The Ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Media team has refuted the story published by Lusaka Times yesterday alleging that Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo believed that opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was conniving with milling companies to hike the price of mealie meal.
In a statement released to the media and signed by PF Media Director Sunday Chanda, the ruling party described the story as Fake News being at it again. Mr Chanda further said that he had called the Minister of Agriculture and PF Member of the Central Committee Hon Michael Katambo who expressed ignorance of the story and said that he had not given any such interview to any media house neither did he utter any such remarks.
Lusakatimes can confirm that the story that was published yesterday DID NOT quote Hon Katambo or report that the Minister had given an interview to any media house, but rather quoted people close to him, who have thus far maintained that the version of their story is true.
According to people close to Mr Katambo, the Minister said that he had evidence to link Mr Hichilema to the mealie meal price hikes.
“Minister Katambo is convinced that HH is the one behind this whole thing saying he wants to use the mealie meal situation to make the PF government unpopular. The Minister says HH is hoping the PF will go out of government because of mealie meal after a public revolt,” the sources revealed.
The sources who work with Mr Katambo at the Ministry of Agriculture Headquarters revealed that the Minister has been going around claiming that Mr Hichilema is one of the major investors in most of the big milling plants in the country.
They disclosed that Mr Katambo is also accusing Mr Hichilema of conspiring with rich commercial farmers to hold Maize and starve the milling plants in order to cause an artificial shortage.
“The Minister is telling everyone that HH is an investor in these milling plants such as Simba Milling and that he is now using his business muscle to trigger price hikes.”
Below is the full media response from PF Media Team
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FAKE NEWS AT IT AGAIN
Following several queries from the media and general public, I have called the Hon Minister of Agriculture and PF Member of the Central Committee Hon Michael Katambo who has expressed ignorance regarding this story.
The general public is therefore informed that remarks attributed to Hon Minister of Agriculture and PF Member of the Central Committee Hon Michael Katambo in the attached article are false as he has not given any such interview to any media house neither did he utter any such remarks.
The Minister believes that this fake story is a product of pure malice by high priests of falsehood and fake news.
Hon Katambo, MCC, regrets that a credible platform such as Lusaka Times could allow itself to play the role of conveying fake news of this magnitude even after being reminded that the story was nothing but another politically engineered hogwash.
The Minister has, therefore, demanded that Lusaka Times retracts this story and corrects the wrong impression created immediately.
He is further disappointed that some people have attempted to score cheaply by posting this fake story to their Twitter accounts. These are the same people who sponsor and generate falsehoods they later consume in order to dupe the unsuspecting masses of our people.
Issued by:
Sunday Chilufya Chanda
PF Media Director
Party Headquarters
DELETED
DELETED
A CHALLENGE IS ENSUING. LT PLEASE UNLEASH THE VIDEO OR AUDIO, OTHERWISE YOU WILL JOIN THE GROUP OF FAKE NEWS GENERATORS AND DIGGERS. ARE YOU BEING USED? Are you joining the rank n’ file of the likes of ZAMBIA WATCHDOG?
Kikikikikiki kukukuku!
The “high priests of falsehood and fake news”. These are saducees and phalisees of our time. Full of hypocrisy and pretentious attitude.
An image building stunt of the usual double h?
LT I am waiting. Who is the source of that earth moving “falsehood”. How could the entire KATAMBO member of the PF’s NCC, we have just learnt personally utter such derogatory unprintables agaisnt an innocent fellow? Who is your source and how did you get it? An audio or video will do please at this moment. You excited ZEALOTS here.
I don’t see any logic in defending your minister who allegedly still thinks I quote “Minister Katambo is convinced that HH is the one behind this whole thing saying he wants to use the mealie meal situation to make the PF unpopular”.
The minister is not being honest but a fat liar.
Ba Edgar don’t like that chiSunday Chanda, I never seen him (it) on any of the weekly presidential trips. Last trip to India, there were 46, and Sunday didn’t make a team. The only chance Sunday enters the Gulf Stream Jet, is going to pick empty bottles, and sipping on Kaizer’s left-over cheap wine.
Twakulabepeshafye Fake News shinonshiku
Let’s forget aboutu the Privatisation Thief for once.
Where the recording that the minister is accusing someone. Reports,please be credible.
Subliminal minds
“More money in your pocket in ninety days” – that was the original fake news by the PF.
Zambian politics is for demagogues. People who use feelings and not reason to campaign
And the irony is that majority of voters, let me just call them i.diots, use the same feelings to vote. They can even vote for a song or someone who says he has no vision, simply because they know him as being humble.
We wi?l repeat this beautiful humble “mistake” even in 2021 as long as kalusa stands.
Kikikikikikijukija.
You sound like one CKinsultor in a Nigerian dashiki gear looking like a chief one beautiful Sunday evening up close with Gravazio Zulu in a TV interview dubbed SUNDAY INTERVIEW.
CKinsultor in his capacity as Minister of Information categorically said and I quote” People in Southern Province would vote for a Stone if that stone were labeled Tonga (double h) and it stood against the Lord Jesus”
This was the waste kind of political attack that disparaged the people of SP todate. So these verbal abuses do have a way of coming back.
Ususha iwe?
