Cabinet has announced that it will go ahead and sue respected London based media house Africa Confidential for what it says is a smear campaign against the people of Zambia.
Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya conformed in a Tweet that the decision was arrived at during this week’s cabinet meeting.
This followed a news briefing in Lusaka where Ms Siliya disclosed that government was exploring possibilities of taking legal action against Africa Confidential after it exposed the social cash transfer scandal.
Ms. Siliya said Cabinet has instructed the Attorney General to interrogate the possibility of the people of Zambia and the Zambian government taking legal action against the Africa Confidential.
She claimed that the smear campaign ‘perpetuated’ by the Africa Confidential “hurt the people of Zambia, not President Lungu.”
“It hurts the people of Zambia,” said Ms. Siliya.
“The economy is about perception and when people continue to have a smear campaign against our country, it affects the economy of the country and who suffers? It is the people of Zambia and that’s why we have acted swiftly that any insinuation that DFID money was used to pay debt or DfID had been stolen, we acted swiftly to say the DfID and British government let’s give them their money because we knew where it was and that we have been trying to explain that we ourselves…fighting corruption is not about visitors to this country.”
Govt has began a process to take legal action against the Africa Confidential for a smear campaign against the people of Zambia.
— Hon. Dora Siliya, MP (@Dora_Siliya) October 3, 2018
No…..sense Dora everything AC has reported on has proven right. Don’t waste our money
To fix this corruption problem, we will have to be open, not defensive. Everyone knows, it is everyone one in Zambia; that is from the Statehouse to a headmaster in a city school. Stealing is unacceptable Africa. You better not touch the madman’s ARVs money, or Zambians will die in masses.
I truly hope they proceed with the case.
That is one way that this can of worms will be opened.
A lot will be revealed.
HOWEVER, the government should NOT use tax payers money to fight this case.
Do you know how much REAL lawyers in the UK cost?
Or is this just another scheme to steal more tax payers money by this corrupt leadership?
Do you know how much it will cost Zambia if the government loses this case?
Oh good, go and waste more of our money on *****ic endeavours, while our civil servant remain unpaid, councils unpaid, universities unpaid…Excellent prioritising
Hahaha….If PF and Lungu had brains, they would be very dangerous not only to themselves but also to the zambian populace.
Economy is not about perception; it’s about actions and policies.
Which court? Just ask Dora to show bank statements they will drop that case very swiftly!!
I am sure Animo Farm has been paying a lot of money and supporting Galu Watchers in Zambia as well as TRIBO H-Organisations on the WEB to go Mapatizya Formula! Let’s get Animo Farm.
Our government has got money to waste. We all know they will lose the case but there they go misusing our taxes. Somebody stop them!
Black women please this hair you put on from other human beings. Please be natural, it looks very bad. God made you with your kinki hair for the built of yourself.
Now iwe dora now this is sinking another low. How much are you going to make african confidential pay? this is useless and as a govt you may end up paying them for reporting the truth. Waste of tax payers money
I agree with Charles. DORA – PLEASE CHANGE THE WIG YOU ARE WEARING. YOU HAVE STARTED LOOKING LIKE PILATO NOW. You are very beautiful in your natural hair.
Back to the point: Please investigate what forces within Zambia are helping this organization “Africa Confidential” to perpetuate this smear campaign. IT IS VERY BAD FOR THE HEALTH OF THE ECONOMY. Someone from within Zambia is aiding these hell bent organizations to perpetuate the evil intentions.
WHY DON’T THEY FOCUS ON REAL ISSUES IN THE CONGO WHERE LIVES ARE LOST DAILY?????
How can she say the truth hurt the people of Zambia? The only ones that are hurt are the ones who’ve been stealing for years. They will be accountable one day when they face the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mapatizya Formula NOT WORKING! The Thief of Paradise Papers Panicking HAGAIN.
Africa Confidential will soon tell us more about a video in which UPND Kalulushi Candidate Evaristo Mwalilino’s driver revealed how Hakainde Hichilema and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba’s Kalulushi Constituency votes where concealed went viral after it was aired on Prime TV.
In the video, Wanna Chiyanga is confessing that his boss Mwalilino was given K21000, K360 000 for 21,966 votes and dropping the election petition respectively.
