Several Journalists perceived to be aligned to the PF government have been appointed to serve as diplomats in various foreign embassies.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources have confirmed that state broadcaster ZNBC and the Zambia Daily Mail have contributed the most number of appointees.
Others are from the Daily Nation, a paper run by former State House aide Richard Sakala which is seen by many as pro PF.
The letters of appointments were handed over to the Journalists two weeks ago and some are earmarked to take up their new positions as Press Attaché’s by end of April.
ZNBC News Manager Cosmas Chileshe has been appointed as the new Press Secretary at the Zambian Mission to the United Nations in New York while Wallen Simwaka of the Daily Nation will take up the same role at the Zambian Mission to the USA in Washington D.C.
ZNBC’s Bangwe Naviley who ran a string of PF propaganda news broadcasts in the run up to the August 2016 polls has been sent to India.
Inutu Mwanza who has been covering First Lady Esther Lungu’s local and international trips has taken up the position of Press Secretary at the Zambian mission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Others are Yotamu Mugara who is Japan bound while Freelance Journalist Kellys Kaunda will go to Berlin, Germany.
Kasabo Seth Kalussa who was a Freelance Journalist with Mwebantu New Media has been sent to Botswana as Press Attaché.
Others are Daily Mail News Editor Jerry Munthali and several others at the Times of Zambia in Ndola and Lusaka.
The sources said State House Spokesman Amos Chanda is the one who has been personally handing out the letters to the Reporters.
The appointed Journalists have since undergone security clearance while others have even resigned their media jobs.
The majority of those Journalists who were appointed by late President Michael Sata in 2012 are being recalled and are heading back home.
Even Sata appointed several Post reporters to many positions. Trump has filled White House positions with those from “friendly ” newspaper
Ine Wine,
You are right. Who would want to appoint enemies to go and embarrass the government and the president? The author of this article is disappointed that he/she was left out.
Do we really need Press Attaches at these missions. The Ambassadors or there deputies can issue those press statements that are far apart and money used to deploy there staff can be used to improve ZNBC, Daily Mail and the rest. In this day and age the position of Press Attache is redundant
For me I can refuse if were a journalist because there is no future in diplomatic missions unless you are a cadre. Professionals don’t need diplomatic missions.
No one cares for this country. Everyone is in it to benefit himself regardless of harm done to the country. We have cadres like Kellys kaunda posing as journalist while they are actually PF cadres. These jobs have revealed who they really are, shameless cadres.
No appointment from ba Watchdog sure!
Will this last I wonder?
Having been a Diploma myself, I have nothing against the appointment of these colleagues. But I have two questions for the appointing authorities as follows : (1) Does the establishment for these officers exist at these Embassies and High Commissions? For example, I am not sure there are positions of Press Attaches in India, Botswana, Germany and a few others cited herein (2) Have all these colleagues passed through the Zambia Institute of diplomatic and International Studies (ZIDIS)? I say so because several Party Cadres appointed to serve at Missions abroad are quite an embarrassment in their actions out there!
Which President in his is normal senses would appoint say McDonald Chipenzi or Leonard Hikaumba seriously? This writer is bitter…no job for you mwana!
Using taxpayers money to appease cadres will only continue to balloon the 2017 budget deficit. There is a worrying disconnect between MOF and State House. Only disciplined people follow the laid down budget. A spendthrift person or government is not different from a narcotic addict who needs to induce some Dopamine release. 2022 and 2024 are only 5 and 7 years away respectively. This is the time when Eurobonds are due for full payment. Are we so naive as a country that we’ll have debt forgiveness again? Wishful thinking I guess but reality will soon dawn. What has happened to the sink fund Chikwanda talked about?
Government media workers are already civil servants and appointing them to foreign mission positions is as good as redeploying, or promoting.
What is unique or news about that?
Awe shuwa.
Peace for Zambia stop speaking nonsense. These who are being appointed are not from government. We all know that civil servants are those who work for government ministries and their departments. DeadNBC is govt owned but its employees are not civil servants, just like employees of ZESCO, TAZARA, Afrox, Kagem. The only civil servant journalists work for ZANIS and NAIS, the Agricultural Information Services. If ZANIS and NAIS civil servants are appointed as Press attaches yes theres no news there but these are arselicking non-civilservants who have been appointed so it is big news
True. So what is the issue with reporting Journalists as press attachés in Missions? If they were appointed as Road Engineers at RDA then it could have been a problem in my view. Writing is there calling so that’s their correct Jobs. Why say all this PF aligned journalists? UPND in South province has even refused to accept ECL as their president so why waste your time appointing UPND aligned journalists?
