the doc was simple stating s fact of his observations, now whether that is patriotic or not is down to ones interpretation, becoz you have to consider the circumstances in which it came to be said – he could have been highlighting facts to sympathisers & would be potential donors. I won’t comment on the actor. Thus in my conclusion, mulongoti is merely giving a knee jerk reaction & making worthless mileage of this issue – can he attest that there are no leaks & flies in our theatres considering he probably has never set foot in them and his fellow crony politicians!! There are better things & more urgent things that need to be addressed than wasting taxpayers airtime!!
Impulsive reaction,this is really cheap politicking,Our leaders are so light hearted some issues are not worth debating,We have had western media like BBC reporting negatively about our country we have never voiced our concerns.We need to know the circumstances that led to such utterances especially comments made by that Doctor for us to make informed discussions
“The media always paint a wrong picture.” is all politicians say.
Nkhataboy #1,if the culprits are to be brought to book,on what charges would they be charged on? cos they are basically saying what they saw and of which is true,when we look at the state of our theatres,who would disagree with their views?
These are basically views which the Minister is supposed to act on by improving the state of infrastructures than denying what is true.
On AIDS,the virus is spreading rapidly and people are behaving as if they’ve no life to live for tommorrow. Mike is supposed to think of new ways of educating the public.
Bauze #2,I agree with you our leaders are wasting our time,do they’ve advisors before they open their mouth?
Kuku #3,very true the BBC might report negatively about the country,but they always get the Minister’s and politician’s views to summarise their story,and 100% of which our politician’s are always on their side.
If the Sub-Sahara region is the least developed and has the highest HIV rate and infection,why should the Minister of Information disagree with the two?
Does this mean the Minister of Information has no information on his table?
#4,#5 Is it possible to marry a virgin in Zambia? there is moral degradation in Zambia,because be it a Pastor, a minister,teacher,Doctor,President, first lady, they are all involved in some immoral activity, first ladies having boy friends , president marrying someone’s wife, pastors caught in adultery, teacher molesting pupil,how on earth can Aids be curtailed? If you go out in Ndola at nite what you see is a total disgrace, Elders with their overflowing tummies kneeling for 16 year olds,its total disaster, the whole system needs complete overhaul.Mulongoti feels redundant if he does not speak, I guess one of his roles is just to speak without thinking,even when Mango start to ripen in Mbala during winter he will curse the one making it ripen at the wrong time.Its amazing to be a zambian politician.We serioously need Change
I heart about this story yesterday but frankly speaking I have not been in a theatre in Zambia. The time I was close to it was in 1992 when my brother was operated. Honestly if you look at the state of the wards as they are now, it indicates that things are not well. A wise minister would have reacted in a different way i.e he would have said “He will set a group to probe this allegations to give expert opinions”. Anyway on earth neglect something even you own body can lead into something bad in case of human = sickness, a building leakage in a roof. In Zambia for a long time we had a problem of thre MMMs. Money, Management and Mantainance. I suppose we have the money we just need to learn other two Ms. However for Doc and his friend I dont support him after his findings he should have gone straight to Dr. Chituwo or PS and confront him. If he refused to see the problems the police must have been involved. Our minister get fat salaries for doing nothing.
Dont trust BBC reporting and CNN. Its now they are learning that being bias in not taking them anywhere. I can still remmeber how a cnn news presenter got flowned on 13. March 2007 when he trying ask about why does Zimbabwe dont allow BCC or CNN to report from inside Zimbabwe. The UN Ambassodor for Zim gave him a genuine answer, I coud see the man if he standing next to him he would thrown blows to him.
It is not agood thing to tell lies on any thing.
Kuku help if am wrong .What i have seen in Zambia,it is like there is a university for leaning on how to teling lies some in the country. 65% of zambias in top positions are lies,even jobs like ministers,ps ,dierctors head teachers, defence chiefs/ police,op , banks and so on. One muzungu- white man told that the most develpoed secter in Zambia was lies,hate and jealous.They go the president in the night and tell lies about there friens just to get the or a contract for some work.Am hapyy that the minister is not happy about,let him also help in tell his friends to stop lies.In Zambian plitics it is the order of the day.Kuku help may be lies is also ubulwele.Just look back of what you have gone through the soon you will agree me that 60% of our bosses in this positions got there by lies.They have the papers and well educated,but the problem is the degree of lies.
#6, In Ndola,more especially at Main Masala Bus Station,promiscuity is in the open,i don’t know whether the Drums Club is still operating, but people used to come out of it and have sex even under the bus waiting to load and go in the morning. The motels and guest houses nearby are ever booked on weekends,so are the hotels in town (ambassador etc) except for Savoy.
Kitwe is worse,Kapiri is just another sad story in this promiscuity, people travelling in the Tazara train to Dar, its rampant, come to Lusaka, Simpson’s,City Market,Stanley Bar etc then there was open air (chez), go to kafue rd etc,matero.
On the way to L/Stone,Ba Joze should know about Tooters at Monze, L/Stone girls are now competing with Zimzim’s.
We go to the office’s,ladies cant get jobs without opening their legs etc.
