Government is set to meet Diplomats in Zambia that have expressed concern over the suspension of the licence of privately owned Prime Television.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Joseph Malanji who confirmed the development also disclosed that government has not yet received official communication from the embassies with regards to the suspension of the TV station although government notes the media statements attributed to the Diplomats.
Mr. Malanji said his ministry has a responsibility to explain issues that happen in the country to Diplomats in order to reduce miscommunication and misconceptions that maybe created in the media.
He however said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and IBA has competent workers who have exhausted required processes before arriving at the decision to suspend Prime TV for one month.
The Minister said this in Addis Ababa shortly after arriving from Comoros where he led a SADC Ministerial Committee to discuss progress made on the application by Comoros to be admitted to SADC.
He said Comoros had expressed willingness to append its signature to the Peace and Security and Privileges and immunities protocols.
The Minister disclosed that he held meetings with; the Country’s Interim President Abudul Moustardrane, Speaker of the Comoros Assembly Dr. Abdou, Members of the Electoral Commission and Opposition party leaders.
He said all the stakeholders expressed consensus on the need for the country to hold free and fair elections, despite the Electoral Commission having been set up not more than five years ago.
He said in the wake of Comoro’s failure to sign the protocols before the election date , the decision whether SADC will monitor elections in Comoros or not will be decided during the SADC meeting scheduled for Namibia next week.
And on the International Women’s Day, the Minister said President Lungu had placed high premium on gender equality.
He said the appointment of a first female Vice President is testimony that President wants Gender parity to be actualized in Zambia.
I have no intentions of lifting Prime Tv suspension, I don’t bend to pressure from outside -Kasolo
Government to meet diplomats in Zambia over the suspension of Prime Tv.
My question is are we hearing from two groups or it’s from one?
Kenny Kasonde Kolala
In PF government even technocrats behave like cadres,i hope Kasolo has plan “B”,otherwise who is going to employ the arrogant chap after 2021,that is if he survives this clear abuse of authority of office…
Malanji will only be EXPLAINING to diplomats how IBA arrived at the decision to suspend Hakainde’s Prime Tv. No negotiations about lifting the suspension
Is it the Ministry of Information (Govt) or IBA? Or is this speaking the true mind behind the closure? Maybe a slip of the tongue or the actual truth.
Malanji quote, ” He however said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and IBA has competent workers who have exhausted required processes before arriving at the decision to suspend Prime TV for one month”.
Kkkkkkk.
PF will come out losers after all of this quagmire.
IBA can’t be dancing to the tune of a cadre, “Mr. 6-points” Davis Mwila.
These are the Last kicks of the PF00Lish govt as 2021 draws near.
Simply look at the CVs and do a simple background check of those two kaponyas in the photos ….
PF doesn’t know that closing media houses is interference and a danger to democracy. You telling the whole world that you hate press freedom, this is a sense of concern for investors and tourists who may view you as intolerant and a danger to their investment or life
Lusaka Times…try and stick to one story. Don’t put too many different stories in one article. It’s unprofessional. Secondly, you haven’t said anything concerning why Prime-TV was suspended. Try and find competent journalists and editors. Always answer WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, WHERE…when writing an article. Don’t assume that people know what you’re talking about.
Its delusional for PF government to believe they can act with impunity to suppress and intimidate Zambians while the world looks and pretend democracy is flourishing in Zambia.
Boycott meeting diplomats to prove your point.
Democracy does not mean causing anarchy and confusions in the country by irresponsible reporting by media houses.
2.1 flag Moses P. Sichula
Why then do PF ban any peacefull rallies and demos by civil organisations and citizens
Let the diplomats start checking znbc before you discuss the issue of prime TV which is very very very innocent.i will never watch znbc in my life which is always starts with PF and ends with pf.Balance the news guys otherwise you are below par.
Who’s going to die if you don’t watch znbc?
Do you know what brought about the massacres in Rwanda.you are just a statistic and are not worried about you not watching znbc.
By the time they meet, the 30 days will be over!!
Squeeze the venom out of the PUFF adder!
