ZNBC fires news manager over Rupiah’s campaign footage

ZNBC fires news manager over Rupiah’s campaign footage
Written by Ernest Chanda
Sunday, October 18, 2009 3:07:12 AM

THE Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) management has dismissed news manager Kelly Chubili over President Rupiah Banda’s campaign footage from the just-ended Kasama by-election that failed to run on the main news due to a technical fault.

And ZNBC director general Joseph Salasini, along with three other directors and the head of procurement, have been dismissed following various irregularities as revealed in the Auditor General's report over the operations of the national broadcaster.

According to a well-placed source in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, management was ordered by information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha to dismiss Chubili for allegedly being anti-ruling party.

The source said Chubili was allegedly betrayed by a named ZNBC reporter in Kasama after he reported to State House press aide Dickson Jere that the newsroom in Lusaka was full of anti-ruling party journalists.

“You see, when the President went to campaign in Kasama, he went with some journalists from Kitwe studios. Now, the camera person there had recorded one of President Banda’s campaign speeches in a wrong format. And when the tape was sent to ZNBC Lusaka studios it could play on the computers but not on the studio machines. The technicians there tried their best but they coud not succeed; even their IT department was summoned but nothing positive came out,” the source said.

“Upon noticing that the footage was not aired on the news, the ZNBC reporter who was with the President started telling Dickson Jere that what had happened was just planned in the Lusaka newsroom. This reporter went on to say that most of the people in the Lusaka newsroom were supporting the opposition political parties. 'Those guys there are UPND and PF sympathisers, so Mr Jere if you want the President to win the 2011 election, please re-organise that newsroom'.”

The source said the reporter had gone too far by framing an innocent person.

“As people from the ministry we know most of the operations of ZNBC. And I’m telling you my brother that was purely a technical problem, the tape was recorded in a wrong format. And you know what, this same person, the colleagues who were around tried to stop him from saying such things against his own colleagues but he said he didn’t care what happened thereafter,” the source said.

The source explained that Jere was angry after getting that report and said he had always suspected that some people in the newsroom were against the MMD government.

The source said Jere later called Lt Gen Shikapwasha and ordered him to fire some people in the newsroom, or else he would report him to the President.

“So [Lt] Gen Shikapwasha feared for his job and acted. Of course he could not just go straight into firing Chubili. He first looked at the pending issues as revealed in the Auditor General’s report about the institution. So the minister ordered the ZNBC Board to fire some directors and the director general Mr Salasini. But he was also given special instructions not to leave Chubili out of the drug net. What I know is that the minister pushed management into firing Chubili based on the pressure he was getting from Dickson Jere,” the source said.

“But this is a sad development, in all fairness it was wrong for that reporter to betray his colleagues just like that. We all know about the political pressure that those guys at ZNBC go through even though we are at the ministry. These are things we see nearly everyday; sometimes cadres are sent from high offices to go and issue statements against some NGOs [Non Governmental Organisations], diplomats, churches or political leaders. Sad enough, all the staff in the newsroom at ZNBC have been given political parties by this same reporter who framed Chubili. But even then cadreism should not go this far. You can’t just rejoice in having your colleagues fired and let their families suffer just like that.”

Efforts to get comment from Chubili proved futile by press time as he could not be reached on his mobile phone.

And when called for comment, Lt Gen Shikapwasha's mobile phone was constantly on voice mail.

ZNBC board chairman Augustine Seyuba revealed that the board of directors had terminated contracts for Salasini and three other directors.

Seyuba noted in a statement that the move was part of the re-organisation of the national broadcaster’s management.

“The ZNBC Board of Directors has terminated the contract for the Director General Joseph Salasini as part of the re-organisation of the management of the corporation announced last week by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services,” Seyuba stated.

"Three directors responsible for: Programmes Mr Maxwell Ng’andu; Finance Mr Millen Siamiyoba; and Marketing and Sales, Mr Anthony Mhlanga have also had their contracts terminated while the board will not renew the contract for the Director of Human Resources, Miss Sepiso Kwaleyela which ends next month."

He stated that the board made the decisions in order to serve the interests of the corporation.

“It has become clear that the industrial environment at the corporation over the past few months had deteriorated significantly and was no longer condusive for the advancement of the objectives of the national broadcaster. The board has had to make these decisions to serve the best interests of ZNBC and to save the situation from degenerating further,” Seyuba stated.

“Other measures to be instituted as part of the reorganisation will include the immediate addressing of operational weaknesses pointed out by an audit conducted by the Auditor General at the invitation of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services. The board is determined to ensure that the financial status of the company is strengthened while improving ZNBC programming.”

And according to an internal memorandum signed by Kwaleyela, dated October 15, 2009 and pasted on ZNBC notice board last Friday, the affected directors and a news manager have already been replaced by other officers.

“Following the recent re-organisation of the management of ZNBC which has led to the departure of the Director of Programmes Mr Maxwell Ng’andu, Director of Marketing and Sales Mr Anthony Mhlanga, the Director of Finance Mr Millen Siamiyoba, Manager News Mr Kelly Chubili and the Head of Procurement and Supplies Mr Vyalema Ndhlovu, the following personnel have been asked to coordinate the affairs of their respective directorates/units for administrative purposes until further notice,” the memorandum read in part.

“Mr Jasat Mwanza – Finance, Mr Nkamu Nkamu – Programmes, Mr Clarence Mfula – Marketing, Mr Grevazio Zulu – Newsroom. Management is counting on you individually and severally to accord the above named staff your utmost cooperation and support for them to execute their duties to the expectation of management.”

In April this year, ZNBC unionised workers staged a peaceful demonstration against the management and board for allegedly failing to manage the corporation, forcing Salasini to lock himself up in his office with tight police protection.

The workers, through their union leader Simon Mwila revealed that they planned to petition President Rupiah Banda demanding for the dissolution of the ZNBC management and board of directors for alleged gross failure to manage the corporation and awarding themselves huge allowances while denying the unionised workers similar conditions of service.

Following the protests, Lt Gen Shikapwasha then asked the Auditor General’s office to audit the corporation’s books.

Recently, the Auditor General’s office compiled its report, which revealed a number of irregularities and handed it to Lt Gen Shikapwasha for further action.