Mawere condemned for threatening Prime TV journalist

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia has condemned in strongest terms the behaviour of Sports Minister Moses Mawere who threatened Prime TV Journalist Osward Yambani II.

In a press statement released by MISA Zambia Chairperson Helen Mwale, the media body said it was concerned with the escalation of attacks against journalists by politicians. Mwale disclosed that the month of May, 2019 had demonstrated once again the toxic nature and outsized reach of political harassment against journalists.

On Monday, May 20, Mawere who is also Chipata Central Member of Parliament phoned Yambani after Prime TV aired a clip of Chipata residents complaining about Mawere being an absentee MP.

In a recorded phone conversation which has gone viral, Mawere threatened Yambani saying other journalists in the past who treated him badly came back crawling after dealing with them.

“What you are televising is nonsense. Do you know me very well? Don’t blame me when some thing happens to you. This is Chipata my friend. Continue what you are doing If you have been hired, just eat your money. Your news is based on me or what? What do you want?” Mawere kept on talking as Yambani tried to defend himself telling the Sports Minister not to call him a hired gun.

“Prime TV, listen to me. Just eat your money from your sponsors. But please learn from your friends this is Chipata. Elo don’t call me. I won’t pick. Just run your story, don’t call me. I won’t pick. You are being paid. Some one is sponsoring you. Your are sponsored by UPND. Go and look for people who are saying bad about me, interview them and televise. You are highly hired. Nonsense. You are a highly hired gun. Can you record it. Put it on record. Go and put it on your news. Continue enjoying the money of the people sponsoring you.”

But Mwale has urged the ruling Patriotic Front to be firm and take stock of their violence, threats and attacks against journalists by reversing and resisting the appalling trend of impunity.

“As MISA Zambia we are grossly aggrieved by the persistent and systematic attacks –both verbal and physical to the media. Whenever the media brings out the short comings of our politicians they have rushed to heap the blame on the media, accusing the practitioners of doctoring the news to blackmail and cast them in bad light,” she said.

Mwale explained that the story in question was about residents complaining about the poor state of the roads in his constituency and that he was an absentee MP.

“It seems Hon. Mawere who is also Youth, Sport and Child Development Minister is following in footsteps of an increasing number of our political leaders who regularly insult and threaten the media and accuse the media of biasness and being bought,” she said.

Mwale said Mawere should know better that if people have concerns about published work or broadcast, they were encouraged to use the complaints channels already in place, which include the Independent Broadcasting Authority complaints procedure.

“And if Hon. Mawere is aggrieved by the works of the media, he can also resort to courts of law for legal redress rather than threatening individual journalists and the media houses in general without singling out individual media houses or journalists, so that his plight can be heard in a court of competent jurisdiction,” she said.

She said that MISA Zambia obviously accepts that politicians had a right to speak their mind and raise their concerns about the media and its perceived biasness, but asked that they rather engage editors and media house that employ them.

“Hon. Mawere should work to create an environment which promotes mutual cooperation rather than resort to confrontation and therefore abusing freedom of expression and the media,” she said.

Mwale stated that the threats by Mawere could not be taken lightly, given the fact that he was a Cabinet minister who wields a lot of authority.

“Mawere’s threats increase the risk of journalists being targeted with violence and were designed to undermine confidence in reporting. We would therefore like to warn Mawere to desist from this thuggery behaviour and instead deal with issues the people of Chipata Central are raising. He must also know that should anything happen to Yambani, he will be to blame,” she said.

And Yambani explained that Mawere phoned him after the main news and hurled unpalatables despite the fact that before the story ran, he was calling him but he didn’t pick.

“We aired a story were residents complained that he is an absentee MP. They complained over poor state of roads and threatened to chase him it he come. I called him,he was not picking and I sent a query through a text around 11 which he never responded to”, Yambani explained.