A 43-year-old man of Kalomo has been sentenced to a six months imprisonment with hard labour for defaming the President, contrary to Section 59 of the Penal Code Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
This is in a case in which the jailed man of Kalomo’s Makalanguzu was charged with bringing the name of the Republican President into hatred, ridicule or contempt by uttering derogatory words amounting to insults against the Head of State.
Appearing before Magistrate Litungi Litungi was Peter Mweete who on July 11 this year, while taking alcohol at a named guest house in Kalomo, publicly uttered derogatory words against the President.
Mweete was later arrested by security officers for defaming the President.
In his mitigation, Mweete said he looks after six children and a grandmother and that he was on antiretroviral treatment.
Mweete asked the court to exercise lenience on him, saying he committed the offence under the influence of alcohol.
However, Magistrate Litungi sentenced Mweete to six months imprisonment with hard labour from the date of his arrest.
Magistrate Litungi prayed that Mweete’s imprisonment should serve as a lesson to people who are in the habit of bringing the name of the President into ridicule.
He said the Republican Presidency is the highest office of the country and should be accorded the respect it deserves.
ZANIS
if you are sick and looking after big family then respect yourself
… and avoid drinking alcohol if you know you have a rotten mouth.
Do not defame the president….Its the law stup1d
Atase…mulekeni umuntonga ale cheme ingombe. Defaming who? How many people have your been defaming, Mr President? Ba shu shu mu zambia again. I think Mugabe is better.
The guy just had some matalakwa: what is the matter? Do not intimidate people. What kind of democracy is this?
Kwashala iwe wineeee,matako blue.
Austin Mbozi is next
I wish Sat was arrested when he called Mwanawasa Chiwelewele and cabbage. I wonder where such a judge was at the time……………….animal farm
Walasa Chills – ikali iyi
You mean that “Ka nyangu” who took cover at show grounds??
While!! How shocking is this to the world Zambia! Cases which have brought zambia to its knees r let alone,
***** law is law dont hide in democracy
Defaming sata is an understatement. The geezer is self-defamed by his antics. Arrest him for putting himself to disrepute thru his ukwa CNP jynastocs and going  contrary to Section 59 of the Penal Code Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia
watch your ass
I wish some blogers can be traced and held accountable as well. There is too much insults peddled even where and when reason in discussing national issues are concerned. If the foul language were the order of lives and living I wonder if there would be morals to talk about. Custom and tradition of respect for other people’s rights. We can’t lives with bitterness each and every time. The ethnocentrism, ‘Kano ngaebo’, unless its us, them not is based on envy and its not good at all. We are different with different faces, styles, abilities and what have you. We can criticize and advice one another but it shouldn’t be based on ‘unless us’. We all have our positives and our negatives. No one can claim to be holier than thy. Well, that jail sentence may teach some folks.
@6 Floyd Chitalu,
Are you advocating for a dictatorship and repression? Tracing citizens to silence them and locking them up will fail, it has never worked anywhere in the world. You yourself ought to be traced to pump some sense in your thinking. Where were you when this same PF while in opposition said and did the worst things to innocent people?
@Floyd Chitalu, you’re a very primitive person. Just tell your regional govt to deliver on its promises. You and your govt will have to turn the whole 752 616 square kilometres of Zambia into a prison if you are going to be monitoring what Zambians are writing or saying about the head of your hyaena pack. Sata had unpalatable opinions about the ex presidents. Zambians are now returning the favour. I have very low opinions about your tribal chief. And this will not change until he changes his behaviour. You cannot expect Zambians to respect Sata if he does not respect the office he holds. You don’t jail people because they have a stinking opinion about you. I won’t change my mind that you are an id.iot simply because you have put me in jail.
Time to change the law,Zambia is not a monarchy,the President is a servant of the people of Zambia not the other way round,voters should have the right to tell off their servant just like he has the nickname King Cobra people should be free to call him Chimbwi no Plan.
By the way,why hasn’t HH been convicted if he defamed the President too?
While you are calling him a CNP, my question is, “How come candidates with ‘better plans’ couldnt make it to state house?” The answer is simple. It’s because they are CNP squared.
