GOVERNMENT has appointed board members for Times Printpak (Z) Limited and Zambia Daily Mail and urged them to provide effective policy direction to make the two public media institutions viable business ventures.
Information, Broadcasting and Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda announced this in Lusaka yesterday during a media briefing.
The board chairperson for Times Printpak is Michael Musonda, a private legal practitioner and former Law Association of Zambia president.
Other members are Bank of Zambia Director of Human Resources and Administration, Penelope Mapoma, Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council Executive Director, Engwase Banda-Mwale,University of Zambia (UNZA) lecturer Eustace Chanel Nkandu and Multi-Choice General Manager, Simon Botha.
Mau Farms Executive Chairperson, Lawrence Kwaleyela Moola, retired High Court Judge, Kabazo Chanda, Information, Broadcasting and Labour Ministry Permanent Secretary, Amos Malupenga and Times Printpak Managing Director, Godfrey Malama are the other members of the board.
For the Zambia Daily Mail, Standard Charted Bank Zambia Managing Director, Mizinga Melu is the new board chairperson while other members are former journalism lecturer and now ZAMCOM Director, Oliver Kanene.
Others are UNZA lecturer and researcher, Crop Science Department Tamala Kambikambi, lecturer and coordinator for print media, mass communication department at UNZA, Carole Phiri-Chibbonta and Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing at Barclays Bank (Z) Limited, Webster Malido.
Others are Managing Partner at Philsong and Partners Legal Practitioners, Phillimon Songolo, chairperson and part owner of Balmorla Farm, Simon Zukas, Mr Malupenga and Zambia Daily Mail Managing Director, Isaac Chipampe.
Mr Shamenda said the Government and Zambians’ expectations for public media were high, hence the two public media should operate as viable business ventures.
“The least I expect is to see these newspapers coming to the Government with begging bowls every time in an environment where the private media is flourishing without handouts,” Mr Shamenda said.
He said being perpetual beggars compromised the editorial independence of the public media and that there should be nothing to stop the boards from making money and running the newspapers profitably.
“If you allow the newspapers to publish what people want to read,people will buy the newspaper. If people buy the newspapers,advertisers will rush to buy space and that is what will make the newspapers profitable and independent from any form of interference,”he said.
He was convinced that the new boards would translate the pronouncements of the leadership of the Patriotic Front Government into action.
Mr Shamenda said as minister, he expected the boards to run the media institutions smoothly, efficiently and provide effective policy direction.
He said there should be transparency in management as the board provides checks and balances in the operations of the two institutions.
He said the Government had not been in a hurry to appoint the boards because it took time demonstrating how the public media should operate.
“We have further demonstrated that the people working in public media are highly professional. They know what is right and what is wrong and given space to make decisions independently they will always do the right thing,” he said.
The minister said it was the desire of the ministry to see improved labour relations in all departments affiliated to the ministry, the public media inclusive, with good corporate governance.
He said the appointments of the boards came at an opportune time when Zambia was drafting the new Constitution and that they should look at provisions on public media and make appropriate submissions.
He urged all Zambians who valued a free Press and freedom of expression to support the board members.
The minister also disclosed that soon, he would be giving out 10 licences for radio stations around the country.
[Times of Zambia]
Good. I hope Chishinga radio in Kawambwa and another in Samfya will be among the 10 issuees.
These boards seem to have the right calibre people unlike the Zamtel one where the Board Chairman (Wynter Kabimba) says they will look after the welfare of the workers instead of the interests of the shareholders. Wonder what the unionists will be doing in that case!
PAY 14BN m’MEMBE THIEF…Mascareding as a saint!!!!!
Backward thinking by a backward govt. In civilised societies the board should have been constituted first. The board would have then devised a business plan. Finally, the board would have gone out to recruit the personnel that has the right attributes to deliver the performance goals set out in their business plan. As it is the management teams in these newspapers owe their allegiance to the politicians who handpicked them and not the toothless boards. Unity of command or a single boss is an important attribute of any successful organisation .
Mmembe is the most pompous creature on two feet. A Zambian with a hat while greeting elder like Ba minister Shamenda? In any part of society you rest your hat on chest, unless it was a traditional hat like the hopeless Lozis’. And that cap ba Mmembe is for kaponyas.
@nostradamus…you are a stu.pid excuse for a human being. You are a major league bigot! Just how do lozis come into this, you stinking maggot?
The Bemba chaps are really enjoying under Sata. 95% of the board members are Bembas. Those who voted for Sata who are not his tribes men are seeing red. Zambian’s passivity is weighing on them heavily.
#6 ROD u frustratd Lozi..did u even get Nostradamus’s example..u nid sum heavy duty therapy..!
Geez these guys, are they really going to create employement for sure?
ALL THE APPOINTED CHAPS ARE ALREADY WORKING WITH BIG POSTS IN OTHER COMPANIES, PALIFYE ATI DIRECTOR OF SHANI, EXECUTIVE OF SHANI, MANAGINING OF SHANI. bWAFYA
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