MWEETWA A VICTIM OF HARASSMENT - UPND

THE ruling UPND is now accusing KBN and its Journalist Innocent Phiri of having harassed Cornelius Mweetwa, the Minister of Information and Media after the broacsting station published a private conversation in which the Minister was asking for damage control from the reporter at fee of friendship.

The UPND is alleging that KBN and its journalist violated Mr Mweetwa’s right to privacy by publishing a private conversation in which the Minister was asking for help to correct his statement in which he made a confession that the governing party had planted ailing

Chishimba Kambwili on the Patriotic Front (PF) to wage a tribal campaign against President Hakainde Hichilema in order to bring down former President Dr Edgar Lungu.

According to Beene Hachombwa, KBN and its journalist had infringed on the Mr Mweetwa’s right to privacy when it published a conversation in which Mr Mweetwa was bragging that the UPND worked well with Mr Kambwili to bring down Zambia’s Sixth President Dr Lungu by propagating tribal hatred against the people of Southern Province and President Hichilema in opposition.

Mr Hachombwa, who is the UPND presidential campaign team member said the private conversation was not supposed to be made public and according to him, its publication was unethical and an infringement on one’s rights.

“The conduct need to be condemned and we are calling upon the IBA to intervene because we believe that the code of conduct was breached. This is not how the media need to the conduct themselves, the media need to be professional. As a party we believe that the media is a tool for formal dissemination of information and this how it is supposed to be,” Mr Hachombwa said.

He said the manner KBN and its journalist conducted themselves was unprofessional and has called on law enforcement agencies to immediately institute investigations into the matter.

He said it was shocking that the private television could go ahead to air the private conversation on the main news.