Uli cikopo sana,why don’t you go insult your father because he is the servant of your family.
You can criticize the president all you want. But you do not insult the president, period! He represent our country whether you like it or not. So, if you insult him, you insult yourself and all of your fellow citizens.
Has anyone of you that are supporting insults ever heard someone insulting a president say for instance Obama? I would need a quotation for that. People must respect authority. Do you think democracy goes hand in hand with insults? No my friends. We have to respect each other, period. Let the convict serve his sentence whether or not he has children to look after.
Lets see if Sata can pardon that innocent poor drunk Lozi. And that judge must resign, unless he also sentence The Sangwapo cartoonist. What did the drunken Lozi call the King anyway so others don’t use same words again?
Why do you have this morbid obsession with Lozis? Mweete is a Tonga name.
YAH! HE DESERVES IT. BUT ONLY 6 MONTHS? TOO LITTLE. UBUFUMU BUCINDIKA ABENE. DON’T EXPECT A FOREIGNER TO COME AND RESPECT OUR LEADERSHIP IF WE CAN’T AS ZAMBIANS. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN AT LEAST 2 AND HALF YEARS. PEOPLE MUST HAVE RESPECT- NOT ONLY FOR THE PRESIDENT BUT FOR ALL OUR SENIORS, TOO.
In defamation I the defamed must show the court how I have been defamed. In this case Sata did not sue and he wasn’t in court to prove he had been defamed. How do you defame someone without a complaint from him?
#7 IT’S YOU WHO IS PRIMITIVE. NOT #6. IN FACT #6 IS A GENTLE MAN/WOMAN. GO AND INSULT OBAMA OR DAVID IN AMERICA OR UK AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU. INSULTING LEADERSHIP ANYWHERE ON EARTH IS NOT TOLERABLE. WE MUST HAVE RESPECT FOR OUR LEADERS.
What that man did is plain stupid.so l wont dwell on it,as for u who stil fill u can insult,u re worse than him.
By the way,l never knew remote until l was in a room were we were supposed to b speakin English,but som1 thought it wise to only address people who could understand it..,see y people on the copperbelt and other places feel they need to vote for some1 who ll address them in english,even when the majority re his tribesmen?l feel sorry for these people.
If the ZAMBIAN President is a tribalist,l ll say he learnt it from the master tribalists.
May God continue blessing zambia and its GOOD people.
Petty petty petty…
We have heard before Mr Sata refering to HH as under 5, HH as a tribalist, Tongas with a one party tribe etc. That does not amount to defamation according to Mr Sata. Today a second Zambian is in prison because of defaming Mr Sata. A foreigner of Asian who referred to Mr Sata as a ‘dog’ is free going about his business. Poor Zambians to express their feelings (strongly) end up in prison or poor foreigner is deported immediately. Tongas inspite of being demonised dare not respond in this political climate as you are likely to be banished to Southern province only as an apatheid porvince. Its now official not to refer to Mr Sata as tribalist. Doing so will earn one a period in jail. That’s typical of DICTATORS.
you are even lucky that HH was not jailed for calling Sata “chimbwi no plan”. HH thought he will be arrested so that he can make headlines but to his disappointment no one bothered to respond to this juvenile.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……………………………. too bad,but this intolerable anywhere in the world.# 12 you are right.Â
One down, more morons from ZWD to go. Well done to our justice system
WHAT DID THIS TONGA MAN ACTUALLY SAY? WE WANT TO HEAR THE ACTUAL WORDS. BA LT, SHALLOW JOURNALISM. TOO LAZY TO DIG DEEPER.
# 1 check your facts. Its bad to insult, yes, but eing HIV+ and on ARV is not being sick. It is actually wise to test and know your HIV statusand start treatment early in a generalised epidemic like Zambia’s. You do not know who puts your partner when you are not there. Dont be rightous my man.
Zambia is no longer a democracy, it is a DICTATORSHIP. Sata(n) called the former presidents worse profanities, but the former were statesmen enough to ignore Ukwa for what he is – a CNP. Now that Ukwa is at the helm, he sees it fit NOT to advice his overzealous magistrates in locking up ‘innocent’ citizens poking fun at the Pa Fwaka’s 90 days failures. We are watching you, you time will come!!