Abotalla: Your comment is so lame. Press Attachés are not about issuing press statements. Get your facts straight before embarrassing yourself
@Miya first of all press attaches are propagandists not journalists. That is why journalists who are appointed as attachés are sellouts. The government has a system for taking it’s staff to diplomatic missions. The system is the civil service. It employs all kinds of professionals so it does nt have to go hand picking them from somewhere else
@ 1.11 Martha,
How can I stop the nonsense when it is coming out of you?
Only you have the power over your behaviour.
When did I become your brain regulator?
So what.they qualify.
They don’t qualify. Press attaché posts are designed for civil servants. They are now being dangled as carrots for DeadNBC journalists to behave. If you don’t write good stories on lungu or his wife you won’t get this job abroad. This is a case of a political party misusing taxpayer’s money.
Kuchinjanya ifintu…..anybody from Lusaka Times? How about the ball wizard at Rallies? Kindly appoint as an Ambassador to FIFA so that there’s peace at FAZ house.
That’s so wrong and unethical .Journalists will compromise their journalistic ethics as guardians for the people and thereby not keep GRZ in check with tough questions or investigative reports to expose wrong doing.
Selling your journalistic principles for a top govt job is called CORRUPTION.
Enka,
Which ethics are you talking about? Like Fred Mmembe planting a printer in his garage and wagging a personal war against those in government?
Its the prerogative of the president to work with people he is comfortable with. That said, this shows how PF has changed,PF is recalling its own appointees! What of the cost of this move. Isn’t a wonder why the president has to globetrot? Is it not because of appointments of appeasement?
You are saying he can fire all civil servants and replace them with party cadres. The civil service is a neutral institution which must serve Zambia not political parties
Ine Wine: I am sure their contracts will expire end of March. If you read you notice that the new appointments are effective 1 April. So when your contract expires it’s not being fired. You have ran your race and should back home or continue with other things in the country you are. We take renewal of contract of employment for granted as if it’s mandatory. Renewal of employment contracts are discretionary and either party can exercise not to renew upon expiry.
Trump can never be a role model. Trump can not compare with the Great Obama.
But Jimmy Carter brought the “entire ” Georgia to the White House.
Ba Lsk this is not news unless you say there are too many people in the foreign service which I would agree with ! And the need to improve some of the embassies such as the Zambia High Commission in London that is a very embarrassing place as our mission in the UK with outdated furniture from as far back as the Unip days- it gives a bad picture of the country.
Elo I don’t envy people that clamour for jobs abroad! The opportunities are home where you can actively contribute to your country’s development not abroad. An embassy only needs 3 extra officers after the ambassador- the dep ambassador, legal and financial secretary. Kwasila ..let’s be fair!
Truth be told, there’s no way anyone under the sun who would do otherwise for political reasons!
They all look dirty in that pic. So ndanje Just because your dog licks itself down there you wil also do it.
At least they are smartly shaven more than your OVAL HEAD!
@2020 vision . Nkce to see a balanced blog. Comments are spot on
Nobody from the Post Newspaper???Why?
Simple because Hyena Hyena, OVAL HEAD is NOT president…let them wait for 2056!
well it is only logical that only those that understand and appreciate the agenda of a particular government be brought on board and given such important roles. Imagine if Sata had appointed Chanda Chimba the 3rd to be his press aid at the united nations, would it have made sense?
The president doesn’t have a press aid at the UN. Zambia has a press attache and his job is not to propagate PF policies or portray Lungu in a good light
As I said, there only 3 selfish reasons PF00ls voted for LAZY
1. Promise of govt jobs, contracts
2. Tribal/region reasons
3. Bcoz of a boostele song
Unfortunately vacancies are only a handful. Plenty pipo are disappointed that they’ve been left out even after they sacrificed a lot during the campaigns. Reality is:-
– LAZY is a election fraudster
– LAZY has imprisoned thousands of UPND political prisoners without bail
– LAZY has corrupted & corroded the integrity of Zambian judiciary
– LAZY can’t fix the economy.
– LAZY is clueless on how to end unemployment
– LAZY rewards corrupt ministers
– LAZY thrives on violence & tribalism
– LAZY mocks God
– LAZY can’t reduce fuel, electricity, food, telecommunication prices
– LAZY loves traveling out of the country
– LAZY is…
CONT’D
– LAZY brutalizes independent media
– LAZY has no regard for the constitution
– LAZY has no regard for cutting Govt expenditure
– LAZY is forcing RB & MMD onto Zambians even after we rejected them & their corruption in 2011
The damage caused by LAZY being in power for 5 years will take 50 years to redress.
How do u sell out your country in exchange for a job?
Ingaifwe, no appointments sure. Just because indise magalu and unpatriotic.
