Tuesday, March 19, 2024

IBA shuts down Religious Lutanda Radio for airing a program deemed to promote tribalism and hate speech

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The Independent Broadcasting Authority has with immediate effect suspended the broadcasting license for Lutanda Radio Station in Northern Province for 30 days after the station aired a story with the potential to promote hate speech.

IBA Director General Josephine Mapoma says the aired story had potential to put the peace and security of the nation at risk.

Ms Mapoma says the decision to suspend the license was arrived at today during the emergency IBA Board meeting.

Briefing the media this afternoon, Ms Mapoma says IBA found Radio Lutanda to have breached the airing of a programme deemed to promote tribalism and hate speech, failure to moderate a programme and failure to follow guidelines provided for a Religious Broadcasting Stations.

On 12th November, 2019 the Authority followed a breaking story that alleged that Lutanda radio in Kasama was promoting tribalism on air.

This prompted the Authority to investigate the matter further and obtained soundbites of the programme.

“After conducting its investigations and analysing the recordings, the Authority found the following breaches: I. Airing a program deemed to promote tribalism and hate speech. The guests together with the presenter of the program were mentioning individual names (Hakainde Hichilema) and a particular ethnic group (Tongas) by passing derogatory, demeaning and tribal remarks likely to result into disorder and disrupt the peace of the public,” Ms. Mapoma said.

“This was in breach of Section 33 of the Principal IBA Act of 2002 which stipulates that …… ‘’every licensed broadcasting service, shall develop a code of professional standards which shall have respect for human dignity and rights and freedoms, and contribution to the tolerance of different opinions and belief.”

Ms. Mapoma said, “In addition, the station was deemed to have breached the provision of the IBA Act which discourages programming that can threaten the public safety, security, peace, welfare or good order.”

“The Authority also found that the Station had violated Regulation No. 3.2.1 of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which states: material likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder must not be included in broadcasting services.”

“Furthermore, the Station could not adhere to its own developed code of Practice/Ethical guidelines which state that ‘’every person is created in the image of God and as such, has value in his/her own right. In addition, the station discourages hate speech and encourages the promotion of the One Zambia One Nation motto. It also has a guideline on callers which prohibits any caller from using hate speech or bad language’’.

“II. Failure to the moderate a programme
The Authority found that the moderator appeared to be perpetuating the discussion based on tribe instead of curtailing the debate. III. Failure to follow guidelines provided for a Religious Broadcasting Station. The Station aired a political program which is not in line with the License category which is a violation of the provision of the IBA Act. The IBA ACT has stipulated the type of content expected to be broadcast by a Religious Radio Station.”

She said the suspension has been done under Section 29 (1) (J) of the IBA Amendment Act of 2010 which prescribes that the ‘’Board may cancel a broadcasting licence if the cancelation is necessary in the interest of peace and security, welfare or good order’’.

“In addition, it has also been done under Section 29 (1) (k) of the IBA Amendment Act of 2010 which provides that, ‘The Board may suspend a broadcasting licence if it considers it appropriate in the circumstances of the case to do so.”

She said Lutanda Radio may appeal against the decision of the IBA Board to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services within 30 days pursuant to section 31(1) of the IBA Amendment Act of 2010 which provides that ‘’a person who is aggrieved with the decision of the Board under this part may appeal to the Minister within 30 days’’.

“During the suspension, the Station is expected to engage qualified and professional staff, conduct in -house training on basic journalism ethics, programme moderation skills, script writing and ethical broadcasting.”

“The Authority wishes to appeal to all broadcast stations to be careful in the way they handle programmes. Broadcast stations must operate in accordance with the existing broadcasting regulations and guidelines. Further, the Authority also wishes to appeal to members of the public and guests of stations to be mindful of their speech on air, as not doing so may have serious consequences for broadcast stations.”

36 COMMENTS

    • I think this decision is draconian. To help the country learn a lesson from this matter, the station manager who allowed the hate speech should be given a chance to explain why they allowed it.

    • When are the two going to be arrested for hate speech.If chiefs are truly guardians for their own people and traditions, and if I was one I wouldn’t take this nonsense been peddled on my subjects, I would make sure all legal processes are followed up until these two face the law for such hateful language.

    • The biggest challenge in this country is poverty, due to this some people are ready do such dispeakable acts to remain in power because outside politics, they can’t survive , all in the name of clinging on to power, some people will stoop so low, for economical survival through politics. SHAME.

    • This matter is going to make us have a national conversation on hatred and that will be great. If it also leads to a proper conversation on language, that will also be great. For example, Bemba isn’t the only language in Northern Province. Can Mambwe and Namwanga languages broadcast on Lutanda Catholic Radio? If not, why not?

    • Christianity my asssss….hypocrites and evil just like morooon makaka Kapya Kaoma….now do away with the so called “CHRISTIAN NATION”…..and the same muzungu who taught you Christianity dont even know how to pray and you will never hear Muzungu saying he wants to go to heaven….They build and develop their countries and thats enough heaven for them….

    • Don’t just give my posting the thumbsdown. Advance an argument. You msy even persuade me. That’s wht I am on this site for: to take part in a conversation with u.

    • There’s another issue that shouldn’t be overlooked. These PF leaders from Kasama are just villagers with expected narrow-mindedness. Wht such politicians say shouldn’t set the pace of political discourse. If wht one of them says about visiting Southern Province is true, he probably thinks he was the only Bemba in the province at that time. That cannot be possibly true.

  1. “GOD’S PEOPLE” my foot!
    Churches is where ALL the Wizard’s, Witches, & Warmongers, & M0L3st3rs congregate.
    ATI CHRISTIAN NATION, WHILST STEALING, & F0RN!CT1NG LIKE THERES NO TOMORROW!
    Kaya??