FORGET ABOUT THE IMF BAILOUT
Yeah pit pressure on these dictators who think they can do what ever they want…. Dander heads and Kaponya’s in PFoools stup!ty party
Unfortunately, trib.al upnd is not an option for Zambia. Reason? Started with the death of upnd-Mazoka and the birth (or is it still birth?) of upndead at the 2006 trib.al convention. ……
Upnd cadre
Yes it is true UPND is a tribal party,but between a tribal party and an incompetent party ,you have to be very stupid to believe you can sell PF,njala yatipaya,kazidyani tiza votela tribalist asilizeko njala muziko..you want us die from hunger by voting PF?No way baba let those eating vote for them,elo nibanga?…
…sorry for the typo, meant read the 2006 trib.al “convention” as it was not really a convention but some trib.al gathering. ……
UPND cadre show your intelligence through analyzing some issues not start bringing unheadline issues nevertheless that is your capacity of your brains.
We told you, the soft underbelly of PF is they can not rule Zambia without forigne aid……the soft underbelly of lungu is he loves recognition on his travells as the popular democratically elected leader in a free and democratic Zambia……but their true colours of violent mob rule are clashing with what they want to show the international community….
Bulk emails have been sent to the EU as a whole and individual countries pointing out how the aid they give lungu is being used to crackdown on democracy …
All this stems from the fact that PF and police violence in sesheke has been caught on film. The gun wielding PF caders caught on film that went viral harassing the UPND shook PF…..
Teach every activist how to record footage on phones and other not so obvious methods of PF violence.
Lungu and the PF don’t give a darn about what is reported in Zambia…..don’t be duped into thinking this reaction is to do with local reporting …..it was the footage that went viral around the world that shook lungu and pf ….there is a real threat to the donner aid they recive and to the prestige and ego of lungu with such footage going viral.
The UPND has written to the church mother bodies ,NGOs,pressure groups and to diplomatic relations with complaints about the disclosure of PRIME TV.
This is the same scenario of POST NEWS PAPER, that went head on with government by using the same imperialists known as diplomats.POST NEWSPAPER was closed down to date because M’meembe thought HH and his evil mineral imperialists would help him to pin down the government.This is the same scenario PRIME TV is taking.MUVI TV also almost went into trouble with HH’s media abuse.Costa mwansa suffered bickering over political favoritism politics of UPND.
HH feels he is free to abuse everyone because he has a support of mineral imperialists ,little does he know that white imperialists are using him.
Mineral resources are for Zambians not for…
Typical of mugabe type dictatorial regimes …. blame their failur to provide jobs on imaginary imperialist …..with out the imaginary imperialists , Zambia’s copper and other minerals belong to the Indians and Chinese anyways, so not sure what difference the other imaginary imperialists would make….
PF are failing to pay civil servants on time and failing to pay for completion of capital projects ….the crack down on freedom of information is meant to hide their failures
Typical of mugabe type dictatorial regimes …. blame their failur to provide jobs on imaginary imperialist …..with out the imaginary imperialists , Zambia’s copper and other minerals belong to the Indians and Chinese anyways, so not sure what difference the other imaginary imperialists would make….
PF are failing to pay civil servants on time and failing to pay for completion of capital projects ….the crack down on freedom of information is meant to hide their failures
What nonsense,not worth a response. PF has failed,that is it.You think you can sell it by decampaining UPND,think again,tell us how you will get us out of this hole you have put us in,propaganda cant work,we are feeling the results of incompetence in our pockets…
When you wake up one day in travel sanctions that’s when you’ll realise how serious the matter is to the international community.
And you love travelling!
#Shimwana, obviously you are a trib.al.
1. Incompetence is easily curable, but trib.al is incurable
2. If trib.als came to power, there would be abundant food for trib.als but othets woukd be denied, because allocation of wealth, famine telief, etc etc would be on trib.al basis
3. Trib.al is more evil than incompetence, look at the trib.al wars that have resukted from trib.al activities by trib.al leaders, you want one in Zambia to prove your case?
4. Incompetence can and shall be replaced by voting in a more competent party, but not a trib.al God forbid!!
I loathe incompetence, but trib.al is satanic!!
The Zambian opposition needs to understand freedom of speech. They only understand it when they are in opposition
When they go into power they use all the unfair laws to protect themselves. They advocate for a free ZNBC but when in power ZNBC covers only the ruling party Defamation of the president as a crime is unconstitutional but which president has been selfless enough to start a debate on it in parliament?
Both MMD and PF used to cry for freedom of expression when they were not in state house but they have done their best to hold on to times of Zambia and Daily Mail in the process killing these as businesses our politicians need to go to school to learn to appreciate freedom of expression