It was disclosed the former President Rupiah Banda, Information Minister Kapamba Mulenga and axed PF Deputy Chairperson for Elections Kelvin Fube Bwalya(KBF) and Mwalilino were heavily involved in the scheme of things.
While this could be a GOOD IDEA TO CLEAN THE BATTERED IMAGE OF THIS GOVT, IT MAY JUST BACKFIRE ON THEM (PF) AS MANY QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION COME OUT IN COURT PROCEDURES(especially during cross examination)- Remember that “Chiluba is a thief case” against the Post Newspaper. By the way WHY NOT SUE THEM TOO FOR ALLEGED CHINESE TAKEOVER OF ZESCO,ZNBC etc SO THAT WE HEAR THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT THE WHOLE “SMEAR CAMPAIGN”?? IN WHICH COUNTRY ARE YOU SUING THEM,ZAMBIA OR UK?? We eagerly await this case to open because we all surprised that money which was intact could be reported stolen and why it was kept in the account for a long time when the intended poor beneficiaries suffered all long!!
hope this was not from the guy from EAZ, do not waste money just pay unza students and staff! than starting battles you cannot win. Mind you the guy keeping the clock is upset just check how the years are flying, 2021 is just around the corner.
The biggest crime Lungu Committed was to put this woman in Government!
This actually good if you look at it from the other side of the fence, this might expose them (PF) so that we know all these back yard deals they have been making with the Chinese, remember Chinese loans came unaudited and only they know the terms of these loans they have been getting.
HH IS MEANWHILE SALIVATING THINKING THIS IS HIS 1991 MOMENT.
WRONG.
ZAMBIANS REMEMBER THAT TOGETHER WITH CHILUBA, HH PLUNDERED ZAMBIA DURING THE PRIVATIZATION TO MAKE HIM VERY RICH THROUGH MASSIVE CORRUPTION.
TALK OF THE KETTLE CALLING THE POT BLACK!!
You are so daft with your stupidity and dullness.
@ benson
What is the point in responding to the brain-washed sufferer of genetically induced !mbecility?
WHY SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT SUE AFRICA CONFIDENTIAL FOR REVEALING THE TRUTH?.
IT IS NOT THE IMAGE OF THE COUNTRY GETTING TARNISHED.IT IS THAT OF PEOPLE GOVERNING THE COUNTRY.
THEY ARE FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.THEY SHOULD CHANNEL THEIR ENERGIES TOWARDS SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS.
THEY WILL BE NO DAMAGE CONTROL.WE BROUGHT THIS UPON OUR SELVES AS ZAMBIANS.
They think they are entitled to lie. Don’t kubeba at it’s best.
A can of worms is about to be opened.Dora your affiliation and RB,s involvement got you of the hook in the radar scandle but days are being counted.
Such women are responsible for having ruling parties lose elections “the MMD as a case in point”.
We Zambians should also look at things critically how does a person who is a lawyer have a phobia of facing the people he presides over,It brings the question as to how was he representing people when he was in practice,the chanda boys and ah Dora are only protecting their fragile Jobs.
scotland yard should be involved we see.
This is laughable, how have you been embossed when you were busy denying that there was no such rot going on? Are you also going to sue them for exposing the scam at ministry of education as well? These are the so called leaders to take us to greater heights? This is flabbergasting as it is discombobulating. The outrageousness of this ill conceived action confirms that we have morons masquerading as leadesr with no iota of shame whatsoever. Keep yapping and misleading PF goons and your visionless creek of incompetent nincompoops.
So we don’t more pressing issues to attend to such as the high levels of poverty among Zambian’s sure?! Awe this is fast becoming nonsensical mweh!
Meant embarrassed.
All these years the British have only given Zambia 2.7 million pounds and yet they spend that kind of money in their embassy every year ????? for their entire 2.7 million pounds they have donated to Zambia since they started awe mukwayi give them back their money and tell them to pack up.
Why not close your smelly and Rat infested Embassy in London, withdraw from Commonwealth and STOP BEGGING.
Live within your own means, suck to the Chinese and learn how to use chopsticks in the new independent province of Chambia
That is less than the price of 4 fire engines in 64 years and they make so much noise. Just get out of Zambia and stop wasting our time
It’s a distraction. That was freely available information that was published on all sorts of sites (sue the YouTube commentators, too, as some of us learned about this debacle from there). Old-fashioned tactics akin to preventing children from entering parents’ bedrooms. Awe shuwa!
