Plans to arrest popular Hot FM breakfast show hosts Hope & Chi and close down one of Lusaka’s popular commercial radio stations have been exposed.
Sources from Lusaka Central Police Station and State House have revealed that President Sata’s Press Aide George Chellah is behind the scheme to shut down Hot FM.
The sources disclosed that Chellah has since instructed two officers from the Criminal Investigations Unit at Central Police to investigate Hot FM and the two popular presenters in an effort to find something incriminating about them.
The planned arrest of the popular duo has to do with a story regarding President Sata’s reported evacuation on which Chellah was quoted refuting the story.
In the story aired on Tuesday, May 27 2014 on its breakfast news, Hot FM reported that State House had refuted that President Sata had been evacuated on Sunday after he fell ill.
In the clip to the story, Chellah could be heard saying the evacuation story was not true and that President Sata was well.
Hot FM went ahead and ran the story and aired Chellah voice refuting the story.
But since Tuesday, plain clothed police officers have frequented Hot FM a number of occasions and summoned Hot FM Chief Executive Officer Zach Chavula regarding the story.
The officers have also obtained statements from Hope, the Programmes Manager and a Reporter who authored the story.
But sources from the Police Service and State House say the scheme to arrest Hope & Chi is part to Chellah grand scheme to close down Hot FM.
They said Hope & Chi including the Programmes Manager and a Reporter were supposed to be arrested last Friday and lock them up the entire weekend.
“As you might be aware, they were looking for Hope & Chi from Friday and they could not just locate them. This Monday morning, the officers camped at Hot FM as Hope & Chi were doing their Red Hot Breakfast Show and again interrogated the duo,” the source said.
“Chellah has vowed to shut down Hot FM before he leaves State House. He feels the station has failed to play by his rules and the best thing to do is eliminate it completely from the scene,” the source added.
And Hot FM Chief Operations Officer Oscar Chavula confirmed that police officers have been frequenting the radio station from last week and getting different statements from employees.
“Clearly, this borders on intimidation, they are set on harassing us with the hope that we will cow down and start singing their praises but they are mistaken. The President himself has said people are free to debate his health and the story we ran had no ethical issues,” Mr Chavula said.
“Even this morning, the breakfast show crew was literally broadcasting under lock them, the officers were waiting to interrogate them just as they finish their shows. This is unacceptable and goes against the tenets of free press.”
And a letter signed by Acting Independent Broadcasting Authority Acting Director General Eustace Nkandu dated May 29 2014 directed Hot FM management to apologise during the same breakfast show and all prime time programmes for the next one week.
“From our findings we deemed the contents of the show unethical and inappropriate. Discussions of health status ate personal issues and should not be discussed in the public domain regardless of the social standing of the individual,” the letter read.
“The letter of apology to State House is required to enable the complainant know that the compliant has been dealt with as pursuant to Section 36 (3) which provides that the Authority shall notify the complainant of the results of such an investigation.”
But Hot FM management wrote to IBA seeking clarity on the nature of the complaint and the complainant in particular.
In a letter written by Hot FM Station Manager Rodgers Twala, Hot FM requested asked the IBA to state the exact words which were deemed offensive and requiring retraction.
“The complainant (State House) is too general and is not a legal person, further, as a Station, we are concerned that we have not been given an opportunity to be heard and yet clearly we have already been sanctioned by the Independent Broadcasting Authority which we find very unusual,” the letter read.
Ka chellah, start packing your bags and flee while you can. You will not know peace mwaice. This is not a threat, it is a promise.
Dictatorship indeed runs in the blood vessels of Chellah. What drives people with no competence in what they do is amazing. In this case what drives Chellah is the mare perceived authority which he has acquired via the office he is working from. Other than that he has nothing to offer, no wonder the kwacha is nose diving.
Its an insult to the dignity of the hundreds of Zambians who flocked to the National Heroes Stadium to witness its opening by the president to have been left in the dark with no apology whatsoever.Zambians need an explanation instead of this harassment of journalists who wanted answers.If the president attended there would have been no speculations.Why should the entire IBA quake in their boots at the instruction of Chella- an Evelyn Hone graduate?
Close down Hot FM today, three months later we take over the country after a landslide victory in a presidential by-election and a week later Chellah is behind bars enjoying free meals and accommodation. Nice idea isn’t it?
These two presenters are very silly. They joke about everything they have no respect for my beloved president. That ugly Hope with a bleached skin should be the first one to enter the cell!
You are very stup’dit you pf cadre.
This is something that should be happening in Iran or North Korea, not Zambia, we past that stage when we had to worship our leaders, this is no KK’s time, this is 2014 and we are democratic
My friend, you & your beloved president can f.u.ck off. If u hate the breakfast listen to ur radio 1. This radio station helped Sata alot
George Chellah was supposed to be a role model to us youths,but instead he has been portraying a very bad picture by lying to zambians all the time..a young man like him was supposed to be advising Sata and giving him new ideas…he is luck to be close to the president at his age he would’ve utilized this opportunity to fight for the well being of zambian youths ,our government is made up of old people with ancient ideologies thats why nothing is changing…every young zambian is expecting some changes from him (George Chellah)…to sum it up, George Chellah is a big let down to zambians,he only cares if Sata gives him his salary thats all….Zambian needs patriotic youths.
i meant Zambia* needs patriotic youths…not selfish ones!