This is what happens when Journalism goes to the dogs. Why should stories be running on according to sources close to the minister and worse still the sources are not even mentioned. Zambian journalists do not know how to develop and build investigative stories. In fact, even the way Lusaka times has responded or featured the response from Sunday Chanda shows the justification that the story was true. 90 percent of the response is much more on the story was written based on the story coming from the sources. Journalism goes to the dogs…..or dogs have gone to journalism
This is Confusion at its best. The Minister of Agriculture makes allegations about HH and Mealie Meal. The Govt’s Spokesman stays quiet but a PF’ s Spokesman waffles about what he doesn’t know. Chipante Pante @ work. Sunday Chanda should leave Dora Solution to comment as Govt Spokesperson.
UPND has already given explicit instructions to its cronies and allied ‘news’ agencies like ZWD, Mastonline etc to manufacture fake news and public misinformation is their primary objective. These tribal cronies have been instructed to character assassinate anyone who does not support their tribalism. To beat misinformation China has built it’s own social media platforms such as WECHAT which are monitored by the state. 2021 elections is a battle of misinformation; PF media team brace yourselves!!
You can say that again.
UPND media is full of witches that thrives on falsehoods and blood. How can one associate himself with a Freemason an be normal in society.
Media Director my foot. Do these people even know what the term Director means??? What Kind of Director is this Sunday Chanda. I wonder if he even read the story. Any credible director who would have asked his people to study the story would have realised that is was a speculative story and not worth responding too. Just show how doomed the country is with people incharge of make public comments being so dull and lacking the skill of critical reading and thinking. I also agree with one of the bloggers. Why is a PF Media director responding to a speculative issue about a Government position? Should the Government Spokesperson Ms Siliya be responding to this or at least the PS for information? Sunday chanda is wrong and overzealous. This is not a party matter but a Government matter.
THE FINAL DECISION WILL BE MADE BY THE POOR MAN CARRYING A VOTERS CARD. THIS ONE DOES NOT EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND HE BELONGS TO THE MAJORITY. DO YOU WONDER WHY YOU ALWAYS CRY THAT YOUR VOTES WERE STOLEN? THINK ABOUT THIS MAN AND UNDERSTAND HOW HE PERCEIVES THE PF….THATS THE KEY TO WINNING THE 2021 ELECTIONS. OTHERWISE YOU ARE IN FOR ANOTHER RUN TO THE COURTS. CHEERS.
I said it yesterday.I worked with Mr.Katambo (Honourable) for two years I know him .He can’t address the nation like that .The article was fake publication.I even opposed it.
UPND osati chosamo chimwela please.The other day UPND published an article that 10 cows were donated to Kampyongo later was discovered to be false information.I was developing hope for UPND but I wouldn’t want cheap propaganda based on falsehood.
How can we vote for UPND..?
Mr Forecast did u read the response from Kampyongo or you r jst yapping
UPND IS TRYING TO WIN 2021 BY CREATING FALSEHOODS AGAINST PF. THAT WILL NOT WORK. JUST SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO BETTER AND DIFFERENTLY FROM PF. OTHERWISE I CAN SMELL VICTORY IN THE PF CAMP AND ANOTHER WORST DEFEAT IN UPND KRAAL.
Mr. Sakala we are not looking at what Mr.Kampyongo responded.We WANT TRUE POSITION OF THE MINISTER HIMSELF.
According to channels of communication the Minister has refuted the article’s claim.He is saying that the article is FAKE of which I knew it because he know Mr.Katambo in person.He not a disgruntled politician to handle that delicate situation like it was published.
Am sorry if I have wrote anything wrong.
LT you are an accomplice to this fake news, and you have no defence in court.
Terms like “sources “revealed” and “disclosed” mean that you believe the allegations are true.
Chizungu ba LT you will be imprisoned for fake news.
Every fake news =subtract 200 votes from HH in 2021.
I cannot see any other possible combination except negatives for bwana HH.
Lusaka times is compromised by UPND.
This morning there was an article that backfired and embarrassed HH. All comments showed disappointments in the nature of politics of the UPND. Alas the story has been removed by Lusaka times leaving old stories.
As Zambians lets learn to be careful .It appears we believe anything we read on social media and react.All media houses have an agenda and plz lets learn to read between lines.
The content of the statement you have issued is full of fake news dear Sunday Chilifya Chanda. You called the minister and you expect the minister to tell the truth, really! he simply told you what you wanted to hear his initial statement has had a negative impact on the learned society, and in the words of Shi Mumbi his “failing to take responsibility”
At the end of the day one thing is very clear about us Zambians. We don’t know what we want to happen to our lives. The people who want to lead us start to use lies to get into power while those in power sustain their position of defending poverty. Who will put food in our bellies. Both groups will continue to make us poor but worse is the group that is demonstrating that they want to come on the path of deceiving us by being talkative. Anyone who trusts a gossiping friend will definitely suffer the consequences of being part to gossip. Those who are taking ministerial information for the sake of impressing the voters can not be trusted because they will come and continue on this path when they we vote them in. The truth is: yes we are poor and hungry but lying and defending non…
Katambo was quoted in his capacity as a government minister not PF cadre so what right has Chanda, a PF employee, to speak on behalf GRZ? Even if Dorah Siliya was asleep and missed the story it would have made sense to hear the denial from Katambo. IS THIS A CLASSIC CASE OF FACE SAVING BY AN INEPT AND INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT?
To prove that the minister didn’t say that let him sue Lusaka time who published that.