Dora, please dont say the people of Zambia, you do not represent me, say the PF would like to drag Africa Confidential to court
Dont waste our Tax payers money!!! The people of Zambia say NO to this litigation!
Government is corrupt thats why the percption is in the negative!
This is a case the government will loose. Africa Confidential will counter sue and the government will and win the case. They will end up paying a lot of money. GRZ are best advised to use the money to buy medicines at UTH.
I would rather you let the sleeping dog sleep. You would not want to burn fingers, would you. At the international stage it is a different ball game all together. It is not a Savanda case where one can bribe judges all his way.
Dora and whoever advises Lungu must be very useless. you refunded the stolen donated monies. The fact remains you stole. Dora what hurts is that you and RB brought corruption to PF. And this PF has been baptized with corruption leaving the confers empty and condemning ordinary Zambians to untold miseries; it’s all poverty all over the surface of Zambia, people’s faces are stressed and depressed. institutions going without salaries, UNZA students studying without allowances (why grant bursary you cannot pay?). what sort of politicians are these, killing a young female student over a meal allowance? I don’t know how to get through to you PF. It’s high time we revive the spirits of Walamba, Chiluba, Zimba in workers’ unions.
Why was Emerine Kabanshi fired with no case
Dollar was broke afternoon mmd lost. She was even sued by a garden boy for failing to pay salary
This the same girl that would call Pf a flip flop govt
Today she has a job and she has forgot ten what brought trouble on her.
They shut membes post. The deported Lumumba. They now want AC
WHY. because Thats what donchi kubeba stands for .
Solid foundation for Government is the outcome of the court case against AC. The journal took it personal. A journal must uphold and promote the highest level of integrity at all times. Instead, the journal chose to embarrass and ridicule Africans generally and Zambians in particular. It is the duty of Zambians to correct their elected Government. It is not too late for AC to retract stories that are weak of evidence and strong on sensation. This will serve as a lesson to potential offenders. The country is full of flowers. The country is full of fresh water. The rivers are full of fish. The forest is full of game animals. The farms are producing surplus. See the rain is falling on the mountain side, see the clouds are forming, forming everywhere.
Lungu will be asked how he sanctioned paying 42/42 for trucks that should cost less than $20 million….instead lungu who gets reports from all ministries saw nothing wrong with pay $42 million for gonga trucks.
Those scania trucks are double cab but look like they have been converted into fire trucks at soweto market or in mandevu …..
This is rubbish, this is only for window dressing purposes, aimed to play with mind of the corrupt government supporters, they will not even try to go to court. How will you explain the reason you paid back the money if it is not true? Is the British commissioner also going to be sued, he also tweeted Britain will not tolerate theft and corruption? Take the advice, those who live in glass houses do not threw stones.
Talking crap Dora, you know PF and lungu have too many skeletons under their beds.
Even lungu is being called a corrupt theif everyday, why has he not sued ???
Ba UPND we know you are behind amplifying negative sentiments against our country. If you dont understand the multiplier effect of such behavior how can you understand managing an economy so adversily affected by so many factors such as poor location as a landlocked country, adverse weather conditions, corruption of not only government but our society, external shocks such as $ strengthening, Oil prices, narrow export basis, UPND to name but a few?
Yoù need a GRZ of high morals and integrity , not the pf morals from the pit latrines of chawama….
there is no case here…. as a ………. i would advise the Attorney General not to embarrass himself….. any litigation has a cause of action supported by the applicable law of a particular jurisdiction… No Zambian lawyers can stand in UK courts unless he is licenced as a barrister in UK… Dora is simplistic….
Let her spare us of her ignorance….. Ask Lungu when he accused Mwenya of deriding our judicial systems by taking the case to UK involving KCM…. KCM lost the case…..
Ask Lungu or Dora of Mark Sullivan of mining companies cases in UK….. Have they paid Him….
Imwe Bantu…. these chaps are either dull or they think we are dull……
My plea to them is that before you speak , think? why did you pay back if you really paid back? Evidence will be adduced and lungu…
and Dora will be embarrased….. Shame to have such leaders……….. Everyday you embarrassed the nation of either of your actions or utterances…. very disjointed government…….
One day you pay yourselves heavy salaries backdated from January and no tax is deducted from your emoluments , the other day you increase fuel…..
