IBA Director General Webster Malido said reports claiming Millennium TV had been ordered not to air an interview featuring Chungu were false. He stated that the authority had not instructed any television or radio station to cancel, suspend or block any programme associated with the Liberal Party leader in Zambia.
The clarification follows growing public speculation after ZedPodcast announced that a scheduled episode featuring Chungu would no longer be aired “due to circumstances beyond our control.” The announcement immediately triggered wider discussion online, with some social media users questioning whether media houses in Zambia had come under pressure over the planned interviews.
Chungu, who served as Director General of the Zambia State Intelligence Service under former president Frederick Chiluba, has recently emerged as one of the presidential contenders ahead of the 2026 general elections in Zambia. His re-emergence in active politics has generated renewed public interest due to his intelligence background and previous testimony during the 2003 presidential election petition involving Anderson Mazoka and Levy Mwanawasa.
The controversy surrounding the cancelled interviews intensified after former diplomat Emmanuel Mwamba alleged that both Millennium TV and ZedPodcast had been ordered to cancel Chungu’s appearances and were allegedly threatened with possible charges of espionage, sedition and treason should the recorded interviews be aired or distributed.
Below is the notice issued by ZedPodcast:
“That Podcast Can’t Podcast Former Spy Chief.”
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, the podcast episode with the former Director General of the Zambia Security Intelligence Service, Mr Xavier Chungu, will not be broadcast at all as earlier advertised. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you all for making us Zambia’s premier podcast. We will post a replacement episode later this week. Thanks for your support always.”
This IBA is a censorship board for the Mass Media. Yes it’s misplaced and cant be outside of the secondrepublic.
Who approved it? It should go live in the second republic where we left all political authoritanism.
Media professionals should have opted for a truly independent self regulating institution that focuses on ethical direction. Not this state police masquerading as a professional girdle. In our democratic Zambia IBA is as irrelevant as the ministry of broadcasting.
Why are my posts not showing?