Yet most of these culprits are “born-again” so they call themselves.
Are we living like there is no tommorrow,and i’ll agree with you from political offices to ordinary citizens.
VP proposes First Lady.
#8 Easy, take it easy. If BBC and CNN or any these big media organisation’s wrongly report on an item,you know they are liable for legal actions.
Hence most of the news is factual,and always the truth,problem is report about progress in africa is not news worth,but war and conflict are news because this is what our leaders portray of it to the world.
There he goes again!Mulongoti,why do you politicians send each other to South Africa and UK?Only KK enters the UTH,the rest find their way outside the country,fully approved and paid by the MMD government.You are afrid of dying yet you encourage the rest of zambians to go local.You hypocrite.Your time will come.
#10 Kayata look at this heading in the Post for tommorrows reading
Kamawe and Singogo intend to marry
A 25-year-old man in Lusaka is co-habiting with his 25-year-old niece with an intention of officially marrying her. …
What has gone wrong in Zambia?
Kuku 13, it is just madness for some to marry his niece.Ne ndoshi yawamapo. NGO’s please help the girl to out of this problem. to tell what the children he is going to have with his niece will be not go health,
let the chap ask any DR. even the whhite’s don’t marry in the family .because the health issue in blod yapalupwa.Aba na ba kaba ifipuba kutashi or they will go in the street kubupuba.
Kuku 6, you are very right. Just look st the mpondela
issue the man is still the Lusaka central province MMD chairman and soon he may be our president of Zambia.His K1.5 million fine in the Chilenje Local over his affair with Ms Banda -Mwale IN MAY 2005 will be over looked by his party and we the Zambia’s.It high time we started saying no to such chap’s. You told the national the truth.bauze ngozi.
Man ‘marries’ niece
By Patson Chilemba
Thursday July 05, 2007
Print Article Email Article
Kamawe and Singogo intend to marry
A 25-year-old man in Lusaka is co-habiting with his 25-year-old niece with an intention of officially marrying her.
Kalikonga Singogo yesterday said that he loved his niece, Ngambo Kamawe, and expressed sadness at his family’s refusal to approve the intended marriage with his niece.
Singogo said he was due to meet his sister, Dorcas Kamawe, who is Ngambo’s mother to conclude marriage negotiations. He said he loved Ngambo and wanted to live with her for the rest of his life.
He was responding to Charity Katongo, one of his sisters who reminded him that it was an abomination for a man to marry his own niece.
“So are you sure that you want to marry your own niece and you are already living with her?” Katongo asked, as Singogo responded: “I told you that I would come to see you today over this issue, but why have you come here at his Chilenje house?”
Asked if he loved his niece and wanted to be with her in marriage, Singogo responded: “Yes, I love her and I want to marry her.”
But Kamawe said she would not allow the two to stay together because doing so would mean condoning ‘abomination’. She expressed sadness, saying it was unthinkable that such a thing could happen.
“We are all surprised. It hurts because a person cannot marry his own niece. This is unacceptable and an abomination which can never be entertained. I’m very surprised at what is happening,” Kamawe said emotionally.
Kamawe said she got the biggest shock of her life on Wednesday night when Singogo approached her and disclosed that he was getting married to her daughter.
She said both Ngambo and Singogo were living with her in Lusaka ‘s Chalala area until Wednesday when they shifted to Chilenje in order to fulfil their desire to marry.
Kamawe said Singogo and Ngambo had been brought up together since they were 16 years and suspected that their love relationship started during the time they lived together.
#13 Kuku,Are these two trying to copy the indian/pakistani culture?
I think 2 factors are at play here,
Boredom and a lack of education.
Boredom in that inactivity has led them to such extent’s and a lack of education as to not knowing the implications of incest on their unborn children such as physical and mental disability.
Kuku, these 2 have only gotten to know each other as of 9 years ago,and they are both of the same age and probably they were told of their relation when they introduced one another to each other’s relations.
The unity in families is breaking up and these are the consequence’s.
#17 Kayata if these were kurds they could of have been killed through the ritual called ‘honour killing’,which is effected by stoning as they climb the mountain so that they go with their shame.
Its taboo, that is why I said Zambia is at the verge of total collapse,its another Sodoma na Gomora
Actually I expected Dr. Hk to come here why this tread of misachivious is taking place in Zambia. Sexual studies from the west shows that twins would fall for each other because of the likeness but this Ngongo whatever you call him is mental sick the police should pick him and displine. The man should be give a five years sentences and the 3 years as punishment for disgracing the Zambian society. You see this Gender thing if it not handled propery it will spoil our society. These are not human rights which can be said as descrimination of sexual orientation. Dr. HK please help you live in a cilivised world. I afriad next time we shall just hear someone marrying the his own mother. Ba Gender minister watched out very soon you be unemployed if you continue to behaving like that.
hello world!
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! hbrbnarxsl
These two (singogo and ngambo) must have been spending too much time by themselves,even in the same house,probably watching erotic films together and stuff like that.Hence the innevitable attraction,you know opposite charges attract.Lesson to all parents and guadians: never put candlewax near a red hot brazier!