NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW

MINISTRY DISTANCES ITSELF FROM ARRESTED ZNBC JOURNALIST, SAYING PROFESSIONAL STATUS DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION WHEN LAWS ARE BROKEN

By Francis Maingaila

Lusaka, Zambia24  --- (21-07-2026) --- The Ministry of Information and Media (MIM) has distanced itself from the arrest of a Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) journalist over alleged cyber-related offences, stating that journalists are not immune from prosecution when they break the law.

Ministry Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana said the government respects the role of the media but emphasised that members of the profession must be held accountable for their actions like any other citizen.

Speaking during a media briefing, Mr. Kawana said the journalist involved in the matter would face the legal process and defend themselves before the courts.

“We want to make it very clear that there is no journalist who is above the law. Once you break the law, do not hide behind the jacket of your profession,” Mr. Kawana said.

He said the Ministry was aware of the case involving a member of staff at ZNBC but would not interfere in the legal process.

“The person who has broken the law has been arrested and will face the law, defend themselves, and face the consequences if found wanting. If they are found not guilty, then the law will take its course,” he said.

Mr. Kawana’s remarks come amid public debate surrounding the arrest, with some stakeholders raising concerns about possible implications for press freedom.

However, the Permanent Secretary maintained that accountability must apply equally to everyone, including media practitioners.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kawana dismissed reports suggesting that Zambia was experiencing nationwide load shedding, clarifying that the current electricity challenges were mainly due to faults affecting infrastructure.

He said some communities were experiencing power outages caused by vandalism and technical faults involving equipment such as transformers.

“We want to state clearly that there is no load shedding in the country and ZESCO is not load shedding anywhere. However, in some areas there are outages caused by faults,” he said.

Mr. Kawana urged members of the public experiencing power interruptions to report them to ZESCO so that repairs could be carried out and electricity restored.

The Permanent Secretary also used the briefing to defend government policies, particularly in the education sector, against criticism from opposition political players ahead of the August 13 general elections.

He accused some opposition parties of making claims about free education and student meal allowances without acknowledging what he described as improvements made under the current administration.

Mr. Kawana said although previous governments claimed to have introduced free education, many children remained out of school because families could not afford related costs.

“The moment the new administration under President Hakainde Hichilema introduced free education properly, over 2.5 million children returned to school. That is free education,” he said.

He added that government had expanded access to higher education through increased student loan opportunities and the reinstatement of meal allowances.

“Today we have students back on meal allowances. We have more institutions covered, and we have student loans that continue after completion of studies,” Mr. Kawana said.

The Permanent Secretary also rejected claims by some opposition figures that the public broadcaster was biased against them during the election period.

He said ZNBC was covering all political players fairly and would continue to provide coverage to all candidates participating in the elections.

“ZNBC as a national broadcaster is covering all political players without segregation, without selection. If it is a constituency being highlighted, all contestants will be shown and given an opportunity to speak,” he said.

Mr. Kawana said the broadcaster had covered campaigns involving various political figures, including opposition leaders, and challenged anyone with concerns over coverage to monitor the news and provide evidence of imbalance.

He further warned against political violence, saying the media would continue reporting issues affecting the country while promoting peace during the election period.

“ZNBC will continue to show all political players because it is a public broadcaster and it will play its role as such,” he said.