Media bodies in Zambia have condemned Petauke District Commissioner Velenasi Moyo for illegally ordering the closure of privately owned PASME radio station.
Mr. Moyo in the Company of Police Officers is reported to have pounced on the radio station last evening and stopped a paid for recorded UPND program claiming the radio station needed to acquire a permit from the Police.
The Zambia Institute of Independent Media Alliance has challenged the Zambia police service to arrest the District Commissioner, labeling him a traceable perpetrator of media attacks.
ZIIMA President Jajah Coulibaly says it is sad that in this time and era, officers from the police service who were used to close down PASME FM in Petauke district Eastern province at the orders of a civil servant do not even understand the law but ignorantly act on political instructions.
Mr. Coulibaly said ZIIMA is shocked that civil servants under the current leadership go unpunished despite committing crimes, the latest ones being the Petauke and Mwinilunga DC who also blocked well-wishers from donating.
He has reminded President Edgar Lungu that the continued uncouth behavior of his appointees will not stop until he cracks a whip, failure to do so will cement people’s view that they have his blessings.
Mr. Coulibaly has further challenged the police command who have been making blanket statements on unprofessional cops to discipline the two officers who were used to close down a media house that was airing a paid for a radio program.
He said media houses are operating under harsh economic conditions with the coming of Covid-19 and blocking a source of income for the radio station is totally shameful and evil.
Mr. Coulibally has urged the radio station to take up this matter and exhaust all legal avenues to send a clear message to would-be perpetrators.
And MISA Zambia Chairperson Helen Mwale says her Organisation has received with great disappointment the reports that PASME FM in Petauke District has been closed by order of the District Commissioner in Petauke for airing a radio programme featuring an opposition political party leader.
Ms. Mwale says the report indicates that the Petauke District Commissioner, Ms. Velenasi Moyo went to PASME FM yesterday evening and stopped the broadcast of a paid-for recorded radio programme featuring the United Party for National Development.
She said the District Commissioner cited the lack of a police permit from the station before featuring any opposition political party on radio and later called officers from the Zambia Police Service to close the station until further notice.
Ms. Mwale said MISA Zambia finds this senseless act by the District Commissioner not only primitive but an assault and an affront to democracy and the right to citizens to fully express themselves through their freedom of expression and hinders the ability of citizens to freely access information without intimidation whatsoever. The role of the media remains to educate, inform as well as to entertain and it should be given sufficient leverage to do so.
She has reminded the District commissioner that the Independent Broadcasting Authority is the only institution that is mandated by law to regulate media stations as outlined in the IBA Act following the abrogation of laid down procedures and code of ethics. The IBA also has a complaints channel and procedure that the District Commissioner should follow if at all she strongly feels that the station erred in any way.
You cannot just open a radio station willy nilly without following proper licensing procedures. This is not a jungle where you do what you want. If we didn’t have rules and regulations then even satanists, rapists and racists could easily open up a station and do as they please. Follow correct procedures and stop crying like babies.
You cannot just open a radio station willy nilly without following proper licensing procedures. This is not a jungle where you do what you want. If we didn’t have rules and regulations then even satanists, rapists and racists could easily open up a station and do as they please. Follow correct procedures and stop crying like babies. This is why you lose elections. Kz
Then you see these same theives claiming we are popular …..
………fyonyo…fyonyo …..works speak for them selves …..
Pathetic scared little men…….
Then you see these same theives claiming we are popular …..
………fyonyo…fyonyo …..works speak for them selves …..
Pathetic scared little men…….
If this stupid behaviour of blocking people from using radio stations continues, broadcasting will go underground. It’s easy to set up pirate radio stations and also to host stations abroad that will transmit throughout Zambia and PF could do nothing about it.
PF, including thugs like KZ (see above) are allergic to divergent views. If that radio station had played a PF program then we were not going to hear about its closure. Any well meaning Zambian should be vexed by this on-going utter nonsense of tramping upon people’s/media freedoms…
The legal route may spell demise to this radio station. Looking at the state of the building, next the council will move in and demolish it for not having planning permission.
Misa zambia and Ziima are just paying lip service by condemning and talking. Why don’t you help these radio stations by assisting them to sue the perpetrators in their individual capacity so that others can learn. Sue the DC and the police officers involved.
The weekend is before us. Please enjoy responsibly as our health services have lot on their plates dealing with cases of this pandemic. Do not be careless to end up in hospital. Avoid all forms of entanglements with other people’s wives and husbands to prevent beatings and all that follows. Other than that, I am currently opening my bottle of 20 year old whiskey whilst listening to papa wemba.
@ kaisar ebupuba ubo! License only matters when a radio station does nt sing and report “dununa reverse”
Ba DC that was a shameless stunt!! Does it mean that shamelessness and foolishness has become a core competence for government officials under this government??
Razor
“….Why don’t you help these radio stations by assisting them to sue the perpetrators in their individual capacity so that others can learn. Sue the DC and the police officers involved….”
The judiciary is a corrupt mess by lungu in Zambia.
Nobody can sue anything PF. It does not work…..they own Zambia.
I am injured by this action by the DC if it is true. Does this DC know what it means to invest your money in such projects? The investor might have even borrowed from bank and some imbecile wakes up and closes the business. Some black Africans carry their brains between their thighs. How can we develop like this? The government has lost 35% of taxable profits, PAYE, skills levy and the council has forgone personal levy. Napsa has also lost. Just because of one 1diot.
Misa is a sale out. Media bodies remaining is now ZIIMA
Just leave them aba ba PF think they now own Zambia as their own property but wait time is coming they will not even know how they are going to loss this same poer they are abusing. I tell u people like the so called KZ who have made names through violence will scamper in all directions when people of Zambia will now start venting their anger on them coz of wat they are going through now. God is watching and I can assure u that wen God intervenes no amount of manipulation will ever prevail.
@ Kaizar Zulu, enjoy your weekend my friend and take care too.
Chaos is the new norm in Chambia but majority wants Zambia back.
THIS CHIPATA DC IS A WHORE IN MPEZENI VILLAGE.WHEN DID THE DC BECOME THE ONE TO RECEIVE THE CASH FOR AN INSTITUTION WHERE SHE IS NOT A SHARE HOLDER OR ANY GOVT INSTITUTION?IS IT IN HER JOB DESCRIPTION?THIS WHORE DESERVES TO BE WITH KZ IN BED CZ THEY ARE BOTH FOOLS AND *****S SO BRAINLESS. UPND PAID THE RADIO STATION AND THEY EVEN INFORMED THE POLICE IN ADVANCE DURING THE DAY.HERE IS THE WHOLE INFORMATION AND WHICH IS ON THE RECEIPT-PASME RADIO STATION-91.3FM-TPIN No-1009391065 RECEIPT No 013 RECEIVED A K1,000 CASH AND RECEIPTED BY BANDA ROSE ON 13/08.2020..PF IS BEHAVING AS IF THEY ARE IN OPPOSITION.IF U HAVE FAILED TO MARKET YOUR CANDIDATE ECL FIND A BETTER SOLUTION NOT IN THIS MANNER.IF RB HAD DONE THE SAME DO YOU THINK PF WOULD BE IN POWER?NO. THE MORE U ARE DOING THIS THE MORE GOD IS…