Do you know how to govern a national or it is your belly you are interested?
Lungu and his GRZ should be asked why those ministers who were paid illigal salarires after parliament dissolved have not paid back the money as per court order ????
Unbelievable! The amount of dumbness these PF people have knows no bounds. Where are they going to sue African Confidential, in the UK or Zambia? How do you sue a news organization for reporting the truth? At ‘smear campaign’… the only people tarnishing Zambia with ‘smear campaign’ is the PF with their unprecedented levels of corruption. In fact it is the ordinary people of Zambia who should sue this PF numskulls for mounting a smear campaign against the country through their corruption.
Imagine this, a person steals another man’s money; the thief gets caught and is reported by a newspaper. The thief agrees to return the stolen money but sues the newspaper for reporting the theft under a charge of ‘smear campaign’.
In the UK they press has freedoms to report cases of…
…In the UK they press has freedoms to report cases of corruption… reporyers even go undercover to expose corruption; and many individuals and organizations have fallen victims of it including Kalusha Bwalya; Sepp Blatter to name a few.
Negro please sit down and stop abusing the meager resources you are already stealing from. This is where corruption will never end… instead of directing their anger on their own corruption deeds, they are blaming and mad of those exposing it. Next they will sue the British government for asking their money back. Unbelievable!
All UPND thugs are worried with this revelation.
Taking African confidential to court is not going to help, government need to change the way they do things. Be Transparent.
Your car is spying on you your bank account buying a ticket to go someway spying on you there is no more secrets in this world.
You worried about African confidential, worry about AI.
these *****s are hipping more offences to be charged aganist them when they come out of power. why go to such an extend. you will have to account for the monies you are wasting mind you.
Yes sue them but please use your own money from your pockets. Don’t waste taxpayers money. Taxes are already too high as it is.
Please show us that this is not just Dutch courage. Proceed and don’t retreat.
Negative. What BOMA needs is to have an effective media team-always ahead of the game not ever in reactive mode. Media relations has become complex. You have to be proactive, in control and be in charge of your narratives.
Zambian have been hoodwinked MMD reloaded !
That’s a good idea make sure you sue them in London, of course we shall loose looking at how statements were made how money magically appeared in the account.. Those guys Africa Confidential i believe even have bank statement and whatever documents in Zanaco and will use as evidence.. I know this wont go anywhere they will start saying after discussion with the donors they believed we shouldn’t go that way etc If at all this happens it will be interesting to hear what things will be revealed
Another useless unwarranted response. Whose tax money are you going to use on another crusade to try and ‘save face’? There are more pressing national issues to deal with than pursue a publication that is actually welcome in exposing the truth about your excesses.
The best way to counter the British agenda to tarnish Zambia’s reputation to investors abroad to promote regime change is by; avoiding their tainted bilateral donor AID money; terminating business involvement with UK companies ie Cancel and put to tender the Tullow Oil Petroleum Exploration Licence 28, which covers a 55,000-square-kilometer (21,236-square-mile) onshore block in northern Zambia. and disqualify Glencore Energy UK’s exploration bid to buy a majority stake in Zambia’s Indeni Petroleum Refinery. The less we have to do with the British the Better off we are.
Dora, in which jurisdiction you are going to “drag” AC to Court? Zambia, UK or ICJ?
Please, refrain from making 5TUPID statements. Your entire Government is CORRUPT. Executive, Judiciary and Legislature STINKS OF CORRUPTION, THEFT and MURDER OF INNOCENT ZAMBIANS.
It is quite befitting to act against Africa Confidential if they are fabricating stories against Zambia regarding the use of the donor funds. Some media publications want to expand and reach as many audience as possible using lies. These are some of the publications which perpetuate violence in countries. In DRC they did not just work up and start fighting but that was promoted by rumour mongers like the Africa confidential. They should not destroy Zambia as for us it still ours period.
Long live Zambia, Long live Edgar Lungu, long live Cabinet and Dora Siliya. Paul Simbeye
Let PF go ahead and sue so that we learn more about our leaders and how they govern us. But they should not say the people of Zambia are hurt, it is them that are hurt.
Currently the people of Zambia are annoyed due to hard economic situations that the PF has put them in. Would Sata have driven us to this level? This is the reason why old PF members are not happy because it is outside the vision and aspirations of PF on which it was founded. Twapapata tubeleleniko uluse.