I am for MCS the president not the schemes of Cheollah Georgina shame on u. Boss president chase this chap from state house he is discrediting you. Why focus on pet issues. The head of state has stated that he is okay but why get carried away with the wind? showing inconsistencies in our doing of things!
Chela you have become big-headed, your days are numbered my friend, 2016 is very near, you will go back to Bwinjimfumu road.-
The less educated getting drunk with power.
And someone says, the “freedom” of the media in Zambia when you have authorities waiting for you each time you are on air. I am guessing the duo only made reference to the calls that Sata is “ailing”….and like Fr Bwalya who simply said, Chumbu Mushololwa.
You can run fast but not faster than a bullet. Idi Amin
Guys——, honestly, I cant believe this. Zambia is finished!
How can you have such a response from a so-called Independent Broadcasting Authority? Oh— my God!
Where on earth do you regard health issues of a President personal?! Is this guy Nkandu, normal? He sounds like sub-human to me.
He can only be NKANDU?? is Zambia only made up of one TRIBE????
Why not arrest the one who gave them olders for they were only carring out orders as intructed possibly from the chief editor. Freedom of speach has no place in the Zambian Arena especially when it has to do with women! How many men have made fun of the president’s health and how many of them have since been instructed to be reprimanded? Zero!
George Chellah this George Chellah that, if its not Winter Kabimba, then its definately George Chellah. the man is everywhere, he is outbashing all ministers in terms of appearances in the media, even Kabimba seems to be no match for him anymore. i have never seen a presidents spokes person who has become so famous within a short period of time in Zed. the question is what has he done to deserve so much popularity? need help, am baffled.
Please have respect to the elders. You cann’t just be insulting the President day in day out in the name of democracy, and yet some of you are elders and deacons at some churches.
Respect is earned my brother not deserved. If a king decides to behave like a monkey you will treat him likewise. If a slave behaves like a a king you will automatically treat him likewise. Case in point- Joseph of the bible…and more recent Nelson Mandela who’s place according to apartheid was third class citizen. Mandela never cowed down even in prison as a convict. in just 1 year of his presence at Robben Island, black prisoners had their privileges elevated to those of Indians and white because of the great Nelson Mandela. Sata is a monkey thus what surrounds him in response.
No wonder this chap eustace is acting in his position. There is a clear difference between compliant and complaint. and to make this mistake several times in one letter means the bugger does not know what he is talking about.
First real test and the IBA fails lamentably! (I detest bosses who sign memos without going through to check for mistakes.) Eustace’s credentials as an authority have been dealt a horrible blow. I think he was clouded by his rush to have the COMPLAINANT (from COMPLAINT) pat his back for a speedy job (un)well done!
I personally listened to this particular program, like I do every morning, and do not exactly know where this hullabaloo is coming from. Hope and Chi by all means always control their callers.
Sata castrated membe only to empower ZWD. Today membe is licking sataz **** becauuse its a blackmail. Membe knows he has to pay k14 billion. On the othef other membe is keeping sataz medical file in his vault. Chella is just an attaack dog. Leave the boy alone. Its a stand off of criminal vs criminal. SATA also managed to castrate radio phoenix only breed many more such
…the IBA – don’t they have a spell checker?
That aside, I think this is ugly. I listened to that programme on my way to work. Hot FM heard a rumour – president has been evacuated – they phoned Chellah to verify if the rumour was true. State house said NO and that is it. The rest was just the usual reflection on the concerns with the president’s health – within the limits of freedom of speech and conscience.
Ba PF – let us not panic about these issues. We are a civilized party. Our president is fine, he is fit and doing ok delivering the duties the Zambian people elected him for. So no need to persecute a radio station for rumors. We are in power let us use our power for good. “Power is Nothing Without Control.”
This year of the 50th year of indenpendence is the year to starting fighting for new independence from our Zambian Presidents.
Thankyou for the 1964 freedom fighters – No hard feelings but now is time to fight for total independence from one man or woman dominating or mistreating others for his satisfaction.
What is happening in this country is unacceptable.
Elo lwanya nomba!
If they close Hot FM and arrest the two presenter they will make a very big mistake. Its like a time bomb, people are waiting for just one small mistake and they will explode. Wait and see.
So … Hot FM is onto something — did they touch a nerve.
I shouldn’t have to say this, but politicians need to develop thick skin so they don’t react to every little thing.
Why go after a radio station? For what? Also, there are procedures to things. Sue the company not the individuals.
#OneZambia
why ZNBC is airing old pictures as news?something wrong