More swearing ceremonies to keep this Lazy thing in State House on top of that he has just increased govt expenditure.
Absolutely shameful!!
*More swearing ceremonies to keep this Lazy thing in State House busy and on top of that he has just increased govt expenditure by this move.
Absolutely shameful!!
This is not worth celebrating about its based on patronage. It’s bad seed for development and democracy.
Okay this is tribalism at it’s best. Have you noticed the names of the people in the article? Smh. Zambia has just gone to the dogs
Not it’s dogs like you and your sort who criticize just about anything, from a simple fart from some minister to whatever, that have come to this country! Zambia is still okay. Thanks.
Good for them and too bad for the opposite. How do you honestly expect me to honor you when you “bad mouthed” me during the time I needed you most (during campaigns that is)?? It’s just business, and it has paid off for them so congrats on that. Enjoy your new salaries to the fullest!!
Congratulations guys. You deserve your new appointments. Let NEZ die with envy and hate.
In every environment staff rotation is necessary and surely Lungu will not appoint failures and haters to our foreign missions.
Honour among thieves
Could HH have appointed Richard Sakala
Your comments have lost objectivity. What is this obsession you have against losers?
You mean you can’t see the gist in this posting? Too bad!!
NO HE IS AN EX CONVICT WITH CRIMINAL RECORD
So you expected ECL to get hournalists from where ? Zambian Watchdog
Congratulations… Work hard bane don’t get to excited with new positions instead concentrate on your daily duty objectives.
Avoid over drafts on credit cards as you are working in a foreign mission. Teach your children not to loose their family values just because parents are going abroad. Maintain low profile and invest back home.
There is nothing wrong appointing supportive journalist, it’s a wide political norm!!!!
lets be realistic folks, even you who is condemning the employer would you appoint one who will not speak good about the nation and yourself moreover zambia is a nation that is trying to sell its self hence good things must be pointed out ,unless you come up with a good suggestion of reducing the number of officers to save taxpayers money for economical projects and the ministerial position. all those commenting hash sounds like they are full of personal disagreements,,,,,,,,,we need citizens who will let go of political affairs and put personal and national work for it starts with you and i for we are the government
Using taxpayers money to appease cadres will only continue to balloon the 2017 budget deficit. There is a worrying disconnect between MOF and State House. Only disciplined people follow the laid down budget. A spendthrift person or government is not different from a narcotic addict who needs to induce some Dopamine release. 2022 and 2024 are only 5 and 7 years away respectively. This is the time when Eurobonds are due for full payment. Are we so naive as a country that we’ll have debt forgiveness again? Wishful thinking I guess but reality will soon dawn. What has happened to the sink fund Chikwanda talked about??
Many lawyers who worked for Mwanawasa ‘s law firm became high court judges when lpm became president : there is one man at Lusaka HC and one woman at Kitwe HC for instance.
It’s common sense Ndanje!
If it were to happen that OVAL HEAD became President (which is very highly unlikely!), would he appoint Davis Chama or abena Chishimba Kambwili as his Deputy?….ubupa bwingi sana pa Zed kanshi!
Congratulations once more bane..
Report for work on time, not ati iyo taxi yachifwa pa road.
Be your self in terms of personality. Not uku chinja walk umulandu wabu kunina indeke.
Don’t give answers on issues you dont understand.
Be analytical on job issues.
Avoid ifyakulaisha laisha if you happen to meet someone traveling back home.
Once you are abroad, don’t make promises to people back home, in terms business, helping them with visas etc. Unless you are sure with it not for the sake of your own financial benefit.
NOTE:: TELL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ITS YOUR JOB NOT THEIR JOB.
My beef is not with who has been appointed (though I could go into that) It is more with; “What do they actually do in the various positions at these foreign missions”? Whom do they represent? In my experience, visiting some of these foreign missions abroad as a Zambian, to seek assistance, is not a comfortable experience. They try very hard not to have much to do with you. Why are they there? Some of the countries seem like remote outposts with very few Zambians who actually live there, but there is a large work force at the embassy or high commission. What outcomes from these missions benefit Zambians at home and abroad? Do they need that number of staff? These are the questions for me. We spend so much time with the idea of appointments without linking them with whether they have…
… a real purpose or tangible outcomes.
Jay there is your president handing out jobs like candy with no regards to hiring the right personnel. All that is required is that you said something good about him. Kanene got a length prison sentence squashed just with song. Maybe you too can get these lucrative jobs by praising him.
Jay there is your president handing out jobs like candy with no regards to hiring the right personnel. All that is required is that you said something good about him. Kanene got a length prison sentence squashed just with song. Maybe you too can get these lucrative jobs by praising him.