This penal code is meant be used sparringly, and only in exceptional cirmcustances. Where does one draw the line? Freedom of expression in a social conversation without macilious intent and actual infrigement with intent. In most such cases it is mostly between his and their word. It reminds me of the UNIP days when you had to think twice to mention the name Kaunda or the Patry and its Government’. Do not say you were canmot warned, Chanda Chimba III did. Zambia is drifting into police state I hope everyone opens their eyes to the fact we are slowly losing our democractic freedom. CNP is swiftly pouncing on the defenceless wasting prison space on people of good standing when it should be taken up by real criminals-Nchito & Mmembe (K14bn planderers). Shame!
Wow, only in Zambia can a man not have freedom of speech. Especially ku bar, where you are drinking with your friends. This man has doen nothing wrong and this law needs to be taken off the books immediately. Now we will go back to the days where you couldn’t talk about the president, even when I was growing up; heaven forbid you said something about Kaunda ninshi your mother would jump on your case immediately. Shame. And those people here saying it is okay…it is not!!! A man is in Jail for 6 months…and he has children…what sort of judge does that. For something he said at a bar!!??? Lekeni they sould start arresting people ku ma Times cafe and them places and lets see who won’t be upset about this bullcrap.
Mapolo yake Sata!Â
More chaps here on LT cowardly hiding behind silly sounding alias, enjoy your 6 months inside my dear friend with good behavior you may only serve 2 months!! kikikiki
This man should consider himself lucky its the that caught up with him,if it was in the MMD era,he would have met the wrath of William Banda and that would be regrettable.
Just from the comments here you can see that our country is not going anywhere for more decades to come,it’s like we are cursed!! People do not want change.
Firstly,i think this case has not been presented well,how did the jailed chap defame the President? Check the definitions of defame and insult. Yes,it is right for the magistrate to find the chap guilty but when you weigh all factors,is it morally right to jail a sick man with a large family? I don’t think so,he should have been spared jail,there are real criminals out there who have been spared jail when they clearly deserve to rot in jail.
The law needs to be changed,people should have the right to show their disgust for the President,it happens in developed nations only in africa and asia is it taboo,shame !!!
As a Newbie, I am constantly searching online for articles that can be of assistance to me. Thank you’s a Very good, very useful to me, Thank you very much post.
Stupid judge and op. thugs, yo boss insulted mwanawasa as muwelewele , cabbage and nyamasoya where was this lawÂ
Arrest me also kanshi
I cannot believe that a single person above is supporting this rubbish. How do you jail someone for 6months for something as trivial as this. That is why these guys abuse power in office because we are too foolish as whole to support even mad schemes like this. We have too much respect for those in office we have laterally turned ourselves into slave. A fine should be enough for such a petty crime the president is human just like everyone in Zed. He is our employee not our employer we as Zambians pay his salary. Are they going to jail all the news papers that make fun of the preso now.
I wondered why CNP did not smile, so he has rotten teeth. Now that explains why everything he says is rotten too.
I wonder wat would hav happend to the Artist who did the Zuma painting if it was in Zambia today, ndelelolafye EPL games ineeeee, ndabako entertained!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Livingstone,
Section 59 of Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia will soon apply to you and since you have not been drank all the time you have been insulting, and hopefully you are also not on ARVs, we look forward to your mitigation!!!
Those saying the guy should have been spared need to read the law themselves and avoid committing simmillar offence!!!! You cant turn the President into a punching bag just because your preferred candidate is incapable of wining a nationawide election and deceives himsekf each time he wins a seat in his ohme village, thats not national leadership!!!
IS THIS LAW SILENT ON THE BLOGGERSÂ
its just animal farm..its necessary to arrest anyone..
You’ve got a great deal to own superb from the elements within these types of athletic shoes; the actual rest is actually a similar since the aged types backed upward
Those saying the guy should have been spared need to read the law themselves and avoid committing simmillar offence!!!! You cant turn the President into a punching bag just because your preferred candidate is incapable of wining a nationawide election and deceives himsekf each time he wins a seat in his ohme village, thats not national leadership!!!
well said 90/100