    • Town Boy: Suppose a murderer confesses to murder on a radio station, are u going to close down the station for allowing a murderer to be hosted by it and confessing on its airwaves? You are just not sufficiently exposed on to how to reason and argue rstionally.

  2. But UPND parliamentarians and Chief Mukuni are not cautioned on grounds of full scale tribal hatred…?
    Leave the radio station alone.Who doesn’t know about tribalism in this country…?

    • We welcome the IBA decision to withdraw the broadcasting license of station promoting tribalism. But they must go further and destroy UPND websites such as Zambian Watchdog that promote threats of arrest of bemba and eastern province businessmen if HH takes over power. Bembas and northerners will never forget how they suffered persecution for 7 years under President Mwanawasa. If ZICTA fails to bring down websites like Zambian watchdog that promote tribalism and hatred of Northern and Eastern tribes, then 2021 elections will be fought on tribal arguments and HH will certainly lose that argument.

    • Tough but true: If the tribes cannot live together, then it’s better that Zambia is partitioned. From wht u hv argued, you’re clearly a potential genocidaire. You took in hatred together with your mother’s milk.

  3. It’s about time this lungu lead PF GRZ started clamping down on hate speech being aired aimed at certain tribal groups.

    It is never too late.

    We say to president lungu , well done.

  4. Like @1.3 Aristotle has put it, THERE MUST BE PROSECUTION TO SET AN EXAMPLE and ensure that as the political atmosphere heats up towards 2021, people tone down or don’t resort to tribalism when campaigning!!

  5. Radio Stations played a major role in the Rwandan Genocide! Thanks to IBA for rising to the occasion though I feel that ACT should be stiffened further! The moderator and the callers should also be arrested and prosecuted for propagating Hate Speech and Conduct likely to cause breach of Peace! As a Bemba who has married a Tonga, I really feel hurt by these misfits that have mushroomed in our country today! This is what happens to idle minds – they become workshops for hate speech! You cannot be a Christian if you hate your fellow human being because of their ethnic extraction as if they made an application to be born from that ethnic group! Hate is a contagious disease that must be dealt with aggressively by every patriotic citizen! Criminalize hate speech before it’s too late!

  6. But Christians enjoy hating all the LGBTQ+ community because of the way they are born or whom they love. Christians are the main purveyors of hate and intolerance and greed the world over. Criminalize hate speech before it is too late.
    LGBTQ+ people are born in equal numbers to all societies and groupings. Will you condemn them equally because of your contemptible religion? Criminalize hate speech before it is too late.

  7. Tribalism is bad whether in actions or in words. Let us not ignore the tribalism in actions through appointments. What is the motivation of appointing a DC who speak the language of the locals? A chief or headman requires an interpreter to talk to a DC. Look at quasi govt? Parastatal institutions? At Permanent Secretaries levels? These are bad indicators too. Tribalism in actions is being ignored when it is too visible to ignore. Those who use words are simply confirming.

  8. Throughout history heinous crimes have been perpetrated with the express facilitation of religion. So we should not even take this institutionalizing of religion in a Government Ministry lightly. Secondly, this is a hate speech crime – simple and straightforward. That guy who uttered those sentiments must be dragged to court because no law protects that kind of behavior. That suspension is useless if you do not go to the root. Lastly – when is the Ministry of Religions and Affairs going to be dissolved?

  9. Post what the presenter said.

    People have freedom of speech.

    If you Tonga u remain a Tonga.

    Why threatening people?

    Zambia is free democratic country.

    Let people talk

    • Imwe naimwe freedom of speech is NOT ABSOLUTE. I cannot stand up and start insulting you and your father in the name of freedom of speech. These freedoms are NOT ABSOLUTE!

  10. I have observed how passengers insult drivers for engaging emergency brakes to avoid a pothole.
    Believe me we’re better off as a Christian nation than as a circular one even if it’s for show.
    God’s chosen nation has not always had it easy…

  11. Since gods, the Christian one especially, exist only in diseased minds; why would any rational people or nation want to have anything to do with that evil and foolish fraud?
    The immorality of the bible is repulsive and repugnant.

  12. Tough but true. Thieves are thieves and must be arrested regardless of where they come from. Arrests were made with convictions such as Richard Sakala, General Singogo who was recently pardoned and there fear to steal. Are you saying that Easterners have teamed up with Bemba’s to protect each other when they steal? What about Chishimba Kambwili being persecuted? Is Kambwili being persecuted by a non Bemba of Easterner?

  13. Interesting indeed. While no one supports what was said on Star Station, the question that begs for an answer is: where was IBA when some Paramount chief in this country said NO Bemba language should be head on ‘Radio Lyambai’? Well done anyway and be proactive.

    • Radio Lyambai is in Western province and the paramount chief there is the Litunga. And since the Litunga doesn’t speak on public issues, I find it hard to believe u. The key lesson is that national building is still a work-in-progress in Zambia. Language chauvinism is being mixed up with tribalism. They’re not exactly the same. The two PF leaders in Kasama who have caused this want the country to believe that they were the only Bembas in Southern province when they allegedly visited. Who can believe that? Tongas and Lozis are clearly being watched in Northern province. It’s one Zambia, many nations.

  14. Comment:ba Bowman we are not girls or babies that you can sweet talk with that lies you have jst failed jst accept that elo I think even when you at school wali icikopo coz a wise person can’t lie to people since you are a spokesperson of your government pf, jst tell mr lungu to resign if you want pf to win 2021 election or else you will fair

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